By Bryan Beller...
Hey everyone,
First, it's come to my attention that the kind folks at Bass Player Magazine have launched a new website (www.bassplayer.com), and as part of it they're posting blogs by their writers. So some of the stuff I write here will end up over there. If you're reading this at the BP site already, well, hello!
I just had to share this with. Behold, a beauty shot of the Mike Lull T-Bass that I'll be playing on the Dethklok tour this fall:
I can't tell you how much fun it is to play this thing. Unlike the model that inspired it, it is a DREAM to play. The neck feels amazing, everything feels right on both hands, and it sounds huge. If you ever wanted to play (and, let's admit it, look as cool as those who do play) a vintage T-Bird but just couldn't get over what a dog the actual instrument was, this thing will blow your mind.
I'll be debuting it at two clinics this coming extended weekend:
Saturday, August 29, 1pm sharp
Bass Specialties
2846 Street Rd.
Bensalem, PA 19020
Admission: Free!
Sponsored by Mike Lull Custom Basses and D'addario Strings
Bassists, if you've never been to Bass Specialties and you live near Philly, you are missing out on one of the best bass-only stores in the country. It's worth the trip.
Then:
Monday, August 31, 7:30pm
Bass Forum
Forte Music
1691 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Admission: $10.
More info: lady.bass.music [at] gmail [dot] com
Virginia bassist Brittany Frompovich is organizing this event, and all props to her for bringing me to central VA for the first time in quite a while.
For those bassists who follow Dethklok and Metalocalpyse closely, I can hear you wondering: why isn't that T-Bass a 5-string, like the one Murderface plays? Well, first, there is no T-Bass 5-string...yet. Second, this bass is strung low and heavy for extra metal power (from low to high): C-F-Bb-Eb. So it's like a 5-string, tuned up a half-step, with no top string, on the body of a 4-string. That's brutal.
And for any gearheads still reading, I just got a Pedaltrain top-of-the-line monster board and built my own damned pedalboard, using cables I cut myself (from the Planet Waves Cable Kit - I've got 13 thumbs and even I could do it), velcro, zip ties, and some of my favorite noise toys. Check it out:
Of course I want more (as you can see, there's room for expansion). I could really use a good filter, tremolo, synth wah, and there's always room for more cool overdrives and distortions. For now it goes like this:
- BOSS Volume Pedal
- BOSS Chromatic Tuner (side chain)
- BOSS Octave (old brown box)
- Xotic Effects Bass BB Preamp (main overdrive)
- Digitech Bass Driver (second stage distortion, smooth for speed metal)
- Dunlop M-80 (third stage distortion, really buzzy and nasty)
- Aphex Bass Exciter (on all the time for Dethklok - superfine low end boost)
- BOSS Bass Chorus (a really old one, sounds all rich and analog-y)
- Digitech Digital Delay
- Demeter Opto-Compulator (on all the time no matter what for gain recovery)
- Dunlop Bass Wah
and then to the amp. Yeah, I run it straight through in the front of the chain. Got no time for effects loops.
There's your dose of gear porn for the day. Hope you enjoyed, and maybe I'll see you out there soon...
BB