A Bass of Miles

And you might be wondering, who in the heck is Darryl Jones? In my hometown Monterrey we have a saying: "ni en su casa lo conocen" (they don't even know him in his own house). But behold, he has played with some of the greatest names in music: Miles Davis, Sting, Madonna, Peter Gabriel and at this moment he's touring with The Rolling Stones. Yea mates, the very same Miles Davis whom we love. In his own words: "My approach to all music is break it down cut away the excess get back to the fundamentals. I play rock-solid bass. That's what I love to do." And he does it with a beautiful Lakland Darryl Jones Signature model available in both US and Skyline series (check the "Dark Star In The Land" post to learn the difference). This bass is like an extra curved jazz-bass thing. Is very ripe and looks solid as rock. I really dig the block inlays. Lately I've been wondering, why do I like Laklands more than Fenders? What is the psychological mechanism that works in my head? And it all comes down to quality and performance. Lakland is a small company and therefore they pay extra attention to detail, they keep that luthier feel, this means an extra cost, but there you have a unique instrument, that you won't find in any store, something special made with love. And that is the kind of guitar shop I'd like to own.

Backer On A Baker

Well, I'm sorry but despise all the years we've know it is not a "baker" but a "backer". Yes, I'm speaking of course of the quintessential guitar maker Rickenbacker that are now celebrating their 75th anniversary. The Rickenbacker International Corporation (RIC) grew out of the first company founded for the sole purpose of creating and manufacturing fully electric musical instruments and amplifiers-the Los Angeles-based Electro String Instrument Corporation. Founded in 1931 by Adolph Rickenbacker and George D. Beauchamp, this pioneering firm produced "Rickenbacker Electro Instruments", the first modern electric guitars. RIC's history now spans 75 years in business on the leading edge of music trends that have changed popular culture forever. Some of the most significative songs made in music history were made with Rickenbackers. From the Beatles to Pearl Jam and Radiohead. If you know a little about guitars you know you want a Rickenbacker.

A landmark instrument of Rickenbacker is the Model 4003. A bass of a sound so distinctive that I would take the freking Pepsi Challenge any time. A neck through body and ebony fretboard. Original Rickenbacker pickups. This bass has been heard all around the world, and I hope it will keep on rocking. Music is the solution to all the pains and fears in the world, is the only thing with substance and purpose. Amont players we all love who use this thing are Soda Stereo's Zeta Bocio and Sabo Romo. I've also heard this bass live, played by Zoe, believe me, it's freaking awesome.

Dark Star In The Land

Sometimes I think of getting a new guitar, well, that happens to me on a daily basis, mostly every five minutes. And people would say: "Yeah Rola, get a Fender bass a Precision or a Jazz Bass, they're very nice and you like'em a lot". The truth is, I really like them but I always want to have something different, something nobody else would have, something unique and peculiar. And want to do my dear web visitor? I like those Fender shapes, but I'd like more features and a more peculiar bass. And these characteristics are met by an almost obscure, unknown brand, the nice and beautiful Lakland. But this brand provides classic Fender-ish shapes, new original shapes, awesome pickups and electronics, and construction quality most companies have been dreamong about for decades.

The first time I saw a Lakland bass being used was by Wilco's John Stirratt, playing a Bob Glaub (p-bass look alike) signature model equipped with the original Dark Star pickup, that I only have seen in Lakland instruments as a given factory option/upgrade. Also Lakland has a Skyline series which would be the cheapo asian made versions, but the thing is that those Korean made basses sound, look and feel exactly the same as a US made ones, no difference, only that the US ones are mostly hand made and have extra features, being this a great asset to the Lakland name. In a few words, if I wanted a Fender bass with the features and quality offered by the cheapest Lakland bass I would have to pay twice the money.

Afraid I Might Lose Her

These days I have been really depressed and have not written much, I miss my old lady, the love of my life... and in this hiatus of sadness and LOST-watching madness I've been listening to a band that makes me sad and sore, Deftones, and as they sing "When Girls Telephone Boys" and "Pink Maggit" I wonder. As Stephen Carpenter said: "...most people think our songs are about being angry and stomping, but most of them are really songs about love...". And how does Mr. Stephen Carpenter deliver such moody tones? What is the palette of this guitar Artist? Well, that would be without shadow of a doubt the ESP Stef Carpenter Signature Model. For those of you who don't know much about ESP or guitars whatsoever. ESP has built guitars for a lot of musicians, mostly metal, hardcore, trash and sorts of badass players. ESP has a sub-brand named LTD that allows people to buy high quality instruments without the high price. Believe me, if you have an ESP you won't be playing Hanson's Mmm Bop in it, thus the Prince of Darkness comes after you (c'mon people I'm not speaking about Satan, I'm speaking of George Bush). By the way, LOST sucks, I'm almost done with the first season (in a two-day session). I miss you Fabs.

