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.". Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine. "It's a little bit of both, like on songs like 'Wait And Bleed' I'll use my fingers But then there's songs like 'Sulfur' or 'People = Shit' that have grind parts where you need the attack of a pick. 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. I think it was made in February, which was just a month or two after they stopped doing the toaster pickups. Ive been there from the beginning, when Paul recognised my ability as an artist and said, Just do it, man! Once you get up to .100 or a .105, it just sounds kind of dull to me. He wrote that whole song, and there was such an essence about it that was so odd; the way his eyes were looking at his guitar, and the way he was writing it when we were playing together, it was almost scary, he told Revolver in 2010. "I was listening in on their conversation, eavesdropping, they were talking about doing covers of Slayer and Metallica - all these songs that I knew how to play on guitar. Theres a massive range of guitar ideas in the Damneds discography, from straight-ahead punk stuff to psych-rock. Heres how it works. My mates at school and I would swap records and I got into Hawkwind with Lemmy and Machine Head by Deep Purple, and the bass was really prominent in both of those groups. What Paul did with Slipknot was revolutionary. I thought it was the coolest thing ever., By the age of 16, Paul was living in an apartment with his friends Frank and Chris, jamming Danzig songs in the living room under the moniker Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He entrusted his prized guitar to a friend for safekeeping only to later discover itd been sold for an 8-ball of speed. 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. He is honoured, but can never be replaced. two very different bands. Basses I've no idea if he used foam with the Hofner (hollowbodies don't have much sustain in the first place) but I would definitely assume that was going on with the Rickenbacker stuff. According to his own words, these strings were used on his Les Paul during the recording of Wheels of Fire (1968). Unmasked, heads bowed and choked with emotion, they paid tribute to their friend and bandmate, Paul Gray. Theyre just magnificent! Gray has been in and out of the bandmostly outsince 1984.Photo by Tony Woolliscroft. The 77 I have has the toaster pickup, and that one is much filthier sounding. But it was seeing a nascent Slayer touring the merciless Hell Awaits that made the biggest impact on the young Paul Gray. Bands rose and fall, members came and went. Slipknot had arrived. We recorded at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, which is a beautiful studio with a lovely, big wooden live room. 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. Bunch of new American psychos just dropped. 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) Here we go again motherfucker, indeed. I locked myself in me bedroom after schoola real Johnny-no-matesand I plucked away until I figured what they were playing. Gary Moore | Vintage Guitar magazine "After that the first real bass I bought was an Ibanez Soundgear and I still play Ibanez now. 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? Did I ever really think a friend was going to die? What Guitar Strings Does Paul Simon Use? The fact that Ament was using an 12-string bass helps to explain the instrument's presence on the track, although you won't hear the extra strings ringing out individually - they simply add to the overall tone. And that goes for the records, too!Captain 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! Captain Sensible, You can coax many different sounds out of a Rickenbacker depending on your fingering technique, what gauge pick you use, what year it is. Lots of discussion about this all over this board. Paul Gray: The Man Behind the Mask. Not I; thats for sure. What Kind Of Acoustic Guitar Does Paul Simon Play? It features a pre-bend that has an almost rubbery, time-warp kind of feel and returns at the end of the track, switching to half-time while Corey continues roaring, Look me in my brand new eye! Its these extra touches and twists that gave an unmistakable feel and identity to the bands seemingly inexhaustible supply of sonic violence. Ibanez and Peavey have somebody everywhere.". What was your philosophy about shaping the tones for this album? Luckily, it didnt choke at the Albert Hall during our 40th anniversary show. Originally posted by volumefiend. The top 3 are unusually light for a blues man. Warwick was an awesome company but they were a small company and it was more difficult to get stuff on the road if I needed it. We chart much-missed bassist Paul Gray's 10 greatest tracks for the Knot, The only way I can sum up Paul Gray is love, said Corey Taylor in a tearful emergency conference held the day after his bandmate has passed. So all those prominent bass players really caught my ear and I thought it was so great, because it was such an important part of the song. The main guitar is a 1959 Les Paul Standard . Grays recorded output with the Damned includes two of the bands most revered and musically fibrous albums, Strawberries (1982) and The Black Album (1980). From triumph to tragedy, here is his story. Famous players string gauges? | Page 2 | The Gear Page 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. 