Toshiya

This photo is of the cover of Bass Magazine's February 2015 issue featuring the Bassist of Japanese rock sensation, Dir En Grey. He is seen with one of his infamous custom ESP's, the Toshiya Custom.

This photo is of the new 2015 model the "02". Other notable models he's been known to use are the solid black "00" and the black body with white Japanese sun beams "01".

He's been using a Killer KB-Impulss Animosity five string in off white since April in combination with his normal ESP's, it can be seen throuout the posted video, most prominently at 0:46, 2:14-2:27 and 3:06.

I saw them live tonight and can confirm it is a Killer KB-Impluss Animosity in Seethrough off-white semigloss. This makes sense as his first signature model before ESP was also a Killer.

He can be seen holding it up triumphantly at the Gramercy in NYC here (12/13/19)

Toshiya, the bass guitarist of the Japanese metal band Dir En Grey, is known for his distinctive Killer 3epo Bass Guitar, often referred to as "The Prawn." This unique instrument was a collaboration between Killer Guitars and Toshiya, showcasing his creative input. A user-uploaded photo on Photobucket captures Toshiya with the Killer 3epo, adding visual proof to its iconic status. While he has since retired this bass, as of 2015, his primary instrument is the ESP D-TT "Trick Star" Toshiya Custom Bass.

His first signature before switching to ESP, he has recently been seen using it again during performances of older songs, such as this performance of "Jessica" in 2016.

This photo shows bass guitarist of Japanese rock sensation "Dir En Grey" performing live with an ESP D-TR 290 (RU-Drive) Bass.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Lakland 55-94 5 String Bass Guitar.

This photo shows bass guitarist of Japanese rock sensation "Dir En Grey" performing live with an ESP D-TR 290 (RU-Drive) Bass. In the background, his live rig contains an Ampeg SVT-2 Pro Rack Head.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Commune SENTURION Crazy Booster Pedal.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Fender Bassman Amp Head.

This photo is of the bassist of Japanese rock sensation, Dir En Grey. When not on stage rocking his ESP Custom Toshiya Basses or "The Prawn", he can be seen performing live sets with his ESP Halibut Bass.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Ampeg SVT-810.

Taken from the Dir EN Grey website, Toshiya's amplifier collection includes a Fender Bassman. The on included in the photo is the Bassman 300 Pro model.

This photo shows bass guitarist of Japanese rock sensation "Dir En Grey" performing live with an ESP D-TR 290 (RU-Drive) Bass. In the background, his live rig contains a KORG DTR-1 Digital Rack Tuner. This item is on the very top of the rack case.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Avalon U5 DI Preamp.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the Ex-Pro Pro-10z Wireless Rack Unit.

The official website of Japanese metal band "Dir En Grey" lists a few of the items used by bass guitarist Toshiya. One of them is the EBS UniChorus Analog Signal Processing Pedal.

The Tech 21 Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp can be seen in Toshiya's Studio Rig in this Instagram post.

In an Instagram story, Toshiya revealed that he is using a Two Notes ReVolt Bass, with the settings displayed in the image.

Toshiya used black modern 5 Sadowsky NYC Bass to record Uroboros, ARCHE, Dum Spiro Spero. https://youtu.be/uXI8sS5RkUM?si=MuOCw5iwCwKX_guH https://youtu.be/uXI8sS5RkUM?si=pCQMwyb2jJn38Hkk

Toshiya used a white Dingwall Lee Sklar Signature Bass to record the albums "ARCHE" and "THE INSULATED WORLD," as well as the track "The World of Mercy." This is supported by video evidence in a YouTube video titled "Dir en Grey — The World of Mercy (Scenes from Recording)" by Phidias, which features Toshiya playing the instrument.

Toshiya used the Sony MDR-V6 Dynamic Stereo Headphones while recording "The World of Mercy," as shown in the YouTube video "Dir en Grey — The World of Mercy (Scenes from Recording)". These headphones were also used during the recording of "VANITAS" and "Uroboros."

The new partner that played a significant role in the recording of «ARCHE» is the ABZ XXX model from Dingwall's Afterburner series. It features a "fan-fret" system (fanned fretboard) that ensures precise pitch and even string tension. As mentioned in interviews, for Toshiya, who often uses tunings with low B, A, or A# strings, this bass guitar has been a perfect fit. The body is made of swamp ash, the neck of hard rock maple, and the fingerboard of wenge. It is equipped with three original FD-34L pickups and a Glockenklang preamp. Controls include volume, a two-band EQ, and a pickup selector (with active/passive switching capability). Masking tape is applied to the headstock (photo 1) and bridge (2) to dampen unwanted vibrations. Toshiya used Dingwall ABZ on TOUR23 PHALARIS: https://youtu.be/Z0G7-BsN3sY?si=WwW0p3HpjF0Cd9TN

Toshiya used a Sadowsky 24 Fret, 5 String Bass to record the albums "Uroboros," "ARCHE," and "Dum Spiro Spero." This is confirmed in the "DIR EN GREY — BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARCHE (Recording Sessions)" video by Phidias on YouTube, which is part of the ARCHE DVD/Blu-ray Deluxe Limited Version, released on December 10, 2014.

Toshiya has confirmed the use of the Peterson StroboStomp LE Pedal Tuner - 75th Anniversary Edition in his setup for TOUR23 PHALARIS -Vol.II-. He mentioned that he changed to this limited edition model, describing it as "gold and looks like a HYAKU-SHIKI... Amazing" and highlighted its features, such as the ability to pre-set various tunings, making it particularly suitable for DIR EN GREY's step-down tuning. This information is supported by his Instagram post dated April 24, 2023.