Monthly Archives: February 2013

YouTube Bassists

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I spend most of time watching cover videos of bassists on YouTube…Not gonna lie.  I find some of the talent just absolutely amazing.  However, a lot of people have no idea who I’m talking about when I mention them in common conversation.  So, I decided to give some bassists the spotlight on my blog. If you have a YouTube account, please subscribe to their channels and listen to their amazing cover videos!

Xander Myers:

Follow him on Twitter!

Anna Sentina:

A fellow female bass player!

Follow her on Twitter as well!

FuryMuso:

If you have a video you’d like me to watch, send it to me! I’m always looking for more videos to watch!

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Vintage Fender Telecaster Bass

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Before I begin this, I will admit to once being a non-believer in vintage models.  I thought it was ridiculous that someone would pay thousands of dollars for an instrument just because it was made 40 years ago.  However, I’m now one of those people who would pay thousands of dollars for an instrument made 40 years ago.  Thank god I don’t have thousands of dollars.

While I was in the studio these past few days, the producer came up to me and handed me a beautiful vintage telecaster bass. I didn’t know what I was going to use it for, because I was unsure of how edgy the tone was.  It just so turns out that we had a real swampy tune to cut, and the tele bass made the song. The tone of the bass is warm and mellow, but the flat wound strings that were on it made it sound a little darker. I can’t imagine the song without it.

This vintage model had a humbucker pickup that really gave the instrument it’s edge.  This bass has some attributes that can only really be found in vintage models.  This includes: Strings that are inserted at the back of the body for great sustain, a 3-bolt micro tilt neck with an adjustment to raise or lower the action at the heel of the neck, and a bullet truss rod for easy access.  Another cool feature of this bass is in the bridge cover.  Underneath the bridge cover is a sponge that sits at the base of the strings.  This kind of dampens the tone and adds to the rocking sound.

Playing this bass felt like an honor. Today, I’m going to open up a bank account to save for this bass.

3 Apps I Can’t Live Without

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I’m not gonna lie… I use my iPhone for EVERYTHING! I can’t live without it, especially since I use it for my career as well.  I have three apps on my phone right now that I absolutely cannot live without.  I use these apps everyday and I thought I’d share them with you.

Guitar Tool Kit:

Guitar tool kit is probably the best app in the app-verse.  This app serves as my metronome, my tuner, and my teacher.  This app shows you where your scales are on the neck.  Some of these scales include pentatonic scales, major, minor, blues, all of your modes, and many more.  It also shows you where chords are on the neck.  This app can work with several instruments, including: banjo, mandolin, bass, guitar, and ukulele.  This is app gold!

Set List Maker:

Every gig I play, I use Set List Maker.  When you create a setlist, you can add notes to the song, attach PDFs to the song, attach MP3s, add a metronome to the song, and share your setlist with the rest of the band members.  This app can be configured to show you the key of the song, the time, and if you click on it, it will flash the time.  That way the band will all be in time with you.  Great app!

Amplitude:

Amplitude is an app I use mostly when I’m away on tour. This app comes free once you buy an iRig.  This app gives you the power to plug into your iPhone (through the iRig) and have a full fledged amp inside of your iPhone.  You can also plug in headphones to the iRig so that no one has to hear you playing.  You can play along to tracks and practice even if everyone is sleeping!

I CANNOT live without these apps! If you have any apps you’d like me to try out, please let me know!

Wood Tones On The Fingerboard

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I used to think that tone came from the wood used in the body of my instrument.  However, I found out that that’s not totally true.  I realized that the majority of my tone was being created from the fingerboard. Fingerboard wood makes a huge difference to the sound of an instrument.  Here are the differences I’ve noticed with some wood types.

Maple:

Maple is the brightest wood I’ve ever played.  Maple delivers a tight brightness that cuts through the sound.  I love maple, because even when I add more bass to my sound, the tone is still bright and tight.  The bad thing about maple is that the sustain isn’t too great.  When I play on my upper strings, my notes will sometimes fall out of existence before the bar is over.

 Rosewood:

Rosewood gives an instrument a tone to swoon over.  Rosewood delivers warm, mellow tones that are great for a real bass-y sound.  My favorite part about Rosewood is the sustain.  Rosewood kind of picks up where Maple falls short.  While the sound isn’t as punchy or as bright as maple, your notes could ring out nice and strong for several beats.  A plus!

Ebony:

Ebony is a lesser seen fingerboard wood, however it is often desired over rosewood.  In my experience, ebony is very punchy.  The sound is immediate.  I’ve always preferred maple or rosewood when searching for an electric instrument.  However, I prefer ebony on my upright bass.  Since the ebony is punchy, it sounds neat and unique when I slap on my upright.

What are your thoughts on fingerboard woods?

Review: Combo Amps Under $500

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Combo amps are great.  Everything you need is packed into one space, so you don’t have to remember to bring your amp head, the cabinets, and cables. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find a REALLY good combo amp.  SO! I have tried out a few combo amps that I really liked and thought I’d share them with you!

Gallien-Krueger MB115-II:

I love Gallien-Krueger and all that they do, especially with this combo amp.  This amp comes standard with a 1×15 speaker, 4 band EQ, an Aux in, a limiter, and a balanced direct out.  This amp can deliver up to 200 watts of power AND it only weighs 35 pounds! A lot of punch for a little amp.  The even greater thing is that this amp only costs $449!

Fender Rumble 350:

I gotta say that my favorite thing about this amp is that it comes with wheels.  It also comes with overdrive built in, 4 band EQ, a line out, aux in, 2 inputs, 2 2×10 speakers, and it can provide 350 watts of power. This amp is great for live shows and studio recording.  Retail price: $499.