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. 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? The Tragic Death Of Slipknot's Paul Gray - Grunge.com As well as his work in Slipknot, he also filled in on bass for desert rockers Unida fronted by Kyuss singer John Garcia and other projects like Drop Dead, Gorgeous and Reggie And The Full Effect. Total Guitar has not edited this interview, deciding instead to leave as . The Ibanez PGB1 electric bass guitar is the choice of Slipknot's Paul Gray. I try not to step on anybody's toes but try not to get lost either. That changed my world, he recounted in Paul Gray: Behind The Player. Today, we celebrate the songs which epitomised his pivotal role within The Nine. Everything he did, he did for everyone around him. Born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1972, Paul Dedrick Gray was in many ways the beating heart of Slipknot. Gray: We turned everything up full! His playing was informed by his early devotion to thrash, and that conversion to the bass. .60 mm Dunlop Tortex. On Slipknots off-time, Paul and Joey would hunker down to write in Pauls basement. When it came to music, Paul was up there with some of the greats, remembered Corey, in a heartfelt tribute to his old bandmate. Everyone in Thin Lizzy used those picks, even Phil Lynott. Eventide H9, Strings and Picks As a comparison, I recenly picked up a Johnson Viola bass to donate to my daughter's school auction. I'm trying to figure out what type of strings he was using in around '64. This is the strings in Paul Simon's Guild F-30. 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. Actually, I did go on and try to compose something better, but we liked the skin-of-your-teeth excitement of the originals best. 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. Simple as it may be, especially when compared to their earlier tracks, Duality is also the sound of The Nine at their most effective its four minutes and 12 seconds condensed down to three and a half for a single version that would become directly responsible for converting new armies of metalheads around the world. Thanks! 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 think I started playing bass in 1990, which is what? We really textured it very heavily. Ampeg was also really great to me and I can't say anything bad about them. So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. I didn't think they would, but they called me up and said, 'Here you go!'". 1990s Vox 4x10 cab It took me 15 years to figure out that all they were really playing was the pentatonic scale with some extra notes chucked in! And seeing as Eventide HQ was just across the Hudson, Tony V. invited Tony Agnello to the studio, where, despite working against the clock, everything stopped while we played around with some guitar effects or talent boosters according to Pinch. I imagine you must use Rotosound strings, based on your influences and the tones youve gone for over the years? Added by Bastien. 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. A true athlete when it comes to traversing the fretboard of a Rickenbacker bass, Grays lead bass style and the way his playing seamlessly weaves with the Captains is a massive part of Evil Spirits musical bedrock. I was on my way to being like Andy Warhol or something!, Over the years, Pauls $1.75 pig mask morphed into a Hannibal Lecter-style serial killer face. During the recording sessions for All Hope Is Gone, Paul had called Shawn to say he was too sick to come to the studio. Who wants to go onstage with an unblemished guitar slung round their neck? Artist: Paul Gray [US1] | SecondHandSongs ), but i'm not 100% sure Apr 26, 2001 #3 Jman Mar 24, 2000 Waterport,NY An autopsy revealed he had. 2,977 1,264. I like a bit of everything, drawing your attentionhopefully not unwiselyto the fact that I had the first rap hit by a white artist with 1981s Wot! Please dont forget the exclamation mark by the way. 