BASSES
Let's start with my Double Bass.
It's a New Standard Cleveland from 2004. It's got a laminated top & back with carved sides with ebony fittings. Note: they changed this model to all laminated a year or two after I got mine. It is a large 3/4 small 7/8s with a 42 inch string scale. For a frame of reference standard bass guitar scale is 34. Standard string scale for "full size" double basses is 41-42. Double basses aren't nearly as uniform size wise as bass guitars. Some notables about the New Standard Cleveland-it is a Gamba shape, has broad shoulders, and is a large bass. However, it is HIGHLY playable and easy to get around on. I rarely go up to thumb position-it is easily my weakest register.
I keep the bass strung with Thomastik Spirocore Weichs. I use a Meisel quiver and a Brazilwood French bow from Gollihur Music. The only 'custom' thing I have done is put side dots on the fingerboard using nail polish. Several of my teachers have them and i thought 'why not?' It has helped tremendously to have a visual reference that reminds me that the distance between notes is MUCH larger than bass guitar.
I use a David Gage Realist Pickup. I like this. I used to have a K&K Bass Master Pro pickup + preamp setup. That was a K&K Bass Max plus Double Big Twin feeding a K&K Preamp that was mounted on my tail piece. It was OK, but i like how with the Realist all I have to do is plug & play. Eventually, I would like to add a AMT Bass Mic to the setup. 2 of my teachers use Wilson pickups & those intrigue me, but for the time being i'm satisfied wth the Realist for my pickup needs.
The sound is huge and loud. I keep my action pretty high for a jazz player. The tone i hear in my head is a very big and wooly tone. Some players for a point of reference-Ray Brown, Sam Jones, Charlie Haden, Paul Chambers-guys that played with gut strings and got a tone that encompasses you. Nothing against the guys that play with a lower action and go for more direct sound, but this is what i love.
ELECTRIC BASSES
Ok, time to my bread & butter. My electrics.
My main electric bass is a 2003 Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay5. It has a maple fingerboard, swamp ash body, black pickguard, and is finished in Cherry Burst. I keep it strung with Ernie Ball Slinky 5s-most of the time Power Slinkys (50-135). Slinky 5s are just your basic nickel round wound. They sound great, last a decent amount of time [depends on how much you play, your sweat's pH, etc], and don't cost a whole lot. This is my go to bass. I've played it pretty heavily the past 5 years & you can tell. I am getting ready to take it in to get a fret dressing plus a general once over. You know it's time for a fret dress when you have developed divets in the frets.
I can get a wide variety of sounds out of this bass. I like to think of it as my sledge hammer/swiss army knife. I love the neck shape/dimensions, and it just feels right overall. I keep this bass strung with rounds because I think of it as my "modern" sounding bass. The MM Humbucker & 3 band pre allow me to get a variety of tones, but about 99% of the time i have the treble slightly boosted, bass slightly boosted, mids flat, and the coil tap in the single coil w/dummy coil [center position]. Great sound.
#2 Electric is my Fender P-Bass w/flats. It's a basic 2007 Fender Standard Precision Bass. It has a rosewood finger board, alder body, white pickguard [might change it to black], and sunburst finish. I have it strung with Sadowsky/Labella Regular Gauge Flat Wounds [black label]. These are a nice and heavy set. I originally had them on a Fender Jazz 5-so i don't remember what the G to E gauges are. I think it's a 50 or 55 G & probably a 110 E. These are HIGH tension. I loooooooove the sound though. This bass fits the bill whenever the StingRay5 is a bit iffy. The sound is totally opposite though. Very low mids focused and fat. Yes, I originally wanted to buy a P-bass after studying the work of James Jamerson and the other great motown bassists. My top 2 fav are James Jamerson & Wilton Felder. Big sounds that drive the bands like a mofo. I use this on rock, big band [use it w/Shout Section when i can't take my DB], and any other gigs.
#3 Electric- 1997 Fender Standard Jazz Bass this bass is my very first bass. Poplar body, rosewood board, black w/a white pickguard. My Dad gave it to me as a Christmas present in 1997. It still feels like "home" every time that I pick it up. I don't play it a whole lot at the moment. It's strung with unknown origin flat wounds. The neck has taken on a nice tint from age. Sounds good, feels good, I won't ever sell it. This is a bass that I could see handing down to posterity. Ok-all of them I think i could. This bass, the Double, and my Ray5 are the ones that I think would have the most value though. First Bass Guitar, First Double Bass, and first GOOD 5 string.
