Opeth mastermind Mikael Akerfeldt was asked by GuitarGuitar on which guitar strings he likes to use, to which he replied (transcribed by UG):

“I have 10 to 45s. I use Austrian strings called Tomastik Plectrum strings. They make violin strings. They’re great. Sometimes they also have heavy bottom.

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“I started liking having a bottom E string that’s a bit too thin if you tune down so you get that wobbly sound. I like that. But we had a record that was mostly recorded in an open tuning, [2005’s] ‘Ghost Reveries.’ Open tuning for all the songs except one. It’s DADFAE.

“And for those shows I didn’t want that wobbly sound, I wanted it to be more controlled so I started using heavier bottom strings for that tour. And then with time I was like ‘That’s kind of charming with those.'”

Asked on how he feels about people filming Opeth gigs with phones, Mikael replied:

“I don’t mind. When I go to shows I don’t do that myself. But I don’t feel disrespected, it’s just how it is these days. I don’t understand how you want to see the show through your phone and all that, but it doesn’t bother me too much.

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“Sometimes if I’m in the mood I kind of call people out. I guess I make them embarrassed, but not in an aggressive way, just fun. I just go likem ‘Who’re you texting?’ And they’re just busy and the crowd goes down and then all of the sudden looks up and ‘Oh my god…’

“For some reason a lot of people in the very first row used their phones a lot. Of course, they’ve got the best spot. But it’s like, ‘I can see you.'”