Legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler will launch his signature Lakland basses and EMG pickups at the NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, set to take place January 23-26 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Lakland basses will be located at booth #5496, while EMG pickups will be at booth #4784. Says Geezer: "My first official signature gear! Come on down!!" EMG Pickups and Geezer Butler have collaborated to develop the GZR-P and GZR-PJ signature bass sets. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame bass player started working with EMG founder Rob Turner in 2011 looking to find the classic bass tone he had in the early days of BLACK SABBATH. As Geezer and BLACK SABBATH moved from studio to touring in 2013 the final component of getting the classic Geezer tone was in play, the rigors of a world tour.To recapture Geezer's early BLACK SABBATH tone, it meant a new EMG vintage style passive P & PJ design with a few modern touches. The all solderless P set uses Alnico V pole pieces and custom wound coils for just the right amount of punch and grit. The J (PJ set) also uses Alnico V poles and features two custom wound split-coils that both eliminate the noise and hum usually associated with early '70s bass pickups and allow for more power and volume than any other standard single coil J giving this set remarkable balance between the P & J. The result is unmistakable early Geezer Butler bass tone with deep, tight low end that you can hear on "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" from the early 1970s. Geezer said: "I never felt comfortable giving my name to any other pickups, but this time these have blown me away."GZR-P Set and GZR-PJ Set will be available in March 2014.Call 800.821.1446 or visit EMGpickups.com for more information.Butler told the Chicago Sun-Times that the band's current tour in support of its long-awaited reunion album, "13", could very well be his last. Asked why he thought that, Butler explained, "I don't know. I just got a feeling. It's getting tough, it really is. I can't lie about that. I'm old now. It really is tough going on every night. You wake up the next day, all the pains you never had before. I don't want to go onstage for the sake of the money. You have to have a lot pride in yourself, and I honestly think I'm coming to the end of the top of my job." Butler also said that he's enjoying the current SABBATH tour, adding, "I've always said as long as I can play, as long as I can do it to a good level, then I'll keep doing it, because I still really enjoy playing. I'll know when the day comes I can't do this anymore, can't play to my usual standards. That's when I won't go out anymore. I won't do that to me self. But at the moment, I just love playing with the band. It probably will be the last time, will probably be the last tour. But I want to go out on a high. The band is playing really well at the moment."Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Ozzy Osbourne reunited in late 2011 to record their first new album together in 35 years. Original drummer Bill Ward was on board at first but dropped out over contract disputes.Progress on the record was slowed first by Ward's departure and then by Iommi's January 2012 cancer diagnosis.
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