THE DAMNED’S “BALLROOM BLITZ”

MUSIC & TAB LEARN LEMMY’S LIBERATING BASS LINE & SOLO
b a s s p l a y e r. c o m

THE BEST OF
NAMM 2018 CARLITOS
DEL“RHYTHM
PUERTO
IS KING!”
WITH CHICK COREA
BARBRA STREISAND
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
KAMASI WASHINGTON

REVIEWED

XOTIC MIKE LePOND

XJPRO-1 5-STRING STEERING
SILENT ASSASSINS
MTD
LYNN KELLER COREY
SIGNATURE BASS
WAY HUGE
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PORK & PICKLE LUKAS NELSON
& NEIL YOUNG
SYD BUTLER
APRIL 2018
ANCHORING TV’S
A N E W B AY M E D I A P U B L I CAT I O N
LATE NIGHT
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 C ontents
LEARN
PLAY

APRIL 2018 | VOLUME 29, NUMBER 4 | B A S S P L AY E R . C O M D B S T W

TECH

10 COMMUNITY

D E PA RT M E N T S
Lowdown, Dig My Rig,
the Real World,
FACE

Court of Opinion
46 THE INQUIRER
What it takes to go pro
LINK

66 THE INNOVATORS
Vinny Fodera

12 MIKE LePOND
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pushing metal’s boundaries

with Symphony X
14 SYD BUTLER
TV music school on Late
Night With Seth Meyers

LLOYD BISHOP © NBC

BASS NOTES
18 COREY McCORMICK
Learning to let go with
Lukas Nelson and Neil
Young
20 BP RECOMMENDS

40 XOTIC XJPro-1 ProVintage

24 CARLITOS DEL PUERTO 5-string

42 MTD Lynn Keller
The super-inspiring story of Del Puerto’s journey from Havana to L.A., and his Signature 532-24 medium-
SOUNDROOM

quest to land some of the biggest gigs in the world. By Chris Jisi scale 5-string
44 WAY HUGE Pork & Pickle
32 WINTER NAMM 2018 overdrive & fuzz pedal
A peek at the innovative and mouth-watering gear making its way into bassdom.
By Jon D’Auria
COURTESY CARLITOS DEL PUERTO

54 THE DAMNED’S “BALLROOM BLITZ”

Lemmy Kilmister sits in—and solos!—on this energetic 1979 cover by the punk-
rock trailblazers.

48 JAZZ CONCEPTS
WOODSHED

Cover photo: Neil Zlozower

Navigating a “contrafact”
52 R&B GOLD
BASS PLAYER (ISSN 1050-785X) is published 13 times a year, monthly plus a Holiday issue to follow the December issue, by James Brown & the
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6 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 Vol. 29 No. 4 April 2018

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8 bassplayer.com/ a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 C ommunity
LEARN
PLAY
TECH

LOWDOWN
I Got Rhythm
RHYTHM IS KING—SO SAYS COVER ARTIST CARLITOS DEL PUERTO. COMING FROM A FAMILY
FACE

of keyboardists, I’ve always sat more on the harmony side of the irrefutable statement that the bass is the coolest
instrument in the band because it marries rhythm and harmony. So, Carlitos’ claim has certainly resonated with
me. I’ve long envied bassists who play drums, from Jaco and Oteil to our own Elton Bradman, not to mention drum-
LINK

mers who can really throw down on bass, like Louis Cato on Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Beyond drums, I think
of Jerry Jemmott telling BP some years back, “If you knock this glass off the table, I’ll finish the rhythm it creates,”
in response to his natural gift for syncopation. And then there’s John Patitucci, as harmonically astute a player as
COMMUNITY

we’ve had in the bass realm, saying in the debut of our Berklee Bass Babylon column in January ’18: “Rhythm is the
most powerful tool we use in communicating musical ideas. Time feel, bass lines, compositional and harmonic move-
ment, accents, articulations, inflections, and more, all rely on rhythm as the primary mode of communication!” So
if, like me, you lag a bit behind rhythmically (no pun), enjoy Carlitos’ rhythm lesson on page 26—it’s kicking my
butt. And if you lean to the rhythm side, feel free to send me some thoughts and tips (bpeditor@nbmedia.com),
which I can share with the rest of our readers. I’ll await your replies with much anticipation (okay, that was a pun).

CHRIS JISI

DIG MY RIG!

I am primarily a studio bassist. Each of my instru-

ments has a distinct tone and character, and this
arsenal satisfies my needs. With respect to ampli-
fication, I find that I can cover many venues using
an Eden WT800 head and Eden D410XLT cabi-
net or an Eden EC210 combo amp.
Pictured: Christopher plywood acoustic bass
with Fishman BP-100 pickup, 1976 Fender Jazz
with DiMarzios and Audere preamp, 1975 Fender
Jazz reissue with Nordstrand pickups and Audere
preamp, stock ’75 Fender Jazz, Fender Adam
Clayton Jazz, ’73 Fender Jazz with ’65 pickups
and Badass bridge, Fender Flea signature Road
Worn Jazz, fretless Fender Road Worn Jazz with
Nordstrand pickups, Fender Road Worn Preci-
sion (with Fender MIA Precision pickup, Nord-
strand bridge pickup, and Badass bridge), Music
Man Stingray Classic, Bass Mods K534 with stock
2-band pickups and preamp, Alleva-Coppolo
LM5, Marleaux Consant Custom 5 with Delano
pickups and 3-band preamp. — JEFFRIE JAMES

Got a rig you think we’d dig? Send a photo and

description to digmyrig@gmail.com.

10 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 THE REAL WORLD

Rocco Casagrande (a.k.a. Mike Rocchetti)

Home base Putnam, Connecticut
Join D’Addario’s
Occupation Mechanical engineer
Players’ Circle for
Gig The Aquatudes (rock & roll with 1950s and ’60s flavor) exclusive rewards,
Basses 1974 Fender Jazz Bass, Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass, MIM previews of new
Fender Precision Special gear, invites to
Rig Gallien-Krueger MB212 combo amp with neodymium speakers (travel special events, and
chances to win
amp), Acoustic B200H head with B115 1x15 bass cabinet (rehearsal rig)
select prizes. Earn
Effects Zoom B3 bonus points by
Strings, etc. Ernie Ball Slinky flatwounds (.045–.105) sharing, posting,
Heroes & inspirations Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones, and spreading the
word! playerscircle.
Jack Bruce, Tim Bogert, Rocco Prestia
daddario.com
Contact youtube.com/user/RoccoCasagrande

How did you come to play bass? What lessons have you learned along the way? What are your musical goals?

I transitioned from clarinet to bass because I wanted
to play rock & roll—there weren’t a lot of bands that
needed clarinet players. I put the bass aside to pursue
my career and raise my family, but I picked it back
up again about ten years ago. I’m glad I did, because
playing bass is so much fun.
The most difficult instrument to master is the
human voice. The easiest songs are usually the
hardest to play, especially songs that don’t have
a lot of notes. If you’re playing in a power trio and
you hit a clam, it’s a lot more noticeable than in
a larger band. Don’t put your beer on top of the
bass amp. Don’t stand in a puddle when playing
an electric instrument.
I’d love to get a gig at a ski resort, where I could
ski all day and make music all night. It’d be great
to move to New Orleans, or maybe I could get a
gig on a cruise ship. I’d also love to play in a band
that is almost completely amp-less—I like to travel
light. I’d like to expend more effort mastering
the keyboards and writing and recording original
music.

COURT OF OPINION

At this year’s Winter NAMM show, 6-string basses seemed to be the new standard. Do you play a 6?

I only play a 4-string. I feel the tone and playability are superior.
More strings invites noodling in the upper frequencies, which
sounds better on guitars or keys. And the B string only offers five
nearly subsonic extra notes—not worth the trade-off of tone and playability.
— B I L LY SKO R UP SKI
My primary bass is an MTD 635 6-string. I love the versatility it
provides me for the wide range of covers and originals I perform
four nights a week. No matter what gets called, I know I’ve got the
best tool for the job. —J OHNNY HAYES
Anyone start out on a 6? Probably not many. An expanded range is
sometimes desirable, but most 6’ers are eye candy for the “see me
play” crowd. —TERRY LAW
I don’t play a 6-string. I have nothing against them. Extended-range
basses certainly have their advantages (more tones, playing in one
position, and pissing off 4-string purists); in fact, I play a 5. I simply
haven’t needed a 6 enough to get one … yet! —KEVIN ROY
Four strings only, for the sake of comfort and speed. The rockers of
the ’60s and ’70s made a lot of good tunes with 4-strings.
—MATTHE W CHRISTENSEN
I have a 6-string and multiple 4’s. To me, it’s about sound and songs.
Classic rock and metal are just better on a 4, and with prog-rock and
jazz, a 6 gives you depth and room to explore. —PAT R I C K H AYE S
I started playing 6’s about a year ago because I wanted to learn
chording, but I find the extended range to be most appealing. It’s
easy to walk, add variety, solo, or stay in the pocket by simply
moving across the strings and maintaining the position. —C H R I S CO M PTO N
I feel that the number of strings is almost irrelevant. I have 4-, 5-,
and 6-string basses. The 6’s inspire chords and solos, while the 4’s
inspire a vintage vibe. There’s room for variety. —TO N Y B LAC K
The 6-string prepares you for any playing situation. My longtime
friend and mentor, Billy Sheehan, explained that he uses a 4
because it’s easier to maneuver, and there are ways to achieve
extended range via pedals. He pokes fun at me for using a 6, but he respects
my decision. — SANDOR GI E B I TZ
I played a 6 for about a decade, but I returned to the 4-string because
less tension on the neck seemed to make for a more responsive,
sensual playing experience. The extra range of a 6 ended up not being
worth it, when the 4 just felt so much better. Also, most players with B strings end
up tastelessly overusing that extra-low range. — RI C H AR D E R I C KS O N

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 11
 B
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PLAY

BASSNOTES
TECH
FACE
LINK
BASS NOTES

SYMPHONY X, MIKE LEPOND’S SILENT ASSASSINS

Mike LePond The Silent Bassassin

BY FREDDY VILLANO |

WHEN MIKE LEPOND FIRST JOINED SYMPHONY X,
he had the unenviable task of filling the bass chair left vacant
by Thomas Miller. Not quite a household name, but Miller is
one of the unsung virtuosos of progressive metal bass, who,
like Marcel Jacob (Yngwie Malmsteen, Talisman), would sub-
sequently influence singular-sounding bassists of the ensuing
generation—Andreas Blomqvist from Seventh Wonder comes
to mind. Following in the footsteps of a cult phenom could be a
daunting task for just about anyone, but LePond had the skill
set and disposition to take up the reins.
As a struggling musician in the New Jersey rock scene through-
out the 1980s and ’90s, in 1999 LePond was encouraged to try
out for the Jersey-based Symphony X by a friend of the band’s
guitarist. “I was blown away by the complexity in the playing and