Other basses
Douglas WEB846 in sunburst. This is the bass I bought when i wanted to get a taste for playing 6 string bass. Turns out-i like that taste. I am saving up for an Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 6 or MTD Z6.
Squier Vintage Modified Fretless. Don't let the Squier name fool you, this bass is very high quality. When I first played one in a Guitar Center the first thing i thought "THIS IS A SQUIER??!?!?!?!" followed by "This is the closest i've ever been to the fretless tone i hear in my head." So about 6 months later, I bought one. I don't practice fretless a whole lot, before playing out with it-i need to spend some major shed time with it.
ALL of my basses have Schaller Straplocks on them. I've got 2 straps that have the locks on them, and then I buy the individual buttons [the part that goes on the bass] from Stew Mac & All Parts. Much cheaper to spend $3 per set for just the buttons & screws, than spending $20+ a set on a complete unit. I don't need to have 10 sets of locks when I only have 2 straps.
enjoy the evening.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Gear Part 2-Chicago Amp + Misc Amp stuff
Gear Part 2-Chicago Amp
Yeah, i'm saying Amp instead of Amps. My amp setup up here is far different. Namely, it is actually portable & lighter.
Before moving up here, I contacted the person I would be studying with in the fall-Scott Mason & asked for an amp recommendation. He told me that the bulk of the guys up here either used a GK Microbass or an SWR WorkingMan's 12. I bought the WM12 because it was much cheaper & I had a higher opinion of SWR at the time.
The quick info on the SWR is: 120 watts through an internal 12 [8ohms]. 50 pounds, rear port. It's got a nice sound & is extremely transparent-that's what SWR is known for. I've enjoyed having it-sadly, the units at school suffer from inputs that love to go bad/get loose wires. I cite them being used heavily as the prime cause. Mine, has held up quite nicely. I have it attached to a luggage cart & it has seen many miles here in Chicago. I still get peculiar looks when I bring it on the L. The SWR sounds good with electric & good with upright. It's a nice all around amp that i'm planning on holding onto for the rest of my playing days.
Eventually-when money permits [so a few years], I'd like to get an Epifani UL110 & an Acoustic Image Focus. That would be an extremely light & extremely powerful setup. For doubling & theater gigs-i'm thinking of adding a Radial Tone Bone Bass Bone. The Radial is a 2 channel stomp box preamp that also functions as an ABY box.
Misc Amp Gear
I also use Monster Instrument Cables-i like the warranty & i've only ever used it once. The idea of paying $50 for a cable once & then not having to buy it again is great.
I use a Morley ABY box-it's great for setting up 2 basses when I double. I dig how if I ever wanted to run 2 amps, i could use it for that too. Probably won't ever need that though.
Next post will be about my basses.
Yeah, i'm saying Amp instead of Amps. My amp setup up here is far different. Namely, it is actually portable & lighter.
Before moving up here, I contacted the person I would be studying with in the fall-Scott Mason & asked for an amp recommendation. He told me that the bulk of the guys up here either used a GK Microbass or an SWR WorkingMan's 12. I bought the WM12 because it was much cheaper & I had a higher opinion of SWR at the time.
The quick info on the SWR is: 120 watts through an internal 12 [8ohms]. 50 pounds, rear port. It's got a nice sound & is extremely transparent-that's what SWR is known for. I've enjoyed having it-sadly, the units at school suffer from inputs that love to go bad/get loose wires. I cite them being used heavily as the prime cause. Mine, has held up quite nicely. I have it attached to a luggage cart & it has seen many miles here in Chicago. I still get peculiar looks when I bring it on the L. The SWR sounds good with electric & good with upright. It's a nice all around amp that i'm planning on holding onto for the rest of my playing days.
Eventually-when money permits [so a few years], I'd like to get an Epifani UL110 & an Acoustic Image Focus. That would be an extremely light & extremely powerful setup. For doubling & theater gigs-i'm thinking of adding a Radial Tone Bone Bass Bone. The Radial is a 2 channel stomp box preamp that also functions as an ABY box.
Misc Amp Gear
I also use Monster Instrument Cables-i like the warranty & i've only ever used it once. The idea of paying $50 for a cable once & then not having to buy it again is great.
