Bass Gear

The Zon Sonus Custom 5-string has been my main bass since June 2006. This project actually began as a customized Zon VB fretted 4-string with a quilted walnut top in April 2004, but a couple months after submitting my downpayment, I located a bass that had the most unbelievable wood top I had ever seen. The wood was called "water-cured" or "black" redwood burl. It's an extremely rare type of wood because it doesn't exist naturally in forests.

There are several lumber companies in the United States that harvest highly-prized lumber such as black redwood and do so in an environmentally-conscious fashion without eroding the environment because their source isn't old-growth forests. Instead, they search the depths of America's lakes and rivers for these treasures.

Prior to railroads, waterways were used as the primary means of transportation to the mills. After trees were cut down, the logs were tied to rafts and floated to the mills for processing, and during transit, some logs became waterlogged and sank. Rather than try to recover the "sinkers," it was much easier for mills at that time to just cut additional logs.

Black redwood is harvested from redwood trees that fell into streams or lakes where they remained submerged in icy cold water for decades and in some cases for well over 100 years. While being immersed in water for such a long period of time, bacteria ate away at the substances in the wood, and that caused certain changes to take place on a cellular level. Most or all of the naturally-occurring resins in the wood were washed out and then replaced with dissolved water minerals. This piece of black redwood has a unique appearance and actually looks more like a highly-figured piece of quilted walnut because all of the "red" was washed out of the original redwood and replaced with water minerals.

Thankfully, I found a picture of black redwood before the building process of the VB4 started so I sent Joe a picture of the wood, and he made some phone calls. After about 9 months of searching, he found a piece of black redwood. The only problem was that the piece he located was too big to use for a VB4 body. Actually, we could have used the wood, but so much of it would have been wasted. He was really adamant about not using the piece of black redwood he found for a VB4, but he said it would be perfect for a Sonus Custom 5-string which was going to be the next project we started after completing the VB4. We went back and forth over the phone a couple times before I agreed that we should put the Sonus Custom 5-string project in front of the VB4. I've always had plenty of 4-string basses so this actually turned out to be a good decision. I hadn't owned a 5-string bass since 1995, and I had a bunch of solo bass ideas that I wanted to try on a 5-string because they were physically impossible to do on a 4-string bass.

Since we had a good-sized piece of black redwood to work with, I decided to use what was leftover from the black redwood body blank for a headstock laminate and a raised ramp that is positioned between the two pickups.

After we found the gallery-grade black redwood top, we needed Bartolini to create a prototype set of pickups that were voiced similar to the multi-coil pickups that I had installed in my Sonus 4-string in 1999 without actually being multi-coil pickups. Ever since I replaced the original single-coil pickups in my Sonus 4-string with multi-coils, they have been my favorite pickup configuration. Multi-coils produce a very focused, articulate sound. They sound much more "high-end" than typical single-coil pickups found in vintage basses. From an engineering perspective, building multi-coil pickups poses a number of problems, and the biggest issue involves string-to-string volume consistency because it's difficult to wind four independent coils and make each one deliver just as much output as all of the others. When my Sonus 4-string had multi-coils installed in it, the E-string was always slightly louder than the other three strings, and I always needed to modify my technique because I had to be careful not to articulate the E-string too much. Designing the pickups proved to be a major setback in the completion of this bass, but after months and months of waiting, Bartolini finally delivered.

This bass was originally designed to contain a set of the narrow-shaped Bartolini soapbar pickups, but after serious consultation with Zon, we decided to install a set of the wider-shaped soapbar pickups for two reasons. First, the wider soapbars would give us more options in terms of pickup design. If, for some reason, I didn't like the prototype pickups that Bartolini was making specifically for this bass, it would be easier for us to keep trying different pickup configurations with the wide soapbars. As an additional benefit, I could utilize the pickups as an extended ramp. When the surface area of the two wide soapbar pickups is combined with the surface area of the black redwood ramp, that provides approximately 5 inches of ramp from the bridge to the neck.

The elevated wood ramp design is often referred to as the "Willis ramp" because bass virtuoso Gary Willis is credited with its development. Willis is a world-renowned fretless player, and he created the raised ramp in the 1980's to force himself to play with a light touch and to keep from digging in too much. He installs his ramps between the end of the fingerboard and the single pickup on his instruments, but that particular design would not work well for someone like me who utilizes a lot of slapping and plucking techniques on a fretted bass. I decided that it would be a good idea to place the ramp between the pickups because that was wasted space otherwise.