12 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
writing,” he recalls. “It was on another level, and it inspired
me to practice an obscene amount of hours to learn the
material. After two stressful auditions, I got the job—hap-
piest day of my life.” Since then, he’s recorded five records
with Symphony X, including the brilliant Iconoclast [2011,
Nuclear Blast] and more recently Underworld [2015, Nuclear
Blast], and toured the world many times over.
In 2014, LePond stepped out on his own and released
his first eponymous solo record independently under the
moniker Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins—an onslaught
of traditional power metal in its purest form. He recently
released his sophomore effort, Pawn and Prophecy, under
the same moniker. It’s a full hour of headbanging riffs,
kick-ass vocals, and lyrics that tell epic tales. Draw-
ing influences from the classic metal bands of the ’80s,
it features some of LePond’s most prolific bass playing
yet. “Black Legend” boasts Geezer Butler-style minor-
pentatonic riffing throughout. “Antichrist” combines awe-
some diminished-riffing in E and F# that resolves nicely into
a Phrygian major chorus in G#. “I Am the Bull” utilizes an
8-string for the intro and main riff, which goes back and forth
between diminished and Phrygian major. The title track is
a 21-minute opus based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. “Aveng-
ers of Eden” is a straightahead Motörhead-style song, and
“Hordes of Fire” harkens back to Judas Priest. It’s obvi-
ous, from Pawn and Prophecy, that LePond is as passionate
about his heavy metal influences as he is about incorporat-
ing more highfalutin ideas from literature and music theory.
How did you first get into playing bass?
When I was 13 years old, my father took me to see Kiss
at Madison Square Garden. I saw Gene Simmons breath-
ing fire, spitting blood, and flying through the air. He
became a superhero to me, and I wanted to play bass just
like him. Shortly after that, my dad bought me a Univox
bass from a local mall. I took lessons from a jazz teacher
for a year while trying to learn every Kiss song that was
released at the time.
Who were some of your other main influences?
My first influence was Gene Simmons, and that was
cool because I learned some nice walking-bass ideas from
him. As I got older I got into heavy metal. Geezer Butler
[Black Sabbath] influenced my minor pentatonic chops,
Steve Harris [Iron Maiden] inspired my right-hand speed,
Joey DeMaio [Manowar] introduced me to power chords
and 8-string, and Geddy Lee [Rush] taught me how to tie
all these styles together. In the past ten years, the guitar
playing of Ritchie Blackmore in Blackmore’s Night has
heavily influenced me. I have been listening to his Celtic
pieces and transposing it to my bass. It has given a unique
edge to my style and writing.
How did you record your bass on Pawn and
Prophecy?
Originally, I tracked with a DI and with a Kemper [mod-
eling amp] Ampeg sound for dirt. My idea was to blend them
together. When it was time to mix, the mixing/mastering
engineer had his own Ampeg plug-in that he liked better,
so we mixed the DI sound with that one. The result is a
fat, round, biting tone that cuts through the mix nicely. I
also made sure the guitar tone wasn’t loaded with low end.
Too much low end [on the guitars] is the main reason you
can’t hear the bass guitar on modern heavy metal albums.
How did you prepare for recording, and is that
different from songwriting?
Some songs are written on guitar, so I don’t have any
idea what the bass will do until I sit down with the scratch
tracks and work on it. It’s much easier when I write songs
on the bass, because I have a better vision of how the song
will turn out. My preparation for recording is very simple:
I don’t have a recording setup at home, so I just write the
song and rehearse it. I then go to a local studio and lay down
i
scratch tracks to a click. After that, I send the tracks to my
drum programmer, and he lays down the drums. Once I INFO
have the drum tracks, I then record rhythm guitars first.
I prefer recording bass to a solid bed of drums and guitar.
Do you practice often?
When I was first learning, I would practice all day long. I
would constantly work on bass lines from my favorite play-
LISTEN
ers and songs. These days, life isn’t as simple and there are
more responsibilities, so I only practice before a record-
ing or a tour. For a recording, I try to write as many of Mike LePond’s Silent
the bass lines as I can. I always get better tracks this way, Assassins, Pawn and
rather than just improvising. For a live situation, I tend Prophecy [2018, Frontiers
to improvise much more, and my focus is on memorizing Music s.r.l.]
all the parts to the songs.
Can you talk a bit about your technique?
I am a fingerstyle player. I primarily use two fingers
because it gives me more of an attack. I use three fingers
only if it can help me play the part better. My specialty is Basses Caparison C2
the Phrygian major scale—I use it in many songs from Series DEB-E
EQUIP
Symphony X and Silent Assassins. I get bored sometimes Amps Peavey Tour 700
if there is too much major and minor pentatonic going on. head, Peavey VB-810
Any advice for BP readers? cabinet
Don’t learn the hard stuff first. Your musician friends Pickups EMG 35DC
are going to brag about how they can play all this complex Effects Tech 21 Bass Fly
stuff, but you have to start from the beginning—learn the Rig
blues first. That will give you the building blocks you need Strings D’Addario
to move forward. Learn from the great bassists of the 1960s
and ’70s. After you have mastered that, then you can go Follow Mike on Facebook:
CONNECT
into the shred stuff. Take music theory classes and listen www.facebook.com/
to other instruments, as well. All these tips will help you mikelepondssilentassassins
learn the language of your instrument. BP
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 13
 B
LEARN
PLAY
TECH
FACE

i INFO
LINK
BASS NOTES

LISTEN
Les Savy Fav, Let’s Stay
Friends [2007, French-
kiss], Root for Ruin [2010,
Frenchkiss]

Basses 1964 Fender Preci-

sion Bass, 1972 Fender
Precision
Rig Ampeg AVT head,
LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS Ampeg SVT 8x10 cabinet
Effects None (“I loved my
vintage Sovtek distortion

Syd Butler
EQUIP
pedal. It was stolen in Lub-
bock, Texas.

Keeping Late-Night Music Dangerous The thief

is going to
hell.”)
BY JOE BOSSO | PHOTOGRAPHS BY LLOYD BISHOP © NBC
Strings GHS
Bass Boom-
SYD BUTLER LIKES TO CALL HIMSELF A ‘If the band does its job well and isn’t too obnoxious, it’s ers M3045
“self-taught musician.” But as part of the 8G Band— all good.’ So we play what we want, but we also take pride (.045–.105)
the nimble, indie-rock-leaning house band for NBC’s in our musicianship and songcraft. We kind of float in Picks Dunlop yellow
Late Night With Seth Meyers—Butler says that he gets to this nebulous world of not taking attention away from
go to music school every day. “We write between eight the show, but we also bring attention to ourselves when Check out a great video
and 12 original pieces of music for each show, and we the moment is ripe.” of Syd and the 8G Band
have two and a half hours to do it,” he explains. “Every Armisen’s busy acting career frequently takes him with guest drummer Chad
day it’s something new. If that doesn’t force your musi- away from the show, and for a time, Kimberly Thompson Smith.
cal muscles to develop quickly, I don’t know what will.” assumed the 8G drummer’s throne. When she left, the
CONNECT

Along with keyboardist Eli Janney, guitarists Seth
Jabour and Marnie Stern, and drummer–bandleader
Fred Armisen, Butler gets a chance to celebrate his musi-
cal roots night after night on a national stage. “NBC lets
us alone, and I think that benefits them and us,” laughs
Butler, who had previously gained renown in the post-
hardcore group Les Savy Fav. “I think NBC’s attitude is,
bassplayer.com/april2018
band began inviting guest drummers to sit in. The nota-
ble names include Chad Smith, Patrick Carney, Kenny
Aronoff, Nicko McBrain, Vinnie Colaiuta, Matt Sorum,
Brann Dailor, and Abe Laboriel Jr. “I never thought I’d
be able to play with so many amazing drummers. As a
bassist, it’s exciting and challenging, because I’m forced
to change patterns and rethink my approach. It’s like

14 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
Little Mark Ninja
1000W RMS @ 4 ohms
600W RMS @ 8 ohms

Markbass
New York 122 Ninja
2x12” + 1” voice coil tweeter
800W RMS (AES Standard)
8 ohms
 B
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PLAY
TECH
FACE
LINK
BASS NOTES
somebody hands me a Rubik’s Cube and says, ‘Okay, find a new way to solve it.’
I don’t have the luxury of being in a rut, and that’s fun.”
You came up in the D.C. punk scene. Is that the first music that excited you?
[Laughs.] Not at all. Funnily enough, I became fascinated with the bass at
the age of seven. I was obsessed with Kiss and Gene Simmons, and my neigh-
bor was obsessed with Paul Stanley. We picked up brooms and pretended we
were in Kiss. I held the broom really low, too. All of my bass idols played with
their basses low—Gene, Paul Simonon from the Clash, Sid Vicious. I just loved
that swaggering image.
What came next for you?
In high school I put down the broom and started playing a real bass. I became
just as obsessed with the Dischord D.C. scene and saw bands like Fugazi and
A Right To Spring. I was inspired by bassists who approached the instruments
their own way. [Fugazi’s] Joe Lally was so tight; he was never flamboyant or a
show-off. He kept things down in the pocket all the time.
You’re a Fender Precision Player. Is that the “real bass” you started on?
I started on a Washburn, but it fell apart after a month. My one and only
bass, the true love of my life, is a 1964 P-Bass that I got in high school. It’s lasted
through two fires and many years of touring. It’s like my appendage. I have a
Badass bridge on it. It hurt to remove the original bridge, but it was broken.
What about the P-Bass appeals to you so much—the sound? The feel?
That your heroes played it?
All of the above. I loved its midrange punch. It was different from a Ricken-
backer or a Gibson Grabber. It was warm but not too “dubby.” The P-Bass going
through an Ampeg just sounded amazing to me.
You say you’re self-taught. You didn’t take lessons at all?
No lessons, although I would bug Joe Lally for pointers. He taught me some
basics, and I just stared at him the whole time, like, “You’re the coolest.” But
I’m mostly self-taught. I can’t really read music. I will say, though, that this job
has taught me the benefits of playing music every day. People in music schools
probably don’t play as much music as we do.
You play with a pick. Do you ever use your fingers?
I’ve always been a pick player. I admire people who can play with their fin-
gers, but I always liked that sort of crisp pick sound—that is, it works for me.
But I always seem to listen to players who use their fingers. Go figure.
Let’s talk about some of the drummers you’ve played with on the
show—the rotating drummer’s chair.
I’ve played with so many great ones, and they really keep me on my toes.
16 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
When Abe Laboriel Jr. came in for two weeks, he
changed my life. That man is unbelievable, and he’s
also the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. He came in and
played in a way that was healing, like in The Matrix.
I could feel things slow down, and that helped me
learn to anticipate what he was doing. Without trying
to be one, he was a great teacher.
How about Chad Smith?
Like Abe, Chad changed everything for me, and
I can go to my grave thanking them for that. I was a
little nervous when he came in. I don’t slap and pop;
there’s no way I could emulate Flea. But Chad put me
at ease right away. He’s such a good communicator,
and he gets right in the pocket. He gives you so much
confidence—he lets you fail, because he has your back.
He’d be like, “Do what you want; I’ll make it jazzy.” He
was just so good at anticipating my moves.
What about Vinnie Colaiuta?
Oh, my God … Vinnie. When I heard he was
coming in, I was like, “Are you kidding me?” It was
wild—he walked in, big smile on his face, and then
he sat down and started playing. Everybody just
stopped and watched. It was like, “Holy shit! We’re
playing with the grandmaster.” When you play with
a guy like that, he makes your job so easy. He drives
the music all by himself.
There have been so many others; I think we’ve
played with 50 different drummers in the last four
years. I have a lot of fondness for Jeremy Gara from
Arcade Fire; he lets you feel comfortable and confi-
dent. Brann Dailor from Mastodon—he’s fantastic.
Fabrizio Moretti from the Strokes was brilliant. I was
shocked how good a drummer he was. He reminded
me of those old Motown guys.
You play your one and only P-Bass on the
show. Do you have a backup?
I have one, a 1972 P-Bass. But usually I’m play-
ing the one I bought when I was in the 11th grade.
I like to keep things simple. BP
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LUKAS NELSON & PROMISE OF THE REAL, NEIL YOUNG i INFO

Corey McCormick Playing Off The Cuff

LISTEN
BY JON D’AURIA | PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEY MARTINEZ

AS A SCHOOLED MUSICIAN AND SOMEWHAT starring in two upcoming movies: one with Neil Young Lukas Nelson & Promise Of
of a perfectionist, Corey McCormick has relied on wood- and Daryl Hannah (Paradox), and A Star Is Born featuring The Real [2017, Concord]
shedding and his attention to detail to land big gigs in a Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Dave Chappelle (where
number of genres. His mastery of preparation, however, McCormick is Cooper’s bass player, who gets plenty of
was rendered useless when he took on his current gig screen time). But currently he has his hands full with Bass Yamaha BB2024,
with country/Americana rockers Lukas Nelson & Prom- Lukas’ band, having released the album Lukas Nelson & Yamaha BB Custom Series,
ise Of The Real—because they don’t practice or prepare Promise Of The Real and already completing 20 songs in Guild Starfire II
at all. “I showed up without any recordings or charts the studio for the next one. Things move pretty quickly Rig Aguilar 700 AG head,
of the songs, and I was ready to dig in and learn them, in the company that McCormick keeps, but at this point Aguilar DB 410 cabinet
but it turns out they just don’t rehearse. I had to follow he’s ready for anything. Pedals Aguilar Filter Twin,
along watching Lukas’ hands and listening intently to Aguilar Fuzzistor,
EQUIP

learn the changes and parts during the shows. At first it You get great muted picking and thumb-plucking EHX Pog, EHX
was a shock, but now that I’ve been doing it for so long, tones on the Lukas Nelson record. Holy Grail, Emma
its just second nature.” It’s a throwback style of music, so I have to play to Electronic Discum-
Having adapted to learning songs on the fly, the long- that and sound authentic. I’ve always been the type of BOBulator, Noble
time Chris Cornell bassist has embraced that method musician who tries to play to the song and not force my Amps DI, Dunlop
of playing, and it has led him to work with Lukas’ dad, will onto something. But I still like to be creative so that Crybaby Bass Wah
Willie Nelson, and music icon Neil Young, who both sub- it’s not just roots and 5ths the whole time. Strings DR Strings DDT-12
scribe to that “jump into the unknown” tactic. He’s even How do you achieve that tone? Roundwound

