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. Surfacing is a perfect example because its so unhinged, but after the crazy bridge section it breaks down so hardcore that it grooves! Captain, please tell us a bit about who influenced your guitar playing? Eleanor was promoted to the role of Editor at Metal Hammer magazine after over seven years with the company, having previously served as Deputy Editor and Features Editor. How long have you been playing bass guitar for, Paul, and why did you choose bass as your main instrument? 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. 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. Or Maiden's Steve Harris, who does all kinds of amazing stuff and who is completely different to Cliff. 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. 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. 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. The Kerrang! So between that and jamming along with the records is how I got my fairly unorthodox guitar technique together. 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. So I begged my mum for a guitar, and she finally got me one. He will never be forgotten. 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. 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. But while other members had full-on side-projects, he considered Slipknot to be his everything. Not being able to predict what kind of music wed deliver mustve pissed off the record labels, because things never lasted long before us being shown the door. 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. The Damneds vision of punk has included liaisons with deep psychedelia, piano-driven pop, farfisa-dotted slam-dance anthems, and proto-gothall laced up with the anger and devil-may-care attitude that made punk punk. 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. "In the beginning you will probably emulate your favourite players, but take that and make it your own and be yourself. I don't know what he used on actual recording. 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. Perfection is overrated! 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. Gray: Yeah! This is the strings in Paul Simon's Guild F-30. Born in Los Angeles on April 8, 1972, Paul Dedrick Gray was in many ways the beating heart of Slipknot. Actually, I did go on and try to compose something better, but we liked the skin-of-your-teeth excitement of the originals best. 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. 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. As his bandmates drift in and out, its really just #2 holding everything together from beginning to end. Paul, youve name-checked unexpected influences for a guy whos made his bones playing punk: particularly Felix Pappalardi from Mountain and Roger Glover of Deep Purple.Paul Gray: I was always drawn to the bass end for some reason. 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. Freddie used .010, .011, and .012 on his top strings and light to medium strings on the bass (wound) strings. Which isnt the end of the world, of course, but there seems to be no fix, according to chatter on gear forums anyway. At one point, Paul drifted back to LA, but was persuaded back by Anders and Shawn. Gauges . 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. No tricks, no pedals, no nothing. . You gotta find your pocket. Electric Guitar String Set Gauges What is B standard tuning? Captains songs are Gods gift because theyre so melodic. 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. Gray: We turned everything up full! The 1980s were yet another decade that brought massive changes in music. I can only speak for myself, but to me its just the greatest thing thats ever happened in my life, he enthused. 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. What was the first bassline you ever tried to play? 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. Someone else can probably add more, or demonstrate that my memory is faulty. 1990s British-made handwired Vox AC30 reissue 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. This was thanks in no small part to his abilities. 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. There's a heavy difference in style between the two basses, that's for sure. 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. 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. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. I was writing lyrics when Paul and Joey played this to me, Corey told Kerrang! 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. I went down and played with them. I used to use heavier strings, but a couple of years ago I injured my hand and I had to go down a gauge. I recall Visconti lounging in his producer's chair dialing up sounds on his iPhone. Rotosound (.009.042) But everything needs some editing, and to pare it down to what you finally hear, we had to make a lot of choices. 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. Eddie Van Halen. . 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. Growing up with little money, his family were living in shitty roach- infested apartments, and by age 14 Paul was out on his own, struggling with homelessness, bouncing between friends and locations. Guitars Just seeing them up there with the red lights and smoke it was all evil. 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. What Paul did with Slipknot was revolutionary. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) landed a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. But my favorite was Tony McPhee of the Groundhogs. I try not to step on anybody's toes but try not to get lost either. I imagine you must use Rotosound strings, based on your influences and the tones youve gone for over the years? Sadly, those close to Paul knew hed been battling demons for a while. Works 23; All; Songs written by Paul Gray [US1] Original songs. It couldve also been our disgraceful behavior, but who really knows? Marshall EL84 20/20 stereo power amps, Effects Ive been there from the beginning, when Paul recognised my ability as an artist and said, Just do it, man! How did the Australian singer die? I really like the growl Tonys got on it and it really suits the songs perfectly. TDPRI, short for Telecaster Discussion Page Reissue, is the leading online community and marketplace for Telecaster guitars. As the date drew near, it was clear Shawn was ready to go all out. Slipknot had always seemed combustible yet invincible nine individual, larger-than-life characters who came together as a unit onstage. What Guitar Strings Does Paul Simon Use? When I tried out I constantly turned myself down or turned the tone knob down by accident. It took me 15 years to figure out that all they were really playing was the pentatonic scale with some extra notes chucked in! Lots of discussion about this all over this board. I never took lessons or anything, I was always self-taught, listening to albums and just trying to figure stuff off of that.. Blending subtle humor and loud guitar has been his forte since he switched to the bands lead musical role in 1977. 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. It was actually a badass guitar, it was a Gibson Flying V and it was left-handed, and it ruled. So I was like, I've moved to Iowa, I don't know anybody, so maybe I should jump in and say I play bass and try to meet some people? Although Slipknot's Paul Gray was known to many simply as . He had an ear for nuances that I dont think a lot of people understood.