Here is a video of me playing bass on a composition by Dutch drummer and composer Sebastiaan Cornelissen. If you are into this kind of jazz fusiony stuff you should check out his music.

1976 Vintage Fender Stratocaster

You hear some negative comments about 70s strats. It is often said that the 3 bolt neck joint was dodgy and quality control was generally poor. This is an all original 1976 hardtail strat. Contrary to expectations, I cannot fault the build quality. The neck joint is snug and rock solid and the neck as straight as an arrow. The pickups have a bit of beef to them and they have the correct grey bases. In the mid 1970s Fender were transitioning from white to black parts although they had plenty of white parts to use up and you can see all combinations of black and white pickguards, pickups and knobs on contemporary strats. This one has black pickups and pickguard with white knobs.
This guitar has a lovely natural ash finish - most strats of the time had 2 or 3 piece bodies and often the wood was  joined off centre which can look a bit naff on a natural finish. This one has a centre joint and looks great. In fact, it is in stunning condition - it has few small scratches and dings on the body which you can hardly see from a few feet away. The neck is almost completely unmarked although the frets are low for my taste. I imagine they have been stoned a few times. On the plus side the action is very low without any buzz. This guitar is now 36 years old, many would regard it as vintage but looking at it and playing it, its hard to believe it is more than 2 or 3 years old.
I already have a few strats including a 1987 USA standard and 1987 strat plus along with a great G&L legacy and a couple of partsocasters so I may look to sell this one.

Soulful Strut

Yesterday, I recorded a version of an old tune called Soulful Strut,  also known as "Am I the Same Girl". Here is the YouTube link: 
http://bit.ly/sJ0lP4

Playing a Bongo 6 with Hunni and the Wasps

It was written by Eugene Record and Sonny Sanders. First recorded in 1968 by Barbara Acklin, it charted most successfully in the US as a 1992 release by Swing Out Sister. Also recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1969 and George Benson in 1979, the song was a 1968-69 instrumental hit single by Young-Holt Unlimited under the title "Soulful Strut". 
I recorded into Cubase 6. For bass I played my old 1987 Warwick Streamer 4 into an EBS 650 head which I DI'd into my little Mackie 1642 VLZ3 mixer. Guitar is a Campbell American Precix into a Boss GT10 processor into the Mackie. Dums are from BFD2 with a tambourine from Stylus RMX. All other parts are from Native Intruments Kontakt 4.
The track isn't quite finished, I am think about putting a short solo just after the key change but haven't decided whether to play it it on keys or guitar. I was hoping to persuade my band to play it  because it has a great feel and would go down well with the audiences we play to.

 

Rant 1 The cult of the tube screamer

Ibanez TS9

You know, there is nothing special about a pedal just because it is 25 years old. Its not like it was an antique. Most people have all sorts of crap lying around at home which is that old and not worth anything, even though it functions as well as it did the day it was made. A few electronic components in a metal box don't suddenly become magical so why do people spend so much money on old Ibanez TS808 and TS9s? TS-808s can sell easily for $450. It's commonly thought that the secret was in the JRC4558D chip. Analog Mike of analogman  is one of the leading pedal designers, builders and modifiers. As he points out, 'NOS' chips can be bought cheaply as can nearly all of the original components. There are hundreds of TS clones out there. Why not buy a new one like the Maxon OD9? - actually the Maxon is not a clone: after all, Maxon made the Ibanez original tube screamers - you can see their name on the circuit boards. OD9s sound great and if you want you can get them modded to the EXACT same spec as an original TS9 or 808 from the 70s or 80s. Analogman and Keeley and any number of others will do the mods for you at a reasonable price. Then you get the original sounds without the worry of having a rare pedal stolen.
Actually, the merits of many old guitars are doubtful too - they often look cool but prices have become ridiculously over-inflated.  Fenders were relatively simple, production line instruments. There are some dodgy old instruments out there amongst the nice ones. Perhaps sometimes magic happens as the wood dries, the finish cracks and the magnets weaken. It's hard to see why this would improve anything but I do accept that it could happen. However, I have never heard anything particularly different or special from an old pedal. They might crackle more. Some pedals were made with  parts that were substituted in later versions for cheaper or different parts that affect the sound but there are many pedal builders making TS clones with the best NOS parts which are every bit as good as the originals. I would prefer to spend my money for example on a new Maxon pedal which is hand made in Japan rather than take the risk of having an elderly pedal fail on stage.

Maxon OD9

For more info on tube screamers see an excellent article by Stinkfoot
http://stinkfoot.se/archives/713

I have 2 modded Maxon OD9s - One has the so called 'brown sound' mod along with a socket so I can swap chips - whilst this is interesting, the differences in sound between different chips is subtle. The other is an Analogman Silver mod pedal http://www.analogman.com/ts9silv.htm.

I also have a Maxon OD9 pro+ which is a modified and updated OD9 with a boost switch for more gain and the ability to run at 18 volts rather than  9 volts in the original, allowing more dynamic range and headroom along with higher output and less emphasis on the midrange. I like this pedal.

analogman pedals

Analogman Bi-Chorus

Analogman ARDX20 Dual analog delay

Analogman Bi-comprossor

Analogman King of Tone

I have acquired a handful of Analogman pedals over the last few years. I also have an Analogman Silver modified Maxon Tubescreamer OD9.

