I've heard this too. Most of the guys you cited developed their sounds around a Rickenbacker bass, and thats been your instrument of choice over the years. When Macca's Rickie was sent for an overhaul to Rickenbacker, they found that the bridge pickup was dead and had been dead for a long time, turns out that when Macca stripped his Rickie, he tried to get rid of the cover for the bridge pickup, so he sawed it open, which in a horse shoe is a big mistake, since that cover he wanted to get rid of is part of the pickup. As far as opening gambits go, the first musical track on Slipknots debut is as good as it gets. To make it worth your while, you must consider how much sugar was added to their . [Editors note: Thats Andrew Pinching, the Damneds drummer.] Yet again, he moved. The first 5 strings often stayed the same string gauge throughout his career. I think they picked me because they collectively like various albums Ive made: especially the T. Rex and Bowie stuff. I just pick out licks and phrases I heard my heroes play. Also my fingers aren't that fast, I can get to a decent speed but I'm not freaking Billy Sheehan.". And yes, listen to any isolated Beatles-era bass track and it's pretty obvious that flat wounds are part of the equation. Originally posted by volumefiend. 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. Everyone in Thin Lizzy used those picks, even Phil Lynott. 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. 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. Songs with JANGLE, let's display those electric 12 strings. During the press conference, percussionist Shawn Clown Crahan, who co-founded Slipknot with Paul, wanted the world to know how devastating his death was. Everything else has been me just experimenting.". Heres how it works. Gray: We turned everything up full! 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), in a heartfelt tribute to his old bandmate, The inside story of Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). JavaScript is disabled. I go to the same fucking bar and hang out with the same fucking people, so I really havent changed that much. 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. Im a dreadful singer, but Ive got all of these melodies in my head and I kind of approach the bass as a tool for countermelody, and I weave between what the Captains playing and what Daves singing. Yaamaha even produced a replica of Pauls guitar , the FJ681 "Paul Simon . 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. I've tried that set but I couldn't hang with the .038 low E. Too loose. Jun 1, 2002. Everything he did, he did for everyone around him. Actually, none that I can think of. 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. What strings did Paul Gray use? 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. The Damned play their unofficial anthem, Smash It Up, from 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, at BBC Radio 6s annual Christmas Punk Party. He had something going on in his mind, and I was like, OK, I need to back off I cant touch this. And if you listen to that song, you can tell that theres heartfelt pain in that., Shawn had never intended to join a metal band, but got sucked into the promise of what he could create with someone as talented as Paul. I havent a clue about scales and stuff. 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. Which is a hard thing to do with nine people in the band!, He was also a skilled composer who could pervert the markers of extreme metal. I went down and played with them. Permutations! They werent making silly faces and all that like the other guys. On Slipknots off-time, Paul and Joey would hunker down to write in Pauls basement. Ive used them since I discovered them back in 1976, and Ive tried all the other makes and I always go back to Rotosound. I used to use heavier strings, but a couple of years ago I injured my hand and I had to go down a gauge. The Gibson Les Paul Goldtop was on the cover of his album "Blue Guitar Hero". Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. Paul Gilbert Guitars and Gear List (2023 Update) Christopher D. Schiebel June 24, 2022. Its got a really nice punch. Slipknots first gig was on April 4, 1996. "I started with Ampeg but now I'm with Peavey. I introduced him to the wonderful world of Eventide, and we used the H9 a lot. I always watch other bass players no matter what kind of band they're in, how long they've been playing for or if they're any good, because you can always learn something from someone else to add to your technique and make you play better. 19 years ago Wow, I'm getting old! 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. The Johnson Viola is from the same plant as the Epi, even having the same control plate and pups. I didn't think they would, but they called me up and said, 'Here you go!'". 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'. The great thing about those basses is that theyre so individual to how you want them to sound. All rights reserved. #22. 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. Paul was there from the very, very beginning. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, With Slipknot, my bass playing is a little more laidback and subdued. 