Midi Chlorians

Once upon a time I had a dream of lore, and I was shredding chords, but it came to pass that it sounded gross. And there it was, wrapped in light the midi interface that saved my life. And as good ol' Qui Gon said: "...Midi controls the music within us, it lets us play". The MIDI is a protocol (in the Real Time System Exclusive subset) ratified by the MIDI Manufacturers Association in 1991 which allows all types of media control devices to talk with each other (just like midichlorians) and with computers to perform show control functions live. Musical MIDI simply transmits digital information about a multimedia performance.

And now from M-Audio. If you need total MIDI control and playability in a compact package, check out the Axiom 49. This advanced 49-key USB mobile MIDI controller delivers semi-weighted action plus assignable aftertouch, along with eight rubberized trigger pads that are perfect for hands-on drum programming and performance. Nine sliders complement eight endless rotary encoder knobs to control just about any software studio parameter you can think of. 15 MIDI-assignable buttons—including six transport controls—and assignable wheels and foot pedals round out total control. The dedicated front-panel keypad and backlit LCD screen provide intuitive setup. There’s room for 20 non-volatile memory locations for instant access to setups, plus compatibility with our free Enigma editor/librarian software for managing a virtually infinite library via Mac or PC (Pedorrencia Cacosa).

And whatever happened in my dream? Whell, it just sufices me to say that when Yanny heard me play he shitted his freaking pantaloons.

Pinto Beans

DiPinto Guitars is a small family owned company, operating out of Philadelphia, PA. Founded in 1995 as a repair shop, the store slowly evolved into a showroom specializing in oddball vintage guitars and Chris DiPinto's own guitar creations. Over the years, DiPinto has grown to include a full scale guitar manufacturing operation while still operating the original retail outlet. DiPinto recreated the look and feel of the old sixties molded plastic bodies with the infamous Belvedere Standard Bass,with its patented double layer semi-hollow wood body, a bolt on neck on a mahogany body and chrome single coils. The picture of this bass is in the Webster's Dictionary for the word "funk". This cool looking bass sings classy psychedelia all around.

Precision Strenght

Squier is a brand name that most people relate to cheapo asian guitars. The truth is that Squier, a subsidiary of Fender, has been manufacturing guitars, based on Fender original models, since the early eighties and has improved a whole lot in their manufacturing quality and also has developed their own unique designs. In the words of Mr. Manny Stewart: "... I play a Squier. I say that without hesitation, proudly, and perhaps a little defiantly. A lot of Squier players will say 'I play a Strat' or 'a Tele' or 'Showmaster' and leave the Squier part out. Why? Because they're embarrassed they don't have the Fender name on the headstock. I think it's time to speak up for Squier. They make great guitars and sell them for ridiculously low prices. If anything, Squier players should feel smart for having gotten such a good deal... Sure, the Fender name is big, loaded with history, allure, and all of the cachet that goes along with being a legend. If you can afford an American-made Fender, you should get one. But even if you are excessively value conscious or have budget constraints, you don't have to give up on the notion of having a real Fender. Squier instruments are real Fenders and you can afford one..."

I once owned a Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster, in a two tone sunburst and believe me, I miss the guitar, it was more reliable than my Ibanez and held its tune much better. The guitar player in my band owns two of those and he smashed the crap out of them and are still working well. And to prove it once more I'd like to talk about the Squier Precision Bass Special, that comes, in one of its options, in a beautiful satin pewter color with matching headstock, a Jazz bass pickup in the bridge position and a Precision bass split pickup. I recently found a video of Danny Wood, bassist for ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead..., at the end of a show, trying to destroy his Squier Bass (proving that professionals play this "cheap" guitars) and failing in the attempt. He also plays one of these basses. The moral of this story? Badass tone, kick ass construction: A great affordable entry/pro level instrument. I won't be smashing a 2000usd bass on the floor... well I would't smash this one either anyway.

