Table of contents for August 2020 in Bass Player

Felix Pastorius, son of the late Jaco, has a unique job to do. He’s a bass player with an ongoing career to maintain; he has to field endless questions about his genius father, taken decades before his time; and he has to live a life with that unmistakable surname, with all the expectations it brings. We’re here to help him to fulfil those tasks, so when he sat down with us to reveal his current activities and future plans, we regarded it as a privilege. Jaco remains an enigma to most of us because he died long before his life’s work was complete: the light which Felix sheds on him can’t possibly come from anyone else. This issue covers a huge amount of ground, as is our stated mission: we…

Hello, bass players! In this issue, I want to go all the way back to the beginning, where most of us commence our journeys into live performance—when we were gigging for the first time as part of our local music scenes. This prospect can be quite daunting, but I assure you that it’s an experience like no other. For all of you who enjoy playing their local venues, or even who are yet to take the leap to performing live in public, here are my top tips to help you get going! DON’T WORRY—YOU’LL FIND THE RIGHT BAND We’ve all been at this point, figuring out how we take our bedroom playing to the stage—and what needs to happen for this to become a reality. For most of us, it’s…

You may have seen the 2014 documentary Jaco, produced by Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, which enjoyed its European premiere at the London Bass Guitar Show. It’s an astonishing tale, following Jaco from his early life through to stardom with Weather Report and as a solo artist, before his struggle with bipolar disorder and his tragically early death in 1987 at the hands of a nightclub bouncer. Along the way, the most commonly-seen bass guitar is the famous 1962 Fender Jazz, which Jaco defretted and used to devastating effect on many seminal recordings. Stolen from him in 1982, the bass vanished from the public eye until 2006 or thereabouts, when it resurfaced in a New York music store. Asked for a huge sum to repurchase it, the Pastorius family were aided…

Iplay bass in Slyboots, a melodic new wave band. The songwriter and guitarist, KG Noble, and I have been playing together for years, both in bands and backing different types of singers around New York City. Three years ago, she and I decided it was time to start our own band, and that became Slyboots. In 2017, our third gig took place at Liverpool’s Cavern Club for the International Pop Overthrow Festival. That was quite an accomplishment, because our singer had never been in a band before. We worked really hard to get a set together and develop a vibe. Our original drummer couldn’t go to Liverpool, and my husband, Ted Marcus—who used to play in the Meat Puppets—was talked into being our drummer for the festival. After that, he…

Fender www.fender.com $999.99 Fender’s recent Vintera range has been a decent replacement for the Big F’s Mexican-made Classic range, and its 60s Jazz basses come in three color options—three-tone Sunburst, Daphne Blue and Firemist Gold. The last of these is so easy on the eye, and Fender have imbued the Vintera Jazz with so many vintage 60s features, that we had to check one out. We reviewed a Vintera Precision earlier in the year—so how does the J stand up? Build Quality Weighing in at 8.6 pounds, this bass sits somewhere in the middle of bass weights—not especially light but not overly heavy either. The offset body-shape and classic curves, coupled with contouring front and back, add up to a totally familiar playing experience, and looks-wise, the body color fits…

Price | $1,499 Made In | South Korea Neck | Torrified Maple Body | Alder Neck Joint | Bolt-on, four bolt attachment Frets | 20 Pickups | E1 x custom-wound hum-cancelling split pickup Controls | Volume, Tone Bridge | Vintage style bridge with steel saddles Hardware | Hipshot Ultralite Clover Key tuners Weight | 8.5 lbs Case/gig bag included | No Left-hand option available | No WHAT WE THINK Plus | Classic vintage looks, sensible modern updates Minus | Nothing Overall | A very affectionate update to a classic BP RATING BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY VALUE…

