Bill - Bass Guitar

I was a traditionalist Rickenbacker man until very recently but I now regularly play this Ibanez SR885 5-String which I borrowed, then later bought from Mike. It’s approximately1992, one of the higher range Ibanez made in Japan and believed to have been sold mainly in the USA – not to be confused with the Korean made SGR’s which are

 

 

 

fairly common in the UK. It Features active electronics with a pair of EMG J pickups controlled by master volume. I recently replaced the electronics with a full EMG EQS system, bass boost/cut – treble boost/cut – mid boost/cut/pan and pickup blend (an extra knob since this photo was taken)! It has a rosewood fingerboard – the body may be Ash (I’ve seen the odd one described this way in the US) but it is well concealed under the metallic blue finish. Hardware is Gotoh.

Compared with the Rickenbacker it has a thicker sound and is stronger on bass tones. Ian prefers the sound for the overall balance of the band. It has a fairly narrow neck for a five string which makes for easy playing and the neck is really solid. I didn’t touch the action; it was well set up. I’ve persevered to get used to the 5th string because it is really useful, not just for the low D and C, but also because certain pieces of music can be played further up the fret-board and you can easily span two octaves in one position. Dougie and I tune a semi-tone down to Eb.

Prior to buying it, I tried a six string Yamaha RBX and an Ibanez 6 string to experiment with Dream Theatre’s “As I am”. We stopped going in that direction when we realized Andy would have to have a guitar tuned to D. We reckoned another change of guitars mid-set was just a bind. Having said that, I found the 6-string a bit of a handful for not much benefit so I settled for the 5.

I've had the '73 Rickenbacker 4001 Stereo for 30 years and it's hard to better it. We experimented with stereo set-ups but for pub gigs I soon learned to keep it simple for rapid set-up and a solid sound. I've recently overhauled it and it still comes out occasionally!
 

My Peavey TKO bass combo couldn't keep up with Mike's Ludwig kit! So I use a Trace GP11 MkV Pre-amp through a Behringer EP2500 power amp. (Not the the old AC-ES one in the pics - it died)! I put the full range through both channels; one side to a 15" Trace Cabinet with 300W driver, the other channel through a Trace 4x10 cabinet. This has Celestion BL10-100s fitted.  Mike has a powered monitor to make sure he stays in touch with me. Funny how I never have the same problem hearing him!!
My most recent addition is the Drawmer MX20 compressor with expander which puts a lid on the overall volume and makes it easier for Ian to handle. It also makes for a more ‘compact’ sound, reducing the fret noise and other unwanted buzzes! The effects loop on the Trace is not full range so the MX20 has to be in line between the Trace and the Power Amp. The MX20 has a preset threshold with ‘soft knee’ characteristics and compression and ratio are set by one control. The output level is adjustable (becoming my pre-amp output level)  and can be visually set by LED’s. The overall level can then be marginally adjusted on the power amp if required

I have a home-made fretless which I have used with a drop-D tuning on Creed's 'Stand here with me' and also for the bass solo in Gary Moore's 'Empty Rooms'.

It is made of Australian Jarra (long story!) with a Schaller maple neck and machine heads, a DeMarzio P-Bass pickup which is awesome and jazz treble pickup of unknown origin. Wiring is my own variety. The bridge is solid aluminium and the strings barrels are embedded directly into the wood. It weighs a colossal 14lbs!! It is a very stable bass with excellent sustain for a fretless and huge output. It's beast!

Effects: Very few! An ancient Colorsound wah-wah and a BOSS distortion footswitch for Sabbath's 'NIB'. A Danelectro 'Hashbrown' Flanger for the bass solo in Stiltzkin's 'Inside' and the fretless solo in Empty Rooms.

mailto:b.brotherstone@o2.co.uk

Most recent entry in the gallery is this Jim Reed 5 string. It's pretty much a jazz copy but I was impressed with the reviews so scored one on Ebay. It has that Fender 'bright' sound and uses Kent Armstrong pickups. I use it all the time in my other band, playing blues.