Olympia Saturday 3rd March & Sunday 4th March.
Last year, nearly 2000 low-end lovers turned up. That was the first ever LBGS and capitalising on the experience gained, this year promises to be even better. Much quieter too, as live playing is kept to short intervals. Tickets in advance are only £15, or you can pay £20 on the door. Held in a great venue near buses and tubes, this is a show to watch bass legends play, gear on display (often a bargain to be had, too) and meet other bass guitar enthusiasts.

http://www.londonbassguitarshow.com

The Institute of Contemporary Performance, where Bass Gear held its Ritter Masterclass on 3rd November 2011

The London-based Institute of Contemporary Music performance has announced the launch of an innovative and exciting new BA (Hons) Music Business degree course commencing September 2012.

Designed with a view to creating the music business entrepreneurs of the future, students on the course will study the principles of business and management in the music sector alongside hundreds of aspiring and talented musicians, writers and performers. This will enable the development of practical artist management, marketing, radio, PR and publishing skills from day one. And with countless live gigs, showcases and events taking place every term at the Institute, the opportunities for learning, skill development network building throughout the course are unrivalled.

The course will count on a wide-ranging teaching faculty, combining experienced and specialised tutors with regular contributions from industry specialists from the world of promotion, radio, PR and publishing. This extensive faculty includes such names as Becky Jones (Saint Saviour), Ryan Farley (Warner/Chappell Publishing), Christian Ulf-Hansen (BMI), Polly Birkbeck (V2 Records), who will provide students with invaluable first-hand knowledge of what to expect and how to progress further within the music industry.

The Institute’s Music Business degree course provides students with a high level of contact teaching hours, delivered in specialist facilities in London. All undergraduates will have regular and active access to the Institute’s extensive network of music industry contacts and partners, and will be supported by the career and artist development teams. And as if that weren’t enough, tuition fees from 2012 are only £4,950 per annum – when other UK universities are charging almost double that amount!

For further information about the BA (Hons) Music Business degree and other courses at the Institute, contact us directly:

-        www.icmp.co.uk

-        0207 328 0222

-        enquiries@icmp.co.uk

Hi everyone, my name is Alex Lofoco I am a bass player, bass teacher, bass owner and therefore a Bass Gear lover.

I am originally from Rome, Italy, and I am now based in London. Having moved for studying purposes in 2008.

I started working as a session musician and teacher, and from 2009 I started holding masterclasses and clinics focused on ‘double thumbing’ technique. I contribute to Bass Musician Magazine with lesson and articles you are welcome to check at here.

I am now working on my first solo album which will be focussed on groove and melody, as for me these are the two elements that make bass more accessible to a wider audience, not only bass players. I have been recording a lot in studio, but always for other people’s projects, and I can’t wait to hit the studio next month to lay down a collection of ideas and emotions I collected during my career I want to express through my beloved instrument.

I fell in love with bass twelve years ago, and my very first influence was, and is, Steve Harris from Iron Maiden, the first band I started to listen to. Then I was introduced to Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report, and Tower of Power.

I’ve never been a slapper really, as my first slap influence was Marcus Miller, and I have to say that it was a proper slap in my face! I started to work out the main slap technique but with no success. When I wanted to study the song ‘Power’ and I couldn’t play the fast triplet in the intro riff, I remembered of a guy who was using his thumb in both directions and I thought that could help me playing that evil triplet. So eventually I started to study Victor Wooten’s songs as I wanted to develop the up and down motion of the thumb, and with my great surprise I found Wooten’s way of playing quite easy, groovy and extremely clever rather than overcomplicated. Still now I can’t play Power properly though ;(

Like everyone my Bass Gear varies according to the needs and type of gig or studio work I am asked to do. Over time I collected, tried and used a huge amount of gear, accessories and, because when I was in Italy I worked in a music shop, I had the chance to try almost everything available on the market, and learn how to use it on stage as well -borrowing few things from the shop for my weekend gigs.

Now I am a proud user and endorsee of notable brands that provide me the gear I can make my music with, such as Laurus Basses, Rotosound strings, Hartke amps, EMG pickups, Evidence Audio Cables, Hipshot hardware and Jam pedals…basically everything I need and I would need!

