Heavy gauge picks. "After that the first real bass I bought was an Ibanez Soundgear and I still play Ibanez now. "I have to find my place in Slipknot and stay away from just following the guitars, so I play along with what the drums are doing. Instead of sticking with the drop B tuning used on its other tracks, Paul used a drop A tuning with this thickest string another octave down which he described as a super low, almost sub-woofer kind of frequency. 1960s Ampeg B-15 Portaflex, Strings and Picks Born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1972, Paul Dedrick Gray was in many ways the beating heart of Slipknot. I've heard this too. The Ibanez PGB1 electric bass guitar is the choice of Slipknot's Paul Gray. The two I mainly use are very different. Those Rickenbackers actually had built-in string mutes, as did Paul's later Fender Jazz. On Octobers behalf, the Gray family sued pain relief specialist Dr. Daniel Baldi and his former employers, alleging Paul hadnt been properly monitored during his drug addiction treatment. http://www.bassstringsonline.com/Hofner-Beatle-Bass-Strings_c_101.html, First New Bass Day in decades for me: Yamaha BB350F, Fun with a Squier Bass VI and a AB165 1968 Bassman setup -. I wish I had known that back then! Whether he knew you or not. Paul himself remarked on how it was a sound you felt rather than heard, more atmospheric than melodic in nature. He had an ear for nuances that I dont think a lot of people understood. Strings 1 : Rotosound Swing Bass 66 (Roundwound) Gauges 1 : 46-63-80-102. It broke in a roaring cheer. Those were round wound. When we started the band I felt it, right when we started it, and it still feels the same. So I went over and said, 'Dude, I play bass' even though I didn't have a bass guitar and never picked one up. The guy I got it from says that it was a factory custom that had been requested to have the toaster pickup put on it. I named all of them after the Captain, and I think maybe there will be a Captain Sensible pack at some point for the H9. After the set, the band huddled around Pauls jumpsuit, mask and bass as Til We Die poured out of the PA. My friends are all hurting, came Jims line. Rock n roll needs its rough edges. The Damned opened for T. Rex back in the day, and I even asked Captain why we never did this before. Everything else has been me just experimenting.". The riff that appears two minutes into Eyeless could very well be the Knots finest. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Paul, what basses did you use on Evil Spirits? His knack for finger-twisting, down-tuned riffs including extreme slides and bends is what made their assault all the more bludgeoning, a skill which hed undoubtedly sharpened as a death metal-obsessed teenager. At one point, Paul drifted back to LA, but was persuaded back by Anders and Shawn. He doesnt use conventional tunings a lot of the time, and a lot of the strings sort of ring on in an open tuning, and it gives the bass so much more room to trade off and prompts more ideas in my playing. After the third or fourth show I met somebody from Warwick and they sent me out a Corvette or some model and it was awesome. "Oh yeah, of course. Gray: I used the 1980 Ric that I used on TheBlack Album, but the one that ended up on most of the tracks was my very early 74. Tragically after writing, recording and touring four albums in the greatest metal band of a generation Paul passed away on May 24, 2010. verdict on the 50 albums that shaped 2022. When I tried out I constantly turned myself down or turned the tone knob down by accident. The track also been a source of inspiration for Pauls successor, Alessandro Venturella, who told this writer about filling a great mans shoes and doing him justice for a 2019 Bass magazine cover story around the release of We Are Not Your Kind. Which isnt the end of the world, of course, but there seems to be no fix, according to chatter on gear forums anyway. Not I; thats for sure. I had to go back and listen to them. There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. It's worked for me So far anyway! The 77 I have has the toaster pickup, and that one is much filthier sounding. What is it about them that you like so much?Gray: I was very much drawn to Rickenbacker sounds, to the point where Id listen to the radio as a kid and was always trying to figure out if it was a Rickenbacker I was hearing. We made the tour and we were able to get out there, but by the end of it, he was so sad, there was a lot of fighting going on, remembered Shawn. I saw Slayer on the Hell Awaits album and that changed my world, he once said. There was, however, a lot more to the man than extreme noise Paul