slapthebass

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - RETTOU GEKISHIN ANGYA FINAL 2003 5 Ugly KINGDOM

↳ Toshiya

Bonus:

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2003 #s: 5 ugly kingdom tour #b: Killer RD 5st #stb gifs #pic: sourced #fly little bass #t: zomboid

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - RETTOU GEKISHIN ANGYA FINAL 2003 5 Ugly KINGDOM

↳ 薫

#kaoru #dir en grey #y: 2003 #s: 5 ugly kingdom tour #g: ESP Ganesa #g: black ganesa #stb gifs #pic: sourced #love when he wahwahs at the crowd :)

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - RETTOU GEKISHIN ANGYA FINAL 2003 5 Ugly KINGDOM

↳ Shinya going all out during ZOMBOID

#shinya #dir en grey #y: 2003 #s: 5 ugly kingdom tour #dk: pearl #stb gifs #pic: sourced #for reference #t: zomboid

[slapthebass]

Thanks to Twitter user @rpg_96, who wrote three separate gear posts on their blog, I was able to find the only time Toshiya used the Obscure mystery bass during a live show! It was for the 5 Ugly Kingdom rendition of ZOMBOID back in 2003:

This bass is probably a (custom?) Killer model inspired by the Gibson RD model, as are Toshiya's ESP RU-DRIVE basses. Mystery more or less solved!

Wanted: Obscure PV bass

So I was watching the Obscure PV, as one does (unfortunately just before eating), at first to try and id Kaoru’s guitar — likely an 8 strings ESP Ganesa — when I noticed that Toshiya’s bass was not like anything I’d seen before:

I’ve been trying to id it for a while now and the only things I got are that:

it’s black

it’s got 5 strings

it’s never been seen before or after that PV (to my knowledge)

it looks like the weird love child of the ESP D-TR & Killer KB-Beelze:

angular body with rounded angles like the ESP D-TR

very characteristic notched headstock of the KB-Beelze

I think that’s a custom Killer bass specifically made for Toshiya (maybe even for this PV only), but I’m a bit at a loss so if anybody knows more about this specific model, please answer this post or send me a message!

Me, currently trying to make sense of this mess mystery of a bass:

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2003 #pv: obscure #s: 5 ugly kingdom tour #t: zomboid #b: Killer RD 5st #for reference #stb gifs #pic: sourced

[slapthebass]

Live report of the London shows by Ellen Wells for Electric Bloom webzine

#dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #for reference

[slapthebass]

#toshiya #dir en grey #a: aoya #y: 2024 #pic: sourced #<3 <3 <3

[slapthebass]

FYI these pics are available at a better resolution on Flickr! With bonus files like these ones:

Source: @emilyxygraphy on IG

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] - WARSAW 19/03/24

#kyo #toshiya #die #kaoru #shinya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death]

[slapthebass]

EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS]

London. 26/3.

#die #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #g: ESP D-DR #g: red mesh #now with a back view #pic: sourced #aaaaaaaaahhhh princess die <3 <3 <3

[slapthebass]

EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS]

London. 26/3.

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #b: esp d-tt [trick star] #b: striped blue #pic: sourced #thanks for sharing!

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] - PARIS 22/03/24

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] #b: esp d-tt [trick star] #b: custom esp 00 #b: the black one #my pictures #pic: sourced #another one i forgot to post!

[slapthebass]

Awe-inspiring photos by imperfection.of.god !

#oooh nice #toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #b: esp d tt [trick star] #b: custom esp 00 #b: custom esp 04 #b: the black one #b: striped blue #pic: sourced

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] - WARSAW 20/03/24

#shinya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #dk: pearl #dk: remo #cymbals: sabian #dk: evans #for reference #my pictures #pic: sourced

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] - PARIS 22/03/24

#kaoru #toshiya #shinya #kyo #die #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of Withering to death] #g: ESP D-KV [Nothing] #g: ESP D-KV #g: blue jzh #b: esp d-tt [trick star] #b: custom esp 00 #b: custom esp 04 #b: the black one #b: striped blue #dk: pearl #dk: remo #my pictures #pic: sourced

[slapthebass]

Update: someone on Twitter might have identified this bass! It could be an early version of the sunburst Killer KB-Desperado, as can be seen here.

The neck + body shape & general colour certainly match, although I'm not sure about the logo (it could be ESP instead of Killer), and the PV bass looks somewhat brindled in the yellow/brown area?

DIR EN GREY - ASH PV - 1998

Bass focus

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 1998 #pv: ash #b: Killer KB-Desperado #b: desperado sunburst #one mystery probably solved yay #now let's go back to the frankenstein creature that is the obscure pv bass #for reference

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] - PARIS 23/03/24

#toshiya #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #b: esp d-tt [trick star] #b: custom esp 00 #b: the black one #my pictures #pic: sourced #nearing the end of my camera roll :'(

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] - PARIS 23/03/24

#die #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #g: ESP D-DR #g: red mesh #my pictures #pic: sourced

[slapthebass]

DIR EN GREY - EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] - WARSAW 20/03/24

#kaoru #dir en grey #y: 2024 #s: EUROPE TOUR24 FROM DEPRESSION TO [mode of UROBOROS] #g: ESP D-KV [Nothing] #my pictures #pic: sourced #i might have already shared this one but i felt it deserved its own post