Basses

My main bass now is a Laurus Quasar T900, T is for Terminator! No, just kidding

It is a beautiful handcrafted five string bass, made in Italy by Laurus, and it is just perfect.

The main problem I always experienced with 5string basses is that the tension, tone and intonation of the low B string does not match with the other four strings. Some manufacturer produces longer scale basses (34 and 1/2 or 35 inch scale) to add to the tricky B string more tension, but this one is a regular 34 inches bass and the angle of the tilted back headstock and the bridge, make all five strings perfectly balanced. Also the phenolic resin fingerboard, being more consistent than wood, helps to have no dead spot on the neck and makes the instrument more resistant to weather changes such as temperature or humidity.

To increase the resonance and the sustain, the strings are hooked on the headstock and tuned on the bridge, so no double end strings, and the instrument has a beautiful, rich, full and balanced voice. The electronic perfectly suit the instrument with a pair of dual coil Norstrand pickup and the Noll electronic. The sound is not compressed and switching from passive o active mode does not affect the tone and the volume does not jump up dramatically, but bass, treble and mids frequencies just come forward without affecting the others.

I also have a Japanese Fender ‘62 reissue P bass and a Road Worn 60 Jazz bass. Both of them are equipped with EMG pickups, a PJX set on the Precision and a JV set on the Jazz. I found EMG pickups very handy while recording and in theatre for their clarity and noiseless quality, also their high output and edgy sound work extremely well on stage. I use on both basses also the new ‘double stop’ D tuner by Hipshot, which allows me to detune the E string down to D or C using a new lever fitted on the machine. Hipshot provided also a solid brass A style bridge which fits the vintage bridge holes and it sound bigger and with more sustain than the BadAss II bass bridge I had.

Strings

I have tried almost all strings manufactures, different gauges, materials and sets, roundwound, flatwound, halfround etc. I believe that different strings may work better on a particular style or way of playing, and each brand have different philosophy behind the construction. I eventually found my favourite strings in Rotosound products. On all instruments I use the medium gauge 45-105 or 45-130 on the five string. The best sounding strings for me are the Piano Strings Design, PSD99. Having a monel core wrapped in steel which lies on the saddle and the wounding starts a bit after the bridge, it makes the string freer to vibrate resulting in a never ending sustain. The tone is a clear note with a sharp attack which reminds me a tubular bell when slapped.

Having a not too light gauge allows me to have a quite low action without buzz, and a decent tension under my right hand suitable for finger style, slap and tapping.

When I choose a string I am after a tight and consistent vibration. I suggest to try as many string sets as possible, even if you already have your favourite one, and to experiment with a new one you have’t tried yet.

Pedals

When I started playing bass I wasn’t a big fan of pedals, for I wanted to be able to create as many sounds and effects relying on my hands, instrument and amp only.

Because now my needs are changed I usually bring along few pedals in studio and live. At present I haven’t got a multitude of pedals, just an external preamp, bass octave, chorus, echo and tuner. I like pedals that allow me to hear the tone of my bass when the device is activated and bypassed too, so I listen closely to the treble, which are the first to suffer of a not extremely good pedal.

Pre

At the beginning of the chain I have an Aguilar DB 924 outboard preamp kept in a true bypass effect loop made by myself as the preamp has no on/off switch. The DB924 is the outboard version, now discontinued I reckon, of the OBP1, and features one master volume and two +18db boost controls on bass and treble respectively at 40Hz and 4000Hz. I use it especially with passive electronic basses to give a more modern sound, or occasionally to have an extra EQ setting.

Octaver

An MXR M88 bass octave allows me to reach a low note when I don’t have time to use the Dtuner during my performance if I’m playing a four string bass. I generally set the dry signal at 9 o’clock and the low octave at 4 o’clock. Alternatively I use a fifty fifty mix to play some funky lines on the upper register. This pedal has been modified by FM Amps in Denmark Street, London, to increase the clarity of the octave channel.

Chorus

I’m using a Waterfall chorus unit by Jam Pedal, which is the same one used by Anthony Jackson and Jeff Berlin to add a subtle but on the same time rich and clear modulation to my sound. This hand made boutique pedal has also a really cool switch for an extreme chorus and one for the vibrato effect.

