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Toshiya (born on March 31, 1977 in Nagano) is a Japanese musician and the bassist of Dir en grey. He has been with the band since its inception in 1997, although he was not in La:Sadie's, as the other four previously had been. Unlike fellow band members Kaoru and Die, Toshiya has only composed a handful of Dir en grey's songs, such as "Erode" and "Bottom of the Death Valley". Unsurprisingly, his compositions tend to have a distinct, bass-driven sound.
[edit] Equipment
Near the beginning of the band's career, Toshiya was endorsed by Killer Guitars in Japan. During this period he primarily used guitars with the company's Kumovi body and later his signature-series bass, the Beelze, which is similar to a reverse version of a typical Rickenbacker guitar. These signatures had a verse written by Toshiya on the headstock instead of the standard Killer logo. The third model he used from Killer was a custom bass called the 3epo.
Toshiya is currently endorsed by ESP Guitars in Japan, who provides most of his basses, picks, and straps. His endorsement began with P-bass style guitars, used for most of the bands songs, and Lakland 5-string guitars used for low-tuned songs such as "Obscure". He now primarily uses his signature-series basses from the ESP Custom Shop called the RU-Drive, which is a copy of the Gibson RD body shape. Replicas of the discontinued Beelze series were once available through Killer, who still offers a non-signature version of it under the series name Simmony. ESP currently offers replicas of the 22-fret RU-Drive in both the ESP and Edwards artist series.
[edit] Bass guitars
| Brand |
Model |
Notes |
| ESP Guitars |
D-TR-290 RU-Drive |
Toshiya's signature model from ESP. The bass was made in alternating combinations of white and black, much like the Beelze, along with multiple fret amounts. This model was originally referred to as the "RD Type." It now comes in a sunburst finish, like the original Gibson RD.[1] |
| ESP Guitars |
D-TR Prototype |
Precursor to the RU-Drive series. It features a modified version of a left-handed P-bass body and has the same headstock as the RU-Drive models, including Toshiya's custom ESP logo. It can be seen on the The Code of Vulgar[ism] DVD, i.e. during the performance of "Child Prey".[1] |
| ESP Guitars |
Halibut - ash |
Recently replaced his Lakland Bass. A standard stock 5 string bass that is available in the new japanese 08 ESP catalog. |
| Seymour Duncan |
DP-100 RSV |
Like many of the artist's guitars, it became heavily decorated with stickers and electrical tape over time, leading to confusion whether it was still the same model. Later replaced by the ESP Prototype.[1] |
| Lakland |
55-94 Classic |
Alternating models with either a white or black finish.[1] |
| Gibson |
Flying V |
Has a white finish with white pickguard. |
| Killer |
Beelze |
Toshiya's signature Killer bass. Used several models with either a black and white finish. One can be seen broken in the Ware photo book. |
| Killer |
3epo |
A custom bass designed by Toshiya with a biomechanical look, the body resembling that of a reptile or insect. Has a primarily purple finish with details in white. The guitar can be seen on Dir en grey's 1999.12.18 Osakajo Hall release and the "Myaku" music video, available on the Kimon compilation. It has since been retired. |
| Killer |
Vulture |
Alternating models with either a see-thru blue finish or a matte black finish. |
| Killer |
Eve |
Used multiple versions. |
| Killer |
Stone Blue |
none |
| Rickenbacker |
4003 |
Has red finish with white pickguard. |
| Fender |
J-bass |
Has a sunburst finish. |
[edit] Pickups and other accessories
- Ampeg SVT-2 Pro Bass Amp
- Ampeg SVT-810E Bass Cabinet
- Eden WP100 Navigator Bass Preamp
- Eden 2x Eden D810RP Bass Cabinets
- Seymour Duncan SJB-1n a neck and SJB-1b at bridge on RU-Drive basses
- ESP custom-printed picks
- ESP Dir en grey series guitar strap
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d “Dir en grey Pure Essence of Machiavellism", Gigs, Sept., 2004.
[edit] External links
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Nagano, Japan
