Its a drag to repeat yourself, and thats why no two Damned albums sound alike. 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! We had two weeks in the studio, which included rehearsals, so there was no time for faffing about changing amps. After the bassist's family attempted to stage another intervention over his drug use, Gray left home on May 22, 2010, and . "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. Its been 10 years since we lost Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. Its a real players bass and has obviously been played and loved for over 40 years and it really feels like it! Take the song 'Scissors', from the first album, where I'm tuned to an octave below A. 9. Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. The Damned play their unofficial anthem, Smash It Up, from 1979s Machine Gun Etiquette, at BBC Radio 6s annual Christmas Punk Party. . I've tried that set but I couldn't hang with the .038 low E. Too loose. But more importantly than anything else, Paul Grays songs and performances have resonated louder and prouder with each and every passing year. I don't even know if you can actually hear it - it was more like a sub-woofer king of thing. 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. "I think I started playing bass in 1990, which is what? Rock n roll needs its rough edges. The K! 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. Summary is that he used Guts until around '59. 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.". So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. 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. The main guitar is a 1959 Les Paul Standard . I go to the same fucking bar and hang out with the same fucking people, so I really havent changed that much. I didn't think they would, but they called me up and said, 'Here you go!'". 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. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. We had confidence in each other that it would work, and we hadnt played together [in the studio] for nearly 22 years! Those strings are absolutely the go-to strings for me and I absolutely love them. scullyfan. Added by Bastien. Its in the title. Its cheaper, too, and once youve smoothed the frets and boshed on a scratchplate, youve got yourself a cracking guitar for what it costs. With Slipknot, my bass playing is a little more laid back and subdued, like I get spots where I get to do some stuff I guess, but it's hard to kind of like We have three drummers, there's a lot of low end, you know what I mean? 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'. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)), a beautifully unnerving departure for the band, setting quiet, sinister tension against wretched release. 2,977 1,264. "I always experiment and go with whatever the song requires. His playing was informed by his early devotion to thrash, and that conversion to the bass. The bass fills he did, I really had to fucking rewind tapes and play them over and over to get it.". They also sound totally different. It really fascinates me how basses that are essentially the same can still be so different. 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. Theyre really consistent. 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. Taking his place in a finalised line-up of vocalist Corey Taylor, percussionists Shawn Crahan and Chris Fehn, drummer Joey Jordison, guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson, sampler Craig Jones and turntablist Sid Wilson, they exploded on the brink of a new millennium, in a mass of masks and coveralls, attracting growing crowds of writhing, devoted maggots. He could listen to something and de-construct it in his head and go, You know what? It may not display this or other websites correctly. Im not a control freak and I want them to express themselves, and I wouldnt work with them if they werent great musiciansthats my criteria. The previous day hed passed away from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, at just 38 years old. As a comparison, I recenly picked up a Johnson Viola bass to donate to my daughter's school auction. 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? It suits the Damned material better and cleans up nicer with the volume knob than a straight SG Standard, for some reason. He never returned home. You dont often get that, and I struggle to think of any other guitarist that Ive worked with that Ive had that relationship with. 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! How long have you been playing bass guitar for, Paul, and why did you choose bass as your main instrument? I didnt know any of the bass lines but I knew all the guitar parts, so I faked it. All rights reserved. What Paul did with Slipknot was revolutionary. HiddenCharms said: I don't know if this is true, but I remember reading that Duane Allman and Jimi Hendrix used Fender Rock'n'Roll Strings guaged 10-38. I became slightly obsessed with the solos on Strange Town and the way the excitement builds in them, carrying the listener away on a tidal wave of excitement. Although the low E changed every now and then especially in the late 80's. He would typically use the .058 string gauge but has intermittently used .060's and even .074's. The first five strings are relatively light . I don't know what he used on actual recording. Everything else has been me just experimenting.". 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. Nick from Widnes England Writes: The two main acoustic guitars that Paul Simon uses on stage are as follows: Yamaha LS400 (black) Custom made by Luther Terumi (Terry) Nakamoto. 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. 1996 Fender Custom Shop Bonnie Raitt Signature Stratocaster (Atomic Studios) The best record they ever made! 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. One of my brothers friends had a weird right-handed bass, which I strung left-handed, and a practice amp. 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. 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 riff that appears two minutes into Eyeless could very well be the Knots finest. 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. It couldve also been our disgraceful behavior, but who really knows? Actually, none that I can think of. I really like the growl Tonys got on it and it really suits the songs perfectly. Marshall EL84 20/20 stereo power amps, Effects "After that the first real bass I bought was an Ibanez Soundgear and I still play Ibanez now. Forever #2 of 9. 