I tune this bass E-A-D-G-C. I've only owned a couple of 5-string basses over the years, but each one of them was tuned with a high C-string as opposed to the typical low B-string. I've never had any use for a low B-string in any of the music that I have ever played. In fact, most of the 5-string players that I know today don't use their low B-string for anything more than a thumb rest. For me, a low B-string just gets in my way and causes more muting-related problems. If I want to go lower than standard tuning, I'll just simply utilize the Hipshot Xtender key which I have installed on all of my basses.

There are several advantages to playing a 5-string bass and tuning it with a high C-string. First, 5-string basses minimize the amount of horizontal shifting that a bassist is required to do when playing something up to and beyond a two-octave span on a 4-string fingerboard. In other words, the added string permits you to play more vertically as opposed to forcing you to play horizontally as is the case on 4-string basses. Second, the problem in tuning a 5-string bass with a low B-string is that the notes always lose definition on the low B-string especially as you ascend to higher positions on the neck. For example, play the low G at the 3rd fret of the E-string and compare how that sounds to the same G note at the 8th fret of the B-string. Even an untrained ear will be able to hear the difference. This has nothing to do with the design of the bass itself because you could apply this test to a $500 5-string bass or a $5,000 5-string bass and the results are still going to be the same. This tonal difference is due to the physics involved with string vibration and where you fret notes on the fingerboard. Finally, the high C-string facilitates the ability to play chord voicings with greater clarity which would be physically impossible to play with a low B-string, and the high C-string also has more to offer in terms of soloing applications.

This bass practically plays itself. The overall setup of Zon basses is the best in the business, and the fretwork is second-to-none. Unfortunately, a lot of the amazing wood grain is lost in a web-quality picture. You really have to check out the black redwood top in person in order to capture all the intricate details found in the wood.

To learn more about Zon basses and the benefits of composite neck design, CLICK HERE TO READ MY INTERVIEW WITH JOE ZON.

Zon Sonus Custom 5 Specifications - CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGE IMAGE
Body: Two-piece swamp ash with gallery-grade black redwood burl top and polyester gloss finish
Neck: Composite, bolt-on design with flat urethane finish
Fingerboard: Phenowood with 24 frets and side dot markers
Headstock: Gallery-grade black redwood burl laminate
Nut: Graphite
Scale length: 34"
Pickups: 2 Bartolini prototype, linear single-coil
Electronics: 9-volt ZB-4.3 active system made for Zon by Bartolini with master volume, pickup blend, concentric bass/treble, and midrange control with selectable 3-position midrange frequency switch at 250Hz/400Hz/700Hz
Bridge: Zon machined brass
Tuners: Gotoh GB7 with Hipshot Xtender on E-string
Hardware: Black
Other: Gallery-grade black redwood burl ramp between pickups
Weight: 8 lbs.

From December 1993 - June 2006, this Sonus 4-string served as my main bass guitar. When the Sonus series debuted in the early 1990's, it was marketed as "The Jazz Bass of the 90's." I've invested thousands of hours of practice and gigging time on this bass. Weighing just a little over 6 lbs., this is the lightest bass I've ever played.

This Sonus barely resembles its original form as it was delivered to me in 1993. In fact, the only original parts still on this bass are the swamp ash body and the strap buttons. From 1993 - 1996, it was a fretless bass guitar because I played fretless bass exclusively during that period. In 1996, I replaced the fretless neck for one that was fretted. In 1999, it received its most extensive upgrade. I was playing so much between 1996 and 1999 that the frets had been worn down to almost the fingerboard and the neck had several dings in it so Zon put on a new fretted neck. Zon installed new Bartolini electronics and a set of Bartolini multi-coil pickups which were being used in the Sonus Special basses at that time. The original Wilkinson bridge was replaced with a Zon bridge, and this Sonus also became the first ever Zon to have the 3-band mid-frequency switch and control installed in it which has since become a standard option on Zon basses. The electronics configuration on this bass is now the standard in the Sonus 519 model.