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. Sadly, those close to Paul knew hed been battling demons for a while. Electric Guitar String Set Gauges What is B standard tuning? It was his older brother, Jay, who introduced him to the music that would change his life Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Stones, The Beatles, Alice Cooper and Kiss. I'm trying to figure out what type of strings he was using in around '64. Its safe to say that when Slipknot takes time off, Paul was the one person worst affected by the other side-bands. I try not to step on anybody's toes but try not to get lost either. Feb 11, 2014 #3. Freddie used .010, .011, and .012 on his top strings and light to medium strings on the bass (wound) strings. 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. Tragically after writing, recording and touring four albums in the greatest metal band of a generation Paul passed away on May 24, 2010. Pure Ric-into-Ampeg glory. I wish I had known that back then! That evening, the eight remaining members of the Knot, aided by early bandmember/stand-in bassist Donnie Steele, provided their own loud tribute. Aqua Marine. I still do the same shit, man. What gear was integral to creating the guitar tones on the album? The two I mainly use are very different. We unselfishly say, Lets play Paul Gray riffs, or do it the way Paul would want it., Paul lives on through his family, music, and the army of maggots who hold him close. Does new pickguard & knobs = NGD? 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), Vermilion (Vol. Apart from the TC Nova System, for its analog distortions, and a Dunlop wah, the only other pedal used was the H9 Harmonizer. Ive been there from the beginning, when Paul recognised my ability as an artist and said, Just do it, man! 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. 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. Duality (Vol. 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. One has a very chunky neck, and thats a 74, and the 77 has a thinner neck than a Fender Jazz bass. 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. Punk rock has morphed, been bastardized, revitalized, and analyzed infinitely since becoming a defined movement in the late 70s. 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) 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. But my favorite was Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs. "I think I started playing bass in 1990, which is what? Reviews. as for basses, I think Paul generally used flats on his Hofner and Rick, not sure about the Jazz bass he may have used later on (and no idea about the Fender 6 stringer that John and George sometimes used) tjmicsak Member Messages 5,690 Mar 24, 2010 #4 You can hear them on the older stuff. The bass fills he did, I really had to fucking rewind tapes and play them over and over to get it.". A big chunk of foam being used on this tune (1:51.) 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. Most of the patches we used for the H9 were custom made by myself. 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! 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. BA1 1UA. If I have a lack of inspiration, theres a few tunings I like, which have come up with some good results. Perfection is overrated! Try this!. 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. It's been 10 years since we lost Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. This was noticeable with all of the guitar-centric genres, most notably with hard rock and heavy metal. Matrix VB800 The previous day hed passed away from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, at just 38 years old. They toured All Hope Is Gone across nine gruelling legs, starting in July 2008 in Washington, taking in Download in June 2009, and finishing in Las Vegas that October. How would you describe your playing style? 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. What did you hope to get out of the Damned in the studio? 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. Search Ray Brown for details. Brenna called her the best gift anybody could have ever left me. It looked pretty violent. A metalhead through and through, he nevertheless began listening to funk and jazz, taking a few lessons to learn slap and pop techniques. Barely a year before, they had played their career-best show as first-time headliners at Download. Lurking in the back of the studio was this really, really old Ampeg, which the guy said was handwired. From triumph to tragedy, here is his story, Yesterday we lost our brother, and the world seems a little smaller because of it, began Corey Taylor. Peavey has been amazing to me and because they have worldwide distribution it makes it easier for me when touring. When I tried out I constantly turned myself down or turned the tone knob down by accident. Who wants to go onstage with an unblemished guitar slung round their neck? Captain is the primo guitarist in my book.We both share a love of pop songs. 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. Strings 1 : Rotosound Swing Bass 66 (Roundwound) Gauges 1 : 46-63-80-102. Its in the title. 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. Total Guitar has not edited this interview, deciding instead to leave as . Hellfest reveal 2023s line-up with headliners Iron Maiden, Slipknot, Mtley Cre and KISS. This was thanks in no small part to his abilities. Sensible: I didnt think there was any chance my colleagues would go for a 14-minute krautrock wig-out (Dark Asteroid) last time out, but I was wrong. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. The Damneds dynamic duo, Captain Sensible and Paul Gray, played together in the studio for the first time in 22 years while recording the bands new album. Summary is that he used Guts until around '59. 1960s Ampeg B-15 Portaflex, Strings and Picks Photo by Matt Condon. As his bandmates drift in and out, its really just #2 holding everything together from beginning to end. Don't know if it's true though. While it might seem unusual that I like Mountain and Deep Purple, considering the music Im known for playing, Captain is into the really obscure progressive rock stuff and has that in his playing. But the time was right. The Kerrang! You can coax many different sounds out of a Rickenbacker depending on your fingering technique, what gauge pick you use, what year it is. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases. Today, we celebrate the songs which epitomised his pivotal role within The Nine. Guitars Which isnt the end of the world, of course, but there seems to be no fix, according to chatter on gear forums anyway. "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. His playing was informed by his early devotion to thrash, and that conversion to the bass. The 1980s were yet another decade that brought massive changes in music. Gray: I wish I could analyze it, but its one of those musical relationships thats just worked from the get-go! He took up an interest in music early on thanks to some guidance from his older brother William Jay Matthews, who introduced him to bands like Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper and KISS. 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. Forever #2 of 9. 1990s British-made handwired Vox AC30 reissue He has been adding internal mikes for amplification. 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. I just do standard exercises, you know, what do they call 'em? I saw Slayer on the Hell Awaits album and that changed my world, he once said. 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. But life was still difficult, so he contacted his mum, who by this time had managed to secure a house in Iowa. An autopsy revealed he had. It's weird but I love the bassline in Van Halen's 'Running With The Devil' in open fucking E. Now, I appreciate any player who can lay down a solid bass groove, like Cliff Williams from AC/DC. 1970s Ampeg SVT V9 So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. 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. Take the song 'Scissors', from the first album, where I'm tuned to an octave below A. You have to use D'Addario short scale bass strings, 080 for the 5th and 0.100 for the 6th It's not easy to do this because you have to have a bridge that you can hook the bass string to as they are a lot larger than a guitar string. A long time ago we used to do a cover of that song 'The Humpty Dance' and I would have to tune during the song, as we're playing.". Marc Bolan wouldve loved that! Although not as light as some other guys on this . What Paul did with Slipknot was revolutionary. 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. 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. I was cutting myself with a razor, bleeding all over the place. I recall Visconti lounging in his producer's chair dialing up sounds on his iPhone. Its been 10 years since we lost Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. I had to get a real guitar and do it. The lead guitar breaks on Evil Spirits sound very in-the-moment, but also precisely mapped.Sensible: They are pretty much first takes. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Im curious where all of the blues and lead stuff comes from. We recorded at Atomic Sound in Brooklyn, which is a beautiful studio with a lovely, big wooden live room. Or any money to buy one. When he pulled on a guitar, a transformation kicked in. 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. Added by Bastien. Scott D. Smith/Retna ./Retna Ltd./Corbis. For bass, he uses two main string sets: Hofner H1133B Flat Wound Nickel strings and RotoSound Tru Bass 88 Nylon Tapewound strings, both of which have a tremendous impact on his tone. 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. There was nothing funny going on with the studio desk: everything was flat. 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. Theyre just magnificent! These guitars come to Paul with pickups and volume and tone controls already installed. A Les Paul is easier to play than a Strat because a Les Paul has a far lower string tension compared to a Strat with the same gauge strings. From triumph to tragedy, here is his story. Luckily, it didnt choke at the Albert Hall during our 40th anniversary show. "It depends on what I'm doing. Which is a hard thing to do with nine people in the band!". What was the first bassline you ever tried to play? "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. On May 25, 2010, the members of Slipknot filed into a room to face the press, on one of the bleakest days of their lives. "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. 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? Not I; thats for sure. There was a band in our town that had a great bass player called Mark and he could play jazz and funk, so I sat down with him about five or six times and learned a lot of techniques. ), but i'm not 100% sure Apr 26, 2001 #3 Jman Mar 24, 2000 Waterport,NY 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.
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