19 years ago Wow, I'm getting old! Once you get up to .100 or a .105, it just sounds kind of dull to me. 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. During the third Slipknot record I met Dave Ellefson from Megadeth and he said, 'Try this out man' so I played through his Peavey amp. Blending subtle humor and loud guitar has been his forte since he switched to the bands lead musical role in 1977. Luckily it all seems to work most of the time anyway. I use .009-.048 now and I was using .010-.052 before. Perfection is overrated! Ampeg 8x10 cab Like '1, 2, 3, 4' and '1, 3, 2, 4' to just try different finger patterns. At one point, Paul drifted back to LA, but was persuaded back by Anders and Shawn. "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 reason why the low-end on the debut album closer feels extra rumbly, even ghostly, at points. This was thanks in no small part to his abilities. Let your thoughts out and dont let anyone stop you from what you feel and what you think! So now Ive got his blood boiling in my veins. I was writing lyrics when Paul and Joey played this to me, Corey told Kerrang! Of course, when younger I may have felt slightly different. 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.". But the time was right. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, 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 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. One has a very chunky neck, and thats a 74, and the 77 has a thinner neck than a Fender Jazz bass. Rhythmically, however, the song was a bit more challenging; Pauls verse basslines picked as strict alternate 16th notes throughout, which, once you factor in the boiler suit and pig mask for the live shows, would have been a quite a workout for his left arm. 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. 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. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Title Written by Originally by Original date Covered by ; Before I Forget . It was hard to comprehend. And what about tunings, do you experiment when you're writing? Ross Robinson, producer of the first two records, told NME: As a musician, he brought absolute integrity. 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. 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. I wish I had known that back then! When his pregnant wife, Brenna, and their family had tried to stage an intervention to prevent Paul from harming himself, he checked into a hotel. The great thing about those basses is that theyre so individual to how you want them to sound. But while other members had full-on side-projects, he considered Slipknot to be his everything. "You know, the first one I bought was a Charvel, a weird reddish purple Charvel It was not that great a bass. I had to get a real guitar and do it. Doing that actually made me fall in love with bass guitar and that's why I became a bass player.". 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. 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. We really textured it very heavily. Some of Pauls favourite stuff was the crazy shit, yknow? Corey told us in 2014. I figured that it couldn't be that different to playing guitar, but later on I found out it's a totally different thing. The 1980s were yet another decade that brought massive changes in music. 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. Apart from the TC Nova System, for its analog distortions, and a Dunlop wah, the only other pedal used was the H9 Harmonizer. Sadly, those close to Paul knew hed been battling demons for a while. I'd just say, for people who are learning, try to keep changing things up and stay open minded to everything. Paul, what basses did you use on Evil Spirits? 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. That changed my world, he recounted in Paul Gray: Behind The Player. Prior to joining Metal Hammer, El spent three years as Production Editor at Kerrang! It's worked for me So far anyway! Contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. 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. 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. It was as simple as that. An autopsy revealed he had. The same was said of his personality, Corey often describing him as the glue of the band the one member who lived and breathed Slipknot all day every day, the worlds best cheerleader to bring them together no matter what challenge or hurdle lay ahead. two very different bands. What kind of tips can you give us for improving finger stretches when playing bass guitar? I imagine you must use Rotosound strings, based on your influences and the tones youve gone for over the years? 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. And while his technical prowess has been overshadowed by his giant personality and tucked away within the confines of excellent songs, Evil Spirits puts his cadre of guitar-borne personas on display as he chunks, clatters, burns, and jangles through the albums tracks. Eddie Van Halen. The Kerrang! Did he have any interesting methods for capturing the powerful guitar sound on Evil Spirits? I just pick out licks and phrases I heard my heroes play. Everything he did, he did for everyone around him. Captain is the primo guitarist in my book.We both share a love of pop songs. But my favorite was Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs. 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. Ive been there from the beginning, when Paul recognised my ability as an artist and said, Just do it, man! 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. Paul and Anders ended up forming a death metal band called Body Pit, with Anders on vocals. No tricks, no pedals, no nothing. Brenna called her the best gift anybody could have ever left me. And how about you, personally? Permutations! As the date drew near, it was clear Shawn was ready to go all out. . There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. TC Electronic Nova System If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. However, it is generally believed that he typically uses roundwound strings on his bass, with a gauge somewhere in the range of 45-60.
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