Delay

After the modulations I have a Head Rush echo/delay which I also use as a looper for solo performances or boring gigs where I loop the bass line, which is the same for intro, verse and chorus, and go off stage and grab a pint at the bar.

Post/DI

The output of the pedalboard is regulated by the new the Peterson Stomp Classic pedal tuner, which is an exceptionally precise tuner and has a reliable and good sounding DI box built in. I keep a balanced output at the end of the chain to plug in to the PA when an amplifier is not available, or the type of the gig does not need a huge volume on stage i.e. acoustic, folk etc.

My main concern when I was on stage in the early days was that sound engineers used to take the DI output from the head of my amp rather than micking up the cabinet, resulting  in a different tone in the PA than from the speaker I chose, carried and brought on stage. Having my own DI I always -or almost always depending on the sound guy- have the tone I am more comfortable with.

Cables

I believe that the cable is one of the most important link in the chain of the sound. Having a good lead does make the difference in tone for all the beauty of the instrument, pickups, hand made pedals and the performance itself, passes through the connections between these elements. I tried many cables, Monster, VoVox, Elixir, Planet Waves, Proel DieHard etc, and the only one I hear the best sound of my instruments are the Evidence Audio cables. They are hand made in California by my friend Tony Farinella, and they sound just beautiful. Firstly they have more volume, meaning that they cut less frequencies than the other leads, secondly they sound more open, bigger, deeper and richer.

For my instruments I use the Lyric HG or the Forte cable. The first one has a double solid core conductor and sounds extremely clear with tight treble and precise bass, and The Forte (which means strong in Italian with his semi-balanced geometry, blocks noise and preserves dynamics and dimensionality. They are one better than the other really, the Lyric is a tiny little bit brighter than the The Forte though, and for some studio session, having those treble cutting through, may work better.

To link my pedals I use the Evidence Monorail, which uses the same principals of the George L’s cables, but with a solid core conductor, it sounds much bigger.

I also have a Lyric HG XLR-XLR for my DI. Why having good instrument and pedals and loose something before going to the desk?!?

Amps

I am currently using a Hartke rig, in different combination. Having an LH1000 head I generally do not have many problems with volume on stage. I also have three cabinets, one HyDrive 410, one 115 and a 112.

The head is very simple, just five controls: volume, bass, mids, treble and a balance when I plug two speakers in parallel. One button switch for extra treble, if your slap is not cutting through enough, and another one for a limiter. It delivers 1000W in bridge @4homs, and it is one of the punchiest head I ever had the pleasure to play with. Simple and consistent.

The HyDrive cabinets feature neodymium speakers, with a very interesting cone technology, half paper and half aluminum. Hartke firstly to introduced the aluminium cones which were punchy, accurate and bright. With the new HyDrive technology (Hy=hybrid), the aluminum in the centre of the cone makes precise and crispy trebles, and the paper in the external part reproduces warmer bass frequencies, balancing a fast attack and a smooth body.

Having said that, my life as a performer is much easier than before, so I have to worry only  about playing with the right feel.

You can check www.alexlofoco.com for news, more gear, to know more about my lectures and tuition and to contact me. If you fancy have a chat about music, gear you can find me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alex-Lofoco/303083308884 and we can share some tips.

For quicker updates follow my on www.twitter.com/alexlofoco, or you can add me on www.myspace.com/alexlofoco.

Thank you very much for reading and I hope you found something interesting here on Pro’s Tools

Keep grooving!

Alex Lofoco

Links

=======================

info@alexlofoco.com
www.alexlofoco.com
www.myspace.com/alexlofoco

Following on the heels of the massively successful Tone Hammer 500 amplifier, the Tone Hammer 350 retains the big sound of its predecessor within an even smaller footprint. Giving the Tone Hammer 350 its flexible tone-shaping capabilities is Aguilar’s Tone Hammer preamp, the same preamp used in the Tone Hammer D.I./preamp pedal, which has become a favorite of bass players all over the world. The Tone Hammer 350 features bass, treble and fully sweepable midrange controls. The Drive control utilizes Aguilar’s proprietary AGS circuit which adds subtle distortion and midrange punch to the sound.

