Nick Reinhart is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding frontman of the math-rock band Tera Melos. He’s also widely recognized as a longtime touring and recording guitarist for the experimental hip-hop group Death Grips. Reinhart built his reputation on an unorthodox playing style built around effects pedals, samplers, and rapid rhythmic shifts. Public sources confirm a decades-long, still-active career spanning multiple bands rather than a single signature project.
Reinhart’s story matters to guitar and indie-rock audiences because of how unusual his career path is. Rather than sticking to one band, he has moved fluidly between math rock, experimental hip-hop, indie pop, and solo electronic work. That range is a big reason search interest spans so many different angles — his gear, his bands, his Death Grips connection, and general “who is he” questions.
This article covers what’s reliably documented about Reinhart’s background, bands, gear, and current activity. It also addresses a common source of confusion: search terms mixing him up with unrelated people who share a similar name. Where public information is thin or unconfirmed, that’s stated directly rather than guessed at.
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Nick Reinhart Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Nick Reinhart |
| Date of Birth | May 21, 1983 |
| Age | 43 (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace/Origin | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Musician, guitarist, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, keyboards |
| Years Active | 1994–present |
| Primary Band | Tera Melos (founding member, frontman) |
| Also Known For | Touring guitarist, Death Grips |
| Other Projects | Big Walnuts Yonder, Bygones, Undo K From Hot, Disheveled Cuss |
| Labels | Sargent House, Springman Records |
| Current Status | Active musician; Tera Melos on extended hiatus |
Who Is Nick Reinhart?
Nick Reinhart, born May 21, 1983, is an American musician and songwriter best known as the frontman and founding member of Tera Melos, and as the live guitarist for the experimental rap band Death Grips. He’s recognized in guitar and effects circles for a highly technical, pedal-driven style.
He’s known for an unorthodox guitar playing style built around quickly alternating rhythmic patterns and heavy use of guitar pedals and samplers. That approach has made him a recurring subject in gear and pedalboard features over the years.
Tera Melos: The Band That Defines His Career
Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004, known for blending rock styles with ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. The band formed after the breakup of Reinhart and bassist Nathan Latona’s earlier band, No Regard, and the two have remained the group’s only permanent members since.
Drummer John Clardy joined in 2008, rounding out the band’s long-running three-piece lineup. Reinhart handles guitar, keyboards, and lead vocals in the group.
Tera Melos Studio Albums
| Album | Year | Label |
| Tera Melos (self-titled) | 2005/2010 (reissue) | Springman / Sargent House |
| Patagonian Rats | 2010 | Sargent House |
| X’ed Out | 2013 | Sargent House |
| Trash Generator | 2017 | Sargent House |
Nick Reinhart Death Grips Connection
Reinhart is frequently searched alongside Death Grips because of his frequent studio and touring contributions to the group, though he has never been an official full-time member. His guitar work opens Death Grips’ 2016 album Bottomless Pit on the track “Giving Bad People Good Ideas.” He also contributed guitar to The Powers That B (2015).
On stage, Reinhart has repeatedly filled in for the band. During Death Grips’ 2023 tour, keyboardist Andy Morin was absent from a Boston performance, and Reinhart stepped in as the touring guitarist alongside frontman MC Ride and drummer Zach Hill. He has toured with the band on more than one occasion since.
Nick Reinhart Other Bands and Projects
Reinhart’s discography extends well beyond Tera Melos and Death Grips. He’s built a reputation for constant collaboration across genres.
- Big Walnuts Yonder — A supergroup with Mike Watt (Minutemen), Nels Cline (Wilco), and Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), who released one self-titled album in 2017.
- Bygones — A duo with Death Grips drummer Zach Hill, releasing By- (2009) and Spiritual Bankruptcy (2010).
- Undo K From Hot — A later project with Zach Hill and Robby Moncrief (The Advantage), releasing G.A.S. Get a Star in 2021.
- Disheveled Cuss — A more conventional ’90s-influenced indie rock band Reinhart described as sounding somewhere between early Weezer and Teenage Fanclub, a deliberate contrast to his more experimental work.
- Solo work — Several self-released instrumental and electronic records, including Cellular Music (2019) and material released as Acid Fab.
He has also toured as a supporting or backing guitarist for other acts, including a stint with Best Coast.
Nick Reinhart Guitar Style and Pedalboard
Reinhart’s gear setup is a recurring subject of guitar-magazine coverage, and it’s central to why he’s searched alongside “pedalboard” and “Equipboard” queries. His rig has centered on a 1990s Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer, paired with a board built around EarthQuaker Devices pedals, a Source Audio Nemesis, a Meris Enzo, and a Boss LS-2 Line Selector used to switch between his guitar’s magnetic and synth pickups.
A second board in his live setup has included a Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, Red Panda Context and Tensor pedals, and a Keith McMillen 12 Step MIDI controller used to trigger combined patches and vocal effects.
