GIGGING & RECORDING > ON BASS
NEW GEAR TIME BY DAN BERKOWITZ
When G.A.S. gets the best of you—or maybe
you actually need a new piece
of gear—how can you ensure
that what you’re hunting will
become a keeper? The answer:
Try it out the way it will actually be used.
Before you start looking,
though, you have two important tasks. First, know what
you’re after. Somebody once
asked me if a bass I’d reviewed
would sound “better” than his
current axe. The way I look
at it, any new piece of gear
simply plays and feels different
from what you have now—
there’s rarely a real “better.”
Your goal is to decide if the
new piece takes you closer to
your own functional and
tonal nirvana.
The second task is to educate yourself. Read manufacturers’ websites. Spend time
on discussion boards. Read
Premier Guitar reviews. Learn
what an amp’s controls are
designed to do. Learn setup
specs so you won’t confuse an
instrument’s actual playability
with the quality of its setup.
Armed with this information, trying out new equipment boils down to four
considerations:
Play it in the right place.
You buy gear at either a store
or online, and neither is a
good way to hear what something will sound like. Go into
the amp room of a busy shop,
and you’re immediately competing with players showing
off how much distortion they
can get out of a guitar amp or
how many notes they can slap.
I’ve found that with an
ongoing business relationship,
a shop will let you take a bass,
pedal, cab, or amp home and
spend some quality time with
it. Take it to your rehearsal
space too. Long ago, I swore I
would not buy any new gear
without this kind of testing.
I’ve found that with
an ongoing business
relationship, a shop
will let you take a
bass, pedal, cab,
or amp home and
spend some quality
time with it.
the passive tone control fully
open, while another had a big
sonic hole in its midrange.
Both axes would need a fair
amount of EQ to match the
sound I was after.
Play it with your usual
suspects. Trying out a new
bass or amp with your bandmates is an important test
too. I remember bringing
a potential bass to practice
with my blues band. “Sounds
funky, but certainly not right
for the blues,” I was quickly
told. Likewise, I learned that
a potential cab was mid-shy
enough that the other musicians couldn’t distinguish the
pitches once we all began
playing. Put simply, if that
piece of gear doesn’t do the
job for the band’s overall
sound, don’t get it.
In all, be sure to give
potential new gear a realistic test. Avoid a quick
When taking a bass for a test
drive, you’ll get the most out
of the instrument if you play
it in an appropriate musical
context. For example, this
German-made Höfner 500/1
Vintage ’ 62—best known as
Paul McCartney’s 4-string
in the Fab Four days—has a
rich low end that also made
it a fave of the great reggae
bassist, Robbie Shakespeare. A “Beatle bass”
sounds sweet strung with
flatwounds, but you wouldn’t
want to use it for slapping.
On the other hand, the Music
Man StingRay has long been
a favorite of funkateers since
its debut in 1976. The StingRay’s onboard preamp—
which was radical for its
time—allows the bass to cut
through a raucous band or
horn-driven ensemble.
Photo courtesy of Höfner
romance that soon turns sour
and leaves you with buyer’s
remorse. And be sure you
know what you’re after with
your hard-earned money.
DAN BERKOWITZ
is a professor by day and
a bassist when the sun
goes down. He plays
upright and electric bass
for blues, jazz, orchestra,
and musical theater.
Contact him at profdanb@gmail.com.
40 PREMIER GUITAR MAY 2011
premierguitar.com
