Introduction

Kensuke Kita performing live, 2017

^(\This article is an updated version of my "Sound Like" article from 2021. I have reposted this article due to difficulties editing the original version*, and have included additional information and recommendations based on the increased popularity of amp simulator pedals*)*

Hello fellow musicians and Ajikan fans!
I have been a fan of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION for roughly 16 years and as a guitarist was greatly inspired by the band's alt rock sound.
After a few years of research I have written a series of "sound like" articles for ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. The purpose of these articles is to provide context on how the band create their signature sound, and to support beginning musicians or tribute acts who may wish to replicate it.
At the end of each article I have drafted a Budget Rig, which you could use for both at home and in a live environment. I have also provided some general amp settings to tweak and try, which are based on the band's live sound and be can used to help replicate their tones.
This is a 3-part series and if you enjoy this article I would recommend checking out the other articles:
Sound Like ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Pt.1: Masafumi Gotoh (2024 version) : AsianKungFuGeneration (reddit.com)
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Sound Like Part 3: Yamada : AsianKungFuGeneration (reddit.com)

To help you recognise the individual guitar tones, Gotch's guitar parts are normally panned to the left earphone and Kita's are panned to the right earphone on the band's albums. (On 2016's Sol-Fa, Hometown and some of the Planet Folks singles the panning was swapped, with Gotch instead in the right ear and Kita on the left)

Kensuke Kita

Kita during the Hometown UK/FR tour 2019
In this article we are focusing on lead guitarist and backing vocalist Kensuke Kita. Responsible for many of the band's iconic melodies and riffs, Kita's rig setup is a classic rock setup: A Gibson Les Paul into a Marshall-esque amp.
Inspired by 90's alt rock and Brit Pop groups such as Supergrass, Blur, Manic Street Preachers and Radiohead, Kita has constantly evolved as a musician and became more involved with the song writing process from Fanclub onwards. (Kita has writing credits on Blue Train)
This evolution can be seen clearly when you compare the punk rock style of Houkai Amplifier with the more experimental, pop inspired Planet Folks. While the earlier records reflected a focus on riffs and octave chord melodies, Kita now prefers playing major and minor third chords, triad chords and arpeggios, reflecting his "melody-maker" role in the band.

^{A triad chord is a chord made of 3 separate notes. They are commonly played on the higher strings and Kita uses them a lot, in tracks such as Aru Machi no Gunjou, Sayonara Lost Generation and Gekkou. Major and Minor third chords are sometimes referred to as Dyads.}

During live performances Kita will experiment with ambient tones, but remains the lead guitar sound, with Gotch acting as a anchor for the overall band.

GUITARS

Kita's primary guitar is a Gibson Les Paul. You want to capture the power and sustain of the humbucker pickups, so single coils will generally not work. Furthermore, I would not recommend active pickups, such as EMG pickups, and to avoid anything that creates too much gain. Remember, Kita sound is rooted in a traditional rock setup.
His most recognisable and iconic guitar is his Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue. Kita bought the 59's reissue in 2004 and has been a mainstay ever since, using it on every Ajikan album from Fanclub onwards.
Kita's Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul Standard Reissue
Kita's backup guitar is a Historic Collection 1958 Les Paul Standard Reissue, which is also used for Eb/D# standard tuning for songs such as After Dark, Yoru No Call and Empathy. Kita's other standout guitar is his Gibson ES-335, which is used occasionally for songs with a capo.
A good example of this would be the live performance of Natsu no Hi, Zanzou from the 10th Anniversary shows and live performances of Juuni Shinhou no Yuukei and Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat.
Kita has also experimented with Fender Telecasters, Jazzmasters and Stratocasters on the band's albums, although neither have been seen on stage so far. In a interview with Guitar Magazine, Kita confirmed that he used a Fender Jazzmaster on Empathy.
Kita with his Gibson ES-335, during the Quarter Century Tour
If you are looking to capture Kita's guitar sound, a Les Paul style guitar with vintage sounding pickups would be the best place to start.