In the Fall of 2005, this Sonus was once again upgraded. This time the frets were recrowned, the neck was sprayed with a flat urethane finish, and the bass received a new paint job with a high-gloss polyester finish. There were spots on the body where the finish had been worn down to almost the bare wood. Zon replaced the bridge due to a G-string saddle that would no longer raise or lower, and he also installed a brand new set of Bartolini prototype, linear single-coil pickups.

Today, my Sonus 4-string is my primary altered tunings bass with both standard and piccolo strings, but I also utilize this bass for teaching as well. When I'm not using it for instruction to demonstrate things in standard tuning, typically this bass is tuned in cello tuning, C-G-D-A. I played a real acoustic cello for a couple years in my late teens, and I've always thought that cello tuning works especially well for solo bass guitar. Cellos are tuned in 5ths instead of 4ths like a standard electric bass so to tune a bass like a cello you'd tune the standard E-string down two whole-steps, the A-string down a whole-step, the D-string would stay the same, and the G-string would be tuned up a whole-step. Compared to an acoustic cello, tuning the bass in this fashion results in tones sounding one-octave lower. Not only does this tuning allow you to achieve a range that is broader than a standard 5-string bass, but it also allows you to generate chordal and harmonic sonorities that would be physically impossible to play on a 4-string bass in standard tuning. Cello tuning is the first tuning I teach students who are interested in exploring the possibilities available through altered tunings because most of the notes have only shifted a couple of frets from what you'd expect in standard tuning. Initially, tuning your bass in 5ths makes common bass grooves like walking lines more challenging to play because there is more shifting required, but cello tuning is excellent for solo bass playing.

Zon Sonus 4 Specifications - CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGE IMAGE
Body: Two-piece swamp ash with translucent red and polyester gloss finish
Neck: Composite, bolt-on design with flat urethane finish
Fingerboard: Phenolic with 24 frets and side dot markers
Nut: Graphite
Scale length: 34"
Pickups: 2 Bartolini prototype, linear single-coil
Electronics: 9-volt ZB-4.3 active system made for Zon by Bartolini with master volume, pickup blend, concentric bass/treble, and midrange control with selectable 3-position midrange frequency switch at 250Hz/400Hz/700Hz
Bridge: Zon machined brass
Tuners: Gotoh GB7 with Hipshot Xtender on E-string
Hardware: Black
Weight: 6 lbs.

I purchased my first SWR bass rig in 1990, an SM-400 amplifier along with a Goliath II 4x10 speaker cabinet. The SWR Grand Prix preamp has served as my primary preamp since 1994. It is state-of-the-art in design, features, and sound. With the Grand Prix, I can obtain the entire tonal spectrum and cover any live performance situation or studio application. I've tested practically every unit SWR has manufactured over the years, and I still feel that the Grand Prix is the best piece of gear SWR ever produced. Unfortunately, SWR stopped manufacturing this unit in 2001.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW LARGE TOWER OF POWER IMAGE

The SWR Stereo 800 power amp has provided the power behind my tower since 1994. The Stereo 800 was designed in conjunction with the Grand Prix preamp in the early 1990's. It provides enough power to amplify multiple cabinets even in the largest of venues. Like the Grand Prix preamp, SWR ceased production of the Stereo 800 in 2001.

The GS 410 is my main speaker cabinet. It is capable of handling 700 watts and features four 10" cast frame woofers made by Eminence to Aguilar's specifications, top and bottom front ports, a phenolic tweeter, a variable tweeter level control, neutrik speakon and 1/4" inputs, seven-ply, void-free Philippine mahogany construction, a wide 40 Hz to 16 kHz frequency response, and removable caster wheels. Although it is a relatively heavy cabinet that weighs nearly 100 lbs., its compact design allows for easy transportation and storage. The GS 410 responds very quickly for a tight, articulate, and full-range sound which permits it to respond well to all of the contemporary bass playing techniques including fingerstyle, picking, slapping, and tapping in every live performance application. It works well for solo bass gigs as well as for playing within different band configurations in large venues at high volume levels where the bass is often muddied or lost in the mix. I've played through and owned dozens of speaker cabinets including 4x10's, 2x12's, 2x10's, 1x15's, and 8x8's, but I haven't found a better sounding cabinet than the GS 410.

To learn more about Aguilar Amplification, CLICK HERE TO READ MY INTERVIEW WITH DAVE BOONSHOFT.

