Paul Waggoner is the lead guitarist of the American heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band, Between the Buried and Me

Between the Buried and Me

Between the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...

 from North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. Being an avid fan of progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

, he is heavily influenced by John Petrucci, Pat Metheny, Allan Holdsworth and Steve Vai. He formerly played guitar in the metalcore

Metalcore

Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...

 band, Prayer for Cleansing

Prayer for Cleansing

Prayer for Cleansing was a vegan straight edge metalcore band from Raleigh, North Carolina with elements of hardcore punk and melodic death metal.-Biography:...

. Waggoner is a vegan, and straight edge

Straight edge

Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...

.

Style

Waggoner's playing is heavily influenced by a wide variety of styles—in his work with Between the Buried and Me, he often combines elements of metal, death metal, progressive rock, jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

.

Equipment

• PRS
  PRS Guitars
  PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
  
   Custom 24 w/ DiMarzios D-Activators (in current use)
• PRS
  PRS Guitars
  PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
  
   SE Maple Top 24
• PRS
  PRS Guitars
  PRS Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer headquartered in Stevensville, Maryland. PRS Guitars was founded by guitarist and luthier Paul Reed Smith in 1985. The company is one of the leading manufacturers of high-end electric guitars.-Materials:...
  
   Custom 24 (Colors DVD)
• Ibanez S1625TKS w/ EMG 85/81 (used to record Alaska)
• Ibanez S520WNF w/ EMG 85/81 (used to record their self-titled, Silent Circus, and Prayer For Cleansing
  Prayer for Cleansing
  Prayer for Cleansing was a vegan straight edge metalcore band from Raleigh, North Carolina with elements of hardcore punk and melodic death metal.-Biography:...
  
  )
• Ibanez
  Ibanez
  is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...
  
   S2170FB (used to record "Colors
  Colors (Between the Buried and Me album)
  Colors is the fourth album by American heavy metal band Between the Buried and Me, released on September 18, 2007 through Victory Records. The group brought out many different influences within the structure of the songs featured on the album....
  
  ")
• Jackson King V w/ EMG 85/81 (used on tour)
• Mesa/Boogie Mark V
• Mesa/Boogie dual rectifier rackmount two-channel head, circa 1997 (used on all albums)
• Mesa Standard Recto 4x12
• Fractal Audio AXE-FX
• Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus (for clean tone only)
• Port City 2x12
• Ibanez TS808
• Ibanez WD7 Weeping Demon
• D'addario EXL115W guitar strings
• Dimarzio D-activator pickups