Price | $509, $759, $1,019 Made In | UK Power | 500, 600, 750 watts RMS Impedance 4 ohm (8 and 16 ohm available), 4 ohm (8 ohm available), 4 ohm Frequency Response | 60Hz-4kHz, 45Hz-30kHz, 45Hz-20kHz Speakers | 1x10” FaitalPRO (Neodymium) driver; 1x12” FaitalPRO (Neodymium) driver, piezo with attenuator; 1x10” and 1x12” FaitalPRO (Neodymium) drivers Connections | 2 x Neutrik Speakon Dimensions | 415mm / 16.3” (H) x 295mm / 11.6” (W) x 345mm / 13.6” (D), 462mm / 18.2” (H) x 375mm / 14.8” (W) x 455mm / 17.9” (D), 610mm / 24” (H) x 375mm / 14.8” (W) x 455mm / 17.9” (D) Weight | 22.92 lbs, 37.48 lbs, 52.47 lbs WHAT WE THINK Plus | Interesting features, sensible designs and impressive performance Minus | So much…

Welcome back! I hope you’ve been having fun with the looping exercises we were looking at last month. This time, we’re going to talk a little bit about how we can use a looper to build more complex arrangements without having to overstretch ourselves technically. It’s worth pointing out at this point that any of these exercises can be done by recording the looped parts into a computer and looping them inside a digital audio workstation (or DAW), such as Garageband or Reaper. However, you just don’t get the option for real-time interaction that way, and you won’t get to explore the specific timing-centered learning that starting and stopping loops offers us—so let’s keep it old-school. Let’s start this month by playing a two-note double stop—that is, two notes played…

“DOUBLE POPPING CAN ADD SPICE TO YOUR SLAP LINES” Welcome back to my ongoing series of columns focusing on advanced slap bass techniques. Last month, we looked at popping double stops, or two notes simultaneously. We’ll be expanding on this concept in this month’s instalment, so I recommend recapping on the previous issue’s exercises before embarking on this month’s material. In this instalment, we’re going to be popping two notes once again, but this time in quick succession, rather than simultaneously. This technique is commonly referred to as double popping, and it can add some interesting rhythmic ideas into your playing. When it comes to popping notes, most players will typically favour either their first or second finger. It’s nevertheless an excellent idea to be able to use either, and…

SILVER MACHINE Fender unleash a glittering new PJ and a finger-friendly Player Series Mustang Fender continues its additions to its Precision and Jazz range, with two new models catching our eye. First, there’s the option to build a P-Bass in Inca Silver over at the Mod Shop, where for $150 or equivalent you can add V-Mod PJ pickups. Who doesn’t need an extra kick at the bridge end, after all? The US Mod Shop prices begin at $1,699, so if you’re interested in a midmarket-value Fender bass and fancy designing one yourself, you know what to do. In other news, remember Fender’s affordable Mexican Standard bass range? Us too, although it’s now a part of Big F history, having been replaced in 2018 by the popular Player Series, designed with…

Don’t you just hate it when somebody comes up with an idea so genius that you can’t help but kick yourself for not coming up with it first? Jonny Coffin did that over 25 years ago—and what started as a one-off guitar case has grown into one of the most recognizable brands in the world. How did this ball get rolling, we ponder? “In the beginning, I had a handmade coffin case that I was gigging around with in LA, in the late 80s and early 90s,” he recalls. “I had guitarists and bassists asking me, ‘Where did you get that case?’, so after a few hundred requests I decided to look into registering the patents and trademarks. I had a small wood shop in my garage to hand-make custom…

David Goldfine, better known as ‘JAH David’, is a Florida-based reggae bassist and producer with a huge list of credits behind him. He spends around six months of each year touring internationally with two artists—Pressure, from the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Jah9, from Jamaica—and when he’s off the road, he works as a studio musician, and produces a whole range of artists. Goldfine is also a member of the production team, Zion I Kings, with Laurent ‘Tippy I’ Alfred and Andrew ‘Moon’ Bain. He is endorsed by Conklin and plays a custom four-string GT4 bass, tuned BEAD. “There’s no single way that I record bass,” Goldfine says. “It’s all about the feel, so I mostly rely on the groove and work off the drums—sometimes without any chords to work from,…