18 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 I use a lot of thumb, where I mute the strings
with my hand and I get really aggressive with my
attack—but since I’m muting, there’s a nice low-
end tone that’s a little muffled. It works well sty-
listically with the music. I use a pick sometimes in
the studio, but really, it’s all in the hands. A lot of
my sound comes from playing upright bass and con-
ditioning myself to get my tone from my fingers.
It must have been quite the shift taking on
this gig after playing with Chris Cornell.
It was completely different, and it’s been a learn-
ing curve. The saving grace was that there is so much
energy in this band, it’s almost like playing a rock
gig. It’s more country/Americana now, but at first it
was pretty wild. I had always played in power trios,
so I was ready to fill out the space that was open. The
hardest part to acclimate to was the lack of rehears-
ing this material. At first it was hard to get out of
my own head and enjoy myself.
Does that make it difficult to play live?
The shows are very unpredictable, because I
never know what Lukas is going to do—even within
a song, because he might go to the chorus early, or
when we’re not supposed to, just because he feels like it. It’s the same way with
Neil Young, oddly enough. After the first few gigs with Neil, I was exhausted
because I was spending so much energy watching him and catching his curve-
balls. You definitely have to be on point at all times.
What have you learned from playing with Neil Young?
I’ve learned how important it is to put a vibe down on a record. He’s not con-
cerned with perfection at all, and he actually prefers imperfection. When we go
into the studio, we don’t even know the songs, and he just plays through them
once and then we start playing and he records it, and that’s it. I’ll be sweating
balls because I just played wrong notes from not knowing the song, but he likes
it. He puts us all in one room—the guitar amps, the bass amp, keyboards, and
everything, and he doesn’t use headphones, so we just have monitors pointed
at us. I’ve learned through that experience to let go and let things be as they
are and not worry that they’re not perfect.
Having played with Willie Nelson, you must have some great stories.
I’ll give you one. There’s a point in his show where he invites [Lukas’ band]
onstage to sit in, and Lukas sings “Texas Flood,” which is a cool moment. The
first time I ever sat in, his old bass player, Dan “Bee” Spears, rest his soul, hands
me the bass and says, “Whatever you do, don’t listen to Willie.” And that com-
pletely threw me off and confused me—until we started playing, and I realized
that Willie is in his own stratosphere. He’s usually two bars ahead of everyone
at all times and strumming and singing to his own rhythm. It’s insane. Playing
with him, you get a little vertigo, but somehow it works. BP
 B
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Danny Bedrosian,
Blackbyrd McKnight,
and Lige Curry with

DOWNJAZZ
Detriot Rising

DETROIT RISING
A COSMIC JAZZ FUNK
ADVENTURE [Down Jazz]
Summoning Detroit’s rich musical history of
jazz, Motown, funk, and rock & roll—with a
chaser of hip-hop and rap—this two-headed
conglomerate of contemporary Detroit musicians throws down
a record rife with real playing, led by the bodacious bass work of
Kern Brantley (with the United Sound Studios team) and Lige
Curry (with present members of Parliament–Funkadelic). Brant-
ley, who will handle the bottom on Detroit Rising’s 2018 tour
dates, shines on the Jamiroquai-esque dance burner “Little Bit”
via bubbling finger-funk and slapped accents, while the slow trip-
hop groove of “Rocket Love” allows for his creative stretching in
tandem with drummer Gabe Gonzalez. Curry’s effects-laden bass
provides serious sextuplet-based ostinatos and stretching on “My
Heart Is Frozen” and “Fly to Freedom,” and he mines Larry Gra-
ham’s “Hair” on “What’s That You Heard.” — C H RI S J I S I
A PERFECT CIRCLE
EAT THE ELEPHANT [BMG]
Emerging from the studio for the first time
in 14 years, A Perfect Circle has released its
fourth album, which spans the merciless,
charging war cries of “Judith” and “The Out-
sider” to mellower, thoughtful compositions. The powerful mes-
sages, however, are carried through the heavy bass work of Billy
Howerdel and Matt McJunkins. As always with APC, tone is
paramount, and Howerdel and McJunkins dig in properly on the
fast-picked “The Doomed” and the brooding “By and Down the
River.” —JON D’AURIA
SAL MAIDA
FOUR STRINGS, PHONY
PROOF, AND 300 45s
[HoZac Books]
Sal Maida might not be a household name,
but he’s played with plenty of rock royalty,
including Roxy Music, Sparks, and Cracker.
Four Strings is all about being in the right place at the right time:
Maida recalls his adventures in late-’60s/early-’70s London, where
he cut his teeth with several groundbreaking bands. Whether you
lived through that era or not, you can’t help but feel a twinge of
nostalgia as Maida taps into the zeitgeist of rock & roll’s halcyon
days. — F RE DDY V I L L ANO
THE BAD PLUS
NEVER STOP II [Legbreaker]
Many Bad Plus fans were nervous when pia-
nist and co-founder Ethan Iverson left the
avant-garde jazz trio in 2017—but thanks to
Reid Anderson, drummer Dave King, and the
newest addition, pianist Orrin Evans, things are right on track.
Having composed most of the album’s material on bass, Ander-
son commands the band’s new incarnation expertly, as the usual
twists, turns, and musical backbends keep the listener on edge in
the best way possible. — J ON D’AU RI A Continued

20 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 THE PASSENGER
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 B
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NATIONAL WRECKING seventh album that features recent addition Jeff Gutt
CO. [Hyperspace] on vocals. DeLeo and his brother, guitarist Dean, co-
TECH

Riff-oriented, bass-driven songs produced the album, which boasts scorching hits like
with effects-heavy bass lines are “Meadow,” “Guilty,” and “Six Eight,” each a showcase
the hallmark of National Wreck- for Robert’s blues and Motown-inspired pocket and
FACE

ing Co.’s eponymous debut. tasty bass runs. — J ON D ’AU R I A

Randy Pratt (the Lizards, Cactus) has always had a
knack for dialing in harmonically rich bass tones and CHRIS DAVE &
finding the musical sweet spot between Black Sab- DRUMHEDZ [UMG]
LINK

bath and P-Funk. Now he’s sprinkled a layer of cosmic While you might not know his
dust on top of his fat, creamy tone with swirling phas- name, you’ve most likely heard
ers, dynamic envelope filters, and polyphonic synths, Chris Dave’s drumming along-
BASS NOTES

adding an intergalactic dimension to songs with far-
out titles like “Supersonic,” “Beast,” “Molotov,” “Holy
Creatures,” and “Return to Jesus.” –FREDDY VILLANO
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
[Rhino]
You just can’t seem to keep Robert
DeLeo and Stone Temple Pilots
down: Even after tragically losing
singers Scott Weiland and Chester
Bennington, STP is rising once again with a self-titled,
side D’Angelo, Robert Glasper,
Meshell Ndegeocello, and many other artists. So it’s
no surprise that when he finally set out to make
his debut, nearly 50 of the industry’s finest made
cameos. On the bass front, that means none other
than longtime collaborator Pino Palladino, who
tears down the house with his impeccable groove
and feel on “Dat Feelin,’” “Black Hole,” and “Job Well
Done.” — J ON D’AU RI A BP

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 CS
ALTHOUGH EQUALLY REVERED, THE WORKING
bass hero is different from the bass hero. The bass hero, by
virtue of a blinding innovation, band-leading presence, or cov-
eted role in an arena-circuit supergroup seems to exist on a
different plane than we mortal bassists. But every thumper
can relate to the working bass hero. Sure, they’ve elevated
their jack-of-all-genres skills and versatility to transcendent
levels, but they’re still filling the role most of us fill. Enter
Carlitos Del Puerto, the Los Angeles-based doubler for whom
downtime is a forgotten word. Over the past several years, Del
Puerto’s phone has been perpetually abuzz, as music’s elite
from across the style spectrum call for his deep, thought-
ful grooves, enthusiastic and engaging personality, and the
subtle salsa sizzle he brings to his pocket creations. A sam-
pling of his credits include Bruce Springsteen, Quincy Jones,
Barbra Streisand, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, David
Foster, John Williams, Chris Botti, Sting, Christina Aguilera,
Jennifer Lopez, Clint Holmes, Sergio Mendes with the Black
Eyed Peas, Gloria Estefan, Kamasi Washington, the Oscars,
Emmys, and Grammys, film soundtracks, jingles, and gaming
scores. Perhaps most eye-opening has been his five-year role
with Chick Corea, culminating in Corea and drummer Steve
Gadd’s superb collaboration Chinese Butterfly, which also fea-
tures guitarist Lionel Louke, saxophonist Steve Wilson, and
percussionist Luisito Quintero. On the two-disc set, Carlitos
24 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
crafts rhythmically robust acoustic bass and Fodera 5-string
lines that tap into heady harmonies and polyrhythms while
also hitting you square in the gut.
At first glance, Carlos Del Puerto Jr.—“Carlitos”—seems
destined to have played bass, but the twisty path he took
to the top is rife with life lessons and musical awakenings.
Del Puerto was born on May 21, 1975, in the culturally rich
town of Cayo Hueso in Havana, Cuba. His father is Carlos
del Puerto, a Cuban bass god, one of the country’s pioneer-
ing electric bassists and electric bass educators, and a co-
founder and two-decade member of the legendary Cuban jazz
band Irakere (which also boasted reedman Paquito D’Rivera,
trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, and pianist Chucho Valdés). In
1979, when Irakere was leaving for its second trip to the U.S.,
following Columbia Records’ historic Havana Jam concerts
(which featured both Cuban bands and Columbia artists like
Weather Report, Billy Joel, Stephen Stills, and the CBS Jazz
All-Stars), four-year-old Carlitos became separated from his
parents at the airport. After a frantic search, they found him
in the airport bar, sitting on the lap of Jaco Pastorius!
Carlitos’ first instrument was cello, which he studied from
grades one through six (the Cuban school system had Russian
instructors, teaching European classical music). At age 14,
he switched to acoustic bass, “to make my dad proud,” and,
with bow in hand, he began a regimen of ten-hour practice
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 25
 CS CARLITOS DEL PUERTO

days. The first American music he heard was jazz—everything
from John Coltrane to the Chick Corea Elektric Band, thanks to
records his friends brought to school and what his dad brought
back from tours abroad. He relates, “I had an interest in playing
the electric bass, but my dad insisted that I focus only on upright.
In retrospect, that was smart because among the younger bass-
ists, I was pretty much the only one who played upright, so I got
all of the best gigs.” Del Puerto studied with his dad, took lessons
with symphonic bassist Manuel Valdés, and attended the pres-
tigious Esquela Nacional de Arte in Habana. By age 16, he was

Rhythm DNA
“RHYTHM CHANGED MY LIFE!” SO
says Carlitos Del Puerto, who has developed an
exercise he calls Rhythm DNA. “It’s a tool that
helps you gain rhythmic independence and coor-
dination, and enables you to have the ultimate
control of your time and feel.” The exercise con-
sists of three elements: (1) Set your metronome
or click on two and four (to emphasize the back-
beat feel of a groove), starting at 50 bpm. (2) Tap
the rhumba clave with your foot—not related to
playing Afro-Cuban music, but because it’s the
one of the most syncopated and challenging
Metronome/hand clap pattern
EX. 1
rhythmic figures to keep against a straight beat.
(3) Play all eight subdivisions of the quarter-note
on one and three, using the notes of a major scale.
Example 1 shows Del Puerto’s recommended
starting point. Without your bass, clap on two
and four, while tapping the rhumba clave with
your foot. Example 2 contains the main exercise,
using the E major scale. Remember to go slowly,
as this is quite difficult, especially if you’ve never
worked on your rhythmic independence before.
Carlitos advises continuing through the rest of
the major scales before increasing the tempo. You
can also run them descending, and pick different
scales. One additional variation, as you start to
get acclimated, is to play different subdivisions
within a measure (for example, eighth-notes on
one and sextuplets on three). Explains Del Puerto,
“This will empower you to feel the music in many
different ways, whether you’re playing a straight
or a swung groove. It frees your mind rhythmi-
cally and gives you more vocabulary to draw from.
As a result, you’ll be open to whatever anyone
else in the band is doing—like when the drum-
mer plays polyrhythms against the beat—and
you’ll be able to introduce your own rhythmi-
cally creative ideas. It also sharpens your sense
of time, because you’re more familiar and com-
fortable with all of the subdivisions of the beat.”