I do not know if these are the best pedals you can get, because everyone has their opinion of what sounds good but I think they are as good as you can get. They are beautifully made with the best components.  They are all very quiet and I think they sound great. The silk screened case designs look fantastic. Analog Mike is very helpful and responsive to questions

I was on waiting lists for the Bi-Comprossor and King of Tone for more than a year: the Bi-Comprossor arrived a few weeks ago.

The Bi-Chorus is my favourite of these pedals - I can switch from a slow subtle chorus effect to a fast leslie effect which is not easily done with a standard chorus. Many years ago I used a Boss CE2  almost all the time on clean tones. Eventually, I decided it altered the basic sound too much and I switched to using an uncoloured sound without any effect. The quality of this pedal has encouraged me to start using chorus again. I particularly like to use a fast setting as a special effect to emphasize certain lines rather than leaving it switched on all the time. On the slow setting you can get a John Scofield lead sound.

The King of Tone is essentially two independent distortion/OD pedals in one box. There are lots of options - you can adjust the overall gain settings with internal dipswitches on each side. Mine has the high gain mod on both sides.The way the two sides interact with each other gives a huge range of possibilities. You can set one side to mild boost and the other to a medium distortion, you can switch each side on independently and then together for a higher gain setting. Or maybe have a high gain setting on both sides together for humungous distortion and feedback! These are highly desirable pedals - they are great value for what they are and hold their value - often selling for more than the new price. 

Analogman have recently started shipping Prince of Tone pedals. These are one half of a King of Tone in a smaller box. They are made in China, unlike the KoTs but that shouldn't matter. The components are the same and they are checked in the US and there are some extra features over the KoT. Also, there is no waiting list for the Prince of Tone! You could always buy two.

For more info http://www.analogman.com/

No 3 Yamaha BB2004

This is a white 4 string thru neck active bass with pj pickups. It is a high quality instrument, largely the same as the still current Nathan East signature Yamaha 5 string.  In fact I saw Verdine White with Earth Wind and Fire last year - he was playing what looked like one of these basses. It has individual bridges for each string and quality unbranded machine heads. The are are very smooth - possibly by Gotoh. The preamp is based on the Yamaha Nathan East NE-1 EQ pedal, with a sweepable mid control making it easy to get that jazz bass Jaco style growl from the bridge pickup. It can also do a good impersonation of a precision bass. The neck through build means it has no heel and acess to all 24 frets is easy. The neck is a medium C shape and it has a low action. The fretboard looks like rosewood, with jazz bass style block pearloid markers.

I don't know exactly what these basses cost when new but I think the list price was over £1,000. I got mine on EBay for just over £300 in about 2004. It came in a Yamaha hard case and it was in mint condition!

Immaculate construction

Through neck construction

Its a nice instrument and sounds good. Made in Taiwan rather than Japan but very well made nonetheless. This is a versatile professional instrument. I have played a few gigs with it and it sits really nicely with a band mix on-stage, the sound being punchy and clear.

However, these days I have pretty much given up going to gigs with 4 string basses. I play in covers bands playing parties and corporate functions. Whenever I turn up with a 4 string at rehearsal, within a few songs, I have to swap to a 5 string because I need to play a synth bass line which drops to Db or even lower. I have become so used to playing 5 string bass that I have no use for a 4 string - I can slap just as well with 5 string when the occasion demands. I know it is popular to disparage 5 string players. I don't really understand that kind of gear snobbery. For me, they do everything a 4 string does with no downside except a bit of extra bulk and weight but that doesn't amount to much. In fact I have a 5 string bass which is lighter than most 4 strings at just over 8lbs.

Yamaha BB2004

This model was discontinued in around 2006. I guess it may have been very expensive to build and didn't catch the imagination of enough players to sell in sufficient numbers. I know that it was well reviewed in magazines and on bass forums.  It's a medium weight bass at just over 9lbs.

I think they were made in black white and natural and in 4 and 5 string versions (BB2005),  although the 5 string version had two jazz pickups rather than the precision/jazz combination on the 4 string.


I reckon if you see one of these at the right price you should snap it up

No 2 Greene and Campbell Precix

Greene and what??? you say...

I introduce the Precix ....dah..dahh

This is a seriously high quality instrument. I first encountered them at the London guitar show in 2006 - when I bought a rather lovely fretless bass but that is another blog.

 I am not sure exactly when this was made, maybe 4 or 5 years ago - I bought it about 3 years ago from Mr Music in Massachusetts on E-Bay (my E-Bay experiences will be in a later blog) . It was kind of 'new old stock' - it came in a gig bag and cost about £400 when we were getting $2 to the £. It was an amazing bargain - if you can find one in the UK expect to pay £1200 or more but I'm not selling mine. The company is now called Campbell American although the models are still the same. From New England, every one is different, handbuilt by Dean Campbell and a small team.  Dean  is very responsive to any questions. I believe he was formerly a Fender custom shop employee  He is also responsible for Angry Angus  guitars, high end Fender replicas.


This guitar is as light as a feather with seymour duncan humbuckers which split by pulling the tone control, nitro finish, maple neck with ebony board and the lowest action you could need, with the most playable neck. It is a very compact guitar. Simple but effective. I cannot recommend this guitar enough...but its not a strat,  Les Paul or PRS so what do you care...  Seriously though, you must try one. It can do anything!

The story goes that when Fender bought Guild they eventually closed down the New England Guild guitar factory leaving some experienced luthiers looking for work and they went to Greene and Campbell. To my mind there is a hint of Brian May's Red Special in the outline of the Precix and when you recall that Guild produced a very high quality Brian May model a few years ago maybe it is intentional? I dunno...it's just a thought.