I use a Morley ABY box-it's great for setting up 2 basses when I double. I dig how if I ever wanted to run 2 amps, i could use it for that too. Probably won't ever need that though.
Next post will be about my basses.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Gear Part 1-Lafayette Amps
Gear Part 1 my amps in Lafayette/used in high school!
Ok, this is where I start to have fun & give some insight about why I play what I do & the various setups. My gear needs & wants have changed quite drastically since I lived in Lafayette & was in high school. Ok, my AMP needs have changed drastically, bass needs-not so much. So to start things off let's look at my amps.
Amps-Lafayette
In high school, I was playing with very large ensembles in even larger venues. 126 Piece Marching band in the RCA Dome? Check, 126 Piece Marching Band in Class A [or AAAA for sports] Foot Ball Stadiums? Check. Show Choirs in Gyms? More than i remember, Show Band in our Gym? Yeah.
The places that I played in high school, it was great to have a ton of power & weight wasn't much of an issue. My gear reflected that & my mentality of want the biggest amp i could, that had the most power, for the least amount of money. I've heard the phrasing & i've used it a lot myself-you can pick 2/3-High Power, Light Weight, Low Price. For high school-i chose low price & high power.
The gear itself
Poweramp
At the core of my amp system [yes, system!] was a Carvin DCM2000 Power Amp. It was just over $500. The specs of it are 2000 watts @ 4 ohms bridged, 1500 watts @ 8 ohms bridged, or in stereo [2 channels] 1000/1000 @ 2 ohms, 700/700 @ 4ohms, 425/425 @ 8ohms. On occasion, i ran it bridged into either 2 or 2.6 ohms despite how it is NOT rated to do that. It got heller loud, but ran quite warm-no thermal shutdowns though. The good-lots of power, lot of connectivity options [1/4, speakon, & banana plug outs, XLR & 1/4 ins], and low price [like i said $500 or so]. The bad-it weighed 40 pounds & was 3 rack spaces. Tis a big one. However, I had more than enough power to play anywhere. Ever. My senior year of marching band, we ran a PA off of 1 side of the amp & my bass rig off of the other. Rarely ran either past half power. PA = 2 mains plus a monitor.
Preamps
Preamps are where I did a bit of experimentation. I started off with a SansAmp RBI. The RBI was the right price [$300ish] & can get a wide variety of sounds. Also-lots of ins & out options. Having XLR & 1/4 outs was quite nice-add on the XLR had an independent level control & the option of straight bass tone, affected, or both? It was heaven for live settings & recording sessions. I've kept it. I liked it enough that when a SansAmp RPM came around used-i bought it too. Once again, same price point, & positives of the RBI but with a different voicing & gain structure. When i ran both, i used the RBI for electric bass & the RPM for double bass. Eventually, I started to just use the RPM if it wasn't a doubling gig. Here in Chicago-i brought the RPM up & have used it w/back line equipment & as a DI in the studio. It kills.
The preamps that I didn't keep....
BBE BassMax T. Yeah-so i sold the 1 tube preamp I've ever had. I didn't like how the controls were setup [based off of the Fender & Alembic preamps where 12 oclock isn't flat....]. Also, the tone wasn't what I am looking for. I'm sure that I could get a great sound out of it, but I don't like to work that hard-if i can't plug & play, probably not for me. So I sold it.
Line 6 Bass POD Pro w/floor board. I enjoyed messing around with the effects on it, but just could never get used to it as a preamp or as a studio DI. I felt like i used the Wah & Synth Bass effects more than the rest of the unit & i only used those to mess around. I feel like the RPM & RBI get better sounds for DI & live. So i sold it.
Cabs
I found a brand that I liked [and could afford] & bought many. The brand was Avatar . I started off with their B115H. It was a 1X15 cab w/horn [hince 115 H]. Nice cab, great all around sound. I then added a B210H [2X10 w/horn]. Those 2 paired together were nice & the 2X10 was nice for 'smaller' places-smaller footprint when it was turned on end. I didn't care much for the 2X10 on it's own. B212!!! We have a winner. 75 pounds, 4 ohms, and killer tone. Once i got the 2X12, i rarely plugged in the others. It had enough lows where you could feel the bass, but with enough highs were I was never muddy. The only time that I ever ran all 3 cabs together was for Show Band & even then i typically just ran 1 and used the other as dummy cabs [yes, classic rock trick].