Foot pattern (rhumba clave)

Metronome on 2 & 4
Foot pattern (rhumba clave)

3 3 5 5
EX. 2

0 0 02 02
0 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 4 0 24 0 2 4 0 24 0 2 4 024

(Foot pattern continues)

6 6 6 7 7

1 1 12 12
0 2 4 02 4 02 4 024 02 4 024
0 2 4 0 24 0 2 4 0 24 0 2 4 0 24

26 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
performing and recording with top artists like pia- an amazing sound. At that point, the only Ameri-
nists Emiliano Salvador and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, can music I knew was jazz; I wasn’t exposed much to
and Cubanismo, which led to him winning awards, rock and R&B. So I plunged in deep and went back
including Best New Jazz Artist at the 1992 Interna- to the roots. I got some Fender-style basses, and I
tional Jazz Festival in Havana. Carlitos sent a video was lucky to find a book that changed my life, Stand-
of himself playing to veteran Los Angeles upright ing in the Shadows of Motown [Hal Leonard, 1989].
bassist John Clayton and USC Chair of Jazz Stud- From James Jamerson, I discovered Anthony Jack-
ies Shelly Berg, and he got a scholarship to the USC son, which was another revelation. For slapping, I
School of Music, arriving in 1996. We began our got into Louis Johnson. The groove awakening hap-
wide-ranging discussion with a focus on his early pened on the upright side, as well, as I dug into heavy
influences and his big move west. pocket players like Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Ron
Carter, and Sam Jones, who is an undersung giant.
Growing up in Cuba, who were your main influ-
ences on bass?
My dad, first and foremost, of course. From there
it was what we could find from the world outside.
Someone had a video of the Oscar Peterson Trio, and
I got deep into Neils-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and
his three-finger plucking technique, which I used for
a while. Hearing John Patitucci on both instruments
with the Elektric Band was huge. I found a Jamey
Aebersold book by Phil Woods bassist Steve Gilm-
ore with melodic, well-constructed walking lines,
which opened my mind, as did another Aebersold
book by Rufus Reid. I was also into Eddie Gomez,
Stanley Clarke, Miroslav Vitous, and Jaco.
What’s a lasting memory from your devel-
opmental days?
I used to practice at our house in my room
upstairs, which had a little step-out area with about
a dozen families within earshot. I’d practice all day
long, scratching out scales with a bow; even my
dad would yell up, “Man, give me a break!” But not
once did these people ever complain, nor did I ever
hear a radio or TV turned up to drown me out. In
fact, when I’d get sick, some of them would come Calitos and his father, Carlos del Puerto
around and ask my mother, “Why isn’t Carlitos play-
ing today? Is he all right?” How long did it take you to crack the scene?
What was the transition to Los Angeles A long time, but I had a lot to get together. I went
like for you? from $75-gig to gig for a good eight years, and just
It was a total kick on the butt! I arrived here with when I was at my breaking point, in 2004, I got a
my upright and a Yamaha TRB-6, and I was pretty call from my friend [keyboardist] Steve Weingart,
cocky. That is until I started seeing the incredible asking if I wanted to do a rock tour. It was for Steve
players around town, like Jimmy Johnson, Abra- Lukather—I had no idea who he was, but I learned
ham Laboriel, Nathan East, Neil Stubenhaus, Jimmy some valuable lessons. It was a quartet tour, and
Haslip, and Jimmy Earl, who was a big help in get- Luke asked us to meet him at a Mexican restau-
ting my sound together on electric bass. I quickly rant. We sat in a booth and Luke ordered a bottle
realized I had to start over. In Cuba, I came from a of Tequila, so we’re drinking and bonding. Finally I
soloist mentality, and I thought having chops would asked, “When is the audition?” And he said, “This was
enable me to cover all the bases. Wrong! I was miss- it. I know you can play—I just wanted to see if you
ing what these L.A. players had: a crazy pocket and can hang.” Later, we’re at rehearsals, and coming from

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 27
 CS CARLITOS DEL PUERTO
Carlitos as a the jazz world, I’m standing still and looking down at my fingerboard,
teenager thinking about the changes while playing. Luke stops the band and
in his outdoor comes over to me and says, “Hey man, you’re sounding great, but can
practice space, you have some fun? Move around, smile, scream, enjoy yourself!” I
in Cayo Hueso, did that, and everything changed. People started noticing me: Hey,
Havana, Cuba Carlitos looks like he’s having fun when he’s playing!
What happened from there?
After a few years with Luke, I met Max Weinberg at a rehearsal
at the Los Angeles Musician’s Union, and I started doing his big
band. That led to about a dozen dates with Bruce Springsteen,
starting at the Stone Pony. Then I started working with Chris
Botti in his band, which had [pianist] Billy Childs, [drummer]
Billy Kilson, [guitarist] Mark Whitfield, and [vocalist] Lisa Fischer.
From there, L.A. started opening up for me. Producer/drummer
Gregg Field hired me for everything from sessions for Concord to
gigs with Booker T., Gloria Estefan, and Carole King. That led to
working with Quincy Jones. Harvey Mason got me the Dreamgirls
film soundtrack. Vinnie Colaiuta started recommending me after
we did a Christina Aguilera album. Rickey Minor hired me to do
the Emmys and record for Jennifer Lopez. Randy Waldman gave
me record dates and brought me onboard with Barbra Streisand.
Producers Ezequial “Cheche” Alara and Dan Warner also provided
key opportunities and have been huge supporters of mine.
28 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
What do you enjoy about being an in-demand studio and
live player in so many different styles?
I love how challenging it is. Every music has a basic language,
and if you don’t know it, the music isn’t going to sound right.
Because I came to L.A. not knowing a lot of styles, I wanted to
learn them authentically, and that research taught me the impor-
tance of the bass function. It’s also a tremendous privilege to play
with so many different artists. And it’s scary! Ask my wife; she sees
how nervous I get before going to any gig. But I prefer that—it
keeps you on your game. I got a call for a Blizzard Entertainment
gaming score that I thought might be simple, and it was just about
the most difficult music I’ve ever played. You have to stay humble,
because you never know what you might find.
What’s your basic approach to recording a track?
What happens for me is, when I hear a track for the first time,
I instantly know what I’m going to play. I can hear a broad idea of
what I’m going to do. Of course, it starts with knowing the DNA
of the style, and then drawing from your influences to put some of
your voice in there. Early in my session career, I learned that when
I played a lot of notes or tried to throw in a fancy fill, it sounded
out of place. When I stopped trying to show off to the other musi-
cians and I focused on making the song better, my best work came
out. I’m also a big believer that the first take is usually the best
take, and every successive take has less magic. middle fingers, but when I come back high to low, I important is getting both hands to the same level
Do you think rhythmically or melodically don’t rake the strings with my index finger like most of endurance, especially on the upright.
first? upright players do; I continue to alternate. On both How did you come to play with Chick Corea?
Rhythmically, man—rhythm is king! If you have instruments I focus on coordination exercises. It’s A few people had mentioned me to him, including
a good rhythmic sense, you can play a killer part not about speed on bass—it’s about coordination. Billy Childs, but the first guy to recommend me was
using just one note [pitch]. I hear a lot of bassists Everyone has one hand that’s faster than the other. Stanley Clarke. I was playing a festival in his neigh-
playing ghost-notes and dead-notes in between their For me, my left hand is faster, so I’ve always worked borhood, and he came up afterwards and was very
notes. That’s cool, although sometimes it can sound on getting my right hand to the same speed. Equally complimentary. I was blown away. We exchanged
like they’re marking time to catch the next accent.
Instead, I like to find and play a few good notes that
fit the pattern of what the drummer is doing. That
sounds cleaner and has more of an attitude than
hitting every subdivision. If you think about it, you
have the drum kit, the guitar picking, the keyboard
stabs—it’s all already there; what’s missing are some
big, fat bass notes!
How does your Cuban music background
affect what you play?
In Cuba, I was mostly playing jazz. I didn’t do
that many Cuban music gigs. Where I really learned
the greatness of Cuban music was in L.A. When I
first got here, based on my name, all I was doing
was salsa gigs; if Celia Cruz was coming through
town, I’d put a band together. Of course, I have that
music inside of me from growing up around it, so I
prefer to think of it like having an accent that makes
whatever I play a bit different and my own. Also, in
Cuban music the bass is what people dance to, so I
always try to make people dance with my bass lines.
How about the bass/drums relationship?
My breakthrough bass/drum moment happened
in 1998. I was playing a gig with a veteran drummer
who would purposely throw me off by displacing the
beat. He thought it was funny, and he refused to show
me what was happening. So I bought myself a little
drum kit and some drum rudiment books just so I
could understand what he was doing. Once I did, I
traded the drums for a Fender [laughs]. But getting
into drums helped me understand rhythmic dis-
placement and other rhythmic concepts, and they
became part of my vocabulary.
Let’s discuss doubling and how you view
both instruments.
I love the acoustic bass and the electric bass equally,
but they’re different in a thousand ways, starting
with the physical aspects of playing them and the
position of your right [plucking] arm. I pretty much
treat them as separate instruments, and I don’t do
a lot of borrowing from one to the other. One con-
cept I share on both is how I play across the strings.
When I play low to high, I alternate my index and

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 29
 CS CARLITOS DEL PUERTO
numbers but didn’t reconnect until two years later,
when I found a phone message from him saying Chick
was looking for a bass player and that he had given
him my name and number. Forty-five minutes later
the phone rang, and a month after that I was on my
way to New York to join his band, the Vigil. For me,
Chick is the Oracle, so getting to play with him has
been an honor and a dream come true.
30 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
How did Chinese Butterfly come together?
Chick did one of his online lessons with Steve
[Gadd], and it went so well they decided to do a
project. Steve suggested me because we had done
a Bob James piano concerto album in Japan and
some tour dates with Bob and David Sanborn, and
Chick agreed. We spent ten days in Clearwater, Flor-
ida, learning the music and putting it together, and
LISTEN
EQUIP
i INFO
Chick Corea &
Steve Gadd,
Chinese Butterfly
[2017, Concord];
Barbra Streisand,
The Music … the
Mem’ries … the Magic! [2016, Colum-
bia]; Billy Childs, Map to the Treasure:
Reimagining Laura Nyro [2014, Mas-
terworks]; Arturo Sandoval, Dear Diz
[2012, Concord]; Steve Lukather, All’s
Well That Ends Well [2010, Mascot];
Francisco Cespedes & Gonzalo Rubal-
caba, Con el Permiso de Bola [2006,
Warner Music Latina]; ¡Cubanismo!,
¡Cubanismo! [1996, Hannibal]
NEIL ZLOZOWER / ATLAS ICONS
Basses Fodera Emporer 5-string; e
French acoustic bass, circa 1820, with
Gage Realist Copperhead pickup,
Pirastro Evah Pirazzi strings, and
French-style bow; early-’60s Ampeg
Baby Bass; ’72 Fender Jazz Bass; ’78
Fender Precision; Lemur Liberty Belle
Travel Bass
Strings Fodera Nickel Roundwounds
(.045, .065, .080, .100, .130)
Rig Gallien-Krueger Fusion 550, 1001
RB, and 2001 RB heads, GK Neo 410
and 412 cabinets, GK Plex Preamp
Effects Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator,
B3n Multi-Effects, MS-60B Multi-Stomp;
TC Electronic Mojomojo Overdrive,
Flashback Delay, Vortex Flanger; T-Rex
Bass Juice Distortion
Other Reunion Blues cases, Nylander
straps, Mogami cables, REDDI DI, Ra-
dial DIs, Lehle RMI Basswitch
we also cut four tracks for Philip Bailey’s upcoming heard, and he’d ask me about it and we’d come up everyone feel comfortable and respected. When I get
album. The vibe was, let’s record live as a band, do with grooves. on a gig or session, I truly love being there, and that
a lot of stretching, and go with first takes, which What advice can you share for those who happiness and positivity is infectious. Be humble and
most of the tracks are. That made it fun but also would like to follow a similar career path? have an open mind; people give me suggestions, and
very challenging, because Chick’s music is so melodic Assuming you have your playing languages I’m like, Yeah, man—let’s try it. Having both your
that it sounds much more simple than it is to play. together, make sure you have a good work ethic and musical and social skills together will help assure
Plus, most of the material is in tricky keys, so there a good attitude. That’s as important as your playing. that when a big opportunity arises, you’ll be able
weren’t open strings to fall back on. We decided on Let people know you appreciate being there, and make to knock it out of the park. BP
whether I played acoustic or electric based on the
attitude of the song.
“A Spanish Song” has a Cuban feel.
That groove is called a bolero-cha. A bolero is
a slow ballad in traditional Cuban music, and as
the dancers got better and better, they wanted
more of an uptempo section. So a typical romantic
song would start as a bolero, and for the chorus or
the bridge the band would play a cha-cha, which
implied a double-time feel. Chick’s unison lines
there are a beast to play, but that’s what makes
the music so rewarding—the initial fear and the
joy of conquering it. That’s when people can hear
the honesty in your playing. I want to make people
feel when I play.
Both the title track and “Wake-Up Call”
have a dual feel going on.
That’s where the fun in getting your rhythmic
independence together comes in [see music, page
26]. With “Wake-Up Call,” which has an African ele-
ment that [guitarist] Lionel Louke adds, you can
feel it in 6, or in 4, or in a slow 3 [sings examples of
each]—and each one gives the music a whole differ-
ent dimension. Now, instead of just playing notes
or every subdivision on the bass, you’re locking into
a master rhythm that breathes. A good analogy is
harmony: When you have an uptempo tune with
a lot of chord changes that moves through differ-
ent key centers, a good way to navigate it is to find
common tones and keep the melody in mind—that
will add space and contrast.
How about your musical relationship with
Steve Gadd?
It doesn’t get any better than playing with a
legend like that. The first time I played with him
was as a last-minute sub for Bob James and David
Sanborn at a jazz festival. Steve was the first person
I saw backstage, and he made me feel so welcome
and comfortable. And that’s just what it’s like play-
ing with him. What he’s doing on his kit is so deep
support-wise that it makes everything you play
sound like it belongs; you actually start to think,
Damn, I’m bad!, because all of your notes feel per-
fect. He’s a master, but he’s also humble and open.
At soundchecks I’d play something he had never

