Synyster Gates

Synyster Gates

Brian Elwin Haner, Jr., better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn is an American musician. He is currently the lead guitarist for hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold.

Brian attended, and graduated from, the Musicians Institute in Hollywood as part of the GIT program, studying jazz guitar. Up until that time he was primarily self taught by watching music videos and reading books, which is surprising because his father was/is a songwriter and guitar player, having played with Frank Zappa during his career. After six or so months of being there, he got a phone call from Jimmy (and the rest of the current line up of Avenged Sevenfold) asking him if he wanted to come and be their lead guitarist. Brian joined up with them rather than continuing his education and becoming a studio musician.

Gates joined Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) when he was 18 at the end of 1999, right before the recording of the band's first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.He was featured on their EP, "Warmness on the Soul," and on the reissue of their first album. He also plays piano for the band on songs such as "The Beast and the Harlot" and "Sidewinder," though a friend of the band, bassist Justin Meacham, played the piano on Warmness on the Soul.

In the Avenged Sevenfold DVD "All Excess," to emphasize the seemingly random placing of names, Gates stated that his name was thought of on a drunken drive through the park with The Rev. His exact words were, "I am Synyster Gates, and I am fucking awesome!"

Gates cites Django Reinhardt, Adam Aparicio, Dimebag Darrell, Slash, John Petrucci and Francis Canavan as his favorite guitarists and major influences. He has won numerous awards, including the "Young Shredder" award of the year in the Metal Hammer awards in 2006 and the "Guitarist of the Year" Award for Total Guitar Magazine in 2006. In June 2008 Guitar World magazine interviewed Syn, reader Shawn Butterfield asked "You're one hell of a guitarist. But who do you really look up to?" to which he responded "Definitely Slash! the Ozzy guitar dudes, Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom! Jimi Hendrix of course, Dimebag Darrell from Pantera, Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, a lot man!"

Synyster Gates was also a member of the "Goblin Metal" side-project Pinkly Smooth with The Rev and Justin Sane. Pinkly Smooth was disbanded because Gates and The Rev wished to focus full-time on Avenged Sevenfold, although when asked recently, they both revealed there is a new side project being planned, featuring the two playing older Pinkly Smooth tunes.

Gates has a younger brother Brent and a younger sister McKenna. His father, Brian Haner Sr., is a musician and comedian known as "Guitar Guy", and is currently on tour with Jeff Dunham.

Equipment

Guitars

Syn is currently endorsed by Schecter, as is Zacky Vengeance.

• Syn uses his custom 'Synyster' models, which are a hybrid of a few custom shop models. One including an avenger shape with a black finish and silver pin stripes.
• A white C-1 FR with white Invader pickups.
  • Syn also has a lot of variations of his Synyster models, eg. (all of the following are the Avenger/Synyster shape - an American flag, a German flag, a Rebel flag, black with red pin stripes, and white with gold pin stripes, which was released on September 2nd, 2008. Recently he has replaced his neck position Invader pickup with a Sustainiac pickup.
• The white with gold pimp stripes signature guitar is available and is limited in production to 100.

Amps

• Bogner Uberschall with Uberkab
• Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
• A Matchless amp was shown in a studio tour video

References

• Official Site