Assembled in Aguilar’s New York City factory, the Tone Hammer 350 will be released in March 2012. and are priced at £420 here at Bass Gear.

I’ve been playing bass since 1984… a while back!

I’m originally from Salzburg, Austria and after a few years of playing in bands there and teaching myself about music with, compared to todays offerings, slim resources as all fellow bassists of my age had to experience, I made it into the jazz department of the Vienna conservatory.

After shortish spells in Spain and lots of Jazz practise and Big band gigs in Paris, France, I ended up at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, with a bit of very much needed scholarship support. I always loved Blues, Soul, Funk and Jazz and my love for these styles was dramatically heightened in the buzzing environment that was and still is Berklee College of music.

With my first album in tow (Redtenbacher’s Blue Funkestra – ‘Boozing Wizards – Searching for the Stone of Funk’, literally recorded with my last cents) I ended up in London, England with the determination to forge a music career there and a hunger for the cosmopolitan lifestyle – a very different and colorful departure from my initial stomping ground…

And here I still am, having made England my choice of home for the past 15 years.

Although I still work and have worked in various capacity with ’stars’ of all echelons (Jack Bruce, Sam Brown, Adam Ant, Steve Winwood, Herb Alpert, Alexandra Burke, Olly Murs, Amy Winehouse, Kiki Dee, Louise Marshall, Sandie Shaw and many others that you might now or not;), I first and foremost run my own band, the Redtenbacher’s Funkestra – a fortified and high octane funk band with a strong jazz flavor and penchant for horns.

We are about to release our fifth record ‘The Cooker’ featuring the finest horn players from the London’s souly, jazzy, funky music scene as well as Erik Krazno from the band Soulive, Lenny Pickett from Tower of Power and the Hornheads, Prince’s longstanding horn section from the 90s, led by trombone virtuoso Michael B Nelson.

Previous records brought us in touch with equally illustrious and fabulous musicians like funk legend and long time James Brown collaborator Fred Wesley on trombone, drummer Stanton Moore from Galactic, bari player Stephen ‘Doc’ Kupka and trumpet player Lee Thornburg from Tower of Power, guitarist Elliott Randall from Steely Dan, the Brand New Heavies and Incognito hour sections…the Funkestra family is ever growing with fabulous musicians…

Have a more detailed look at http://www.rbfunkestra.com if you fancy….

We are playing on a regular basis in London and the southeast. It would be fabulous to see some of you who are reading this right now (yes, you!) at one of our gigs. We could talk about bass strings and such things;)

Just download an album from my store and use download receipt as guest ticket…just let me know about it.

http://www.stefanredtenbacher.com/store

Discography:

‘Boozing Wizards – searching for the stone of funk’

‘Falling from Insanity’

‘Hausmusik’

‘Concubine Chronicles’

‘Brendan Reilly and RB Funkestra’ EP

‘The Cooker’ January 2012 release

You could also order Funkestra transcriptions or even limited prints from previous cover art. Hopefully you’ll find something…perhaps you just want a bunch of free bass transcriptions …just have a look around at my site.

Ah, yes, Phil kindly asked me to write about my bass gear:

I’m a dedicated four-string player and probably belong to the seemingly endless army of retro gear lovers. My bass of choice is a 1973 custom shop alder jazz bass, black with rosewood fingerboard and original parts…this one sounds better than anything I’ve ever had.  For years I have also played my trusty metallic blue Ernie ball Sterling four-string. A fantastic bass, however I feel that my jazz bass just sits better in my live band and recordings.  

Live, I’m a dedicated user of Aguilar heads, in particular the DB-750 and for rehearsals and small clubs I also love the Tone Hammer 500 – it is lighter than my gig bag;). Larger gigs warrant my Aguilar 2×12″ cab and club dates normally see my Accu Groove 12″ and loads of other smaller drivers in action.

In the studio I use either my trusty Aguilar DB-680 preamp, serial number 43, bought at a time when people where wondering what this Aguilar thing is all about , or a super easy to use and superb sounding Universal Audio LA-610. Running the compression around -2 to -3 db with fixed compression ratios is just perfect for me.