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 31
 NAMM 2018
NEW GEAR FOR THE NEW YEAR
BY JON D'AURIA
B ASS E S , A M P S , P E DA L S , CA B L E S , ST R I N G S , CAS E S ,
accessories, artists, icons, luthiers, builders, engineers, industry insiders,
instrument experts, a sea of onlookers and gawkers, and a wave of noise—all
under one roof. Another Winter NAMM has come and gone, and the meeting
of the music masses was an epic one. Gear companies unveiled their latest new
products, top players once again displayed why they’re appropriately revered,
and the bass world saw what it has to look forward to in 2018.
32 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
The basses are more customized and jaw-dropping, the amps keep getting
smaller and more powerful, the pedals keep expanding their range to cover every
corner of the sonic spectrum, and the innovations just keep smashing the ceiling
on what we can do as bass players. We demoed, played, and tested everything we
could get our hands on—here are some of the things that impressed us the most.
FENDER
American Original Series Basses
Fender is traveling back through the
decades with its new line of Precision and
Jazz Basses that mirror classic 4-strings
from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s in both sound
and feel. No vintage detail was overlooked.
Street $1,900–$2,000
Contact fender.com
IBANEZ
UB804 Electric Upright
Breaking into the electric upright
field for the first time ever, Ibanez’s
UB804 has a fast fingerboard and
tremendous comfort that’ll help
you avoid getting those dreaded
sore hands and wrist cramps from
upright basses.
Street $1,240
Contact ibanez.com
MUSIC MAN
2018 Stingray 4 Bass
Ernie Ball’s latest improve-
ments to its Music Man
Stingray line include enhanced
contours for easier
playability, a sculpted neck
joint, lightweight aluminum
hardware, and a new stream-
lined bridge and saddles.
Street $2,000
Contact music-man.com
STONEFIELD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Stinger Bass
Extremely small and portable for those on
the go, Stonefield’s new Stinger bass has a 20"
scale, three-piece bolt-on neck, and six strings
that combine bass and guitar gauges to achieve
extended range.
Street $1,500–$2,100
Contact stonefieldmusic.com
ESP/LTD
B-208 8-string Bass
ESP/LTD has jumped into the
increasingly popular 8-string bass
game with its B-208, which plays
extremely smoothly for its
excellent price. The thin maple neck
with rosewood fingerboard is so
fast; you won’t even realize it has
extra strings.
Street $570
Contact espguitars.com
YAMAHA
TRBX605FM Bass
With a beautiful flame-maple top and
a matching headstock, Yamaha’s new
TRBX605FM bass looks as sexy as it
sounds. Featuring custom H Series pick-
ups with wide frequency response, this
bass covers it all.
Street $1,070
Contact usa.yamaha.com
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 33
 F NAMM 2018

MARKBASS
Little Marcus Miller Signature Head
Boasting clear definition, vivid tones, and
enough punch to have Marcus
AMPEG Miller’s name on it, the new Markbass
Liquifier Analog Chorus & Opto Comp Optical Little Marcus amp is compact, powerful,
Compressor and works for all players—not only slap-
Ampeg’s new Liquifier has a dual chorus circuit that happy low-enders.
gives it rich customizable tones, while the Opto Comp Street $600
gives players a little more headroom and sustain, Contact markbass.it
making it the perfect box to accompany any rig.
Street $140 each
Contact ampeg.com

WARWICK
Idolmaker Bass
A counterpart to the Framus Idolmaker guitar, this beau-
tiful bass comes as a 4-string or 5-string with a carved
mahogany body and bolt-on wenge neck and fingerboard.
It includes MEC vintage pickups and active Warwick elec-
tronics.
Street TBA
Contact warwickbass.com
TRICKFISH
Trilobite Dual EQ
Carrying on the innovative legacy of the
late Richard Ruse, Trickfish has unveiled
its Dual EQ, which has A/B signal paths,
true-bypass mute, an FX switch, and loads
of switches to dial in your tone precisely.
Street TBA
Contact trickfishamps.com

GALLIEN-KRUEGER
AGUILAR Fusion Series Class D Heads
SL 212 Bass Cabinet GK’s new Class D series heads come in 500-, 800-, and
Weighing in at a mere 45 pounds, this well-balanced 1,200-watt models and feature tube compression, tube
and powerful cab handles 500 watts and has a deep overdrive, tube preamp, and a classic 4-band EQ to
frequency response to handle all of the rumbling help you customize your tone.
tones you send through its two 12" speakers. Street $900–$1,200
Street $1,200 Contact gallien-krueger.com
Contact aguilaramp.com

34 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 MICHAEL TOBIAS DESIGN
Kingston Saratoga
MTD has unveiled new looks for its Kingston Saratoga basses (as featured on
our March ’18 cover modeled by Evan Brewer), including sleek matte finishes
and multiple wood options. The J-style pickups give it a classic tone, but with
all of the modern MTD touches.
Street $4,500–$5,200
Contact mtdbass.com

LAKLAND
Blue Ice Basses
While Lakland had an impressive
batch of basses on hand, what stole
our attention most was its brand new
Blue Ice finish, which the company fea-
tured on several models. We’re always BERGANTINO
suckers for matching headstocks. Forté Head
Street Varies by model With extreme attention to detail in its construction
Contact lakland.com and design, the Forte was a massive hit with players
stopping by the Bergantino booth. As the successor to
the BIAmp, this lightweight head is a fantastic value.
Street $900
Contact bergantino.com

GENZLER AMPLIFICATION
BA12-3 SLT Cabinet
This portable, compact amp is full of innovation.
From its six-degree slant baffle that tilts the cab
upward, to the high-efficiency 12" woofer, to the SUPRO
neodymium cone driver, this is one sweet cabinet. Huntington III Bass
Street $900 This short-scale beauty fea-
Contact genzleramplification.com tures not one, not two,
but three gold foil pickups,
which give it its bold tone.
NS DESIGN Its vintage-looking body
NXTa Radius Bass is inspired by early-’60s
NS’ latest Radius-series bass features improved innova- Ozark-model basses, which
tions including the ergonomic headless neck, self-clamping only adds to its cool factor.
tuning system, custom EMG pickups, and NS electronics. Street $1,300
Available in 4- or 5-string models and fretted or fretless. Contact suprousa.com
Street $1,850
Contact thinkns.com

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 35
 F NAMM 2018

TECH 21
dUg Pinnick DP-3X Signature Pedal
Tech 21 has put all of the customized features of dUg
Pinnick’s Ultra Bass 1000 Signature head inside this
tiny pedal that will fit on any pedalboard. Cop dUg’s
famous tone, or sculpt your own.
Street $290
Contact tech21nyc.com
SPECTOR
Euro Bantam Series Basses
Spector put its big, dynamic tone into this 30"-scale
bass, with all of the great features of the company’s
previous models. It’s a great introduction to Spector
basses, or a nice addition to anyone’s collection.
Street $1,800
Contact spectorbass.com

SADOWSKY
MetroExpress Basses
Want the legendary tone and feel of a Sadowsky HARTKE
bass, but don’t have the money to buy one of the top HyDrive 112b
models? Sadowsky’s new MetroExpress basses are Perfect for someone looking for a
phenomenal and a lot easier on your pocketbook. big sound in a small package, this
Street $1,900–$2,000 new HyDrive-series 12" cabinet has
Contact sadowsky.com Hartke’s patented paper/aluminum
HyDrive Speaker Technology, the
cornerstone of the Hartke sound.
Street $300
Contact samsontech.com

ASHDOWN
Geezer Butler Head of Doom KALA
The only thing cooler than playing Geezer Butler’s Passenger UBass
Head of Doom was seeing him at Ashdown’s booth With its mahogany body and white binding, the new Passenger might be
signing it. This amp was designed to his exact specifica- Kala’s best-looking UBass yet. At only $300, this bass is a must-see for
tions, and it hits its mark. anyone who has been curious about Kala’s uke basses.
Street $1,450 Street $300
Contact ashdownmusic.com Contact kalabrand.com

36 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 F NAMM 2018

JAMES TRUSSART
FODERA Steelcaster Bass
35th Anniversary Monarch Want a distinctive tone? Try steel. Trussart’s hollowbody
Deluxe Bass Steelcaster Bass is made of “Holey” steel, and it looks like
With a solid mahogany body, nothing else on the market. We were pleasantly surprised
quilted-maple top, and all of by its monster sound.
the world-class playability that Street $4,100
Fodera is known for, this anni- Contact jamestrussart.com
versary series is truly some-
thing special. Unfortunately,
Fodera made only 35 of these
beauties.
Street $7,550
Contact fodera.com

GRAPH TECH
Ratio Machine Heads
Never have issues tuning your
bass again—these advanced
machine heads’ gear ratios
vary by string, so that each
string responds the same to
any adjustment. Precision
tuning has never been easier.
Street TBA
Contact graphtech.com

SEREK
Midwestern Bass
New to the game and
making big waves, Serek
Basses were a big hit at
the NAMM show, as many
bass players visited the
Reverb.com booth specif-
ically to try these unique
and killer-sounding
instruments.
Street $2,100
Contact serekbasses.com
LINE 6 XOTIC
HX Effects
ff Pedal
d l XJPRO-1 ProVintage Bass
After playing with this tech pow- Inspired by its previous XJ Series,
erhouse, we quickly realized that Xotic has improved upon its already-
the possibilities are endless for stunning design with stylish wooden
crafting tones with the HX pedal. pickup covers, hand-wound Raw
Create your favorite sounds and Vintage pickups, and a custom Xotic
store them in this advanced and active/passive preamp on its latest
compact box. masterpiece.
Street $600 Street $1,400
Contact line6.com Contact xoticbasses.com

38 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 S
LEARN
PLAY

SOUNDROOM
TECH
FACE
LINK
SOUNDROOM

Xotic XJPro-1 ProVintage 5-String

B Y R O D C . T AY L O R |

XOTIC HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE ITS HUMBLE
beginnings in a San Fernando Valley garage back in 1996. Orig-
inally a small company focused on producing just a few custom
bass guitars and preamps, the company has expanded to include
a host of instruments and effects. Due to a friend owning a few
custom Xotics, I’ve spent some time onstage with a couple of
Xotic basses—a custom 6-string J-style and a 4-string P-style. I
was impressed by their feel, tone, and playability. Since I’m a huge
fan of the FSO (Fender Shaped Object) market, I’m always thrilled
to see how luthiers augment and improve upon Leo’s design. I
had yet to get my hands on an Xotic 5-string, however, so I was
excited to try out the newest model, the XJPro-1 ProVintage 5.
I was impressed by every aspect of this bass. Over the previous
month, I have played this bass probably every day for no other
reason than I just couldn’t keep my hands off it. Yeah, it’s that nice.
The first thing I noticed when shouldering the bass was how
balanced and light it felt. Although clearly a Fender-inspired instru-
ment, it comes in two pounds lighter than my own Fender Roscoe
Beck V. That’s over a 20 percent weight decrease, which is no small
matter to my back. The bass sports a maple neck and fingerboard,
and if you know anything about that combo, you know it lends
itself to a clear and punchy response. Pair that with a traditional

40 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
Jazz Bass-type ash body and Xotic’s single coil vin-
tage pickups, and you get a bass that easily carves
its own sonic path on the bandstand.
The D-shaped neck offers a wider overall feel
across its width, but it’s thinner front-to-back than
a traditional C-shape, and that serves the bass
well. The frets on our test bass were consistent up
and down the neck, as the XJPro-1s come already
Plek’d (an automated, precision fret-leveling pro-
cess that costs around $300 to have done locally).
I also appreciated the lack of finish on the back of
the neck, preferring the natural feel of wood to
that of gloss on my fretting hand.
I played the bass acoustically at first and imme-
diately noticed the heightened resonance within
the neck and body, especially in the low end. Plug-
ging the bass into a 2x12 combo confirmed this
as I began playing notes on the B string. The low
C rang out clear and full, not woofy, and the sus-
tain was pronounced. I held that note there for
a bit, letting it resonate and sustain beautifully
through the amp. Interested to explore more
low-end tones, I rolled in more bass via the active
preamp, delighted at how the instrument stayed
punchy even as it dug down low. Curious to see
how the XJPro-1 would sit with other instruments,
I took it to a rehearsal one night, and the guitar
player couldn’t stop commenting on how good the
bass sounded, especially in the lower register. He
wasn’t the only admirer: That same week, one of S SPECIFICATIONS
Nashville’s studio aces popped by my house and,
upon seeing the bass in the corner, asked if he XJPro-1
could try it out. He dug it so much that he took it Street $1,390
to a studio session Gretchen Wilson was produc- Pros Hand-wound pickups, Plek’d finger-
XOTIC
ing that week and cut two tracks with it. board, gorgeous finish, lightweight
Since the bass felt and sounded as good as Cons None
the Xotic custom basses I had previously played, Bottom Line A stylish, powerfully
resonant, vintage-style bass with custom
I assumed it was one of the company’s California-
stylings.
made custom basses, which typically cost $3,500–
$4,500—and was surprised to learn that the street
Neck Maple
price for this model is $1,390. That’s because these Fingerboard Maple
instruments are assembled in Indonesia, but they Frets 22
are Plek’d, inspected, and set up at the California Scale length 34"
shop. The lower price puts the XPJ in the same Fingerboard radius 10"
range as several quality midrange 5-string axes, Width of nut 1.85"
but with features normally seen only in custom- String spacing at bridge 18mm
ordered instruments. Body Ash
While clearly a Leo-inspired bass, the Xotic Weight 9.2 lbs
SPECS
Pickups Hand-wound (in L.A.) Raw
XJPro-1’s updated neck profile, 10" fingerboard
Vintage JB-5N (neck), JB-5B (bridge)
radius, precision fretwork, hand-wound pickups,
Tone controls Volume, tone, blend, 3-band
and other custom-style accruements take a tried-
EQ w/active/passive control
and-true formula to a higher level. The result is a Power 18 volts
wonderfully light, resonant, punchy, vintage-style
instrument that won’t break your back. You would Made in Indonesia (inspected and set up
be hard pressed to find a nicer 5-string bass in this in USA)
price range. BP Contact xotic.com
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 41
 S
LEARN
PLAY
TECH
FACE
LINK
SOUNDROOM
MTD Lynn Keller Signature 532-24
B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A |
LYNN KELLER HAS HAD THE SORT OF
long, productive, and diverse career that charac-
terizes a true working bass pro. Raised in Illinois,
Keller started on piano and flute but found herself
drawn to bass in college. Doubling down on her
love for her new axe, Keller moved to Austin and
started her professional career. While she thrived
there, her mid-’80s move to L.A. saw her fortunes
rise, eventually landing gigs with the Original
Fifth Dimension, Michelle Shocked, Rita Coolidge,
Diana Ross, and more. Her performing career has
since expanded to theater, where she’s been in the
pit orchestra for a spectrum of touring Broadway
productions. Among the many challenges women
musicians face, the size of a full-scale bass can be a
particularly intractable obstacle. Fortunately, the
42 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
recent resurgence of shorter-scale basses has sub-
stantially increased the options for more petite
players. Historically a lot of shorter-scale basses
tended to either be re-releases of clunky vintage
models or entry-level instruments aimed at the
kids’ market. But as the Lynn Keller Signature
reviewed here demonstrates, those days are over.
Woodstock, New York-based Mike Tobias is
one of the most renowned luthiers in our indus-
try, and each instrument he designs and hand-
makes is a singular work of art. Tobias has long
been one of the most ambitious and knowledge-
able luthiers when it comes to devising a cocktail of
body woods to achieve a desired tone—he also has
some of the prettiest stock I’ve seen on hand. Our
striking Lynn Keller Signature tester was decked
out, featuring a mahogany body, myrtle-burl top,
maple neck, and chechen fingerboard. The color-
matched wood knobs add a tasteful bit of luxury
to the aesthetic. The 532 has the same basic con-
tour as Tobias’ legendary 535 model, just slightly
reduced in size. The neck is relatively narrow, but
I quickly adapted and found there was enough
room to dig in and slap comfortably (a require-
ment Keller specified to Tobias during the instru-
ment’s development).
The MTD’s construction was flawless, as one
would expect from a bass of its price. The fret-
work was impeccable and the hardware of the
highest quality. The Bartolini preamp was no less
well installed, and lives in a well-shielded control
cavity to reduce noise. Bartolini custom-tuned the