cited names like Flea and Bootsy Collins alongside more audible influences such as Cliff Burton and Steve Harris, describing the latter as an idol for his ability to play all over the bass and leave no fret untouched. As the date drew near, it was clear Shawn was ready to go all out. 1996 Fender Custom Shop Bonnie Raitt Signature Stratocaster (Atomic Studios) As Slipknot put it in Skeptic, The world will never see another crazy motherfucker like you. I imagine you must use Rotosound strings, based on your influences and the tones youve gone for over the years? Reviews. Paul Dedrick Gray Born April 8, 1972 Died May 24, 2010 Country United States IPI 00344172381 21 works Affiliation ASCAP Member of Slipknot Bass (1995-2010) Meta. Those killer riffs on Surfacing, which switch from propulsive to filthy, came from his death metal project, Body Pit. A guitar most often associated with him is the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard "Greeny".Now a famous guitar, once owned by Peter Green of the Fleetwood Mac, and now in the possession of Metallica's Kirk Hammett.Another one worth singling out is the Les Paul Standard nicknamed . Things like that made a big difference, and on some tracks, youre hearing five to six guitar takes all at once. While their 1999 self-titled debut would prove to be a landmark, 2001s Iowa earned them a No.1 in the UK, while 2004s Vol. There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. There is no definitive answer to this question as Paul McCartney has been known to use a variety of different strings on his Hofner bass over the years. I knew the guitar lines and could have jammed those, but the bass parts were totally different and I was like, Fuck! I had to go back and listen to them. Ive always used .009.042 gauge strings: Rotosounds if we can get hold of them. Actually, none that I can think of. This is all from memory. Sensible: Tony and engineer Kevin Killen thought the material had a 60s garage vibe, so sought out less-saturated distortions, mainly from the studio Vox AC30 and an excellent Matrix VB800 amp that Id packed in my suitcase, which certainly packs a punch despite being on the dainty side. You dont often get that, and I struggle to think of any other guitarist that Ive worked with that Ive had that relationship with. Stretching-wise, I started off on guitar so my stretching is kinda good for playing and noodling, but on bass if you can actually stretch from the 1st fret to the 5th fret then you have got some freaking long fingers - I can barely do that! However, first-generation punks the Damned dont care much about any of that. Gray: Yeah! "He had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known, and he had the greatest soul I've ever . 1970s Ampeg SVT V9 I knew the guitar lines and could have jammed those, but the bass parts were totally different and I was like, 'Fuck!' Any doubts over Slipknot sustaining the brain-melting brutality of their debut were answered in a vicious storm of blastbeats and tremolo-picked guitars that felt even angrier and more possessed than before. Barely a year before, they had played their career-best show as first-time headliners at Download. The legendary Dan Erlewine, luthier Gene Imbody and Berklees Tomo Fujita have shot a 6-point lesson video to help, Producer Mura Masa says that PinkPantheresss Boys A Liar was made in a couple of hours, and that he didnt know about the Ice Spice 'Pt 2' remix until he saw the video, A-ha interview: "We were convinced that the record company would drop us and everything was over before it began" the story of Take On Me and their debut album Hunting High And Low. No tricks, no pedals, no nothing. In sixth grade, aged 11, he got Suicidal Tendencies self-titled debut, which fuelled a desire to learn the guitar. The studio has an excellent Fender Stratocaster that Captain used on at least three songs, for arpeggio things or anything that we needed a clearer sound on beyond the overdriven Gibson sound hes known for. I was just, I gotta get a real guitar and actually do it. Seeing them up there and the red lights and the smoke and it was all evil, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. There was just something huge coming through him.. What was your philosophy about shaping the tones for this album? Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Bassist Paul, aka The Pig, aka #2, appeared in a black uniform, steadily headbanging and riffing while chaos erupted around him. Slipknot is more dangerous now than ever and I have the fuel known as Paul Dedrick Gray in my blood, he said, even more fired up than usual. Who cares if theres a few jazz notes in there. Or why not treat yourself? Gray: We turned everything up full! It isn't THAT different, I listened to the rest of the album with the exception of Bother it sounded like Slipknot with the proper amount of band members. Clapton used these strings in the early days, around the Cream era. "You know, the first one I bought was a Charvel, a weird reddish purple Charvel It was not that great a bass. "In the beginning you will probably emulate your favourite players, but take that and make it your own and be yourself. I listened to Chili Peppers, lots of funk and jazz players Lots of Bootsy Collins stuff, so I tried to learn as much as I could. I have to find my place in Slipknot and stay away from just following the guitars, so I play along with what the drums are doing. Its complexity is countered by the open-string drone that dramatically brings everything to a close the guitar and bass amps ringing out together in a hellish orchestra of earth-shaking noise. Everyone in Thin Lizzy used those picks, even Phil Lynott. You gotta find your pocket. Although not as light as some other guys on this . He entrusted his prized guitar to a friend for safekeeping only to later discover itd been sold for an 8-ball of speed. You've mentioned quite a few genres there, so what's your favourite bassline of all time? All rights reserved. The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Marc Bolan wouldve loved that! . Im having the time of my life.. Actually, I did go on and try to compose something better, but we liked the skin-of-your-teeth excitement of the originals best. Its a drag to repeat yourself, and thats why no two Damned albums sound alike. "Actually it was some Sabbath and Metallica stuff. Based on that statement, it is likely that these strings were used even prior to that, were his main choice before he started playing Stratocasters (at which point he began using Ernie Ball strings) Captain Sensible: In the late 60s, this amazing bunch of blues guitarists appeared on the U.K. scene at the same time I started going to gigs: Paul Kossoff, Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, Mick Abrahams, Peter Green, Jimmy Page. 1990s Vox 4x10 cab Sprayed sparks all over the place. . For me, it was an extremely emotional experience., When Paul was interviewed during the Vol. Premier Guitar sought an audience with Sensible and Gray to discuss the making of the Damneds triumphant return to studio recording, their philosophies and roots as players, the symbiosis that exists within their playing relationship, and even a bit of gear geekery. We both also share a love of melody and those three chords at the start of Louie Louie and all of the American garage-rock from the 60s. Although the band parted ways with Joey in 2013, the remaining seven musicians immortalised their grief and memories on 2015s .5: The Gray Chapter. I had to get a real guitar and do it. So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. Although the Captain was stationed on bass for the Damneds first few recordings, he emerged on the groups third album, 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, as a dexterous and melodic guitarist with a knack for penning killer hooks that draw on a surprisingly vast range of influences. Everything he did, he did for everyone around him. Bands rose and fall, members came and went. The founding bassists untimely passing remains one of metals most heartbreaking tragedies, Slipknots loyal legions left no choice but to ponder the prodigious creations his mind would have gone on to conceive. Brenna called her the best gift anybody could have ever left me. Let's take a closer look at the strings Sir Paul used and continues to use, as well as how they helped to shape his tone. Corey called him their secret weapon. Try not to get stuck playing the same thing and if you feel yourself wanting to play something a certain way all the time, change it up by using different fingers. . If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. They put together the spine-tingling Vermillion (for Vol. Thats my go-to bass at the moment with the Damned, and thats the one I used on our tour. Its so easy to be generic or cheesy in metal, and Paul never was. Fans held t-shirts aloft, while Shawn and Corey stood at the back of the stage, arms around each others shoulders, faces crumpled with emotion. During the press conference, percussionist Shawn Clown Crahan, who co-founded Slipknot with Paul, wanted the world to know how devastating his death was. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) landed a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Captain Sensible and Paul Gray, quite sensibly, stick to their perferrred Gibson SG and Rickenbacker 4001 combination. MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Eventide H9, Strings and Picks When asked, three albums in, if this is what he imagined being a rock star would be like, he humbly replied, I dont really consider myself a rock star, but obviously I guess I am. We got onstage and shocked the hell out of everybody. During the recording sessions for All Hope Is Gone, Paul had called Shawn to say he was too sick to come to the studio. Those strings are absolutely the go-to strings for me and I absolutely love them. Their string of hits included Stimulation and I Could Make You Love Me. That 77 has much more of a Lemmy-type sound than my 74. Lots of discussion about this all over this board. JavaScript is disabled. As a standing tribute to the late Paul Gray, TG presents this never-before published interview with the Slipknot bassist. In December 2010, they announced they would headline 2011s Sonisphere to honour the legacy of their fallen friend. I'd just say, for people who are learning, try to keep changing things up and stay open minded to everything. I recall after releasing a self indulgent double album featuring quite a lot of trippy guitar noodling, one critic asked, Who does he think he is? When I moved to Iowa, I didnt have any friends or know anybody. Thanks! We have three drummers, theres a lot of low end, do you know what I mean? Its a mission statement that encapsulated The Nines bloodthirsty ambitions and set the bar incredibly high early on, the verse shifting between a staccato and muted delivery to a more open, groove-orientated feel for tension and release. The main guitar is a 1959 Les Paul Standard . 1977 Rickenbacker 4001 Recorded at Download 2009, Paul talked to TG about his solid playing style, his reason for being a bass player and his tips for making you play better. I loved anything with a galloping bass line that challenged the listener beyond widdly guitar stuff or a bloke shrieking his head off. She has also written for the likes of Classic Rock, Prog, Rock Sound and Visit London amongst others, and was a regular presenter on the Metal Hammer Podcast. I didnt know any of the bass lines but I knew all the guitar parts, so I faked it. Apart from the TC Nova System, for its analog distortions, and a Dunlop wah, the only other pedal used was the H9 Harmonizer. Electric Guitar String Set Gauges What is B standard tuning? I've tried that set but I couldn't hang with the .038 low E. Too loose. But the first bass I used to try out for this band, because I didn't have a bass and I'm left-handed, was some no-name bass but kind of like a double cutaway so it kind of looked like an SG maybe? "We were on Ozzfest and I had the one Soundgear bass, which was really old, with no back-up guitar and we were playing all these shows. Pauls final album, 2008s All Hope Is Gone, shot to No.1 in eight countries. Most of the patches we used for the H9 were custom made by myself. Some of Pauls favourite stuff was the crazy shit, yknow? Corey told us in 2014. Tony Visconti is mates with Eventide designer Tony Agnello, who brought some interesting toys to Atomic to play with, and which got a lot of usethe H9 in particular. Edinboro, PA. 19 years ago Wow, I'm getting old! Its in the title. Does new pickguard & knobs = NGD? Once you get up to .100 or a .105, it just sounds kind of dull to me. Do you remember what your first bass guitar was? Its very important that everybody on the outside of us understands that Paul Gray was the essence of the band Slipknot, he said. Captain is the primo guitarist in my book.We both share a love of pop songs. Ampeg 8x10 cab It would prove to be a life-changing decision, as was his switch from guitar to bass, Theres a funny story about how I got playing bass, he explained in his Behind The Player instructional DVD. Its not that he didnt like them of course he did, he went and saw Stone Sour, Murderdolls but when Paul would come home he would get really sad because all hed want to do was Slipknot. Doing that actually made me fall in love with bass guitar and thats why I became a bass player., Paul was my biggest influence when he came into the band, recalled Anders Colsefni, Vexxs drummer. I looked at the sheet Id been working on and at the bottom was the chorus for Psychosocial already This song was meant to be. The breakdown after the guitar solo remains a highlight of any Slipknot live set, its members falling into a Meshuggah-esque groove as Corey screams of, The limits of the dead! Using a mixture of palm-muting, chromatics and pauses to twist and stretch the listeners ear in new and unexpected ways, it would be one of Pauls final contributions to the Knot. I try to avoid