TUNING UP
Big bottom, my
girls got ‘em! Not
talking mud flaps
here… talkin’
about a long overdue shout-out to
the thump police,
to bass players and
their relentless pursuit of the ultimate
bass tone. PG is
proud to present
you with our premiere bass gear issue—
something we hope will become an annual tradition.
Consider it a salute to the low-end warriors
who lay down the groove and build the critical
foundation that we all stand on.
synergies are aligned with an in-the-pocket
drummer who telepaths fills and really understands the dynamics of the rhythm section. In
mixing tons of bands, I have learned to appreciate the less-is-more theory of complimenting
the foundation of that pocket. A great bass
player is one who is truly conscious of creating
space within the groove so other key elements
can find their rightful place, such as an eclectic
guitar solo, a droning keyboard bridge, or an
intricate vocal outro that isn’t so crowded that
it can’t deliver the knock out punch.
The Low End of Premier Guitar
only elite artists enjoy. I guess that’s the type of
clout twenty number one hits and 20 million in
album sales gets you. Go figure!
If you’re anything like me (and I know you are),
you can find a bass or two in your collection,
and you’re proud of it. And a great deal of this
issue is totally for you. One of our goals with
this issue, beyond layin’ some love on our bass
playing readers, was to help the masses of
guitar players who find themselves in that position, and are expected to “know” how to play
bass ten minutes before the first downbeat of
the night. I dig playing bass, especially when
Just this past weekend, I had agreed to help
a good friend with some backline assistance
at a local Country Bash show. The headliner
was the legendary country artist John Michael
Montgomery, and I had the good fortune to
open the show with an acoustic set. My duties
then turned to backline assistance. Interestingly,
the JMM show travels with their own monitor
console, complete with a dedicated monitor
engineer. The monitor system was feeding
seven in-ear stereo mixes, supported by strategically placed wedges and subs. It’s certainly
not unusual for such caliber artists to travel with
a dedicated FOH engineer, but a full fledged
personal monitor system is a luxury that usually
The point to the story is that the low-end mix
of the band was incredible and was noticeably
the crucial foundation to their entire live mix.
Not just the FOH mix either; the low-end stage
mix was thick and powerful, the kind of thick
that comes with a buttload of headroom to
support those low-end frequencies. And let me
tell ya, the bass player and drummer were as
tight as Tonto’s headband. It was the defining
foundation to the entire performance.
Of course, just like guitar players who obsess
about their tone, bass players are certainly no
strangers to that relentless pursuit. Dialing in
the ultimate bass tone is an art, as well as a
quest. We hope this bass gear issue will assist
you in finding your big bottom. For starters,
PG is honored to bring you “Escape from the
Doghouse,” the story behind Leo Fender’s
development of the electric bass, written
by the legendary Jim Roberts, founder of
Bass Player magazine and author of How the
Fender Bass Changed the World and American
Basses: An Illustrated History & Player’s Guide.
Welcome, Bro. We also bring you “ 5 Pre-
CBS-Inspired Bass Builders You Should Meet”
(damn right you should) by regular contributor
Kevin Borden, as well as lots of juice in the
Departments to aid and inspire guitar play-
ers to be better at bass. And there are plenty
of reviews to provide you with the lowdown
on what thumps in the night—for example,
not one but two Spector basses, not one but
two Elrick basses, and the Line 6 LowDown
and Carvin BX500 bass amps. Be sure to keep
checkin’ in at premierguitar.com for more bass-
related goodness.
In my opinion, bass players tend to be like
schoolteachers: they’re underpaid and underappreciated, but having them around really
does make the world a better place. At your
next gig, make sure you give your bass player
a little extra love, maybe cover their bar tab at
the end of the night. That will go a long way in
ensuring your bottom stays tight.
Nuff Sed,
Phil Chen and Jaco Pastorius in the ‘80s, indulging in one of our favorite pastimes at Norm’s Rare Guitar, Reseda, CA. Photo by
De Bassman, courtesy of the Phil Chen Archives.
Trent Salter, Publisher
trent@premierguitar.com 888.247.2009
