Rex Brown's Pantera Basses Featuring Gibson Thunderbirds and Spector 5 Strings

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The low-end heavyweight dishes on the four key basses he rocks to take his tone far beyond driven.
The ’90s was a very peculiar musical decade. It entered with L.A.’s party-time hair metal and concluded with the rise of Nu metal, boy bands, and the real Slim Shady. In between those bookends saw the maturation of Metallica, a cold front moved in from the Pacific Northwest with dark clouds of morose and menace, gangsta rap from the coasts flooded the heartland and suburbs, and punk went pop with big hitters from Green Day, Offspring, and Blink 182. But Pantera proudly flew the flag of metal. Those Cowboys from Hell were Phil Anselmo (vocals), Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott (guitar), Rex Brown (bass), and Vinnie Paul Abbott (drums). They took chances and took no prisoners all while having the time of their lives.
They were originally a glam metal band fronted by Terry Glaze. That lineup put out three albums and tirelessly worked the Texas club circuit from 1981 to 1986. They replaced Glaze with New Orleans cat Phil Anselmo who continued the falsetto tradition but made the band more Priest than Stryper. They released Power Metal in 1988 with latex-laced riffs before trading the Sunset Strip for the mosh pit when they released 1990’s breakthrough marauding Cowboys from Hell. And things completely clicked for them when they chiseled out their core sound with 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power that unleashed power-groove, annihilation anthems “Mouth for War,” “Walk,” “This Love,” and “Fucking Hostile.” That set the tone for the rest of the decade and everyone else in metal was playing catch up.
When Metallica went Load and Reload, they went fiercer and forceful with 1994’s Far Beyond Driven (earning them a No. 1 record on Billboard 200). While Reznor and Manson explored techno, dissonance, and industrial sounds, the four metalheads went darker and harder with down-tuned guitars and even faster tempos creating 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill. And as Slayer tried Nu metal with Diabolus in Musica, Pantera said hold my Crown Royal and doubled down on their demolition with 2000’s Reinventing the Steel.
Bands can burn out and friendships can become more grating than gratifying. Anselmo and Brown continued exploring their side gig with Down (started in the mid-’90s in between Pantera albums and tours) and the idle Abbott Brothers started Damageplan. A war of words filled magazine covers and airwaves making the divide wider. Then, on December 8th, 2004, while performing with Damageplan at Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, the unthinkable, agonizing, and gut-wrenching onstage murder of Dimebag occurred. (This horrific date was exactly 24 years after the shocking loss of John Lennon.) And in 2018 his brother Vinnie Paul succumbed to coronary artery disease. The idea of Pantera ever seeing the stage, in any form, seemed impossible.
But remaining members Rex Brown and Phil Anselmo tossed around the idea of finding friends to fill in for the Abbott brothers. There are indications they had a list, but anyone who knew anything about Pantera, and especially Dime, would bet their last dollar that Zakk Wylde was the only right option. And Charlie Benante of Anthrax made so many cameos in Pantera’s collection of Vulgar Videos home movies that he was the prime candidate for Vinnie Paul’s throne.
Brown has gone through so much gear. He’s lost amps and donated basses to charity. He’s fostered many fruitful friendships with companies that’s resulted in signature wares for war. His latest partnership has him riding high on a pair of namesake Thunderbirds dressed in black and gold. He still tours with old Spectors who feel like home (if home was a thunderstorm). He’s got a proper pedalboard and rack gear that’s been routed through a RJM switcher (first time ever). And he and tech Bobby Landgraf (also guitar player in Honky and Down for Down IV - Part II) detail the whole chain of tonal command. Then we have a blast chatting with Zakk Wylde who covers his toolbox of Warhammers and Master 100 heads. He ponders what it must’ve been like to have been Eddie Van Halen or Randy Rhoads who toured with their iconic instruments and not having any backups! And then his longtime tech Stephen Murillo goes over his rack gear that includes three pieces from Dimebag Darrell’s original Pantera rig.
[Brought to you by D’Addario: ddar.io/wykyk-rr]
© Copyright Gearhead Communications LLC, 2024
#guitar #pantera #zakkwylde #guitarist #guitarplayer #rigrundown #guitargear

[@premierguitar]