soloing for its own sake and you have to judge when its run its course and its best to get out for something else to take over, or risk boring the listener for ones own ego gratification. What Strings Did Freddie King Use? I'm trying to figure out what type of strings he was using in around '64. And what about tunings, do you experiment when you're writing? Jim and I would be writing, and wed get close to some stuff and be like, What would Paul do? We try to utilise that all the time. Also my fingers aren't that fast, I can get to a decent speed but I'm not freaking Billy Sheehan.". Interview - paul gray slipknot bassist band, Interview - paul gray slipknot bassist headbang, Interview - paul gray slipknot bassist finger, Damon Albarn reveals that the beat from one of Gorillaz best-loved songs was an Omnichord loop preset, It looks like Gibson is going to start selling vintage guitars including a '59 Les Paul Burst, Deadmau5 delivers his verdict on AI music production: Its scary in the sense of how stupid music already is anyway, Confused about setting up your guitar? Slipknot had always seemed combustible yet invincible nine individual, larger-than-life characters who came together as a unit onstage. What kind of tips can you give us for improving finger stretches when playing bass guitar? His playing was informed by his early devotion to thrash, and that conversion to the bass. Hellfest reveal 2023s line-up with headliners Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Mtley Cre and KISS. They started sending me Soundgears but I didn't want to play them and I said, 'If you start making these ATK's again like this one, I'll switch companies'. ], my chum [singer-songwriter] Martin Newell showed me a couple of his own tunings that, although a bit off the wall, have an infectious jangle thats particularly inspiring when it comes to 60s Beatles/Monkees kind of tunes. We've got songs on the albums that are in our normal drop B tuning, and we do a drop A tuning, and I do another tuning where I'm actually in octaves - it's weird! String gauge. What strings did Paul Gray use? Except for now I can afford drinks I can buy a few people drinks instead of having to bum money every day!, Corey vividly remembers getting the news of Pauls death. But his music lives on, much like the band he was fundamental in creating. I made Paul punch in a lot, but a lot of it comes with modifying parts and changing things to be something a little different without changing their overall feel or what theyre trying to say as players. It was always the singer or the guitarist that got the glory, so I liked the slightly subversive nature of those bass players. It required the heaviest gauge top string he could find in order to hold the notes well enough to record. If I have a lack of inspiration, theres a few tunings I like, which have come up with some good results. Tony McPhees Groundhogs performance of Cherry Red on Top of the Pops departed radically from the shows usual fare, and that was the moment I decided to get a guitar and only a Gibson SG would do. We have a tendency towards being first-takers together. It's definitely a different thing compared to if I was playing in a punk band with only one guitar player and I could fucking, y'know, noodle around and do lots of stuff. It suits the Damned material better and cleans up nicer with the volume knob than a straight SG Standard, for some reason. I will miss him with every fibre of my heart, as will everybody at this table and everyone who knew him he was the best of us.. But the novelty of freedom at such a young age soon wore off and he called his mum, now living in Des Moines, to see if he would able to sleep on her couch and start a new life in Iowa where, while playing in death metal bands Anal Blast and Body Pit, he would eventually meet the other original members of Slipknot. When he pulled on a guitar, a transformation kicked in. With Mountain, Flowers of Evil has a live side, and the bass and guitar interplay on that album is just magnificent, and I love that really filthy sound Felix P. had: electric farts, we call it in the Damned. All rights reserved. I went into the local music store and heard some guys talking about needing a bass player for their band, they did covers of Slayer and Metallica songs, So, not knowing anybody and wanting to meet people, I told them I could play bass even though I had never played one in my life. Offstage, he couldnt have been more different. As one of the three founding members of Slipknot, Paul Gray fast became one of their key songwriters his name more often than not found in the credits for the tracks that werent assigned to the group as a whole. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine. Gary Moore preferred Dean Markley Electric Guitar strings he used .010 set (2504B) or a .009 set (2508). The deep, menacing notes heard during the intro and verses build an almost horror movie kind of suspense in between the grinding guitars and its hair-raising You all stare but youll never see theres something inside me chorus. staff present the albums that shaped their individual 2022s! The bass player always looked the coolest in the band! Actually I played guitar first - hang on, my sunglasses are totally fucking up here - I played guitar first and never picked up a bass, wasn't interested in it at all. I dont know much about scales, but I like the choice of notes in some Indian music and some of that creeps in occasionally with the McPhee, Berry, Hendrix knock-offs. In the early days the Beatles would steal piano strings to put on the bass. I was speechless watching him write this song. If that bass went down that was it. Pure Ric-into-Ampeg glory. Other guitars at the studio were a StratI never got on with them as the volume knob is too close to bridge; a Rickenbacker 12-string, which I found to be lovely; and the studio acoustic, which had an almost unplayably high action. Gauges : Medium 46-63-80-102. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), Vermilion (Vol. Instead of sticking with the drop B tuning used on its other tracks, Paul used a drop A tuning with this thickest string another octave down - which he described as a super low, almost. Paul Gilbert Guitars and Gear List (2023 Update) Christopher D. Schiebel June 24, 2022. Tone tips: Grab a 12-string of your choice and dig in! So my second string was in A but I was actually an octave below the low A, so I was super low. How did you and Tony Visconti record the bass tones for the album? Stevie Ray Vaughan String Gauge Table. Paul is survived by his wife Brenna and their daughter October, who was born three months after his death. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)), a beautifully unnerving departure for the band, setting quiet, sinister tension against wretched release. How would you describe your playing style? "Finger stretches? Whats the writing process in the band today?Sensible: We write as individuals, then throw our stuff into the Damned pot and see what it sounds like. There had been a headline-generating arrest for drugs and drink-driving in 2003, sobriety, relapses and recent treatment for addiction. What gear are you using live?Sensible: We have built up a collection of Marshall EL84 20/20 20-watt stereo power amps, which might even have warmed up Mrs. Thatchers cold heart if someone had thought of it! In tribute to Paul's indelible legacy and legend, we're going to look at a side of the man that was rarely seen, let alone written about. I used to use those gray Hercos for years, even in Thin Lizzy. Although Slipknot's Paul Gray was known to many simply as . Heres how it works. Steve is an idol of mine and I actually got to meet him - I listened to him a lot because he's all over the bass when he plays.". Seven months later, Paul was gone. It doesnt get thin at the top end and it keeps its clarity in the bottom end. Genre politics and hyperbole aside, the Damned have always been the musicians band among the classic punks, and the group has always operated with a policy of lawlessness when it comes to the music they make. Later he sometimes used strings wrapped with black nylon to get more of a thumping sound. Cliff Burton was awesome and since we were doing Metallica covers, I really had to sit down and learn Cliff's parts because he was all over the place. Don't know if it's true though. While testifying in court against her late husband's physician, Brenna Gray revealed that Paul actually suffered a relapse around 2008 and later spent the last weeks of his life fighting a losing battle against his demons. The top 3 are unusually light for a blues man. Inkcarceration announces headliners Slipknot and Limp Bizkit alongside Megadeth, Lamb Of God, In This Moment and more. What gear was integral to creating the guitar tones on the album? It's been 10 years since we lost Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. Although fairly light, I find the reduced-thickness picks weve moved over to hardly break any strings these days, which is good, because I hate changing guitars mid-gig. Rickenbacker 12-string (Atomic Studios), Amps Then, of course, there are the two tracks he performed on as part of the Roadrunner United project, enlisting the crme de la crme from the legendary labels roster to collaborate for its 25th anniversary.
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