Bass

Crash Romeo hail from New Jersey and play what they unapologetically call "Pop-Punk." The band's bassist, Steve Matthews, tells Gearwire what he uses and why.  

Shoegaze outfit, Dead Leaf Echo, talk about their live gear set up.  

Kate Houle shows us her Carlo Robelli bass and Hartke Kickback 12, which she uses to lay down the groove for Before Dawn. It goes to show that you don't need a fridge to get people moving.  

Greg Coatez of The Bangkok Five talks about his bass, bass rig and his general distaste of digital recording.  

The rhythm section of Lincoln, Nebraksa-based, For Against, get their turn talking gear.  

Brooklyn's Bell Hollow talk about their set up and why they use what they do.  

When your band has a unique lineup like MR RUSSIA, things have to be done a little differently. With two bassists and zero guitarists, you can bet your first born child that there's gotta be some bass overdrive heavily in the mix.  

If you've seen bands with too many bassists before [more than one -- in some instances, one], they normally put on some sort of ridiculously bad spectacle. Not Mr. Russia. Bassists Dave and Ivan talk about how their writing process ensures protection from low end messiness.  

Joining the ranks of such venerable hybrid instruments as the mandobass and the trumpsichord, the Ned Steinberger Design CR4 upright bass combines the tuning and design of an upright, and the scale length of an electric bass.


Wait, where does "cello" come in?  

What is it about the Warlock that just screams "METAL!!!"? Is it the pickups, the performance, or that sinister shape? Buzz of Atlanta's End of Days talks about the Warlock and his Schecter back-up guitars.  

Fender guitars have been influential and ever-present in the music scene for the last half century. Now, a new series looks to improve upon that as Fender prepares to release the American Standard series.  

The Fender Mustang is a short scale bass that does not share a name with an NFL team. The Fender Jaguar is not named after a horse. The Fender Squier Bronco is a Squier. All three of these basses have their differences, but one thing they had in common is that they were all in Erik Byrne's basement.  

Laurie G-Force holds down the low end for Atlanta-based VieTNam. It's elementary why she chooses a Fender Jazz bass, but hear why she chose the Ibanez Tube Screamer over other pedals catered more towards bass.  

The new Ampeg Dan Armstrong ADA4 bass and Ampeg Dan Armstrong AMG100 guitars are inspired by humanity's thirst for products to be clear. Remember when Coke and Pepsi fought tooth and nail to deliver the best tasting clear colas? Well, this is much, much cooler.  

Matt Spatial talks about his Boss Chorus Pedal and how he uses it conservatively all the time. It's really helped to shape the sound of The Julia Dream.  

Bassist Matt Spatial from the Julia Dream talks about his equipment. He puts his bass through an Ampeg B2R, and even though it's a modestly priced Ampeg series, he loves the sound.  

William Michael Stillwaters of Rush Holler on some of the Gear he uses -- including how he uses a bass pedal on his vocals.  

Matt Spatial from Atlanta's The Julia Dream talks about his 1992 Gibson Thunderbird bass guitar. It's a versatile bass if you know how to use it, and Matt uses the volume and tone knobs a bit differently than most.  

Silverchair's "Israel's Son" is an anthemic reminder of what rock was like in the 1990's, fueled by Chris Joannou's ultra-heavy bass line. Nowadays, Silverchair has evolved musically, but Chris keeps his rig solid with some failsafe gear.  

Gearwire heads down to Atlanta as Patrick Ogle talks to Tim Joy of Atlanta Guitar Works where students learn to build acoustics, electrics, and bass guitars.  

Fred Mangan likes to build unusual instruments that sound as unique as they look. This bass he shows us has a gun for a bridge, and a tone as metallic as the aluminum clock body it wears.  

Prototype 909 has been all about the classic Roland TB-303 from the beginning. It allows them to cater their improvised style to their audience, always ensuring an environmentally friendly show.  

New York based band Firewater, built around former Cop Shoot Cop bassist Tod A., play what A. calls punk. But when you listen to the music you will find something different -- sometimes subtle, sometimes in your face --...  

Boston's Dreamchild (aka Frank Gerace and Cheryl Wanner) have released three full length CDs and have received critical acclaim nationally and internationally for their dark ethereal music.

"Our favourite phrase...  

The Harmony H805 that Patrick Ogle has is in very rough shape. In fact, the electronics don't work, showing that you get what you pay for. Patrick says it would be a great bass guitar for someone unfamiliar with the size...  

While in Nashville, Patrick Ogle caught a show with the Phil Hummer Band and talked with Phil Hummer and the band about the instruments they use. Phil exclusively uses Gretsch guitars, man.

Phil Hummer Band gets...  

48sin,'s Patrick Windsor says that the band is just four guys who like to make music. Hailing from the Chicago area the Windsor says the band is "rock n roll with a computer." The band consists of Windsor on vocals/guitars/pro...  

With the numeric implications of G-Sonique's new Alien 303 bass synthesizer, you might be thinking that the TB-303 has more clones than Michael Keaton in all 75 combined DVD sales of the movie "Multiplicity." Wait a second...  

Precisionsound is great for samples if you're looking for Celtic Whistles or Bolivian Panpipe, but chances are, you haven't thought about either one of those instruments in quite some time. Monzter Bazz provides something...  

Randy Barnes from the Mashville Brigade knows a bit about bluegrass music and the bass guitars he uses to hold down the low end for the Brigade. Randy uses some unique basses including an early 20th century Czech bass...