preamp and J-style pickups to best suit the instru-
ment’s voice, shorter scale, and smaller body. The
strings come courtesy of La Bella, and they, too,
were specially designed for the 32" scale length.
While the benefits of the 532 are obvious for
smaller players, that doesn’t mean it’s just for
them. One of the things I noticed when the bass
arrived was that it was in a guitar gig bag. Having
endured the fear of not being able to carry-on
my bass on countless flights, it’s a big deal being
able to use a guitar bag that’s much less likely to
engender the disapproving eye of a militant gate
attendant. Removing the MTD from the bag, I was
beguiled by its light weight and smooth, sinuous
lines. On my lap or on a strap, the instrument was
exceptionally comfortable and well balanced, and
I quickly adapted to the shorter scale. This is sub-
jective, but personally, I dig the way shortening the
scale loosens the strings’ tension. There’s some-
thing about the increased flexibility that inspires
me to be a bit more expressive with my left hand.
I tested the Lynn Keller Signature in my studio
and on a gig with a few high-end preamps and an
Aguilar rig. With the tone controls flat and the
S
pickups blended, the MTD’s tone was rich and full-
bodied, with a ton of high-end zip and the sort SPECIFICATIONS
of throaty midrange that distinguishes shorter-
scale basses. The crystalline treble response helps Lynn Keller Signature 532-24
the bass speak in a mix, but I found myself favor- Street $5,600
Pros Flawlessly constructed from top-
ing the sound with the well-voiced treble control
notch materials; superb sparkly tone;
slightly rolled off. In the bridge position, the MTD
MTD
excellent ergonomics
burps with Jaco-esque J-style punch, and it’s espe-
Cons None
cially fun to fly around the diminutive neck with Bottom Line There are few more luxurious
the articulate and precise back-pickup tone. The and better built instruments out there,
soloed neck-pickup sound has a more woody bark much less 32"-scale basses.
with greater focus on the instrument’s bounti-
ful bass response. Most notably, while some may Construction Bolt-on
decry a 32"-scale 5-string’s ability to have an effec- Body Mahogany
tive B string, that wasn’t the case with our tester. Neck Maple
The B was taut and controlled, with excellent low- Fingerboard Chechen
Tuners Hipshot
register pitch definition and color.
SPECS
Bridge Hipshot
Now that heavyweight luthiers like Mike are
Pickup Bartolini humbucking J-style
in the short-scale bass game, it’s officially a fully
Tone controls Bass, mid, treble
matured trend. While the Lynn Keller bass is exor- Weight 7.7lbs.
bitantly expensive, you’d be hard pressed to find Scale length 32"
a better-put-together 32"-scale bass. Any player
with the budget who digs the many advantages of Made in U.S.A.
a smaller instrument should give MTD a call. BP Contact mtdbass.com
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 43
 S
LEARN
PLAY
TECH
Way Huge Pork & Pickle
FACE
B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A |
LINK
FOR A LOT OF IN-THE-KNOW STOMP-
box aficionados, certain pedals designed for
guitar work particularly well on bass, too. It’s
SOUNDROOM
not always the case, as a guitar pedal’s frequency
response can limit its extension into our instru-
ment’s essential low register, but a few broader-
bandwidth pedals seem to be instrument-
agnostic. For years, the Way Huge Pork Loin
has been one such pedal: Originally designed
for guitar, there’s something about the Pork
Loin’s warm and full-throated overdrive, clever
clean-blend circuit, and low-frequency response
that have made it a frequent find on savvy bass
players’ pedalboards. Appreciating the Pork
Loin’s popularity in our corner of the world,
the folks at Dunlop (the company behind Way
Huge effects) decided to release a bass version,
this time adding an entirely new effect to the
mix and expanding on the Pork Loin’s excellent-
sounding clean-blend circuit. The resulting Pork
& Pickle is a potent tool, capable of a remark-
able spectrum of overdrive and fuzz tones that
don’t sacrifice low-end response.
The Pork & Pickle is basically a hybrid of the
Pork Loin overdrive and Way Huge’s Russian
Pickle fuzz. A rugged-feeling switch allows players
to quickly choose between the two basic sounds.
The Pork & Pickle’s construction is exemplary,
with a durable metal chassis, robust screwed-
in rubber feet, an easily accessible battery door,
and great-looking, well laid-out knobs and
switches. Dialing in a tone begins with choos-
ing between the richly textured, midrangey-
overdrive Pork Loin sound or the much more
aggressive, square-wave-ish Russian Pickle fuzz
tone. The drive control governs the intensity
of the distortion, and tweaking it alone yields a
broad array of harmonic colors in either mode,
with the more intense settings being especially
aggro and almost synth-like, particularly with
the fuzz switch engaged. Further tailoring of
the distorted sound is available via the tone
44 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
control, which acts more like a high-cutting
tone knob in the o/d mode, but engages a more
complex EQ curve when the Pork & Pickle is in
the fuzz zone, resulting in a sound that goes
from throaty and midrange-heavy to fizzy and
scooped-sounding as it’s turned up.
One of the Pork & Pickle’s key features is its
blendable clean sound. For bass especially, the
ability to blend in some dry signal can help a
distorted sound retain its supportive presence
in a dense mix. The Pork & Pickle’s clean tone
has a bit of flavor, too—it’s not a dry and sterile
direct signal, but rather feels like a slightly juiced-
up, more harmonically rich version of the input
signal. The clean blend knob does what it says,
while the clean tone knob allows a player to
govern the brilliance of the clean signal, much
like a passive bass’ tone knob.
Given its relatively simple operation and
great price, the Pork & Pickle delivers a spec-
trum of distorted sounds that rival much more
expensive pedals—and even some cranked
tube amps. The overdrive circuit sounds nat-
ural, with an excellent soft push into clipping
due to its superb dynamic sensitivity. It’s great
both for adding a bit of hair to an otherwise
bald-sounding signal or for a more full-bore
and aggressive tube-like grit as the drive knob
is turned up. The fuzz is an entirely different
beast, with a much rawer and spitty-sounding
presence that cuts like crazy. At higher settings,
it also has the sort of gated attack that goes a
long way toward helping a bass guitar emulate
a synth. Finally, the ability to blend in the just-
right amount of clean tone means the bottom
never drops out when you engage the effect.
For serious tweakers, there’s a quartet of trim
pots inside the pedal that allow for more pre-
cise fine-tuning of the Pork & Pickle’s timbre
and output level.
Just as with the Pork Loin, the Way Huge Pork
& Pickle is sure to endear a swath of bass players.
In offering two flavors of excellent-sounding dis-
tortion along with simple but effective controls,
Way Huge has a big winner on its hands. BP
S SPECIFICATIONS
Pork & Pickle
Street $170
Pros Two great-sounding distortion ef-
WAY HUGE
fects in one pedal; rugged construction;
excellent clean-blend functionality
Cons None
Bottom Line A double-threat of a distor-
tion pedal, the Way Huge Pork & Pickle is
bound to be a hit.
Input q"
Outputs q"
Power 9 volts via battery or external AC
SPECS
adapter
Made in U.S.A.
Contact jimdunlop.com
 T
LEARN

THE INQUIRER
PLAY

So You Want To Go Pro?

TECHBENCH
TECH

B Y J O N AT H A N H E R R E R A |

THERE ARE FEW MORE CHALLENGING PATHS IN

FACE

Given that reality, what does it mean to be a professional?

life than that of the professional musician. While many other To me, it means making the vast percentage of your income
careers offer a formalized ecosystem—replete with obliga- from music and the music industry in some way. That means
tory education, a well-defined ladder toward success, and an shedding yourself of the mythological notion that the only two
LINK

evolved infrastructure for job hunters—musicians (with a ways to make money in music are in performing and recording.
small exception for some classical players) are mostly left to There aren’t enough opportunities (or money) in those arenas
fend for themselves, to carve out a living in a culture stone- any longer, and any player so enamored of their “integrity” to
TECHBENCH

walled against rewarding its most creative citizens. Musi- deny this is a player living off someone else’s income. So, the first
cians are paid poorly, are often exploited, and must constantly task for a nascent professional is to consider carefully what kalei-
defend their choice against social skepticism and the pressure to doscope of musical hustles will aggregate to pay the bills. Take
“succeed” in the way it’s commonly and collectively defined. To me, for example. Yes, I play and perform music—but I also write
be a professional musician is to volunteer for a life of financial for Bass Player, run a recording studio, produce, teach music
insecurity, and it requires a nearly enlightened level of aware- privately and at multiple schools, and basically say yes to every
ness and strength, lest the inevitable failures erode one’s self- income-generating musical opportunity that comes my way. If
image past redemption. I didn’t, I’d be homeless or deeply unhappy in a day job I hated.
Why do it? After years spent speaking with professionals Once you’ve identified and invested in refining your skill
and becoming one myself, I’ve come to the conclusion that the set to maximize your income, the next step is considering care-
answer is simple: because you have no other choice. Unless fully how you comport yourself. There are a few essential things
you feel that your life’s purpose is fundamentally defined by you must know to work consistently:
music—that if music weren’t the center of your universe, you’d
experience a kind of death of the spirit—you simply will not • Be reliable. Do what you say you’ll do, and be on time.
persist in the face of the obstacles above. Anything short of • Have a positive attitude. Be an infectious person to be
that and the headwinds will get the better of you. So, before around.
I examine the professional’s myriad obligations, ask yourself • Learn how to read music and write great charts.
if this paragraph aligns with your own relationship to • Have a basic fluency in music technology, includ-
music. If so, read on. ing your signal chain and the basics of recording.
The most important thing I’ve realized about • Get excellent and appropriate tone. Don’t
being a professional is that in these times, it be too enamored of super-expensive boutique-y
isn’t enough just to play your instrument well. basses. They have their place, but they’re not
We can all intuitively accept that being a rock always the right tool for the job.
star is as probable as winning the lottery, but I • Learn styles and idiomatically appropriate
frequently talk to younger players who are just lines. Steal like mad. Transcribe and practice as
learning of our instrument’s in-the-trenches much as you can.
icons (Carol Kaye, Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, • Be organized. Keep a calendar, set remind-
Marcus Miller, etc.), and who imagine that with Bass Player Senior Contrib- ers, and minimize ball-dropping.
enough patience and practice, they, too, will uting Editor Jonathan • Constantly strive to spend time with
find themselves in triple-scale recording ses- Herrera is the magazine’s musicians who are better and more experi-
sions with top artists at some point. Unfor- former Editor-in-Chief. An enced than you.
tunately, that world—the world extolled so accomplished player, Jona- • Go out and meet people in your city. Be a
frequently in these pages—is no longer. Sure, than is now a full-time musi- part of the scene. Contribute.
there’s a small handful of up-and-coming play- cian and producer. His latest
ers doing lucrative sessions, but the days of endeavor is Bay Area record- If you do the above and have the essential
moving to New York or L.A. and plugging into ing studio Airship Labora- precursor—a relentless need to play and be
the session scene are long over. To be a first-call tories. Catch up with him at involved with music—your chances of success
session musician in an industry town is basi- jonherrera.com and at increase. If you don’t, you’d better hope your
cally now as improbable as being a rock star. airshiplaboratories.com. bandmate writes some hit songs. BP