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. On July 10, at 2pm, thousands of Sonisphere-goers joined together in a two-minute silence for #2. How did you and Tony Visconti record the bass tones for the album? Scott D. Smith/Retna ./Retna Ltd./Corbis. Apart from a regular open-G blues tuning [Editors note: Check out Silly Kids Games on The Black Album for an example. I was cutting myself with a razor, bleeding all over the place. He was everything that was wonderful about this band and about this group of people. But the time was right. Or why not treat yourself? What gauge is the low E string? For me, it was an extremely emotional experience., When Paul was interviewed during the Vol. Despite being less overtly punk than the typical Damned record, I managed to squeeze the odd solo in here and there. They were the first company to give me a deal and Warwick basses are great - I'll never talk crap about Warwick because they're amazing basses and an amazing company too and super great guys. Heres how it works. Barely a year before, they had played their career-best show as first-time headliners at Download. He turned up to rehearsal with a right-handed bass borrowed from his brothers friend, Frankensteind into a left-handed one, and played the regular guitar parts on it. It dealt with depression and survivors guilt, but also the strong love Corey had spoken about in the press conference. 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. Actually, none that I can think of. Whats your dual playing relationship like? It suits the Damned material better and cleans up nicer with the volume knob than a straight SG Standard, for some reason. I use real thin gauges: .040.090. Paul Gilbert Guitars & Gear List (2023 Update) - Guitar Lobby 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. It looked pretty violent. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Shawn speculated this had a detrimental effect on his mental wellbeing. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)), a beautifully unnerving departure for the band, setting quiet, sinister tension against wretched release. "In the beginning you will probably emulate your favourite players, but take that and make it your own and be yourself. 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. In December 2010, they announced they would headline 2011s Sonisphere to honour the legacy of their fallen friend. Paul, who cofounded Slipknot in 1995 with drummer Joey Jordison and percussionist Shawn Crahan, was found dead at age 38 in an Urbandale, Iowa hotel room in May 2010. Edinboro, PA. what strings did paul gray use - KMITL Ernie Ball Power Slinky Bass Strings (55-110) Paul Gray was known to use the Ernie Ball Slinky Bass Strings. We had no rehearsals for the recording sessions, as we all live in different places now, and I had only heard the songs three days before, so we were in the deep end. There were three mics on it: one on the speakers, one three feet back, and one six feet back, and a little bit of DI. 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. Paul Simon - Pauls guitars Paul Gilbert Guitars and Gear List (2023 Update) Christopher D. Schiebel June 24, 2022. As Slipknot put it in Skeptic, The world will never see another crazy motherfucker like you. I recall Visconti lounging in his producer's chair dialing up sounds on his iPhone. Did he have any interesting methods for capturing the powerful guitar sound on Evil Spirits? Aqua Marine. Aug 24, 2009. If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. "Oh yeah, of course. Take the song 'Scissors', from the first album, where I'm tuned to an octave below A. This prompted Jim to write the opening line of Til We Die: My friends are all hurting., There was a real fear that he wasnt doing well, said Shawn. The bass fills he did, I really had to fucking rewind tapes and play them over and over to get it.". 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. Those were round wound. Beatles always use Flat Wounds? | The Gear Page Eddie Van Halen. 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. We had confidence in each other that it would work, and we hadnt played together [in the studio] for nearly 22 years! Strings 1 : Rotosound Swing Bass 66 (Roundwound) Gauges 1 : 46-63-80-102. The riff that appears two minutes into Eyeless could very well be the Knots finest. Don't know if it's true though. Slipknot have just released a brand-new song, Bone Church, which started life in a jam room on the .5: The Gray Chapter tour. I'd just say, for people who are learning, try to keep changing things up and stay open minded to everything. "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. As a standing tribute to the late Paul Gray, TG presents this never-before published interview with the Slipknot bassist. 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 Damned opened for T. Rex back in the day, and I even asked Captain why we never did this before. I wish I had known that back then! The Damned play their unofficial anthem, Smash It Up, from 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, at BBC Radio 6s annual Christmas Punk Party. Prior to joining Metal Hammer, El spent three years as Production Editor at Kerrang! A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. 