Wheat's BassBook

Gear

I've played a lot of equipment over the years though I haven't owned that much of it myself. I'd like to share my thoughts on equipment essential to bass players and also give my opinions on specific pieces of equipment that I've played and/or owned. I have never been endorsed by any manufacturer (I'm still waiting for that ship to come in), so I'm not getting any kick backs for recommending any of these products. That said, taste in gear, like taste in anything, is a highly objective affair. I'm only reporting on my own opinions based on my own experiences. As in anything else, you'll have to try things out and form your own opinions.

Basses
Every player needs a decent bass. I started out on a short-scale Kay electric that looked something like a Gibson SG. I remember dreaming about it and going to the pawn shop/music store to drool at it. My mother was cool enough to buy it for me for my 14th birthday. It cost $80 and was a decent starter bass.

I played the Kay for a year and a half before I bought a new Fender Jazz Bass Special (a 1984 model), which I've been playing ever since. It's been though one fret job and is still going strong. I'm a big fan of Fenders because of their fairly wide string spacing (which paradoxically fits my hands better even though my hands are small), their tone, and the feel of their necks. Nothing else quite feels like a Fender, and since I cut my teeth on them, it's hard for me to like anything else. A few years ago, I picked up a fretless version of the same bass.

In May of 2000, I bought a Carvin LB76 (six-string, fretted bass). Now I find I'm playing the Carvin quite a lot, though I still prefer the Fender for some things (especially for slap). Since I've always liked chords on bass, the six string gives me a lot more options. I really wish I'd bought a six-string bass sooner than I did, as it's been a very nice addition to by bass collection and often inspires some good writing. The best six-string basses I've played are by Ken Smith and Modulus Guitars (the Quantum Six is my current dream bass, but they list for $3299, so I won't be buying one anytime soon--probably not anytime in the next decade).

A starter bass should be affordable, play well, and have a good tone. Luckily, most of the major manufacturers of basses make entry-level basses, and many of these are quality instruments. I particularly like the introductory modles from Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez. The Mexican-made Fender Jazz Bass has all the playability and sound that a beginner needs (and beats the hell out of a pawn show Kay). Yamaha's low-end basses are also very well made. Ibanez, while I like their tone less compared to the other two manufactures, have a remarkable feel and slim necks which many players with small hands find more comfortable.

Five String Basses
Five-string basses are very popular these days. But, I've encountered very few five string basses that I really like. On cheaper fives, the tone is usually weak and the low B is floppy. There are a few good ones out there (besides expensive custom-shop models). The Fender American Jazz Bass Deluxe V is very good. It feels like a Fender and has plesantly wide string spacing. The low B is very solid becuase all of the strings go through the body. The Yamaha TRB-5 has even wider string spacing and versitile electronics which give you a lot of different tones at your fingertips. Many players choose to start on a five string these days, and that's a perfectly sound decision.

Fretless Basses
For about a year, I owned an Ibanez SR400 FL, which is a fretless four-string bass. I liked the neck, but never could get used to the tone (which seemed a little dead to me). I recently traded it for a 1988 Fender Jazz Bass Special Fretless, which I like much better since it is almost identical (except for the missing frets) to the bass I've been playing for the last fifteen years.

Cases

Whatever bass you buy, invest in a good hardshell case, a well-padded gig bag, or both. Hardshell cases give your bass the best protection for the hazards of the road. You can simply throw your cased bass in the back of a truck or equipment van and never worry about it. Gig bags are very convenient for transporting your bass to and from practice or to and from a friend's house. They're lighter and more practical for these situations than a hard-shell case.

Amps
I've owned quite a few amps over the years. I started out, like many bass players, with a cheap Peavey (KB100). Mine was actually a keyboard amp with three inputs. I used one of these for my drum machine. Peaveys are rugged and dependable, but their lower end models tend lack a lot when it comes to tone. Years later, I moved up to a Peavey Megabass rig (400 watt head + a cab with an 18" and two 10"). That was, for me, the perfect high-volume rig. But it was so big, and so loud, that I had to get rid of it. Now I own a Yorkville 400B combo (400 watt rack-mount head + one 15"). It is rugged, portable, and beautiful to listen to. I've also played SWR and Eden amps, though I've never owned either. I've been very impressed with Eden amps and cabs. And my next amp (if my Yorkville ever gives up the ghost) will probably be an Eden.