Shop Pantera's Rig:
Gibson Rex Brown Thunderbird Signature Bass Ebony - sweetwater.sjv.io/g1Kz10
Epiphone Rex Brown Thunderbird Bass - sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQ1kQW
MXR Wylde Audio Overdrive Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/Wqajqn
MXR Wylde Audio Phase Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/0Z7rZL
Dunlop JCT95 Justin Chancellor Cry Baby Wah Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/anm4Bb
Origin Effects Cali76 Stacked Edition Dual-stage Compressor Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/g1VyPr
EMG ZW Zakk Wylde Active Signature Humbucker 2-piece Pickup Set - Black - sweetwater.sjv.io/5gQegD
MXR Wylde Audio Chorus Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/oq32qY
MXR Carbon Copy - sweetwater.sjv.io/Qyn3X9
Origin Effects DCX Bass Tone Shaper & Drive Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/q43R4O
Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus 2 x 12-inch 120-watt Stereo Combo Amp - sweetwater.sjv.io/eKMoKZ
Radial JX44 V2 Concert Touring Guitar & Amp Signal Manager - sweetwater.sjv.io/anmJnQ
MXR M135 Smart Gate Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/PyA9rj
MXR M287 Sub Octave Bass Fuzz Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/1rLjrB
Ampeg SVT 4-Pro - sweetwater.sjv.io/Jz03zN
Shure AD4D Two-channel Digital Wireless Receiver - sweetwater.sjv.io/Y9G59q
Spector Bantam 5 Bass - sweetwater.sjv.io/Mmx4mN
Origin Effects BassRig Super Vintage Bass Preamp Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/KjLRjz
Radial BigShot EFX Effects Loop Switcher - sweetwater.sjv.io/75rA5O
Radial BigShot I/O True-bypass Instrument Selector - sweetwater.sjv.io/m5365Z
Dunlop DHCN1048 Heavy Core NPS Electric Guitar Strings - .010-.048 Heavy - sweetwater.sjv.io/9gZOD3
Ernie Ball 2733 Hybrid Slinky Cobalt Electric Bass Guitar Strings - .045-.105 - sweetwater.sjv.io/xk3xkO
Ernie Ball 5 String Slinky Cobalt Bass Strings - sweetwater.sjv.io/rQ3vQB
EMG PJX Set Active Ceramic PJ Bass Pickup Set Black - sweetwater.sjv.io/Py9Lyq
Spector Euro 4 - sweetwater.sjv.io/k03n0v
Darkglass NSG Noise Gate Bass Pedal - sweetwater.sjv.io/AWVzWD
Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 3 High Current 8-output Isolated Power Supply - sweetwater.sjv.io/GmB6mB
Electro-Voice EVM12L Black Label Zakk Wylde Signature 12-inch 300-watt Guitar Speaker - 8 Ohms - sweetwater.sjv.io/B0JW04
Lehle Little Dual II Amp Switcher - sweetwater.sjv.io/jrjoR5

[@germarhoffmeister2752]

Still in deep love with my 1987 NS2 build for a Band called "Twisted Sister".

[@pillywilly6794]

Such nice gear

[@Shiloh7377]

I seen pantera in 94 o far beyond driven tour, it was awsome and then seen em again in 96 on the Great southern trend kill tour... so awsome!!!

[@AmishParadice]

Happy to see he's been liking his new Epiphone signature. My favorite bass is a Epiphone Thunderbird I got in 2010, limited edition silverburst. I've had a lot since then but that one is still my fave!

[@iamgribs]

EMG X series are hard af i have two PX on my cheap Yamaha........honestly sounds great for pantera!!!

[@mrpotato4441]

I figured it out who he reminds me of. Luanne platters boyfriend on king of the hill.

[@billyhale2251]

Tom Petty 😅

[@frostysgrill]

🔥🏴‍☠️🔥🏴‍☠️🔥

[@97warlock]

so much big production tho .......... Just let them go out, no ghuge lights & pyro & crazy visuals ........Just go out & play the music. Would love to see that.

[@fromquake]

Kinda thrown off by the Mesa branded gear for the stage set and the ampeg racks for the stills of the basses.

[@lookup9078]

🛎️

[@mathhewmoonshine5469]

could yall do luke bryan

[@joelbelec9032]

Rex said a lot but didn’t actually say anything at all 😐