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Bass player Paolo Gregoletto has been holding down the low end in Trivium since 2004. His galloping rhythms, and versatile and melodic approach to heavy rock bass provides the backbone for Trivium’s signature take on contemporary metal. Dunlop recently caught up with Paolo, who was kind of enough to take the Dunlop Strings 5 Questions challenge…

When you were young, what artist and or song inspired you to become a musician?

There wasn’t one song or band that made me want to pick up bass at first. A few friends I was hanging with at the time wanted to start a band to play our middle school festival, so I decided to start playing bass. The band that really sold me on wanting to play metal music and actually be in a serious about being in a band was Metallica, I would watch Live Shit on VHS every day after school.

Out of all the music you’ve written, recorded, or performed, which piece of music best represents you as an artist?

I’d probably have to say “Throes of Perdition” represents me pretty well as an artist. I think it has to be one of our most epic tunes in the set, and the intro always gets the crowd pumped up. I love songs that build and have dynamics, but still keep your attention and interest.

When it comes to strings, what are the three most important things that help you decide which Dunlop set to use?

The first would be gauge, especially for the two lowest strings because I drop them down a whole step for some songs. I like to use one bass for the whole set so I am always tuning it from standard to drop tuning and back. The second thing I need is the brightest sound I can get out of the strings. In my opinion bass is just as much about having a great high end that cuts through the mix as it is about having a fat low end. I have always loved bass players who have a tone with some bite that sits in the mix as opposed to being buried under it all. The third and most important thing is having strings that can make it through an entire set with out losing that brightness. In the past when I used other brands, my strings would die half way through the set and I would be heading back to my amp to crank up the highs and midrange to try and hear myself. Depending on the set length now, I can go two shows on the same set of strings if I need to.

Which Dunlop set(s) do you use?

I use the Dunlop Nickel Plated M5 45-130 set. Sometimes for recording I will throw a 135 on my lowest string.

What’s one thing about you that would surprise people the most?

Most people probably don’t know I play guitar pretty well or that I have been playing it for a while. I started up about two years after picking up bass and it was mainly to be able to write and show guitarists I played with my ideas. I have never really attempted to play lead, but I think I can hold my own with Corey and Matt rhythm wise. My guitar playing has definitely been influenced by being a bass player.

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Use the comments section below to tell us which Trivium song is your favorite, and why, and you’ll be entered to win a two sets of Dunlop Electric Bass Nickel or Electric Bass Steel strings, a Bass Road Pro string winder and a Formula 65 Polish Kit.