Price | $999.99 Made In | Mexico Body | Alder Neck | Maple, 34” scale, gloss finish Neck Join | Bolt-on, four-bolt attachment Nut Width | 38mm Fingerboard | Pau ferro Frets | 20 Pickups | Fender 60s Jazz Bass single-coil pickups x 2 Electronics | Passive Controls | Volume, volume, tone Hardware | Chrome hardware, vintage bridge, vintage reverse open-gear machine heads Weight | 8.59 lbs Gigbag/case included | Deluxe gigbag Left-hand available | No WHAT WE THINK Plus | Tones, playability, authentic vibe Minus | Competition is extreme; setup could have been better Overall | Much to applaud—at a very good price BP RATING BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY VALUE…

Bacchus www.bacchus-guitar.com $1,600 [Approx] We haven’t had the pleasure of playing many Bacchus basses over the years, so it’s about time we cast our gaze over one. This particular instrument is part of the handmade Woodline range and features several extra touches alongside the standard Jazz Bass features—so how much value do they add? Build Quality The familiar design template has been used to good effect, although there are some aesthetic changes. The burgundy scratchplate and black control plate stand out against the translucent white ash body; flip the bass over and the lumber grain is clearly visible through the gloss lacquer. With effective contouring front and back, for the player’s benefit and comfort, and considerable access to the upper frets courtesy of the extensive lower cutaway, this resembles a…

MXR Clone Looper Price | $214 Features | Volume rotary control; two footswitches, Rec/Dub, Speed, Reverse, Play/Stop indicators Dimensions | 50mm / 1.96” (H) x 111mm / 4.37” (W) x 63mm / 2.5” (D) Weight | 0.68 lb BP RATING BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY VALUE Pigtronix Infinity 2 Price | $299 Features | Volume and Decay rotary controls; two footswitches, Stop, Once, Octave, Undo indicators Dimensions | 33mm / 1.3” (H) x 114mm / 4.5” (W) x 66mm / 2.6” (D) Weight | 1 lb BP RATING BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY VALUE…

Making you a better bass player Welcome to our lesson section, in which Bass Player collates the wit and wisdom of the crème de la crème of the electric and upright bass world. We’re fortunate enough to have some serious talent on the team, from world-class music educators to experienced touring musicians, who between them have laid down the low notes in every studio, club, and arena in the civilized world. Note that we’ve divided the columns according to Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced level for easy reference. Whether you’re looking to improve your playing technique, expand your awareness of theory, set up your rig to sound like your particular bass hero, or simply get on a bus and tour, we provide the answers you need here. What are you waiting…

This month, let’s take yet another technical stride forward with the introduction of tapping. The ability to master this technique can be a wonderful resource for many bass players, as it allows vast harmonic information to be presented in an unorthodox manner. Example 1 Our first example targets the I-IV and V chords in the key of G major. Whenever you work in a major key, be aware that the triadic chords on the first, fourth, and fifth diatonic steps are always major—this will prove useful when you’re deciphering an array of chord progressions. Beat one of the first measure is a repeating percussive figure: The word ‘blackcurrant’ has the same emphasis. Strike the first note of the phrase with your thumb before the next notes are plucked with your…

Welcome! The delay effect, which we studied in last month’s column, is usually defined as a very obvious repeat of a sound. In the world we inhabit, spaces have lots of surfaces—some near, some far—each of which consist of different materials. Sounds bounce off these surfaces, creating repeated echoes. Multiple such reflections from close range may not be separately distinguishable to the human ear; instead, we perceive the bigger or wider sound of reverberation—‘reverb’ for short. VERY GOOD. IS IT TRUE THAT REVERB PEDALS CAN BE EITHER ANALOG OR DIGITAL? Yes, although the very mention of the word ‘digital’ will have some folk running for cover. No need to fear, though—advances in modern technology have created incredibly lifelike facsimiles of real-world spaces in the virtual domain. The reverb qualities of…

