Paul Masvidal | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups
Pickups & Accessories since 1976
Photo Credit; Chapter 9 Photography
Paul Masvidal CYNIC
Paul Masvidal is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the recently reunited progressive metal band Cynic and currently also leads the band Æon Spoke.
In 1989, when Masvidal was in high school, he toured Mexico as a replacement guitarist for the band Death but declined an invitation to permanently join the band in order to remain committed to Cynic. This had many journalists curious at the time, since Death were emerging as an influential and popular underground act, but Masvidal stuck to his guns and claimed to firmly believe in Cynic. However, in 1991 Masvidal and a fellow Cynic member, drummer Sean Reinert, were recruited by Death to record Human, arguably Death’s most critically acclaimed release. After touring the world with Death they both returned to Cynic in 1992.
Continue reading…
1993 saw the release of Focus, (regarded as a landmark release in the field of technical death metal/progressive metal) on the Roadrunner label, the only album Cynic recorded till 2008. Roadrunner re-released it in 2005 as a special collector’s edition due to high demand. After Cynic’s disbandment Masvidal has been a member of the Cynic spin-off Portal and more recently his current band, Æon Spoke, which features Masvidal’s childhood friend and drummer Reinert, also from Miami. It was also announced, via the Cynical Sphere web site in Autumn 2006, that Cynic would be reforming for a tour, featuring Masvidal and Reinert. This took place in early summer 2007.
"Stylistic versatility and dynamics are a key ingredient to my own work as a musician. From the moment I plugged in the 57/66 set, I immediately heard a punch, sensitivity, open-fullness, and attention to detail unparalleled to any other pickups I've ever played. The low end is bone tight, while the top end is present and cutting, but also warm.
These pickups have a rare combination of vintage character and modern cutting edge intensity. They essentially do everything I could ask for and take it up a notch from there. One could say it's an instant shortcut to a perfectly balanced and precise tone from dirty to clean and everything in between.
The unique independent preamp circuitry between the neck and bridge pickups have setup a whole new standard in pickup engineering. Did I mention they look killer too?EMG is the sound of the future, right now!"-- Paul Masvidal