Justin Chancellor Biography

Justin Gunnar Walter Chancellor (born 19 November 1971) is an English musician formerly in the band Peach but best known as the bass player for rock band Tool. Chancellor is of English and Norwegian descent. Since settling in the US, along with his engagement in his musical projects, he and his wife Shelee Dykman Chancellor used to run a store called Lobal Orning with his friend Zack Daniels in Topanga, California, dedicated to music and literature "that shaped and changed" both of them. The store closed in 2008. He started M.T.Void music project with Piotr "Glaca" Mohammed from Sweet Noise. In October 2012, Chancellor featured as bass player on the song "In the Spirit Of.." on The Fusion Syndicate album, released by Cleopatra Records. His track also appears on the 2014 album, The Prog Box.

Early life

Chancellor was educated at Tonbridge School in Kent, England, where he was the bass player for a school band named Slice of Life and used to perform a cover version of Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night" in the dining room of his boarding house. The band released an eponymously titled tape featuring a song of the same name (Slice of Life). Chancellor went on to study at Durham University. Later he went on and joined the band formerly known as Peach.

Peach released an album and supported Tool in the early 90's in England. In September 1995 Tool was looking for a bass player and Justin moved to the United States to be in the band, and has remained with them since.

Equipment

Basses

• Wal - Chancellor"?s main bass is a Wal 4-string (formerly a Traben Neo) he bought on a friend"?s recommendation during the recording of nima. The bass"?s woods and electronics help create the midrange cut and punch for which he is known. Justin also has three other four-string Wals: an identical model to his main bass, but with less midrange response (used on "Wings For Marie (Part 1)" "Parabol and Parabola" and "10,000 Days (Wings Part 2)", a Mark III with a greenburst finish (used for the harmonic sections in "Right In Two"), and a lined fretless with a walnut top (used in the second verse of "Lateralus" and parts of "Rosetta Stoned"). Justin normally plays Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky strings (.045, .065, .085, .105) He switches out the low .105 string for the .110 from the Ernie Ball Power Slinky set. For "Parabol" and "Parabola" he uses heavier strings because of the way the song is played but he has not specified the exact gauges. This is different from what bandmate Adam Jones does in that Jones utilises exactly the same string gauge for BEDGBE (and BADGBE) as he does for drop D and plays the song with the bottom two strings "looser" than the other four.
• Music Man Stingray - Used on "Forty-Six & 2", "H.", "Pushit" and "No Quarter".
• Gibson Thunderbird - Used once for "Prison Sex" live in 1995/1996, when he first joined the band.

Amplification

• Gallien-Krueger 2001RB head x3 (1 Dirty, 1 Clean, 1 Spare)
• Mesa Boogie Roadready 4x12 (For Dirty)
• Mesa Boogie Roadready 8x10 (For Clean)
• Demeter Amplification VTBP-201S Bass Preamp running direct to PA

Formerly used

• Mesa Boogie M-2000 head
• Mesa Boogie M-Pulse
• Mesa Boogie Bass 400+
• Mesa Roadready 8x10 (in place of the 4x12)

Effects

• Boss TU-2
• Guyatone VTX Tremolo
• DigiTech Bass Whammy - Used on "Eulogy" (fifth up/sixth up harmony), "Pushit (Live)" (fifth up/octave up harmony), "Third Eye" (octave up), "Schism" (octave up), "Ticks and Leeches" (fifth up/octave up harmony), "Lateralus" (octave up), "Disposition" (fifth up/octave up harmony), "Vicarious" (octave up harmony), "The Pot" (octave up) and "Right In Two"(fifth up/sixth up harmony).
• Tech 21 SansAmp GT2 Distortion
• Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble
• Boss BF-2 Flanger
• Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
• MXR Bass Envelope Filter
• Prescription Electronics Rx Overdriver
• Colorsound Tone Bender Fuzz
• Foxx Fuzz/Wah/Volume-Volume Pot Removed

A DunlopTV video suggests that the Guyatone BR-2 has been replaced by a Dunlop MXR Bass envelope filter. Since the DunlopTV video was filmed in 2010 a photo of Justin at one of the 2013 Austrian tour dates shows an MXR Bass envelope filter next to his Boss DD-3. This spot on the pedalboard was formerly occupied by the Guyatone BR-2. Close inspection of the photo will reveal a black pedal with 5 knobs as opposed to a black pedal with two knobs. The picture is featured on triple j's top 10 gig moments of 2013.

Distortion(dirty) channel-(Comes after the modulation signal is sent to the Radial JD7 splitter. The modulated signal is then sent to the clean amplifier(8x10) the split modulation signal is sent to the grit/distortion channel then sent to the dirty amplifier(4x12))

• Pro Co RAT Turbo Rat Distortion Pedal - run with low gain into his 4x12 before the GEB-7 for a grit channel.
• Boss GEB7 EQ - run into his 4x12 after the Turbo RAT for a grit channel, for presence
• Prescription Electronics-Rx Overdriver (The DunlopTV video suggests that this pedal only goes to the dirty head. However the thru box has a clean output labeled "pedals 1-11". Starting from the Boss TU-2 including the Rx Overdriver and going to the Foxx Fuzz Wah that makes a total of 11 pedals going to the Radial splitter.)

Misc Effects-Live "play" extra pedal board

• MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
• Red Witch Pentavocal Tremelo
• Red Witch Titan
• Guyatone BR-2 (Used on the recording of 10,000 days and live until it was replaced with the MXR bass envelope filter as the eighth pedal in his clean effects chain. Photo's featured on a2ahot from the 2013-2014 tours show no more effects in the signal path past the Foxx fuzz wah.)

These pedals have not been confirmed to be used on any recordings, but have been seen on his board in studio snapshots.

• Lovetone Ring Stinger
• Lovetone Flange With No Name
• Line 6 FM4
• Lovetone Wobulator
• Lovetone Brown Source
• Lovetone Big Cheese
• Lovetone Doppelganger
• Lovetone Meatball

Guest appearances

• Chancellor played bass on the Isis song 'Altered Course' on their 2004 album Panopticon.
• Chancellor also provided additional sounds/bass guitar on Isis song "Weight" on their 2006 live Clearing the Eye [DVD].
• Additional bass on the title track of Intronaut's 2010 album,Valley of Smoke.