^{Between 2002-2007, Kita armed his Les Pauls with Gibson Burstbucker 2 in the bridge position and the Burstbucker 1 in the neck position. Since 2007, Kita has used Custombuckers in both positions. Like Gotch, Kita uses Tortex Flex picks and are most likely .73mm or .88mm variants}

AMPLIFIERS

In the band's early years of success, Kita used a Marshall JCM 900-4100 head with a Marshall 1960A cabinet. In late 2005, Kita replaced the Marshall amp with the Bogner Ecstasy 101b and Bogner 4x12 Cabinet, which he has used ever since as his main live amplifier.
Kita's JCM900 amp, used during the early 2000's and Sol-Fa 2004 tour
The Bogner has 3 channel settings, with the "green" channel based on traditional Vox amp, the "blue" channel based on a Marshall JCM800 & Marshall Plexi and the "Red" channel as a higher drive channel. The Bogner also has a boost feature that Kita uses for solos.
Both the JCM900 and Ecstasy amps are based on vintage Marshall sounds, whereas the modern Marshall amps have a darker, more compressed sound.
Between 2000-2011 Kita would only use the Marshall or Bogner stack for live performances and simply switch between the amp channels. In 2012, Kita introduced the Shinos Luck 6V combo to his live setup.
The Shinos amps were set up by a former VOX Chief engineer and in general has a blend of Fender and Vox amps sound wise. They have also been compared to Matchless amps, which Kita has used occasionally on international tours.
Kita's Bogner Ecstasy 101b and Shinos Luck V6
Kita has experimented with more amplifiers in the studio and has been known to use JCM800's, VOX and Matchless amps on albums, but for the purpose of this article we will keep the focus on matching his vintage Marshall & Bogner tone.
Kita's clean sound can be heard on Angou No Waltz, Mustang and Yuugure no Aka, while his distorted sound can be heard on Standard, Re:Re: and Kouya wo Aruke.

^{Kita used 4x12 Greenback speakers in his Marshall cabinet (this was 2004 sound} & since 2005 he has likely use Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. The Shino is likely set up with a Celestion Classic Lead 80 speaker.)

PEDALS

Alongside the amp pairing, Kita uses a wide variety of pedals that has only grown in recent years. Previously, Kita stuck to a small collection of pedals which included a delay pedal and a preamp pedal.
Kita's 2004 pedalboard, used during the Sol-Fa tour
This collection has since rapidly grown, but has generally included a compressor, phaser, wah and a delay.
During the Eizo Sakushin Shu Vol. 6 performance, where he used a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay, an MXR M-132 Super Comp, Boss PH-2 Super Phaser, a Guyatone WR3 Wah Rocker and VoxV847 Wah pedal. Kita also used a BOSS TR-2 Tremolo at this time.
Kita's 2009 Pedalboard, which was used during the Eizo Sakushin Shu Vol. 6 performance
The Super Comp is used as a boost for lead melodies and solos, and the Super Phaser can be heard in performances of Mustang and Shinkokyuu. The Giga Delay can be heard in tracks such as Night Diving, Re:Re: and Mugen Glider, as well as the band's ambient jams. The Wah Rocker can be heard in Kugenuma Surf & Enoshima Escar
Since 2010 Kita's pedal board has gradually evolved to include more delay & modulation effects. (Such as the Boss Harmonist and BOSS MD-200 Modulation) He has also used fuzz and distortion pedals from time to time. For example, he has added the BOSS Tone Bender and Earthquaker Transmisser for ambient noises between tracks.
In recent years, Kita has also used octave pedals for lead parts (which recreates what the guitarist plays but at a higher or lower pitch), such as Blood Circulator, Boys & Girls and Clock Work. The Electro Harmonix POG2, which can be seen on his current rig below, is used for the intro of Kakato de Ai o Uchinarase.
Kita's current 2022 Pedalboard: (1) FREE THE TONE/JB-41S (Junction Box) (2) Jim Dunlop/535Q Crybaby Multi-Wah (Wow Pedal) (3) Custom Audio Japan/RS 616 (Programmable Switcher) (4)MXSuper Comp (Compressor) (5) Electro-Harmonix/POG2 (Octave) (6) BOSS/TB-2W (Fuzz) (7)EarthQuaker Devices/Transmisser (Modulation/Reverb) (8) strymon/ZELZAH (multi-phaser) (9) BOSS/MD-200 (multi-modulation) (10)(11) BOSS/DD-20 (multi-delay) (12) BOSS/FRV-1 (reverb) (13) Electro-Harmonix/FREEZE (sustainer)(14) BOSS/FS-5U (foot switch) (15) BOSS/TU-2s (tuner) (16) RJM/Amp Gizmo (amplifier channel switcher) (17) FIREGLOW/PPS-05 (power supply) (18) Vital Audio/VA-08 Mk-II (Power Supply)
To help manage his massive pedalboard on stage, Kita has been using a Custom Audio Switcher to control his pedals, which also allows him to create "loops" of saved settings for each song. I've included a list of his pedals from the current board on the picture below.
The guitar runs into the Junction box (top right) and wah pedal before going into the switcher. Kita can control the Comp and reverb from the switcher, along with the amp settings.
The guitar line then runs from the Dyna Comp through the rest of the pedals, which are controlled in separate loops by the switcher, before running into an amp switcher for the Bogner and Shinos. You can see these loops below:

^{Loop 1: Dyna Comp Loop 2: Dyna Comp, POG 2, Tone Bender, Transmisser Loop 3: Dyna Comp, Zelzah Loop 4: Dyna Comp, BOSS MD-200 (using the tremolo effect}) ^{Loop 5: Dyna Comp, 2x BOSS DD-20s Loop 6: Dyna Comp, 63' Fender Reverb}

Kita has a few additional pedals on the board, such as the Electro Harmonix Freeze, which can hold a note for a sustained amount of time and a separate BOSS footswitch to tap in a count for his delay sound.
While this may seem complicated (and it is!) bear in mind that many of the pedals are to recreate certain sounds from the band's 10 albums, or to allow Kita to experiment during live performances.
You do not need to build a pedalboard this big to sound like Kita.
Instead, I would focus on Kita's main pedals, which include the MXR Super Comp, his two Boss DD-20 Giga Delay pedals, the Dunlop535Q Crybaby Multi-Wah, the Strymon ZELZAH (phase) and BOSS MD-200. (phase/auto-wah/tremolo)

Sound Like Kita ...On a Budget

Kita, Quarter Century tour, 2022
To buy Kita's current rig would cost thousands of pounds (the 59' Les Paul alone could be worth £5,000) so much like the Gotch's post we have a few more affordable options that could get you close. The idea is to create a rig that can be used at home or in small venues to perform live.
Also bear in mind that information provided are based on Kita's Live setup, which is aimed at finding a medium between all of the sounds formed on the albums. Please also note that these are personal suggestions as a fan and if you find that works better for you, then great!
The main areas to consider are:

• A 50's inspired Les Paul
• A Boutique Marshall style amp
• A compressor pedal
• A Delay pedal and Multi-effect pedals