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. Matrix VB800 "Finger stretches? The Nova is great, combining analog distortions with digital delays and reverbsand despite being a bit long in the tooth these days, theres not a lot of similar alternatives. After then he used steel strings. With Slipknot, my bass playing is a little more laidback and subdued. It wasnt a million miles away from the sound John Entwistle got on Live at Leeds. Now42 years since they became the first of the British punk groups to put out a single, with 1976s New Rose, beating the Sex Pistols by a month, and 10 years since their last studio album, So, Whos Paranoid?the Damned have returned with Evil Spirits, an album that bristles with the vitality, immediacy, and irrepressible creativity thats earned them the distinction of being one of the most important punk bands of all time. 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. scullyfan. The day after it happened, we were all over the place, and we all kind of made our way to my house, he recalled. John Paul Jones. We spend a lot of time thinking about Paul, Shawn told us in 2018. Most of the guys you cited developed their sounds around a Rickenbacker bass, and thats been your instrument of choice over the years. When I tried out I constantly turned myself down or turned the tone knob down by accident. PAUL GRAY, who was the lead singer of the 1980s pop band Wa Wa Nee, has died aged 54. Then I moved to Iowa and I didn't have any friends there, I didn't know anybody, and I was in this music store and I overheard this dude talking about needing a bass player. Gauges . Sensible: Theres something about the Gibson SG 60s Tribute. Frank Zappa? Not quite, but I'll take that as a compliment whether intended or not! They werent making silly faces and all that like the other guys. They also sound totally different. McCartney Tone (Flatwound or Round?) - Telecaster Guitar Forum Overview. 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. Frequently Asked Questions for Paul Yandell, CGP - Chet Atkins Title Written by Originally by Original date Covered by ; Before I Forget . Ive always used .009.042 gauge strings: Rotosounds if we can get hold of them. We have three drummers, theres a lot of low end, do you know what I mean? They gave me a full deal and they treated me really good, which was great because we had no money at that time and I couldn't afford anything. 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 can only speak for myself, but to me its just the greatest thing thats ever happened in my life, he enthused. Gary Moore's Guitars and Gear - Ground Guitar 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. He could listen to something and de-construct it in his head and go, You know what? By age 16 he was in his own apartment, and by 17 he was jamming Danzig covers in the living room with his band, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Do you remember what your first bass guitar was? Paul, what basses did you use on Evil Spirits? Added by Bastien. Paul Dedrick Gray was born in LA on April 8, 1972. . Theyre just magnificent!Paul Gray, Clairvoyant Chemistry: The Damneds Captain Sensible and Paul Gray, A Guide to Essential Effects Plugins for Your Home Studio, ESP Announces LTD Kirk Hammett Signature Series KH-V, Epiphone Introduces the 1958 Korina Flying V and Explorer, Building a Pro-Level Home-Studio Mic Closet, DAngelico Guitars Introduces Deluxe Eric Krasno Brighton Signature Model. People say they eat into frets, but Ive never found that to be the case, and I change them every night when Im on tour. Some of it I tap out, some of it is more simple and some of it I have to follow the guitars and do runs and leads and stuff like that. Given an exclusive listen to the second full-length in the months ahead of release, Kerrang! Permutations! Paul Gray: the life and death of Slipknot's quiet genius Gary Moore preferred Dean Markley Electric Guitar strings he used .010 set (2504B) or a .009 set (2508). 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. The bass player always looked the coolest in the band! What kind of tips can you give us for improving finger stretches when playing bass guitar? He will never be forgotten. But everything needs some editing, and to pare it down to what you finally hear, we had to make a lot of choices. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). Gibson SG 60s Tribute models with EverTune bridges Apart from the TC Nova System, for its analog distortions, and a Dunlop wah, the only other pedal used was the H9 Harmonizer. Paul Gray (Slipknot) | TalkBass.com Originally titled Lust Disease on an early demo, Iowas lead single might not be one of Slipknots fastest or heaviest, but its riff is certainly one of their busiest from the earlier years of their career using double notes, slides and chromatics that snake their way around the fretboard. What string gauge should I use for B standard? Forever #2 of 9. 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 -. One has a very chunky neck, and thats a 74, and the 77 has a thinner neck than a Fender Jazz bass.