14 Facts About Stephen Carpenter

Stephen "Steph" Carpenter is an American musician, known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative metal band Deftones.

Stephen Carpenter was ranked 60th in Guitar World's The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists poll.

Stephen Carpenter was born on August 3,1970, in Sacramento, California, to an American father and a Mexican mother.

Stephen Carpenter is first cousin to Testament singer Chuck Billy.

Stephen Carpenter grew up in the Sacramento area and pursued many hobbies, including skateboarding.

When Stephen Carpenter was 15 years old, he was hit by a car while skateboarding.

Stephen Carpenter attended McClatchy High School with future bandmates Chino Moreno and Abe Cunningham.

When Moreno found out Stephen Carpenter played guitar, he set up a jam session with Cunningham and the three began playing regularly in Stephen Carpenter's garage circa 1988.

Stephen Carpenter has stated that he mostly listens to hip hop, but outside of hip hop, Meshuggah, Fear Factory, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Faith No More are some of his influences.

Stephen Carpenter currently endorses ESP Guitars, Marshall Amplifiers, Engl Amplifiers, GuitarRig and Fishman Fluence Signature pickups.

Stephen Carpenter has been a major endorser of ESP since the mid-1990s with a number of signature six, seven, eight string and baritone models in production.

Stephen Carpenter was involved in the rap metal band Kush, featuring Christian Olde Wolbers and Raymond Herrera of Fear Factory and B-Real of Cypress Hill.

In November 2020, Stephen Carpenter revealed his belief in various conspiracy theories, including his belief that the Earth is flat and expressing anti-vaccination beliefs, among others.

Since 2022, Stephen Carpenter has not toured with Deftones internationally due to fear of traveling, which he developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.