Notable Gear Highlights
- Modified pawnshop-style electric guitars, including a Squier Super-Sonic
- Roland GR-30 guitar synthesizer as a signal-chain foundation
- Roland SP-404 sampler for live loop and beat work
- EarthQuaker Devices, Meris, and Source Audio effects pedals
In interviews, Reinhart has traced part of his interest in elaborate pedalboards to friendships within the effects-pedal community, including conversations that eventually helped inspire dedicated gear-focused media coverage of pedals.
Nick Reinhart Musical Influences and Background
Reinhart has said he got his first guitar at age eleven and that Nirvana had an early impact on him, along with seeing Sonic Youth’s use of guitar manipulation live around age twelve. He later moved from a punk-focused teenage listening habit into electronic acts like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher, then into bands like Hella and the Dillinger Escape Plan around 2000–2001.
That mix of noisy electronic music, math rock, and punk is often cited as the blueprint for Tera Melos’ sound.
Nick Reinhart Current Status (2026)
As of the most recent publicly available reporting, Reinhart continues to be active as a musician, though several specifics about his current schedule are not clearly documented in reliable sources.
- Tera Melos has not released a studio album since Trash Generator (2017) and is generally described as being on an extended hiatus rather than formally disbanded.
- Reinhart has continued sporadic touring and studio work with Death Grips, including 2023 tour dates.
- No newer verified Tera Melos reunion, new album, or Death Grips guitar credit beyond what’s covered above was found in the sources reviewed for this article.
Addressing Search Confusion: “Findlay, Ohio,” Net Worth, and Similar Names
A number of search terms tied to this name point toward unrelated people or unverifiable claims, and it’s worth separating those out clearly.
- “Nick Reinhart Findlay Ohio” / “Toledo Ohio”: No credible biography, news report, or official source connects musician Nick Reinhart to Findlay or Toledo, Ohio. This appears to reflect confusion with a different, unrelated individual whose personal details this article does not attempt to identify.
- Net worth and salary: No reliably sourced net worth or salary figure for Reinhart appears in mainstream financial or entertainment databases. Given his career is centered on independent and mid-size label releases (primarily Sargent House), broad net-worth estimates circulating online should be treated as unconfirmed.
- “Nickolas Reinhart” variants: Search terms referencing a “Nickolas Reinhart” in Sarasota or elsewhere likely refer to a different person entirely, not the musician covered here.
- “Nick Robinson / Lili Reinhart”: These names are unrelated to musician Nick Reinhart; Lili Reinhart is an actress, and this appears to be a keyword mix-up rather than a real connection.
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Evidence Check
Confirmed: Reinhart is the founding frontman of Tera Melos and a recurring touring/recording guitarist for Death Grips.
Source: Wikipedia (citing Pitchfork reporting) and multiple concert reviews.
What it shows: A documented, long-running working relationship rather than formal band membership.
What remains unclear: Whether he holds any ongoing, fixed touring role with Death Grips going forward, since the band’s lineup and plans have shifted repeatedly over the years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nick Reinhart?
Nick Reinhart is an American guitarist and songwriter, born May 21, 1983, best known as the founding frontman of Tera Melos and a frequent touring guitarist for Death Grips.
Is Nick Reinhart a member of Death Grips?
He is not a formal, credited full member. He’s a longtime collaborator who has contributed guitar to studio tracks and filled in on tour.
What bands has Nick Reinhart played in?
His main outlets include Tera Melos, Big Walnuts Yonder, Bygones, Undo K From Hot, and Disheveled Cuss, along with solo instrumental releases.
Is Tera Melos still active?
The band hasn’t released new music since 2017’s Trash Generator and is generally treated as being on hiatus rather than officially broken up.
What gear does Nick Reinhart use?
His setup has centered on a Roland GR-30 guitar synth, modified electric guitars, a Roland SP-404 sampler, and pedals from EarthQuaker Devices, Meris, and Source Audio.
Is Nick Reinhart from Findlay or Toledo, Ohio?
No reliable source connects him to either city. He’s from Sacramento, California, and this search term appears to reference an unrelated person.
What is Nick Reinhart’s net worth?
No credible, verified net worth figure is publicly documented. Any specific number circulating online should be treated as unconfirmed.
Conclusion
Nick Reinhart’s career is defined by movement between projects rather than loyalty to one sound. From Tera Melos’ technical math rock to guitar contributions on Death Grips records, and from the electronic experiments of Bygones to the straightforward indie rock of Disheveled Cuss, his catalog reflects an artist prioritizing variety over commercial consistency.
Much about his exact current activity — particularly Tera Melos’ long-term future — remains genuinely open. Readers should treat unsourced claims about his net worth, hometown, or identity mix-ups with other “Nick” or “Nickolas Reinhart” names with real caution, since none of that is backed by credible reporting.