At times, if a session so requires I dust off my beautiful sounding 1972 Ampeg flip top and record with a mic only. Plugging in my ‘73 jazz bass creates a sound equivalent to at least half my record collection (ok, mp3 collection) as this was the trusty combo for countless records in the hey day of the 70s.

Playing funk I have to have, of course, an arsenal of talent boosters, i.e my pedals.

I love my Moogerfoogers – low pass filter, phaser… but also the new Aguilar wah pedal, the more obscure Discombulator by Emma and also the Bass Balls by Electro Harmonix (it is dirty alright). Being picky about loosing my dynamics and low frequencies I’m using splitter pedals from Gigrig and also, on a non pedal note, Auralex acoustic foam underneath my speakers cabinets to cut unwanted bass frequencies traveling on the stage or venue floor if needed.

Being out and about with my bass I entrust the transport to Harvest leather gig bags. To me they are the bees knees of gig bags and finally after disposing of copious amounts of gig bags, many more than I care to mention, I found a safe and cool looking bag that I’m proud to carry. Flying abroad I stick both my ‘travel jazz’ souped up with the splendid John East ‘j-retro’ preamp and my Harvest gig bag into a SKB travel flight case in the knowledge that I will be able to leave the flight case at the hotel and can move lightly between hotel and venues with the gig bag only.  For many years Strings And Things have been kind enough to provide me with Ernie Ball strings. My favourite ones are Super Slinky Bass Nickel wound: .100 – .80 – . 65 – .45.

And finally, I have helped bring a funky new app in to this world! MyBeat is a funky super accurate metronome with cool features like shaking the iphone to set the tempo and customising the background. You can see my friend Paul Turner playing along to MyBeat in this short vid.

For more info:

http://www.stefanredtenbacher.com

The only day we are closed, outside our normal Tuesday to Saturday trading days, is Saturday 24th December (Christmas Eve).

We will still be opening at 11am but then closing at 4pm over the festive season.

And don’t wait for the Sale …as we aren’t planning to have one, so just come on down, bash the plastic and make it a Basstastic Christmas!!!!!!!!

Following a three month monitoring period, since opening the Twyford showroom for six days a week, we have found that we have the least number of visitors on a Monday.

It is has always been our intention to be open for five days a week, so from immediate effect, the showroom will be open Tuesday to Saturday every week between 11am and 5pm.

Do foxtrot along to us on any of those days.

Cha cha cha!

Yep, we think of everything. When you’ve got great equipment already, what more can you possibly need?

Well, here are ten ideas, just in case you need to pass this on to a loved one who just needs a little more help in making you an even happier bunny this Christmas.

1 Bass Gear Gift Voucher

OK, vouchers can be a bit of a lame idea, but you know this one hits the bullseye. Best of all, your forgetful loved ones can buy one minute before presenting it to you! Available in £25 values…and there’s no end to how many you can put in the basket!

Click here

2 Cool Cobra Cable

Well, if Carlsberg made speaker leads then this would be it …still at the introductory price of only £39.99

Click here

3 Hiscox case

We’d like to see United Airlines try breaking one of these hard shell cases. Although they are a hard case, they are shaped so not taking up too much room in the car, bedroom, Bodega or whatever.

Click here

4 Markbass Keeper

Just the job for holding your bass up. Thanks to NASA you can have your bass velcro’d to your rig without costing a rocket (groan). A mere £18.99.

Click here

5 Mark Stand

Folds flat, then at your gig or rehearsal you can wedge your cab towards your head. Better still, point it at your guitarist’s head and show who can be loudest! Perhaps the most fun that £25 can buy.

Click here

6 Sansamp

They say this is the bass player’s Swiss Army knife. Here at Bass Gear Towers, we’ve not actually tried opening a can of beans with one of these amazing pre-amp/D.I. boxes …but we get the drift. Built like a tank and likely to be the one thing a bass player actually keeps and never sells! A great investment for £179.

Click here

7 StageClix

We only stock one cable-less remote gadget …the best one. This actually works for bass players and is distributed in the UK by top bassist who discovered how good they are for himself and thought they worked so well he went on to represent them. Ok, they are £349 but don’t make the mistake of going cheaper and finding out the usual pitfalls.

