Most bassists think they need a mountain of pedals to sound like the early 2000s Iowa era. They’re usually wrong. Honestly, the Paul Gray bass guitar sound was less about complexity and more about a very specific, aggressive simplicity that had to fight for space in a band with nine people.
If you’ve ever tried to mix a track with two percussionists, a DJ, and two down-tuned guitarists, you know the bass usually just disappears into a muddy Grave. Paul didn't let that happen. He played left-handed, hit the strings like they owed him money, and used gear that specifically emphasized the "clack" and "grind" over the sub-bass.
The Warwick Years: Finding the Growl
Before the Ibanez endorsement that most younger fans remember, Paul was a Warwick devotee. If you listen to the self-titled 1999 album or the sonic assault of Iowa, you're hearing the "Warwick Growl."
He primarily leaned on the Warwick Thumb and the Corvette. These weren't just random choices. The Thumb, in particular, has a very mid-forward, punchy character that cuts through dense distorted guitars. In those early Slipknot shows, you’d see him with a Thumb Bolt-On or a neck-through model, usually tuned down to Drop B ($B-E-A-D$) or even Drop A.
A lot of the "dirt" in that tone didn't come from a distortion pedal. It came from the SansAmp Bass Driver DI. Paul once famously said, "I run SansAmp," and that’s basically the secret sauce. It adds a tube-like grit and a treble boost that makes the bass "click" against the kick drum. When you combine a Warwick’s active pickups with a SansAmp, you get that metallic, industrial sound that defined the nu-metal era.
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The Gear That Built the Wall
- Basses: Warwick Thumb (various), Warwick Corvette, and a rare Warwick Streamer Stage II.
- Strings: Ernie Ball Power Slinkys (.055–.110). He needed that heavy gauge to keep the tension when tuning down to B.
- Amps: Early on, he used Ampeg SVT-2 Pro heads. Later, he moved to Peavey, but the Ampeg/Warwick combo is what you hear on the most iconic tracks.
The Ibanez PGB1: A Different Kind of Beast
By the time Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) and All Hope Is Gone rolled around, Paul had switched to Ibanez. This led to the creation of the Ibanez PGB1, his signature model.
This bass was a weird, beautiful hybrid. It was based on the Ibanez ATK series, which is basically Ibanez’s take on a StingRay but on steroids. It had a massive triple-coil pickup at the bridge. Paul liked it because it was versatile. He could flip a switch and go from a massive, thumping low end to a mid-range honk that helped him stay audible during the more technical percussion sections.
The PGB1 featured a swamp ash body and a maple/walnut neck. It was a tank. Ibanez even factory-tuned them to Paul’s preferred $B-E-A-D$ tuning, which was pretty rare for a four-string signature model at the time. Most companies would just give you a standard E tuning and let you figure it out, but the PGB1 was built specifically for the low-end devastation Slipknot required.
Why His Technique Was Actually the Key
You can buy the $2,000 Warwick and the SansAmp, but you still won't sound like him if you play with a light touch. Paul started as a guitar player in the mid-80s before switching to bass in 1990 when he moved to Des Moines. He brought that "guitarist" aggression to the 4-string.
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He used Dunlop Jazz III picks. Those are tiny, stiff picks. Most bassists use larger, more flexible picks, but the Jazz III allowed Paul to play fast, rhythmic lines with surgical precision. If you watch the isolated bass track for "Duality," you’ll notice he isn't just doubling the guitars. He adds these subtle melodic runs and "fills" that bridge the gap between the chaotic drums and the rhythmic guitars.
The Tuning Reality Check
Most people assume Slipknot is all Drop B. While that's the "home base," Paul was known to experiment.
- Drop B: $B-E-A-D$ (The standard for most of the catalog)
- Drop A: $A-E-A-D$ (Used on tracks like "The Heretic Anthem")
- F# Tuning: On extremely rare occasions, they went even lower, though Paul often stuck to the B-standard foundations to keep the clarity.
The Legacy of the "Number 2"
After Paul passed in 2010, Ibanez released the PGB2T, a tribute model. It was a bit more stripped-down than the original PGB1—mahogany body instead of ash, and a simpler pickup configuration—but it served as a way for fans to get a piece of that history.
What’s interesting is how Paul’s influence has aged. For a while, the "clacky" metal bass tone was considered "dated." But lately, with the resurgence of hardcore and modern metalcore, that aggressive, pick-heavy, mid-range-forward sound is everywhere again. Paul was doing in 1999 what many modern "Djent" bassists are trying to do now: finding a way to be heard in a mix that is fundamentally designed to bury the bass.
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Actionable Tips for Getting the Paul Gray Tone
If you want to replicate this sound today without spending five figures on vintage gear, here is the roadmap.
First, don't buy a 5-string unless you really want one. Paul proved you can do everything on a 4-string if you have the right string gauge. Get a set of .055–.110 or even .120 strings. You'll need to file the nut slots on a standard bass to make them fit, otherwise, the nut will crack.
Second, the "clack" is your friend. Lower your action until you get a bit of fret buzz when you dig in. In most genres, fret buzz is a mistake; in Slipknot-style metal, it’s a percussion instrument.
Finally, get a preamp with a "blend" knob. Whether it’s a SansAmp, a Darkglass, or even a Boss ODB-3, the trick is to mix the distorted signal with your clean signal. If you go 100% distortion, you lose the low-end "thump." Paul’s tone always had that solid foundation underneath the grit.
Keep your mids high, your pick heavy, and your energy aggressive. That is the only way to truly honor the "Number 2."
Next Steps for Your Rig:
Check your current bass nut width before jumping into heavy strings. If you're putting a .110 gauge on a standard Fender-style nut, you'll likely need a luthier to widen the slots. Also, look into the Ibanez ATK810 if you can't find a used PGB1; it's the closest modern equivalent to Paul's signature "triple-coil" sound currently in production.