46 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
ENTR Y FEES HELP SUPPO RT THE NON- PROFI T
JOHN LENN ON EDUC ATION AL TOUR BUS
 W
LEARN
PLAY

WOODSHED
TECH
FACE
LINK

i INFO
WOODSHED

JAZZ CONCEPTS
John is a stickler for

Just The Facts

facts and contra-

JOHN GOLDSBY
facts. Check out
his video lesson
series The Upright
A Contrafact On “Stablemates” Bass Handbook, at
truefire.com and
johngoldsby.com.
BY JOHN GOLDSBY |
• Dave Santoro

YOU PROBABLY KNOW MORE SONGS THAN YOU THINK. MANY JAZZ doubles the melody
to “Table Steaks,”
compositions are melodies written over the harmonies to existing standards. If you can
a contrafact on the
walk a bass line on “I Got Rhythm,” the standard by George Gershwin, you can also play over
standard “Stable-
“Rhythm-a-Ning” [Thelonious Monk], “Oleo” [Sonny Rollins], “Moose the Mooche” [Charlie
mates,” with saxo-
Parker], and “Lester Leaps In” [Lester Young]. All of these melodies are based on the origi- phonist/composer
nal chords of “I Got Rhythm” (often called Rhythm changes). A composition based on the har- Jerry Bergonzi.
monic structure of a pre-existing song is called a contrafact. • Peter Washington
Many ambitious young bassists try to muscle through the serpentine bebop melody of holds down the
Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee.” The tricky tune has been a rite of passage since Jaco Pastorius bottom on a burn-
redefined the piece on his debut album [Jaco Pastorius, 1976, Epic/Legacy]. If a student of ing live version of
mine has problems navigating the “Donna Lee” changes, I’ll suggest learning “Back Home “Stablemates,” fea-

Again in Indiana,” a standard written in 1917. “Donna Lee” is a contrafact, based on the har- turing Freddie Hub-
bard and composer
mony to “Indiana.” The melody and harmonic landmarks of “Back Home Again in Indiana”
C ONNEC T

Benny Golson.
are clear and simple.
• Check out John
Numerous examples of contrafacts populate jazz repertoire:
Goldsby’s play-
along and demo
Original Song Contrafact track on “Just the
“Blue Skies” (Irving Berlin) “In Walked Bud” (Thelonious Monk) Facts,” a contra-
“How High the Moon” (Hamilton/Lewis) “Ornithology” (Charlie Parker) fact on the chord
“Sweet Georgia Brown” (Bernie/Pinkard) “Dig” (Miles Davis) changes to “Stable-
“Doxy” (Sonny Rollins) “F.S.R.” (Ray Brown) mates.”
“All the Things You Are” (Jerome Kern) “Prince Albert” (Kenny Dorham) bassplayer.com/
april2018

The 12-bar blues beats Rhythm changes for the most popular contrafact harmony. Count-
less songs use some variation of 12-bar blues changes: “Stormy Monday,” “Red House,” “Route
66,” “Blues in the Closet,” “Straight, No Chaser,” “Tenor Madness,” “Blue Monk,” “Now’s the
Time”—and the list goes on.
Recently I played a gig with a tenor player who handed out a chart for “Table Steaks,”
a contrafact by saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi based on the harmony of “Stablemates,” a jazz

48 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 Medium bop,
swung eighths

= 146 E A7 Ebm7 Ab7 Dbmaj7 C Abm7

A

4 4 3 3 8 5 1 3 4 6
5 7 5 4 4 6 8 7 6 3 4 6 6 2 4 2 4 3 4 6
7 3 4 6

Db Gbmaj7 Gm7b5 C7b9 Fm7 Bb7b9

6

3 3 3

7 9 7 6 6 4 3 1
9 7 5 3 3 4 6 3 4 6 8 7 6 5 3 2 6 5 4 3 1 0
5 4 6

Ebm7 Ab Dbmaj9 C7b9 Fm7 Gb7

11 B

3 1 2 4 2 1 3 1 5 3 1 8 5 9
4 1 4 4 2 1 3 11
3 3 4 3 4

G7b13
C7 B7 Bb7 Em7 A7 Ebm7 Ab7 Em7 A7
17 A
EX. 1

12 8 7 6 6 5 4 4
13 10 6 8 9 6 9 6 7 6 5 7 5 4
7

Ebm7 Ab7 Dbmaj7 C Db

Abm7
24

3 3 8 5 1 3 4 6 7 9 7 6
4 6 8 7 6 3 4 6 6 2 4 2 4 3 4 6 9 7 5 3
3 4 6 5

Gbmaj7 Gm7b5 C Fm7 Bb7#11

29

12 10 9
3 4 6 3 4 6 10 9 8 7 6 5 10
4 6 7 7 8 10 11

Ebm7 Ab7#11 Dbmaj9

33

3
10 6 7 5 6 7 8 6
8 6 10 8 6
5 6 8 9 8 8

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 49
 W
LEARN
PLAY

standard by Benny Golson (see Connect). On the original record- Note the b9 of the C7(b9) that ends the phrase (the note Db).
ing of “Table Steaks” [Tenorist, Jerry Bergonzi, 2007, Savant], Bars 9–10 This is the pattern from bar 8, transposed to fit
TECH

bassist Dave Santoro plays the melody in unison with Bergonzi’s the Fm7 to Bb7(b9) chords. The b9 of the chord (the note B) ends
tenor sax. If you haven’t heard or played “Stablemates” before, the phrase.
check out early recordings of this jam-session warhorse. Classic Bar 12 The notes A and B in beat one are the b9 and #9 of
versions are heard on Benny Golson and the Philadelphians [1958, the Ab7b9(#9) chord.
FACE

United Artists, Percy Heath on bass], The New Miles Davis Quin- Bars 13–14 The motive in bar 13 is developed and used
tet [1956, Prestige, Paul Chambers on bass], and Chambers’ Music again in bar 14.
[1956, Jazz West, Paul Chambers: leader and bass]. Bar 15 The eight-bar bridge starts here.
LINK

This month, let’s look at a contrafact I penned on the harmony Bars 15–16 The groups of two eighth-notes are played every
of “Stablemates,” entitled “Just the Facts.” I took a bop-ish, saxo- three beats, changing to fit the chords.
phone-like approach to the bass melody. Make sure you can walk Bars 21–22 This is a simple IIm–V lick, transposed to fit the
WOODSHED

a bass line through the changes comfortably before tackling the chromatically moving IIm–V chord changes.
melody. Play along at slow and fast tempos with the play-along Bar 23 The last A section (14 bars) begins here.
tracks for “Just the Facts” (see Connect). Note the following: Bars 23–29 A repeat of the A-section melody (bars 1–7).
Bars 1–3 The same melodic shape outlines the Em7, Ebm7, Bar 30 The line moves down chromatically and lands on the
and Dbmaj7 chords in the first three bars. note Ab, the b13 of the C7b9(b13) chord.
Bar 4 The note Ab is the b13 of the C7b9(b13) chord. The notes Bars 31–32 The IIm–V pattern lands on the note E, the #11 of
in this bar come from the C altered scale: C, Db, Eb, E, Gb, Ab, Bb, C. the Bb7(#11) chord. The #11 on a dominant chord sounds like bebop!
Bar 6 The notes D and E in beat one are the b9 and #9 of the Bars 33–34 The IIm–V pattern lands on the note D, the #11
Db7b9(#9) chord. The notes in this bar come from the Db altered of the Ab7(#11) chord. The patterns in bars 31–34 require some
scale: Db, D, E, F, G, A, B (Cb), Db. fingerboard leaps. Play the line slowly at first, making sure the
Bar 8 This is a good lick to use over minor IIm–V progressions. left-hand shifts are precise. BP

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 W
LEARN
PLAY
TECH
FACE
LINK
WOODSHED
R&B GOLD
James Brown: I Got The Feelin’
BY ED FRIEDLAND |
AFTER JAMES BROWN UNLEASHED THE FUNK WITH HIS
blistering 1967 hit “Cold Sweat,” the rest of the world needed a little time
to catch up—one can only imagine the state of musical shock that occurred
immediately after it hit the charts. Shortly after, James released some
killer tracks, like “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” and “Get It
Together,” but he didn’t hit us with the second punch until 1968’s “I Got the
Feelin’.” Once again, the rhythm section of Bernard Odum on bass and Clyde
Stubblefield on drums produced an otherworldly track that is next to impos-
sible to duplicate, and it soared to #1 on the R&B charts and #6 on the Pop
charts. The elements of James’ new style were all in place: tight horn accents,
syncopated unison stabs, interlocking riffs woven into a funky tapestry, and
vocals drenched in soul—sometimes pleading, sometimes exhorting the most
primal imperative, “Baby, baby, baby, I got the feelin’!” Once again, you will
find detailed analysis of the rhythm bed in Dr. Licks’ The Funkmasters: The
Great James Brown Rhythm Sections, but let’s take another look at this time-
less classic that grabbed the world by the tail.
One thing that stands out in this track is the exceptional balance between
activity and space. The drum part careens like a hyperactive toddler on a Big
Wheel, while the bass part clears the way—leaving the Funky Drummer plenty
of room to bend and stretch the groove. Jimmy Nolen’s scratch rhythm guitar
gets in the middle of it, gluing the two parts together, while
Alphonse “Country” Kellum’s single-note riff lays into a half-
time feel that fills in the gaps left by the horns, giving this
otherwise frantic track a laid-back touchstone.
INFO
After the four-bar intro, Stubblefield adds an eighth-note
ED FR IE DL AND
Ed Friedland of
to bar 2 of the first verse, creating an unintentional “golden
Tucson, Arizona, is
moment” that has beguiled me since the first time I tried to currently touring
transcribe this song 30 years ago. Is it a mistake? Or was it an with Grammy
attempt to put the bass line in the “right place”? I can’t defini- Award winners the
tively say why it happened, but I have some ideas. In bars 1–4 Mavericks.
52 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
(Ex. 1), the low E acts as a pickup note on the “and” of beat four to the F
on the downbeat of beat one of a two-measure phrase—a now-classic funk
rhythm, but back then, a fresh concept. My guess is the bass line was sup-
posed to be that: a strong downbeat, followed by four eighth-notes starting
on beat three, the last note of the group acting as an anticipated downbeat
of the second bar of the phrase. The second bar starts the eighth-note run
on beat two, setting up the downbeat of the phrase repeat with the low E on
the “and” of beat four. Those first four bars would have kicked butt as the
groove, but once James came in with the actual verse, it got weird real quick.
James was legendary for riding his sidemen hard, keeping discipline with
an iron checkbook, and throwing them a curve right in the middle of record-
ing a song. This meant his sidemen were always watching, always expecting
something to happen—so when it did, they were on it. But this can backfire
when you are so poised for something to drop that you psyche yourself into
reacting, for no reason. Did Stubblefield react to a cue from the boss? There
may have been a visual thrown in the studio, but there is no audible indica-
tion that the groove needed to shift. James enters singing “I got the feelin’,”
but during the next line, “baby, baby, I got the feelin’-uh,” Stubblefield adds a
half-beat to bar 2 (notated as a bar of 9/8), flipping his syncopated backbeat
to the traditional placement of beats two and four, and shifting the bass line
back an eighth-note to effectively make the “and” of beat four
the downbeat—as shown in Ex. 2. If you listen closely, you’ll
i hear Stubblefield hit the downbeat of beat one very deliber-
ately, right after the bass note anticipates it an eighth-note ear-
lier. It’s pretty whack, but once the groove adjusts, they never
look back—the song is played to the end with this bizarre, yet
magically off-kilter feel. Whether by accident or not, there is
no denying how incredibly funky and influential this track is.
“I Got the Feelin’” is a certified cornerstone of funk, and a big
chunk of R&B Gold. BP
 F9
= 128
EX. 1

3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 1 0 1 0

F9
= 128

3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
EX. 2

0 1 0 1 0 1

3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3
0 1

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 LEARN


PLAY

TRANSCRIP TION
TECH

The second
incarnation of
the Damned
(L–R): Algy Ward,
FACE

Dave Vanian, Rat

Scabies, Captain
Sensible
LINK
TRANSCRIPTION

The Damned’s “Ballroom Blitz”