The 1X15 now has a different speaker & the 2X10 was sold when i first left for college. I'm keeping the 2X12 indefinitely. It's living in the basement at my Mom's house. I doubt i'll ever need it & even if i do, i can't really get it up here. BUT-i like the sound & eventually, i'll bring it up here even if i use it as a coffee table/book shelf thing.
I'm glad that I've played through all of that gear, but with the exception of the RPM, once i moved to Chicago-my needs changed quite drastically. Went from bigger louder cheaper to smaller, powerful, and.....expensive.
Ok, this is where I start to have fun & give some insight about why I play what I do & the various setups. My gear needs & wants have changed quite drastically since I lived in Lafayette & was in high school. Ok, my AMP needs have changed drastically, bass needs-not so much. So to start things off let's look at my amps.
Amps-Lafayette
In high school, I was playing with very large ensembles in even larger venues. 126 Piece Marching band in the RCA Dome? Check, 126 Piece Marching Band in Class A [or AAAA for sports] Foot Ball Stadiums? Check. Show Choirs in Gyms? More than i remember, Show Band in our Gym? Yeah.
The places that I played in high school, it was great to have a ton of power & weight wasn't much of an issue. My gear reflected that & my mentality of want the biggest amp i could, that had the most power, for the least amount of money. I've heard the phrasing & i've used it a lot myself-you can pick 2/3-High Power, Light Weight, Low Price. For high school-i chose low price & high power.
The gear itself
Poweramp
At the core of my amp system [yes, system!] was a Carvin DCM2000 Power Amp. It was just over $500. The specs of it are 2000 watts @ 4 ohms bridged, 1500 watts @ 8 ohms bridged, or in stereo [2 channels] 1000/1000 @ 2 ohms, 700/700 @ 4ohms, 425/425 @ 8ohms. On occasion, i ran it bridged into either 2 or 2.6 ohms despite how it is NOT rated to do that. It got heller loud, but ran quite warm-no thermal shutdowns though. The good-lots of power, lot of connectivity options [1/4, speakon, & banana plug outs, XLR & 1/4 ins], and low price [like i said $500 or so]. The bad-it weighed 40 pounds & was 3 rack spaces. Tis a big one. However, I had more than enough power to play anywhere. Ever. My senior year of marching band, we ran a PA off of 1 side of the amp & my bass rig off of the other. Rarely ran either past half power. PA = 2 mains plus a monitor.
Preamps
Preamps are where I did a bit of experimentation. I started off with a SansAmp RBI. The RBI was the right price [$300ish] & can get a wide variety of sounds. Also-lots of ins & out options. Having XLR & 1/4 outs was quite nice-add on the XLR had an independent level control & the option of straight bass tone, affected, or both? It was heaven for live settings & recording sessions. I've kept it. I liked it enough that when a SansAmp RPM came around used-i bought it too. Once again, same price point, & positives of the RBI but with a different voicing & gain structure. When i ran both, i used the RBI for electric bass & the RPM for double bass. Eventually, I started to just use the RPM if it wasn't a doubling gig. Here in Chicago-i brought the RPM up & have used it w/back line equipment & as a DI in the studio. It kills.
The preamps that I didn't keep....
BBE BassMax T. Yeah-so i sold the 1 tube preamp I've ever had. I didn't like how the controls were setup [based off of the Fender & Alembic preamps where 12 oclock isn't flat....]. Also, the tone wasn't what I am looking for. I'm sure that I could get a great sound out of it, but I don't like to work that hard-if i can't plug & play, probably not for me. So I sold it.
Line 6 Bass POD Pro w/floor board. I enjoyed messing around with the effects on it, but just could never get used to it as a preamp or as a studio DI. I felt like i used the Wah & Synth Bass effects more than the rest of the unit & i only used those to mess around. I feel like the RPM & RBI get better sounds for DI & live. So i sold it.
Cabs
I found a brand that I liked [and could afford] & bought many. The brand was Avatar . I started off with their B115H. It was a 1X15 cab w/horn [hince 115 H]. Nice cab, great all around sound. I then added a B210H [2X10 w/horn]. Those 2 paired together were nice & the 2X10 was nice for 'smaller' places-smaller footprint when it was turned on end. I didn't care much for the 2X10 on it's own. B212!!! We have a winner. 75 pounds, 4 ohms, and killer tone. Once i got the 2X12, i rarely plugged in the others. It had enough lows where you could feel the bass, but with enough highs were I was never muddy. The only time that I ever ran all 3 cabs together was for Show Band & even then i typically just ran 1 and used the other as dummy cabs [yes, classic rock trick].