Peavey Tour TKO 115:

This is probably the best combo amp that I’ve played through in a long time.  This amp comes equipped with 400 watts of power, 7 BAND GRAPHIC EQ, a high frequency tweeter, an effects loop, and so much more! This amp has the power and the punch of a 4×10 cab, but is much cheaper than buying a stack.  Retail price: $449.

If you have any amps you’d like me to try out, contact me and let me know! I also encourage feedback.  Have you tried these amps? What did you think?

Hot Licks DVDs

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Hello everyone! This week, I have had bass lessons with Tommy Shannon, Stu Hamm, John Entwistle, Chuck Rainey, Glenn Letsch, Beaver Felton, and Allen Woody. I’m just kidding…I’m not that cool.  However, I did get to learn several cool licks and riffs from these great bass players via the Hot Licks DVDs.

The Hot Licks DVDs are primarily known for their great guitar videos.  Some of these DVDs star Johnny Hiland, Warren Haynes, Eric Johnson, and Joe Bonamassa. They also have some GREAT bass lesson videos as well.  These videos are all about teaching you little riffs and “licks” that you can integrate into your playing.  What could be better?!

You can find all of these great videos on Amazon, Musician’s Friend, and CD Universe.  Or, if you have Netflix, you can have them sent to you house for just $8.00 a month! (At this time they are not available through streaming on Netflix).  Learn cool riffs today with Hot Licks DVDs!

Bass Tip: Play the Kazoo!

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One of the biggest problems I have is confidence in my playing.  I’m always so nervous to come out and riff while playing that I always end up just sitting in the background.  However, during one of my lessons with the AMAZING Annie Clements, she gave me a very interesting tip: Play the Kazoo!

She said to pick a song that I play live and riff over it with a kazoo.  You may laugh at this, but believe it or not…it works.  Being able to sing over a song can really help you be creative.  Then, since I’m a firm believer in the “If you can sing it, you can play it” saying, I can create a matching bass line.  For some reason, playing with the kazoo helps my creative juices flow!

So, if you’re having trouble coming up with some bass riffs, try messing around with a kazoo! This little exercise helped me very much!

Bass Find: ESP’s LTD BB-4 Bass

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I didn’t get the chance to attend the Winter NAAM show this year, but I did keep up it from Nashville.  I must say, I’m really impressed with the new ESP models that have been released. This especially includes the LTD BB-4 bass.

I’ve played through quite a few ESP and LTD basses and have never been let down.  This new bass model lives up to the LTD expectations.  This bass comes jam packed with an Alder/Swamp Ash body, a Maple/Walnut neck, and a rosewood fingerboard.  You can imagine how sweet this instrument sounds without actually hearing it!  The pickups are Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound SJB-3 / SPB-3.  This bass comes equipped with 3 band EQ with a mid frequency control and an active/passive switch.  My personal favorite part of this instrument is that it has a thumb rest!  I’ve never seen this before, but I think it’s great! No more annoying little marks left on your thumb from resting your thumb on the pickup!

I’m DYING to play this instrument.  I might seriously consider adding this instrument to my small family of instruments.  The great thing is that it is only about $800! Such a small price for a deliciously sweet instrument!

I haven’t played this instrument yet, but when I do, you can expect a full length review! If you have played one of these basses, please tell me how you feel about it! In the meantime, you can find out more about this instrument on the ESP website.

Review: Fender Rumble 75

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I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING DISTANT! I’ve been EXTREMELY busy while in Florida these past few days and I’m so sorry!

Anyway, I’ve been trying out a lot of amps lately and sharing my thoughts on them.  However, I’ve never talked about the one that I already own: A Fender Rumble 75. This Fender amp is a combo amp with 4 band EQ, built in overdrive, an aux in, a line out, and two inputs. This Fender amp is clear and consistent, just like any Fender amp.

This amp serves as a really nice beginner’s amp, a good practice amp, or a good stage monitor.  I mostly use mine as just a way to hear myself better on stage.  However, this amp doesn’t really have the power to fill some of the larger venues that I play at.  I love the aux in on this amp, because I can plug in my iPod while I practice so that I can play along with a track.  I use the headphone jack as well when I practice late at night.  This way, the house doesn’t shake and break and annoy the others in my house.

This amp was a good purchase and it served me well through the years that I have had it.  The more powerful Rumble amps sound just as good as my little Rumble with the man power to fill larger venues.  If you’re looking for a reliable and a great sounding Fender amp, definitely look into the Fender Rumble.

Review: Monster Cables

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I never thought to buy Monster Cables, but I have no idea why.  I finally broke down and bought my first Monster cable and I couldn’t be happier.

Monster Cables are strong enough to produce high quality sound for any musician.  I bought a Monster cable for my amp, because my last cable caused the amp to buzz.  I noticed instantly that the buzzing was gone with my Monster Cable and that the tonal quality of the amp was enhanced.  Monster delivers such a clean, crisp sound that it blew my mind away!  The bass is more punchy and all around it sounds fuller.

Of course, the con to these amazing cables is that they are pricy.  I bought my 3-foot-long speaker cable for $34.95 at Guitar Center.  However, if you’re like me and are sometimes picky on how your instrument sounds, Monster Cables are definitely worth the extra cash.  They last for a long time AND they come with a lifetime warranty! So, if your cable breaks, you can send it back to Monster, and they will send you a new one. How  could you go wrong!

I definitely recommend Monster Cables for any musician.  If you’d like to find out more, visit their website here!