Lemmy Kilmister’s Complete Bass Line

BY STEVIE GLASGOW |

TRADITIONALLY, THE SEX PISTOLS HOG THE EARLY U.K. B-side of the Damned’s 1979 single “I Just Can’t Be
punk-rock limelight, but the Damned was the first punk band to release a single Happy Today,” and it can also be found as a bonus
(“New Rose,” 1976, Stiff), the first to release an album (Damned, track on the expanded re-issue of the band’s
Damned, Damned, 1977, Stiff), and the first to tour the U.S., eclips- 1979 comeback album, Machine Gun Eti-
ing the Pistols on all chronological counts. Formed in 1976, quette [both on Chiswick]. (Acknowl-
the London-based quartet—vocalist Dave Vanian, guitar- edging the Motörhead frontman’s
ist Brian James, drummer Rat Scabies, and bassist Captain uncompromising contribution
Sensible—lasted only two albums before folding in 1977. to the track, the 7" sleeve credit
The band reformed in 1979, minus James, with Sensible reads, Blitz on Ballroom Bass
switching to guitar and the late Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister by Lemmy. The two tracks even-
from Motörhead helping out on bass for a single gig (as the tually appeared together on a
Doomed). Upon reclaiming the Damned moniker and draft- 2007 limited-edition “Motördamn”
ing Algy Ward on bass, the band signed with Motörhead’s label, single [Devil’s Jukebox]. Pick-player
Chiswick Records. Lemmy likely tracked his parts with a
“A plan [to release a joint single] was cooked up, with Motörhead and the Rickenbacker 4001, his main axe during that
Damned each having a track,” explains Chiswick co-founder/producer Roger Armstrong. era. “The bass was recorded via a miked amp and a
Two songs were thus recorded at London’s Workhouse Studios in May 1979: Motörhead’s DI; it was probably a Marshall amp, but I couldn’t
“Over the Top,” and a cover of the Sweet’s international hit “Ballroom Blitz.” “Let’s say swear on it,” Armstrong reports.
it was one of the more trying days of my production career,” says Armstrong. “It was After completing “Over the Top” together, the
chaotic. Drink was taken, I remember that.” “Ballroom Blitz” appeared on the bands embarked upon “Ballroom Blitz.” However,

54 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
Motörhead guitarist Eddie Clarke stormed off after a spat over
the chords, and drummer Phil Taylor passed out from excessive
booze—events which, according to Armstrong, “made things
easier.” He notes, “‘Ballroom Blitz’ is more disciplined. I think
it works really well because it’s just the Damned and Lemmy,
and they all got on well together. The Damned were a very tight
band, an amazingly good band.”
Armstrong’s track sheet states that Algy Ward (later of
Tank) also recorded a bass part, but it seems to be inaudible in
the mix. “As you can imagine, two basses were not the easiest
thing to deal with,” reflects Armstrong, who now manages Ace
Records. “It could be that I just out took Algy’s bass, because
it clashed too much.”
Following Scabies’ tom-tom-heavy pickup, Lemmy enters
with a thundering downward glissando in bar 4, and subse-
quently underpins the various D-flavored chords of the intro
with lines based on the D minor pentatonic scale, occasionally
linking C’s and D’s via C#—a chromatic device he uses throughout
the track. During the verse (A), dig how Lemmy remains fairly
static under the G chords in bars 9–10 and 13–14, before inject-
ing contrasting movement in the back end of each 4-bar phrase.
During the pre-chorus (B) and chorus (C), he generally sticks to
root notes as the chords flash by, breaking out occasional fills under
the ubiquitous tonic D chords. Note how he enlivens the breakdown
at the end of the first chorus with a spirited climb in bar 36 and two
whooping slides in bar 38. A second verse, pre-chorus, and chorus
follow (D–F), with Lemmy reworking previous ideas. This leads into
section G, where the guitar initially sits out and the drums come
down as the bass solo—a relative rarity for Lemmy—gets underway.
“We often did the song live, and during that middle section we’d
kind of drop it down, prompting the audience to start throwing
things,” laughs Damned co-founder/drummer Chris “Rat Scabies”
Millar, who quit the band in 1995. “In the studio, we didn’t think we
could just go quiet and not do anything, so because Lem was there,
we decided to do a bass solo. It was a no-brainer, really.”
Lemmy fashions his solo around the D minor pentatonic scale,
with occasional chromatic inflections. Observe how he initially works
the 5th position, covering an octave above and a 4th below the 5th-
fret D on the A string, before creating a neat rising/falling arc through
bars 67–70. From bar 73 he starts building toward a climax, initially
climbing to the 7th fret D on the G string in bar 75, before unleash-
ing a stream of ascending 16ths, which rise an octave to the 19th fret
bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 55
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PLAY

in bar 79, where he drives a single, relentless high D through four Earlier this year, the Damned released its first new studio album
whole bars. Finally, the drums and guitars re-enter to help spur in over a decade, Evil Spirits [Spinefarm], produced by Tony Vis-
TECH

the song through a final pre-chorus (H), chorus (I), and a high- conti. Scabies, meanwhile, has recently been playing and record-
powered outro (J). ing with Professor & the Madmen and the Mutants, and he has a
“Playing with Lemmy was unlike playing with any other bass solo album due in March, titled PhD [Cleopatra].
FACE

players, because his style was more like rhythm guitar on bass,”
opines Scabies. “He had a really loud sound, but if you were in a room
practicing with him and working things out, he was always very
conscious of his volume and about being too loud. He wasn’t as one-
LINK
Summing up the “fraught” recording session. Armstrong recalls,
“At one point I remember saying, ‘I can’t take too much more of
this, you know.’ But Lemmy, sweet man that he was, kept saying,
‘No, you can do it. Honestly, you can do it.’ It was he who got me

dimensional as you might think.” through it, basically. Lemmy was one of life’s great gentlemen.” BP
TRANSCRIPTION

“Ballroom Blitz” Transcription by Stevie Glasgow

(Half-time feel)
D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6D7 D6 D5
= 132
Intro

S
3 3 5 7 5 3 3 5 3
21 5 5 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 4 5 5 3 5

G5 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6D5 G5
9 A

3
3 3
4 3 5 3 5 3 5 5 4 3 4 5 5 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1

D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 N.C.
14

S
3 35 7 5 3
3 5 5 3 55 53 4 5 5 5 16 5 5 5
3 3 333 3 3 3

E5 G5 Bb5 D5
22 B

3 3 53 3
7 7 777 7 77 770 3 5 5 5 54 3 3 5 5 30
3 3 333 3 3 4 5 6 6 66666 6 6 4 3

Ballroom Blitz
Words and Music by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. Copyright © 1973 by Universal Music - MGB Songs. Copyright Renewed. International
Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC

56 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
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E5 G5 A5 D5 E5 G5 A5 D5 C5 C#5 D5 C5 C#5
27 C
TECH

3
S
FACE

3 3 5 7 7 5 3
7 5 7 7 7 7 0 7 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 0 3 5 5 3 4 5 5 3 4
3 3 5 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5
LINK

D5 C5 C#5 D5 C5 C#5 D5 D6D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5

32
TRANSCRIPTION

S S
5 6 7 7
3 5 3 3 5 7
5 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 4 5 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 5 5

D6 D7 D6 D5
D6D7 D6D5 G5 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5
37 D

H S
21 17
3 3 5
3 5 5 3 3 5 5 5
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4

D6 D7 D6D5 G5 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5
42

S S
7 5 3 3 3 5 7 5 3
5 4 3 4 5 (5) 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 5
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

[G5] D5 E5 G5
47 E

5 7 5
15 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5

Bb5 D5 E5 G5
54 F

3 5 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 5 5 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 0
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 4

58 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
 A5 D5 E5 G5 A5 D5 C5 C#5 D5 C5 C#5
58

H H

3 4 5 5 5 5 6 7 7 7 0 3 4 5 3 4 5 5 5 4 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 4
5 5 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 5

D5 C5 C#5 D5 N.C.(D5)
62 G

H H H

5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 0 5 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 0 5 (5) 5 5 3

66

S
7 5 6 7 5 6 7 6 6 7 5 6 7 7 7 7 5
3 3 5 7 7 7 5 3
5 5 5 0 5 (5) 5 5 3 4 5 5

70 *

H
5 3 5 6 3
5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 5 5 3 3 4 5 5
3 4 5 5
* Possible remnant of Algy Ward track

74

H
S
5 5 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 9 9 9 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 13
3 4 5 6 7 7
5

77

14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 59
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E5 G5
80 H
TECH

19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19
FACE

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 5
LINK

Bb5 D5 E5 G5
85 I
TRANSCRIPTION

S S
3 3 5 7 7 7 5 3
3 3 5 5 5 5 4 3 4 5 3 3 7 7
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 3 3 3 3 3 4 5

89
A5 D5 E5 G5 A5 D5 C5 C#5 C5 C#5

3 5 6 6 7 7
3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 0 3 4 5 3 4 5 3 3 4
5 5 3 3 3 3 4 5 5

93
C5 C#5 D5 C5 C#5 D5 J

H
3 4 5 7 3 4 5 7 3 3 4 4 5 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
5 5 3 4 5 5 3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

D5 D6 D7 D6 D5
97

H
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11

D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5 D6 D7 D6 D5
101

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11

60 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
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12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11

C5 D5 D
107

S S S
12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 10 12 14 14 16 17 17 19

bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8 61
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 D
By Jim Roberts
JORDAN CORTESE
WHO INVENTED THE LOW-B
5-string bass? Anthony Jackson is widely
recognized as the first to extend the bass
guitar’s range via a low B and a high C on
his 6-string contrabass guitar, which he
conceived of in 1972, and first had built
by Carl Thompson in 1975. That same
year in Minneapolis, Jimmy Johnson had
the idea for a low B 5-string inspired by
the C-extension on his father’s orchestral
upright, and Alembic built him a custom
Jim Roberts was 5 that was the first of its kind. Not long
the founding editor after, Vinny Fodera pondered the idea
of BASS PLAYER and while working on a contrabass for Jackson.
also served as the Trained by classical-guitar guru
magazine’s publisher Thomas Humphrey, Vinny had begun to
and group publisher. build basses in Stuart Spector’s shop in
He is the author of 1977. Three years later, Ken Smith hired
How the Fender Bass Spector to make instruments for him;
Changed the World Vinny was put in charge of the opera-
and American Basses: tion. In 1981 he left Spector to work
An Illustrated History exclusively for Smith, which was when
& Player’s Guide (both he first encountered Jackson, who had
published by Backbeat hired Smith to build his second contra-
Books/Hal Leonard). bass. In 1983, Vinny decided it was time
66 bassplayer.com / a p r i l 2 0 1 8
Vinny Fodera
to set up shop on his own, and he part-
nered with bassist Joey Lauricella to open
Fodera Guitars. One of their early proj-
ects was building what would become the
first of a series of contrabasses for Jack-
son. “We had to figure out how to imple-
ment a low B string,” Vinny says, “but
Joey and I realized that many bassists
might find the 6-string daunting. Maybe
a 5-string would be more approachable.”
That thought led to the Fodera Mon-
arch 5-string, which was probably the
first production-model low-B 5-string
on the market.
“We had gotten the same idea inde-
pendently [of Jimmy Johnson],” says
Vinny. “We had no knowledge of what
he had done. Back in those days, Joey
and I were stimulated by the idea of
doing something different. We enjoyed
seeing if we could come up with some-
thing better.”
That creative philosophy has led
to many more innovations at Fodera
Guitars. One example: Responding to
another request from Anthony Jack-
son, Fodera built the first single-cut con-
trabass in 1989, a design that has been
much admired—and much copied. “Other
builders have come up with their own ver-
sions, and that’s wonderful,” says Vinny,
“but some people may have forgotten the
origin of that design.” Victor Wooten has
been another key customer, beginning
with the Monarch 4-string he received
in Fodera’s first year (#37) and through
a number of subsequent instruments,
including his trademark yin-yang bass.
“Victor has challenged us with many cre-
ative requests,” says Vinny. “His genius
and sheer virtuosity have excited and
inspired us to build ever-better instru-
ments worthy of him.”
While custom basses are still the
heart of Fodera’s business, the compa-
ny’s line has expanded to include the
Standard Series. “We make them all in
our Brooklyn shop, in small batches, with
few options,” says Vinny. “That way, we
can keep the price down and satisfy more
of our customer base. That helps us to
continue to produce the more innova-
tive custom pieces. One helps the other.”
Perhaps the most exciting of Fodera
Guitars’ recent creations are its Hybrid
basses. “Some years ago, I had an idea
for an acoustic guitar that had a differ-
ent construction form. I found that no
one had come up with this before, so we
applied for and received a patent. I adapted
some of the ideas from that into a semi-
hollow bass we built for Matt Garrison,
and then fully implemented the concept
in a bass we built for Anthony Jackson. It
has a unique internal structure that gives
the bass an incredible character—very
different from anything else that’s out
there.” Vinny explains that the Hybrid
has tone characteristics of both acoustic
and electric instruments, thus the name.
The Fodera website shows several ver-
sions, including the Anthony Jackson
Presentation II, the Emperor II Hybrid,
and the Yin Yang II Hybrid. “Right now,
they’re hard to build and expensive,” says
Vinny, “but we’re working on making
them more affordable.”
Despite the uncertainties of the
musical-instrument market, Fodera
Guitars has remained on course for 35
years, resisting takeovers and solidify-
ing its business. Nine years ago, Jason
DeSalvo came on as the third partner,
bringing financial acumen as well as
enthusiasm for playing bass. “That’s
been great for us,” says Vinny. “I’m still
glued to my bench. I love building, and
that’s what I do. Having Jason on board
has allowed us to grow the business and
keep going forward.”
For more about Fodera basses, go to
fodera.com. BP