The 1X15 now has a different speaker & the 2X10 was sold when i first left for college. I'm keeping the 2X12 indefinitely. It's living in the basement at my Mom's house. I doubt i'll ever need it & even if i do, i can't really get it up here. BUT-i like the sound & eventually, i'll bring it up here even if i use it as a coffee table/book shelf thing.
I'm glad that I've played through all of that gear, but with the exception of the RPM, once i moved to Chicago-my needs changed quite drastically. Went from bigger louder cheaper to smaller, powerful, and.....expensive.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
WELCOME
Greetings Ladies & Gents,
This is the start of my brand new blog! I feel that with the recent increase of gigs and massive amounts of change going on in my life-it's time to have an actual blog vs. the one on my Myspace.com page. I cite my cousin Chris & Uncle Jim plus Monday Night New Voices Chicago for unknowingly influencing me to start this.
This will be the place where I discuss up & coming gigs, my thoughts on bass playing/music, in addition to what I am considering gear wise. You may even get to hear about the books that I am reading as they pertain to life & music. As many of you know, I am a gear Junkie that is always trying to refine my sound & setup. However, the more I learn about playing bass-the less the gear matters. Yeah, I still suffer from GAS [gear acquisition syndrome], but I'm happy with what i've got for the most part.
Gig wise, if you have ever wondered "Who is David Wycoco?" or "What is Shout Section & Why should I care?" This will be a good place for you to read. I am quite early in my musical journey, but by checking this out-you will have a clue what road marker I'm near.
My other web pages:
www.CamMcIntyre.com is still my Internet home. I'm currently revamping it & am trying to figure out how I can use Microsoft Publisher with my Yahoo hosting package-I've got a page that looks killer in there, but I'm having issues when it comes to uploading it.
www.myspace.com/CamMcIntyreBass does the last part of that link look familiar? It should. I use CamMcIntyreBass for anything that will be exclusively music related-hence, BASS. My myspace page is where I have my complete gig schedule, I even include some rehearsals & travel dates on there. I consider it the online version of my planner.
I am also on Facebook! However, that page is by & large my personal page-not my primary networking tool. Why? Because I'm still a 22 year old.
I do not release my personal information to random people because despite how I like being easy to get ahold of for gigs...too much ease & it puts my privacy into jeopardy. Shoot me an email [email address complete w/NO SPAM filter is on my home page].
This is the start of my brand new blog! I feel that with the recent increase of gigs and massive amounts of change going on in my life-it's time to have an actual blog vs. the one on my Myspace.com page. I cite my cousin Chris & Uncle Jim plus Monday Night New Voices Chicago for unknowingly influencing me to start this.
This will be the place where I discuss up & coming gigs, my thoughts on bass playing/music, in addition to what I am considering gear wise. You may even get to hear about the books that I am reading as they pertain to life & music. As many of you know, I am a gear Junkie that is always trying to refine my sound & setup. However, the more I learn about playing bass-the less the gear matters. Yeah, I still suffer from GAS [gear acquisition syndrome], but I'm happy with what i've got for the most part.
Gig wise, if you have ever wondered "Who is David Wycoco?" or "What is Shout Section & Why should I care?" This will be a good place for you to read. I am quite early in my musical journey, but by checking this out-you will have a clue what road marker I'm near.
My other web pages:
www.CamMcIntyre.com is still my Internet home. I'm currently revamping it & am trying to figure out how I can use Microsoft Publisher with my Yahoo hosting package-I've got a page that looks killer in there, but I'm having issues when it comes to uploading it.
www.myspace.com/CamMcIntyreBass does the last part of that link look familiar? It should. I use CamMcIntyreBass for anything that will be exclusively music related-hence, BASS. My myspace page is where I have my complete gig schedule, I even include some rehearsals & travel dates on there. I consider it the online version of my planner.
I am also on Facebook! However, that page is by & large my personal page-not my primary networking tool. Why? Because I'm still a 22 year old.
I do not release my personal information to random people because despite how I like being easy to get ahold of for gigs...too much ease & it puts my privacy into jeopardy. Shoot me an email [email address complete w/NO SPAM filter is on my home page].
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