Gear
I tend to use a fair a mount of different configurations, depending on what I'm working on. For most of the studio work that I've provided examples of in the Audio section (i.e.Carol Barbieri Group,The Xperiment), I usually just use a 5-string or 6-string fretted bass and go direct into the console with no additional effects or signal processing other than what the engineer provides. For the Dawson/Scott recordings, I go direct into a DAW interface and process the signal from plug-ins, or I may use my pedal-board chaing for certain things and then process the signal further with plug-ins. For live acoustic stuff, I either use a Michael Kelley acoustic bass and go direct into the board with a BBW Sonic Stomp (their pedal version of the Sonic Maximizer) and a Boss TU-2 tuner, or nothing at all (very rarely nothing at all). But sometimes I'll use my entire effects chain. On the Yurasis Dragon studio recordings, I used a combination of direct to the console and through some sort of bass rig (not mine) on the Airtight Garage sessions, and for the Greg Frey sessions, I miked a bass rig with no effects and Greg processed the bass track using plug-ins. The following is a description of my live electric rig, including the basses I tend to rely on most for live shows:
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Main Basses:
Yamaha RBX5 A2 5-string active bass ("RoboBass"
- A.I.R. Alternative Internal Resonance body, Jet Black) with 9-volt
active preamp and Y.A.S.H custom shop designed single coil pickups.
Tune Guitar TechnologiesTWB63 6-string contra-bass (ovangol wood body) with 18-volt active preamp
Tune Guitar Technologies WB4 FM fretless bass (flamed maple top) with 18-volt active preamp (mine is a bit of a rare one because mine is a 4-string and believe it or not, they don't make it in a 4-string anymore. . . just 5 and 6 string models. I have my eye on a 6-string one.)
Michael Kelly Guitars Club Custom 5-string acoustic bass with Fishman MKAB active preamp.
Effects Pedals (in the order they are configured in the effects chain):
Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
Ibanez PD7 Tone Lok Phat Head Bass Distortion
Electro-Harmonix Small Clone EH4600 Full-Chorus
Danelectro DJ12 Chili Dog Octave Pedal (for solos and upper-register passages only)
Pigtronix EP-1 Envelope Phaser/LFO Filter
BBE Sonic Maximizer Sonic Stomp (always on while playing)
Rocktron Hush Guitar Noise Reduction System Pedal (always on)
Amplifiers:
I've recently transitioned over to Gallien-Krueger bass amplification (again - I find myself doing this every few years, it seems) and now have a small handful of GK bass amplifiers. My main stage gear consist of the following, which I use in different configurations depending on the size of the venue and type of gig, when I'm playing electric basses.
Gallien-Krueger Goldline 500, 500-watt MOS-FET Power Head with G.I.V.E. pre-amp (it's a totally MOS-FET version of the Fusion 550 head but the Fusion has an actual tube preamp instead of MOS-FET.)
Gallien-Krueger Foldline 410 GLX 4x10"800 Watt/ 8 Ohm cabinet ("fat man")
Gallien-Krueger Goldline 210 GLX 2x10" 400 Watt/8 Ohm cabinet("little boy")
For acoustic gigs, playing the Michael Kelley 5-string acoustic bass, I either go straight from my pedal
board into the PA, or into a GK Backline 110 combo and diect out of
that into the PA (I use the 110 as a monitor for these applications),
with my pedalboard.
Extras:
Rotosound Swingbass RS 66LD Mediums (45-105) on the 4-string fretless
Rotosound Swingbass RS665LD Mediums (45-130) on 5-string bass instruments
Rotosound Swingbass RS 666LD Mediums (35-130) on the 6-string contra bass
D'Addario EXPPBB170 Phosphor Bronze Acoustic Bass (45-130) on the acoustic 5-string bass (for now, but planning on switching to Rotosound Bronze Bass RS 445LD 45-130's in the near future.)
NOTE - My Michael Kelly Club Custom 5-string is outfitted with a Planet Waves PW-SH-01 "Shreeching Halt" sound hole cover to help reduce low frequency feedback for live applications.
NOTE - The
TU-2 is not configured into the effects chain when I use my typical
live amplifier rig. I use the tuner-out from the amp directly into the
TU-2, and the rest of the effects/processing goes through the amp's
effects loop, in the aforementioned order.
