ESP
Tom Araya Signature Bass
Top 5SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Slayer (Premier Guitar), December 2013
No store page for this one.
t
Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Tom Araya. Every item links to its public source.
9 items · Last checked What bass does Tom Araya play?
Tom Araya has been seen using ESP signature basses, including the Tom Araya FRX, TA-604 FRX and TA-204 FRX. He has said he played stock Marshall VBA400 bass heads and cabinets Marshall made for him, and Premier Guitar showed an always-on dbx 160A compressor and Dunlop Heavy strings.
Top 5
Where to start with Tom Araya's gear.
What bass gear Tom Araya uses: a sourced gear guide
Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.
Basses
ESP
Tom Araya Signature Bass
SponsoredSeen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Slayer (Premier Guitar), December 2013
No store page for this one.
ESP
Tom Araya FRX
SponsoredSeen using
ESP
TA-604 FRX
SponsoredSeen using
ESP
TA-204 FRX
SponsoredSeen using
Dunlop
Heavy bass strings (.050-.110)
Seen using
Seen in Gear Rundown: Tom Araya (Mixdown), September 2024
No store page for this one.
Amps
Marshall
1992 LEM Super Bass head (Lemmy Kilmister signature)
Has said they use
“That amp is where most of my sound comes from, rather than the bass”
Said in Gear Rundown: Tom Araya (Mixdown), September 2024
No store page for this one.
Marshall
VBA400 bass heads
Has said they use
Marshall
VBA400 bass heads“I use a standard Marshall bass head, which is a really good head”
Said in Gear Rundown: Tom Araya (Mixdown), September 2024
No store page for this one.
Marshall
Bass cabinets made for him
Has said they use
Marshall
Bass cabinets made for him“They made some cabinets for me; better than the cabinets I had and they sounded great.”
Said in Gear Rundown: Tom Araya (Mixdown), September 2024
No store page for this one.
dbx
160A compressor/limiter
Seen using
Seen in Rig Rundown: Slayer (Premier Guitar), December 2013
No store page for this one.
Questions
About Tom Araya's gear.
What bass does Tom Araya play?
ESP signature basses, made for him since the late 1990s. Mixdown reported in 2024 that he often played the Tom Araya FRX, TA-604 FRX and TA-204 FRX.
What amp does Tom Araya use?
He has said he played stock Marshall VBA400 bass heads and a couple of cabinets Marshall made for him. Earlier he played a Marshall 1992 LEM Super Bass, the Lemmy Kilmister replica head.
What strings does Tom Araya use?
Dunlop Heavy bass strings, gauged .050 to .110, on all his basses, per Premier Guitar's 2013 Slayer rundown and Mixdown's 2024 gear rundown.
Does Tom Araya use a compressor?
Yes. Premier Guitar's 2013 Slayer rundown showed a dbx 160A compressor/limiter in his rig, and Mixdown reported it was always on.
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TA
Tom Araya
About this guide · Last checked
Tom Araya is the bassist and singer of Slayer, which he joined in 1981. This guide covers his own rig: his ESP signature basses, the Marshall heads and cabinets behind his tone, and the compressor and strings he ran.
truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Tom Araya didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.
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