Click here

8 Stands

We like the Hercules auto grip ones best. We have a few ex-display (but looking like new in shiny boxes) triple stands available at only £40.

Click here

9 Straps

There are cheap leather straps and then there’s the ones that will last and last. We have a range of Richter straps that are hand made in Germany by a small family firm that are not only comfortable, they could end up as heirlooms on Antiques Road show in a hundred years! PLUS there’s a seasonal promo on these straps. We’ve just taken 10% off all prices on these leather lovelies!

Click Here

10 T-Shirts

It’s a fact. Bass players can NEVER have enough T-shirts. Our shirts have been designed exclusively for us and are proudly worn all over the world by proud Bass Gear customers. There’s a special offer on for Christmas of free UK delivery!

Click here

This is Pro’s Tools #6 by Tom Kent

Background

My ‘musical’ life started out on guitar when I was about six. One Christmas, my parents bought me a guitar and it all started from there. By the time I was 14 or 15 I had my grade eight done but noticed how many other guitarists there were about and how fewer bassists there were.

I dabbled with bass for a year (no lessons) when I was 16 when studying a music production diploma, then at 17 I decided to do a higher diploma at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford. I enjoyed the year so much I decided to do a degree – this is when it all started working for me.

I was taught by Nik Preston, Paul Geary, Mike Nichols and many other highly regarded players throughout my degree – my playing just started progressing amazingly.

Due to my early start on guitar and also a part of life learning to play flute classically, my sight-reading is extremely good, this means when put in West End shows, orchestra pits or fusion jazz reading gigs I can do it no problem.

Musical Work

At this current stage in my career (at age 20) I have had the opportunity to play with some amazing acts and get some fantastic endorsements – here’s a list of it!

Credits; Kelly Clarkson, Natasha Bedingfield, Chad Smith, Flea, Mike Rutherford, Kenny Jones, Travis, One Direction and many more.

Endorsements; Fodera, Krampera, EBS, Vintage

For the ‘bread and butter’ work I regularly find myself playing in some of the UK’s top function bands, as well as also performing in venues like Ronnies and the Royal Albert Hall. I’ve also found myself becoming more and more booked to demo equipment for companies as well as review equipment on my blog. This has given me the chance to try out a lot of different, yet amazing, equipment.

Teaching

In the past year I’ve also taught bass in my own studio as well as via Skype. I got my first introduction to teaching while on my degree when a teacher asked me to begin helping him with diploma classes, then getting to the point where I’d do all the teaching on the odd occasion.

Future

I’ve got a grasp on a fair few bigger projects coming up, including one artist called John Adams. He’s a fantastic singer and a great guy. I’m producing his single currently to be coming out this Christmas. I’m organizing a tour for it too!

Not to forget, I’m also on a few players lists to be dep’d for TV work and I have functions booked throughout 2012.

Gear

Fodera NYC Empire 4

This bass is probably the nicest 4 I’ve played to date, it’s light, sounds good, versatile and looks amazing. It’s also a slap machine!

Fender Jazz 4

My first ‘real’ bass. I’d had a Yamaha RBX775 before this but it didn’t touch this. One of the few Mexican Fenders I’ve ever picked up and got along with. It’s been around the UK and Europe and has dings all over it to prove it.

Vintage EST96AF

I originally got this bass as a backup 5, however this has recently been my regular gigging 5. It’s built really well, has a half decent preamp and has really low lows! The pink DR Neons are only for show, funnily enough they’ve actually got me gigs before.

Mushroom ???? (it has no name..)

Who’d of thought you could actually buy a whole bass for £20? Well, it’s only good for one thing (and burning it isn’t an option). This has a wicked Motown sound, completely dead Labella Flats make it sound really warm and fat! I couldn’t ever play it on another gig though …don’t think it’d quite cut it.

Gak Custom 79’ P Fretless

This was originally bought as a ‘introduction to fretless’ bass. After having some work done on it, it suddenly came to life. I’ve used it on multiple jazz gigs and it’s a really nice instrument to solo on. The only problem being it weighs a ton!

