Kicksville, with three records out on Ropeadope Records, started their freaky journey in 1998 as an open-ended studio project. Still going string today, they also bring the show on the road in the form of a multimedia event, with dates being booked for this summer. There are almost 60 "citizens" of the Kicksville community The music usually starts with "The Mayor" Mike Stehr and "Commissioner" Conrad St. Clair collaborating. St. Clair took some time to talk to Gearwire about his Pedulla bass (and other things).

Tell me a little about Pedulla basses in general? What are they all about?

Pedulla basses are top-shelf, hand-made basses, crafted by Mike Pedulla and his small staff. All of their basses play like butter and sound amazing -- they're made for serious players. And the finishes make Pedullas stand out as some of the most beautiful instruments available anywhere.

Your "Buzz" is a fretless? Tell me about your bass specifically. Why it over all the competition?

I have two Buzz basses, one made in 1984 and one made in 2006 (I also have an MVP-5, the fretted version). They're both amazingly expressive, play like a dream, and are simply gorgeous sounding. Because the basses are hand-made, each one definitely has its own character; on my older Buzz, the neck is slightly flatter than the newer one. It is also a little deeper sounding in the lowest register, although the newer one is more balanced-sounding overall and is a bit clearer in the higher registers.

Aside from the craftsmanship, the thing that really sets the Buzz apart from all other fretless basses is the polyester finish on the fingerboard. It's almost as hard as glass, and gives the bass incredible sustain and tone. Nothing else sounds like a Buzz, and the polyester coating is a large factor in that.

On a creative level, playing my Buzz is indescribable. It just feels. . . well. . . perfect. I really can't say enough about how much the bass has made me a better player. The joy that I feel holding the instrument definitely translates to what I'm playing. . . that might sound corny, but it's true. A good example of this is my bass part in "Poor Tom", from Kicksville's recent release The Singles - Season 1.

If you had to compare the Buzz to another bass what would you compare it to?

There really isn't a good comparison. There are other high-end luthiers making beautiful instruments, but there's nothing like the Buzz. It really comes down to the ridiculously high attention to detail, 30 years of experience, the best materials from top to bottom, and most of all, that finish on the fingerboard! Price-wise, Pedulla basses are comparable to high-end models from Ken Smith, Lakland, or Fodera, among others.

Tell me about the pick ups, position, type, etc.

The Buzz basses currently come with tailored Bartolini pickups, available in three different configurations: P/J, J/J, and soapbar. The electronics are very simple, including master volume, pickup pan, individual active bass and treble boost/cut controls, and a low mid boost/cut switch. There are two potentiometers in the body cavity: one adjusts the gain of the mid-boost switch, and the other is an overall gain control for the pre-amp.

I'm lucky enough to have one Pedulla with each pickup configuration, although my older Buzz has some unusual electronics. It's a Bartolini J/J setup, but the controls are very different. There are individual volume controls for each pickup, a master volume, a tone control, and two switches. One switch toggles the pickups between active and passive, and the other throws the pickups out of phase with each other. That switch gives the bass this weird, rubbery sound, which appropriately enough, you can hear on the Kicksville track "Rubber Teevee" from our release, The Results of a Higher Mission.

What sort of amp does this bass sound best through? And why?

They would sound good through anything! Since I've been playing Pedullas, they sound so good I've gotten rid of all my amps and just run direct. Especially in the Kicksville show, since we don't have any amps on stage at all, that sound quality and depth has allowed me to use almost no processing except what's needed to blend the bass into the overall mix. Of course, that's not counting the various pedals, VST effects, and other what-nots intended to tweak and abuse said beautiful sound.

Is it a durable bass? Is it a tough, road warrior sort of instrument or is it one you leave in the studio?

They're almost works of art, so I wouldn't pour beer on it or anything. . . Pedulla basses are built for professionals, so they're very solid and more than capable of standing up to touring conditions. Put the bass in a nice flight case, and hit the road!

Kicksville just finished the first series of weekly song releases called The Singles - Season 1, consisting of 13 tracks, each with extensive liner notes and its own cover art by nationally-recognized illustrator Andy Ewen. Season 2 starts April 20, and will run through July.