With its full-bodied tone, the GS 212 can be utilized within a variety of musical styles from rock to jazz. As with all GS series cabinets, the GS 212 features cast frame woofers made by Eminence to Aguilar's specifications, a phenolic tweeter, a variable tweeter level control, neutrik speakon and 1/4" inputs, as well as seven-ply, void-free Philippine mahogany construction. For gigs that don't require my entire bass rig, the GS 212 operates as a versatile and portable 212 combo amp.

Raven Labs was started by Steve Rabe, the founder of SWR Amplification. From their 1998 to 2005 production run, Raven Labs manufactured a series of professional outboard gear for musicians and engineers including DI's, mixers, preamps, equalizers, and effects that have become revered for their high-quality, durability, and superb tone-shaping abilities. The MDB-1 is great for gigs that require multiple basses because I can plug in and mix up to three instruments simultaneously without worrying about signal loss, and at the same time, I can send two completely separate signals from the MDB-1 to my stereo bass rig, one to the SWR Grand Prix preamp and another to the SWR Marcus Miller preamp. As of Rabe's retirement in February 2005, all development, production, and shipment of Raven Labs products ended.

For over 30 years, Furman has been the leader in AC power management solutions for audio, video, and broadcast professionals. Furman's advanced SMP+ circuit absorbs, clamps, and dissipates any offending surges or spikes to save your gear without sacrificing any parts. With their proprietary Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT), Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS), and high current TVZ-MOV components, Furman's technology offers the world's most advanced electrical surge and spike protection available. Every piece of gear in my bass rig is plugged into the PL-Plus II, and with its rear BNC connector, I can illuminate the back of my rack with the Furman GN-LED gooseneck light.

E. & O. Mari, Inc., the maker of La Bella strings, is one of America's oldest and largest manufacturers of fine strings for virtually every kind of stringed instrument. E. & O. Mari makes and distributes over 2000 different strings suitable for every type and style of music. The Mari family began making violin strings in the town of Salle, Italy, in the 14th century, and it was in 1640 that the Mari family came to prominence. For centuries their factory supplied the finest strings to violin makers including Amati and Stradivari. By the 20th century, the House of Mari was one of the largest manufacturers of musical instrument strings in Italy. It was during that time period the Mari family began to sell their best strings under the brand name "La Bella." Today, no other company has such international scope nor makes strings for such an incredible variety of instruments.

I have been using La Bella bass strings since 1993, and I became an official endorsee for their strings in April 2004. I've tested practically every brand of string being manufactured today, and La Bella strings are the brightest-sounding, longest-lasting bass strings I've ever played. They are consistently balanced and have brilliant grand piano-like tone, unsurpassed clarity, powerful sustain, and rock-solid stability. I've always really liked the exceptionally bright tone produced by these stainless steel roundwound strings, and I've found that they work especially well for solo bass playing where slapping and tapping techniques are utilized.

I use the following sets:
M42-C - .030, .040, .060, .080, .100 for the Zon Sonus Custom 5-String
M42 - .040, .060, .080, .100 for the Zon Sonus 4-String
Custom Gauge Piccolo Strings - .020, .032, .042, .052 for the Zon Sonus 4-String

I've been using Bartolini pickups and electronics since 1993. I feel that they are the best pickups and electronics being made today. Prototype Bartolini pickups are installed in both my Zon basses. Although having any kind of Bartolini custom pickup designed typically takes between 6-12 months and sometimes even longer than that, the end results are always worth the wait.

Evidence Audio cables are extremely high performance instrument cables made of the finest materials available. Evidence Audio's exceptional quality delivers a fully-balanced signal with improved clarity, a wide dynamic range, a sonic depth, and a well-defined, articulate sound which other cables lack. With direct A/B cable testing against a range of cables of varying price levels, Evidence Audio cables easily outperform them all. You can actually hear a sonic difference. Instrument cables are probably the single most overlooked piece of equipment in a bass player's rig, and practically everyone I know will plug their basses into an amp using any instrument cable they can find. I'm always amazed at the number of bassists who are playing high-end basses worth $5,000 - $10,000 and plugging their instruments into expensive bass rigs using a $10 cable. What is the point of spending thousands of dollars on bass gear and then have your signal compromised with a cheap cable?