Practice Amps
Once you're playing regulary with a band that has it's own rehersal space, you'll probably quickly tire of lugging your bass amp back and forth between your home and your rehersal studio. Most players opt to buy a small practice amp for use at home, or for using during quiet rehersals and small gigs. The best practice amp I ever had (and never should have sold) was a Galien-Kruger 200MB. It had a beautiful tone (perfect for slapping), a built in compressor, and a built in chorus. I bought it used for $250. GK doesn't make the 200MB anymore. The equivialant one they make now would run you nearly $1000. That's a bit out of my range. If it's not out of yours, you don't need my blessing.

Now I have a very good, and very affordable, practice amp: the Peavy MicroBass. I don't usually like Peavy gear (with a few exceptions as I outlined above) but this one IMHO has a better sound than any other practice amp in it's price range ($175). It has an unbelievably bassy tone for such a small amp, and it is loud enough for small gigs. I love it. If you've got a little extra cash to spare (say $400), there is a range of good practice amps from SWR, Genz-Benz, and many others.

Miscellaneous Equipment

A good tuner is essential stage gear even if you have a good ear (and especially if you set the intonation on your bass). Sabine makes a very good tuner about the size of a pack of cigarettes (so it will fit in your case). I use a Zoom 506 (multi-effects stomp box) which has a built-in (silent) tuner which I like very much. Now that I'm used to having a tuner available at the flick of a footswitch, I don't ever want to be without one. Most of the major effects companies make stomp box tuners. I also have a small QuickTune tuner that I sometimes use with my bass. It's also handy for acoustic instruments, as it has a built-in microphone.

A metronome is an absolute must. Practicing with a metronome helps you develop a steady sense of time and lets you chart your progress when developing speed.

Phrase samplers are the best practice tools I've ever discovered. I use a Boomerang Phrase Sampler and it's an incredibly useful tool. Phrase samplers let you sample a phrase and loop it. Many also allow you to add other phrases to the looped one, creating arrangements on the fly. It's great to be able to loop a bass line or chord progression and then try out other melodies or harmonies on top of it. Having a phrase sampler is like having a friend who never minds playing they rhythm parts over and over while you try out variations. I wish I'd had one when I was first starting out. Using it has reallyl helped my playing.

The one effect, if it's even fair to call it an effect, that no bassist should be without is a compressor of some sort. There are many rack-mount and stop box solutions out there. Compressors narrow the dynamic range of your instrument, giving you a smoother sound without so many loud peaks. They make you sound more polished and are especially helpful when playing slap. Some people think of compressors as a sign of weakness, but no record studio in the world is without them. I've only used a few: some old DOD pedal and the one in my Zoom 506. Some amps have compressors built in. Some amps have compressors built in. And these are fine as long as they give you a way to set the amount of compression.

Recording gear is a lot of fun, and very useful. There are lots of options these days and all of them are more powerful and more reasonably priced than the cassette-tape based four-track recorders of not that many years ago. Since I work with computers for a living, I prefer computer- based solutions. Currently, I use Sony Acid Pro--a product marketed mostly to the DJ/hip-hop community, but a very nice program for recording anything. It is also, unlike most recording software, very easy to use. Another option, and one that I may be switching to soon, is Ableton Live. Live is also a very easy-to-use program and offers some arrangement features I've found in no other software. And, unlike Acid, it is available for Macintosh and Windows.

The sound is in your fingers...
Try to remember that, ultimately, your sound is in your fingers, not in your gear. There's nothing quite as pathetic as watching someone sound like hell on a $4000 rig. Gear is nice, but you have to be realistic. And you have to avoid thinking that your next creative breakthrough is just one more purchase away. There are no magical shortcuts to playing well. It takes lots of study, lots of listening, lots of experience, and lots of practice. Having dependable gear is important. And good gear can be inspiring. But it only plays as well as you do.