That changed my world, he recounted in Paul Gray: Behind The Player. 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 was writing lyrics when Paul and Joey played this to me, Corey told Kerrang! This was noticeable with all of the guitar-centric genres, most notably with hard rock and heavy metal. 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. The top 3 are unusually light for a blues man. To the outside world, everything was fine. Title Written by Originally by Original date Covered by ; Before I Forget . 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. 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. Inkcarceration announces headliners Slipknot and Limp Bizkit alongside Megadeth, Lamb Of God, In This Moment and more. He entrusted his prized guitar to a friend for safekeeping only to later discover itd been sold for an 8-ball of speed. 1990s Vox 4x10 cab 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. It allows you to throw things into the set on the flyjust call out a key and hell have a go at it. He brought the knowledge and the enthusiasm, and he was the most social of all the people on the metal scene. BA1 1UA. The blueprint Paul helped draw up for Slipknot shines through its bludgeoning riffs, and even through the energy of latest album We Are Not Your Kind. 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. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. Despite his use of D'Aquisto strings in the 1960's and 1970's, Paul has always preferred the D'Addario lighting (EJ16 phosphor bronze) on his acoustic guitars. 1996 Fender Custom Shop Bonnie Raitt Signature Stratocaster (Atomic Studios) During the press conference, percussionist Shawn Clown Crahan, who co-founded Slipknot with Paul, wanted the world to know how devastating his death was. 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 loved anything with a galloping bass line that challenged the listener beyond widdly guitar stuff or a bloke shrieking his head off. ], 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. "Finger stretches? Whether he knew you or not. Unmasked, heads bowed and choked with emotion, they paid tribute to their friend and bandmate, Paul Gray. What kind of tips can you give us for improving finger stretches when playing bass guitar? "I took a few bass lessons to learn slap and pop techniques, because once I really got into bass I started listening to everything - not just metal and rock. 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. 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. Im not just playing for Clown; Im playing for him, for his wife and daughter, his legacy, his love for the band, his love for music.. #22. 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. Theyve been far too busy touring to devote time to nostalgia. I really like the growl Tonys got on it and it really suits the songs perfectly. He was loved around that scene.. 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! Rickenbacker 12-string (Atomic Studios), Amps "It was weird because when I started practising these songs on bass, I didn't know any of them. Works 23; All; Songs written by Paul Gray [US1] Original 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. Basses But the time was right. Gary Moore preferred Dean Markley Electric Guitar strings he used .010 set (2504B) or a .009 set (2508). On July 10, at 2pm, thousands of Sonisphere-goers joined together in a two-minute silence for #2. Seven months later, Paul was gone. The first 5 strings often stayed the same string gauge throughout his career. Ampeg was also really great to me and I can't say anything bad about them. Listened to 4 Beatles LPs (yes; these black huge 33 1/3 things) the last days. Frank Zappa? Not quite, but I'll take that as a compliment whether intended or not! I was cutting myself with a razor, bleeding all over the place. "In the beginning you will probably emulate your favourite players, but take that and make it your own and be yourself. I figured that it couldn't be that different to playing guitar, but later on I found out it's a totally different thing. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. In 1975, Eventides Tony designed the first harmonizer, so it was nice to meet the bloke whose gear Id used so extensively over the years. He never returned home. How did you and Tony Visconti record the bass tones for the album? One has a very chunky neck, and thats a 74, and the 77 has a thinner neck than a Fender Jazz bass. Today, we celebrate the songs which epitomised his pivotal role within The Nine. Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. Gibson SG 60s Tribute models with EverTune bridges two very different bands. Captain, what was it like working with Visconti from a guitarists perspective? The words Fender, Telecaster, Stratocaster and the associated headstock designs are registered trademarks of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The only way I can sum up Paul Gray is love. 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'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. I just do standard exercises, you know, what do they call 'em? 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! Theyre really consistent. And none of us would be on the path that were on right now in life, or have the sorts of lives that we have, without him.. Did you ever take lessons in bass guitar? Call us at 800-449-9128. Ive always used .009.042 gauge strings: Rotosounds if we can get hold of them. Its what he was born to do, its what hed love to do, its the thing hed love more than anything., As fans wondered about Slipknots future, the band grieved. 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. 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. I had to go back and listen to them. And yes, listen to any isolated Beatles-era bass track and it's pretty obvious that flat wounds are part of the equation. Together with Joey, and guitarists/previous collaborators Donnie Steele and Josh Brainard, they founded a heavily percussive band that debuted as Meld in late 1995, before changing its name to Slipknot. He is honoured, but can never be replaced. This is the strings in Paul Simon's Guild F-30. Although fans knew Paul as part of the nine, he had a low public profile, rarely speaking to the media. In sixth grade, aged 11, he got Suicidal Tendencies self-titled debut, which fuelled a desire to learn the guitar. I have to put on the heaviest string I can find to actually do it. Although not as light as some other guys on this . Heres how it works. 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. Theyre just magnificent! 3: (The Subliminal Verses). 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 loved guys like Jim Lea from Slade, who was doing more like lead bass and drove all those fantastic Slade songs. Why hide them, anyway? When we started the band I felt it, right when we started it, and it still feels the same. .60 mm Dunlop Tortex. Its very important that everybody on the outside of us understands that Paul Gray was the essence of the band Slipknot, he said. But in the beginning, after we got our record deal, I went to Warwick actually. If you think it's fucked up and weird, then that's cool because it's your thing. 