NEW ALBUM Mabel, High Expectations (2019) Three bassists (Josh Werner, Tre Jean-Marie and Al Shux) supply the low notes on the debut album by newcomer Mabel. Sure, it’s slick R&B for teenagers, but even the most curmudgeonly bassist can’t deny the power of those grooves. OLD ALBUM Eagle Eye Cherry, Desireless (1997) Mabel’s uncle Eagle Eye had a way with grooves himself ‘back in the day’, performing like a maestro on his debut album and tying in serendipitously with this month’s ‘three generations of music’ concept for In The Grooves. REALLY OLD ALBUM Don Cherry and John Coltrane, The Avant-Garde (1966) On this astonishing record, bass players Charlie Haden and Percy Heath show more talent than 10 of the rest of us. The way that Cherry, Mabel’s grandfather, weaves around…

“Even if Jaco wasn’t my father, I’d still be comparing myself to other bassists” Warwick, NY-based Felix Pastorius was born, along with his twin brother Julius, in 1982, five years before the premature death of his father Jaco Pastorius, arguably the most influential electric bassist of all time alongside James Jamerson and Paul McCartney. A superb bassist himself with a long list of recording and performance credits behind him, including a stint in the Yellowjackets from 2012 to 2015, Felix plays in a handful of elite bands and delivers clinics and bass lessons. He’s also the author of several books, including Hot Dog Dinners For 4 String Electric Bass, Just A.S.I.P. Of Coffee & The Chromatic Scale and Scales From Rhythm And Outer Space... Aka Tetra Cocktails. Our questions for…

Behold our world-beating bass gear review section, where we bring you the crop of each month’s new, interesting, or otherwise relevant bass guitars, bass amplifiers, bass cabs, and bass effects. Occasionally we’ll review a guitar effect if it’s useful for bassists, but generally speaking, this zone is reserved for bass-specific gear. We take our reviews seriously. BP has readers all over the world, so we’re responsible about our conclusions. If a product is worth your time, we’ll say so; if it’s flawed, we’ll make that clear. We’re not beholden to advertisers in any way, and our tests are independent of the views of manufacturers and distributors. When you read about a product here, you’re getting a balanced review from an experienced bass tester. Value for money is at the top…

Sonata Marketing www.sonatamarketing.com $1,499 There’s no shortage of new instruments that build on Leo Fender’s classic designs, but the recently launched Modern Vintage basses have certainly caught our attention. Developed with the assistance of master luthier Rob Elrick, this South Korea-built range aims to evoke those classic designs while incorporating updates and improvements that retain the sound, look and feel of the instruments that inspired them. MV currently offer Jazz and Precision-inspired instruments, and we elected to put the latter through its paces. Build Quality The MVP4 was inspired by a 1962 Precision bass, and with the exception of the torrified—roasted, in other words—maple of the neck and headstock, that’s exactly how the bass appears. With an Olympic White finish over an alder body, dot inlays and a four-ply tortoise…

Price | $1,600 Made In | Japan Color | Translucent white, gloss finish Body | Ash, two-piece Neck | Maple, 34” scale, satin finish Neck Joint | Bolt-on, four-bolt attachment Nut Width | 46mm Fingerboard: Ebony Frets | 24 Pickups | Bacchus JB-ALV single-coil pickups x 2 Electronics | Bartolini XTCT active circuit Controls | Volume (push/pull for turbo boost), balance, treble, bass, active/ passive switch Hardware | Black and brass hardware, Gotoh 404 SJ-5 bridge, Gotoh GB11W machine heads Weight | 9.26 lbs Case/gig bag included | Gigbag Left-hand option available | Yes, as a custom order WHAT WE THINK Plus | Bold tones Minus | A little weighty Overall | A high-calibre instrument that begs to be played BP RATING BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY VALUE…