Krampera KVB800 Stack

I saw these guys at the London Bass Guitar Show, then later, I was offered an endorsement. My word, what a sound! This bass amp truly is (as described by Bass Guitar Magazine) a bass hi-fi! The lows are really really low and the highs are really crisp and clear. It’s got ingenious design functions and I’ve never ever found a gig where I can’t use it.

Oh yeah, and it’s got pretty lights.

EBS MultiComp

I’ve gone through so many different compressors over the years but I’ve never found one with as much punch, versatility and lightness as this one. It’s got a handy passive/active switch on the side as well as three different types of compression. This hasn’t left my bag since the day it arrived, I’ve used it on every single gig I’ve had with it here. When it breaks, I plan on buying another one!

Digitech BP90

Who’d of thought Digitech could actually make something good for cheap …oh they did. This is a wicked ‘multi-effects’ pedal with so much stuff I can’t even list. What I can say is that the synth is really responsive, the octaver is really good, the chorus is immense (we’re talking wide and fat Mark King chorus) and the volume/expression pedal is extremely handy in pit shows.

Fodera Stainless Steel Handmade Strings

I use to be a DR/Roto/Ernie man, anything else wouldn’t be touched. That was, however, till I tried these. They’re really good! They last for ages and they sound really nice and feel even nicer. These are so good they’re on my Fender too. They’ve been on for about three months and haven’t needed changing. The slap sound is still twangy!

The Studio

This has built up over the years from a rubbish Dell laptop running Cubase, to the current setup of; 21.5” iMac, 15” MacBookPro, Sony Monitor, Custom Speakers (the box’s are from a hi-fi, but the speakers themselves aren’t) – SE2200A, Focustite Saffire and more. I’m now also looking at outboard stuff (compressors, mic pre’s etc).

This is Pro’s Tools #5 by Bernhard Lackner

Austrian born electric bassist/composer/clinician Bernhard Lackner worked with artists including Mino Cinelu, Adam Holzman, Marco Minnemann, Horacio El Negro Hernandez, Adam Nitti, Trip Wamsley, Florian Bramböck, Steve Cunningham, Christian Wegscheider,

Franz Hackl, Jeff Coffin, Derico Watson, Chester Thompson and many more. He was a featured artist at events such as Eurobassday(Italy), the Outreach Jazzfestival(Austria), at the BassUp! Event Atlanta (USA), NammBassBash(USA), National Guitar Workshop(USA), Pasadena Bassday(USA), Bassday UK (England), European Bassday (Germany) etc..

Bernhard is also guest clinician at several Universities and Institutes in Europe as well as in the USA such as Musicians Institute, Belmont University, The Basscollective and others.

In 2006 he released his debut album “Those Days”, in 2009 his 2nd album “In Between”, in 2010 his exercise book “Plucking Hand Workout” and in 2011 he followed up with his 3rd album “Stories From Home”.

I have used Aguilar amps for several years, after a long search for the right amp. I finally discovered Aguilar! I really like it because their amps do not colour my tone by any means. I was looking for an amp which would just amplify what comes from my instrument but which does not add any additional frequencies to it. It’s very “neutral” sounding gear.

Also I have worked together with Aguilar on clinics in the USA and Europe for several years, which is a great thing.

For strings I prefer La Bella Strings. I use their SN45B’s which are the follow up series of their famous “slappers”. They are nickel round wound, very warm yet clear sounding and they last very long. Just on my latest clinic tour earlier this year I did a clinic in NYC and then had the pleasure to visit the La Bella Strings factory in Newburgh, NY and I discovered why their strings are so good. They are all handmade. We have also worked closely together on clinics on both sides of the Atlantic for some years.

My bass guitar is built by the Austrian master luthier Hermann Erlacher, who owns the company HEMAGE Guitarren & Baesse. It is a very simple instrument, passive electronic, cherry body-wood, maple neck and mahogany fretboard. It has a very round and warm tone but at the same time it cuts through very well. It is the perfect instrument for my style of playing.

Last but not least I want to mention the cable company I work with; VOVOX cables, a company out of Switzerland. They make very high-end instrument cables. They are all handmade, high quality and last very long. It’s definitely worth it to invest in their products.

http://bernhardlackner.com/

http://www.hemage.com/

http://www.vovox.ch/