Slayer’s Tom Araya

The bass-hammering, metal-screaming leader of the metal juggernauts Tom Araya primes Chicago-land with one final howl as they perform their last show in the area. About the bass, we found this about his No. 1 during a Rig Rundown: “Unless something goes wrong, bassist Tom Araya relies on one bass—his signature ESP model. It includes active EMG pickups, an alder body, and an ebony fretboard. His current main has an EMG HB in the bridge and a P in the neck, while his backup has a set of single-coil Ps. After Tom’s recent neck surgery, his brother and tech Johnny created a custom harness that connected to the back of the bass to support most of the weight. He uses standard Jim Dunlop Heavy .050–.110 strings on all his basses.”