Niklas Almqvist

Nicholaus Arson
Nicholaus with The Hives at the Eurockéennes of 2007
Background information
Birth name	Niklas Almqvist
Also known as	Nicholaus Arson
Born	26 January 1977 (1977-01-26) (age 40) Säter, Dalarna, Sweden
Genres	Alternative rock, garage punk, garage rock revival
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, backing vocals
Years active	1989 - present
Labels	A&M/Octone, Interscope, Epitaph Records
Associated acts	The Hives
Website	The Hives Broadcastingservice
Notable instruments
Fender Telecaster

Nicholaus Arson (born Niklas Almqvist Säter, Sweden 26 January 1977) is a guitarist and backup vocalist of the Swedish garage rock band The Hives.

Arson and his brother Per (Howlin' Pelle, lead singer) formed the band in 1993, and, according to a biography about the band, attracted the attention of promoter/manager/songwriter Randy Fitzsimmons (possibly a fictional character), who propelled the band to fame.

It was revealed in NME that Randy Fitzsimmons is a registered pseudonym belonging to Arson. This has led many to believe that Randy Fitzsimmons is in fact a myth, and that it is Arson who writes the songs. Arson and the rest of the band deny this and insist on the existence of Randy Fitzsimmons as the band's songwriter.

Arson, as with the rest of The Hives, is known for his onstage antics. In particular, his beady eye stares, constant spitting, blowing on his finger tips, and wild animation in playing the guitar, such as the way he is perceived to dance and other such antics as spinning the guitar with the strap over his shoulder, greatly contributing to the presentation of the band. While performing this move, his guitar strap has broken several times, Sending the guitar flying and almost hitting drummer Chris Dangerous in one case on October 27, 2007 in Fort Worth, Texas. He also rarely plays the keyboard.

Nicholaus uses almost exclusively Fender Telecaster, Esquire or Telecaster Deluxe style guitars. He also plays "The Arsonette" a custom built guitar by Sundberg Guitars, with tone chambers and a Firebird style bridge to give it a short, dead tone. His guitars often reflect the outfits of the band with different combos of black and white finishes and pickguards. Along with the Vigilante Carlstroem and Dr. Matt Destruction, Arson uses white Hiwatt amplifiers.