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. Born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1972, Paul Dedrick Gray was in many ways the beating heart of Slipknot. Yaamaha even produced a replica of Pauls guitar , the FJ681 "Paul Simon . and four years as Production Editor and Deputy Editor at Bizarre. Its got a really nice punch. Although the band parted ways with Joey in 2013, the remaining seven musicians immortalised their grief and memories on 2015s .5: The Gray Chapter. Ive used them since I discovered them back in 1976, and Ive tried all the other makes and I always go back to Rotosound. 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. However, it is generally believed that he typically uses roundwound strings on his bass, with a gauge somewhere in the range of 45-60. 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. 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. 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. Does new pickguard & knobs = NGD? I was speechless watching him write this song. It couldve also been our disgraceful behavior, but who really knows? I knew the guitar lines and could have jammed those, but the bass parts were totally different and I was like, 'Fuck!' scullyfan. 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. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), 2004), in a heartfelt tribute to his old bandmate, The inside story of Vol. 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. 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.". One of my brothers friends had a weird right-handed bass, which I strung left-handed, and a practice amp. If I have a lack of inspiration, theres a few tunings I like, which have come up with some good results. Some of Pauls favourite stuff was the crazy shit, yknow? Corey told us in 2014. Sensible: Unlike some punk bassists who could only play by numbers, with the potential song disintegration if they lost their way, Paul can really busk it up! 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. Contact our experts for a recommendation of great alternatives. Of course, when younger I may have felt slightly different. Gray: Yeah! Who wants to go onstage with an unblemished guitar slung round their neck? Songs with JANGLE, let's display those electric 12 strings. I saved up and bought their album Thank Christ for the Bomb and I played it over and over. The Damned opened for T. Rex back in the day, and I even asked Captain why we never did this before. You've mentioned quite a few genres there, so what's your favourite bassline of all time? 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. 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. TC Electronic Nova System 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. . Alter Bridge, Halestorm, Neck Deep, Bob Vylan, Hot Milk, Palaye Royale, Jinjer and more join this years Download Festival. 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. "I started with Ampeg but now I'm with Peavey. How long have you been playing bass guitar for, Paul, and why did you choose bass as your main instrument? Edinboro, PA. 9. 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. Paul Dedrick Gray was born in LA on April 8, 1972. What strings did Paul Gray use? The finish, too, being less thick, shows off the battle scars nicely. Once you get up to .100 or a .105, it just sounds kind of dull to me. 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.. 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. We had confidence in each other that it would work, and we hadnt played together [in the studio] for nearly 22 years! 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. It suits the Damned material better and cleans up nicer with the volume knob than a straight SG Standard, for some reason. I remember when I set up a photoshoot, that was a bad day. "Oh yeah, of course. Rotosound (.009.042) I havent a clue about scales and stuff. Also my fingers aren't that fast, I can get to a decent speed but I'm not freaking Billy Sheehan.". What gauge is the low E string? Not I; thats for sure. 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. 1980 Rickenbacker 4001 Offstage, he couldnt have been more different. Its safe to say that when Slipknot takes time off, Paul was the one person worst affected by the other side-bands. As Slipknot put it in Skeptic, The world will never see another crazy motherfucker like you. Search Ray Brown for details. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Based on the Ibanez ATK series, it features a massive 5-piece maple/walnut neck, light ash body and an ultra-powerful tripl Show More. I don't know what he used on actual recording. 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. It was as simple as that. 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? Actually, I did go on and try to compose something better, but we liked the skin-of-your-teeth excitement of the originals best. I went down and played with them. How would you describe your playing style? Sensible: Theres something about the Gibson SG 60s Tribute. Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. 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.". Actually, none that I can think of. It makes pedals sound great, so my live setup, which was formerly my travel rig, but sounded so good it became the main one, is a Dunlop wah into the TC Nova System through a Marshall EL84 20/20 and a Marshall 4x12. I imagine you must use Rotosound strings, based on your influences and the tones youve gone for over the years? 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. 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. John Paul Jones. 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. Marshall EL84 20/20 stereo power amps, Effects staff present the albums that shaped their individual 2022s! Gray: We turned everything up full! Its a real players bass and has obviously been played and loved for over 40 years and it really feels like it! "Actually it was some Sabbath and Metallica stuff. Sadly, those close to Paul knew hed been battling demons for a while. A fan of British blues-rock players like the Groundhogs Tony McPhee and Frees Paul Kossoff, and of Summer of Love psych-rock and the pomp of 60s orchestral pop music, the Captain has never relied merely on power chords and beeralthough those have often been a part of his recipe. I try not to step on anybody's toes but try not to get lost either. Paul Gray: The Man Behind the Mask. Bands rose and fall, members came and went. There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. One has a clanky sound and one has much more growl. Most of the guys you cited developed their sounds around a Rickenbacker bass, and thats been your instrument of choice over the years. 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. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Did McCartney use flatwound strings on his Hofner bass from the very begnning or did use round wound on it at some point?