The Comfort Strapp is unlike any other strap I've ever used. Its composite design will relieve at least a couple pounds of any bass you play and is especially useful with heavy instruments. I keep a Comfort Strapp permanently attached to each bass I own.

The Mackie 1402-VLZ3 Pro mixer is one of the best-sounding mixer in its class and the central hub for my entire studio. Practically every piece of gear that I own gets plugged into this mixer, and the audio signals are then routed to either my computer, stereo, or the microphone input of my Sony HC9 camcorder for video production. It's the ideal compact mixer for home and project studios seeking superior performance in an economical, small-footprint package. The 1402-VLZ3 Pro comes equipped with Mackie's XDR2 studio-grade preamps for ultralow noise and high headroom performance. The 6 XDR2 mic preamps can handle inputs from a whisper all the way up to a scream without any added coloration. It also has 6 mic/line level input channels, 4 stereo line level input channels (balanced), XLR stereo main outs, phantom power, and powerful RF rejection. Other features include 2 auxiliary sends, 2 stereo auxiliary returns plus effects to monitor, 3-band active EQ on each channel, a lo-cut filter on the mic channels, balanced stereo control room and alt outs, a headphone jack, steel chassis, faders, and much more.

Finale is the world's best-selling music notation software for creating, editing, and printing sheet music. Every free lesson and correspondence lesson consisting of standard notation and tablature that has been posted on this web site and the IIB was created with Finale music notation software.

I've been using the Sony Vegas video editing software since 2005 to do video bass lessons. With hundreds of effects, filters, transitions, and much more, I can export video clips to the Windows Media Video file format for streaming or download and also create professional-quality instructional DVD's.

Transcribe! is one of the best software programs ever devised for music education and the art of transcription. With Transcribe!, you can easily transcribe solos and bass grooves from your favorite recordings by slowing down the tempo without changing the pitch. Set loop points to capture small excerpts or even loop complete tracks over and over at a slow speed, and increase the tempo in steps until you can play note-for-note alongside the original performance. You can also edit tracks and then export them at a slower tempo which is another great feature that I really like to use when a passage is just too fast to play for my students.

The Countryman B3 is a miniature omnidirectional lavalier microphone designed for broadcast, performance, and theatrical applications. The microphone has a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response, and the omnidirectional polar pattern allows the B3 to be mounted in hair and clothing without signal degradation. The B3 measures only .23 inch in diameter, and its moisture-resistant capsule is designed to withstand sweat and humidity. The B3 is used to record my voice for all correspondence and video bass lessons.

The NT3 is a studio and location workhorse. With both 48V phantom and internal 9V battery operation, the NT3 can be utilized anywhere. Designed for studio, stage and location work, this extremely versatile microphone features a wide 20Hz to 20kHz frequency response along with a hypercardioid polar pattern and an ultra-low noise electronic circuit that has a high immunity to RF interference. I like to mount the NT3 to my Sony HC9 camcorder for recording clinics and concerts via a BeachTek DXA-2S XLR adapter because the NT3 more faithfully reproduces sounds than what is possible with the internal microphone on the HC9.

The Sony HC9 captures genuine 1080i high definition video on miniDV cassettes and is one of the best-rated miniDV camcorders available. All video bass lessons are recorded with this camcorder and exported to my computer via firewire where they are edited using Sony Vegas.

The GS414B floor stand and GSP39WB wall hanger feature Hercules' patented, self-locking Auto Grab system that securely holds your bass in place using its own weight. The AutoSwivel system of the GSP39WB works well for hanging any bass with an asymmetrical headstock vertically on a wall because it can rotate 30 degrees to the right or left. The compact GS402B mini stand is portable enough to fit in almost any gig bag or case, and these stands work perfectly for displaying and photographing your instruments.

The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are ideal for a wide variety of applications including audio for video production, radio and TV broadcasting, recording studio production, live sound reinforcement, and personal home recording. These large diaphragm headphones feature a rugged foldable design, 40mm drivers for clean sound reproduction, and a highly-effective closed-ear construction that provides a tight bass response and practically eliminates all external noise. Gold-plated connectors prevent rust and corrosion, and a UniMatch plug is provided for both 1/4" and 1/8" jacks. Frequency response is a flat 10Hz to 20kHz.