GUITAR
In terms of guitar options there are plenty of Les Paul copies, but for look and sound Epiphone is a no-brainer. The Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard is the newer, more expensive option but is based on the 59' Les Paul model, much like Kita's main guitar. You can buy one for around £749.
Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Standard
The more affordable option is the Epiphone Les Paul Standard '50s, which is also a solid pick and goes for around £500.
AMPLIFIER
In terms of affordable amps, Bogner have recently released the Ecstasy Mini 30W Head which costs around £349. You would need a speaker to plug the head into, this solid-state amp would get you close to Kita's sound and could be used for gigging with a big enough speaker.
Bogner Ecstasy Mini 30W Head
You could also try out the Marshall MG50 and Marshall Origin amps as affordable Marshall amps with a classic sound, closer to the JCM900/Bogner style.
Another approach you could take would be to use the Bogner Ecstasy pedals, which are pedals designed to emulate the Bogner Ecstasy amps. (Please bear in mind that you would need to tweak the settings more to work with the amp you use)
The BOSS Katana series and Blackstar amps (which have a dial to set a more British sound) have Marshall-esque settings and could also work, but would require more tweaking.
PEDALS
There are a wide variety of pedals to choose from, but to keep the pedal suggestions simple but versatile. Because of its importance to Kita's sound, I would recommend the MXR Super Comp.
MXR Super Comp
A great example of how this would sound can be on tako wasa YouTube channel, who demonstrated the pedal on this live stream. (tako also has a solid pedal board that is worth taking inspiration from!) An alternative approach would be to buy a Booster pedal to create the same effect, such as the Xotic EP-3 Boost
A delay pedal is also must for a sound like rig (Especially those keen to play the Re:Re: 2016 intro) and so the recommendation would be a Boss DD Delay pedals. The DD-6 or DD-8 are more affordable options that can definitely do the job, while the DD-200 gives you a more versatile option and the ability to save pre-sets for different tracks.
Boss DD-8
Cheaper alternatives that you could also consider are the Tone City Tape Machine and the TC Electronic Flashback 2 Mini, which are both good options for the price.
Another pedal for Kita's sound to consider would be a Wah pedal. As the Dunlop535Q Crybaby is quite a steep price for casual players, so I would recommend the Vox 845 Wah Wah Pedal. At £69 its considerably cheaper than the Dunlop535Q and should get close to Kita's original Wah sound.
Finally, we are going to focus on the modulation sounds for Kita, and ultimately this is down to preference and what songs you would like to emulate.
BOSS MD-200
If you wanted to have a mix of sounds, the BOSS MD-200, which Kita uses, covers many of the sounds he uses, including the phaser, auto-Wah and tremolo sounds.
For more specific roles, the BOSS PH-3 Phase Shifter will get you close to his original phase sound (try to avoid the Phase 90 style pedals for Kita's sound), while the BOSS Harmonist or a different Octave pedal would help capture some of his lead tones for the current era.
You could also consider a reverb pedal if you want to capture some of the ambient sounds Kita creates live or if the amp you choose doesn't include reverb.
AMP SIMULATOR PEDAL OPTIONS?
The final option to consider would be a Amp Simulator pedal. This type of pedal has become increasingly popular in the last few years and would be used in place of a traditional amp and effect pedals. You would then use the Amp Simulator with a IR Cabinet (a powered cabinet speaker) or with a Power Amp in between the Amp Simulator and a traditional cabinet.
They can be fairly expensive to buy and I would only advise buying one if you do intend to move on from your traditional amp/pedal setup, however the Quad Cortex DSP & Headrush Pedalboard would be good starting points. They are both aimed at capturing more traditionally hi gain amps such as the Bogner and Marshall amps, so should be able to do a good job at capturing Kita's sound.

Recommended Amp Settings

The following amp settings were based on photos from live performances and you should bear in mind that the volume may be quite loud for home use, so I would suggest bringing it down. Also bear in mind that every musician and amp will slightly differ so you may need to tweak with your settings to find the right blend.
My personal advice is to keep the gain around the middle and to use the volume to crunch up the sound. Kita does use a cabinet, so you may need to add more low end for a combo amp, and again bear in mind that the volume may need to be lower for home use.
Shino Luck V6:
Vol: 5, Treble: 5, Middle: 5, Bass: 3.5, Master: 3.5, Boost: 7, Level: 4
Bogner Green Setting:
Presence A: 8.5, Presence B: 8, Vol. 1: 5, Treble: 4:5, Mid: 4, Gain 1: 5.5
Bogner Blue Setting:
Vol. 2: 5.5, Vol. 3: 5.5, Treble: 5, Middle: 5/5.5, Bass: 5, Gain 2: 4.5, Gain 3: 5.5

Conclusion

Thank you again for reading this and I hope it's been insightful for you. Feel free to leave feedback below and any of your own tips