Radio Tele

A friend of mine asked me to provide some info in any of Radiohead's Thom Yorke guitar gear. I really like his Custom Telecaster, it's one of my favorite instruments to see. This instrument was mostly played during the OK Computer period, though it has a lot of sticker in it. The ’72 Telecaster Deluxe features many of those options, including an alder or ash body (depending on finish), a C-shaped maple neck, bullet truss rod, ’70s vintage hardtail strings-through Strat bridge, three-bolt neckplate, ’70s Strat headstock, two Wide Range humbucking pickups, traditional three-way switching and four skirted amp knobs. Some cool features of this guitar is that it has two-volume two-tone knobs, jut like in the Les Paul configuration and also it has vintage pickup covers making it sound as an old axe perfect for such tunes as "Lucky" and "Exit Music For A Film". You may get this guitar for no more than $700usd. Ever seen this axe live?

Barça

Luthierie is fonder in some countries than others. One of these countries is Spain, they practically developed the guitar luthier concept with the calssical flamenco guitar. As a friend of mine once told me -Barcelona, smells of guitar, everything in common life goes around the guitar-. Jerzy Drozd is a Luthier company that are specialized in bass guitar crafting. Jose Tirado Lacruz, Xavier Lorita Gomez, Ramon Armengol, Jerzy Drozd, and Kitxa the cat devote their lives, time and talent to bass building. They develop some of the most beautiful, elegant, innovative, fine, awesome basses. In their own words: "...Our approach to bass building is very simple: for us it's a science, meaning high precision, high-tech components. Also it's a fine artisan work, meaning special attention to every detail and finally, it's and Art...". And that's really what these instruments are, an outstanding piece of Art that could be displayed in a museum.

The Barcelona model is their newest model. Everything from the pickups from to the tunning machines is custom made. This is a neckthrough spanish cedar semihollow body instrument, made with the same wood used to build flamenco guitars. The strings go through the body improving resonance and sustain. Wooden pickup covers and an elegant hole in one of the horns. A wooden bridge and knobs. I don't have words to describe this work, would be unrespectful and I dare not describing with words such a beautiful beautiful guitar.

Thin Air

I've been making music for a long time. And my early memories of music come from home, when I was three or four, sitting by my older sister when she was performing Beethoven's sad "Sonata No 8. Patética", and feeling the vibrations of the black vertical piano, the smell of the wood, a Yamaha. And would it be a coincidence of life or a mathematical fact of the Universe but my favorite bass is my black Yamaha RBX260 that I just equipped with DiMarzio's Model P. I've seen Yamaha pianos played in very fancy places and Yamaha guitars in places not as civilized. Yamaha's instruments are hard-working horses and yet deliver delicate sounds and aural textures. From a flute to a drum set. I really dig Yamaha's stuff.

Yamaha just developed a new technology, named Alternative Internal Resonance (A.I.R.). Classically it has been thought that a solid body guitar will sound better if the body wood is hard and heavy, and this is where the AIR alternative comes in. The AIR technology uses a lightweight wood core literally sandwiched between a harder, heavier wood on both the front and back of the guitar's body. Special sound tubes pass through the body so that string vibrations normally resonating only the guitar's top are transmitted through the entire body (like the sound post of a violin). Therefore, the entire body structure vibrates and the tone is shaped by the hard top and back. AIR construction creates a full, powerful, and resonant tone with distinctive presence and body that are truly unique. It's like having a hollow body guitar filled with very very dense fluid. C'mon, simple, basic physics, why did not anybody think of this before?

This guitar comes with two special humbuckers, and get a load of this, it doesn't have tone controls; you only control your sound by selecting the blend of the pickups, done with a special knob of graphic color selection (like a color light), not a common switch. Pure minimalism and elegance. It also comes with a special bridge and hardware. Very futuristic lined accents and headstock, like watching a 60's movies with people colonizing the moon in the 80's. You may buy this white beauty for no more than 500usd. So beautiful, so gorgeous. Breathtaking. A cool breeze. I'm droping saliva uncontrollably from the mouth (a.k.a. drooling).

I Wuv My Mommy!

Are you having trouble deciding what are you gonna get for your mom this Mother's Day? Well, here is the end of thy holy quest. I give you the Retro H by Daisy Rock. Founded in 2000 by Tish Ciravolo, Daisy Rock has provided girls with very cool looking, high quality, low priced guitars. Daisy Rock guitars are very well built, and the necks are precise and flawless. I personally like the Retro H model, a friend of mine just bought one; I've been able to play it and plays like a wonder. You'll get the feel of an Ibanez neck. The semihollow body gives it a very good sound and the retro looking pickups deliver savage tone when clear or distorded. The single "f" hole accent makes it look elegant yet rebel. And if you are a man who likes pink, the estrogen symbol in the 12th fret makes clear that this is "a girl's axe". Girl power made guitar. Rock on!

Sweet Goodness

Gibson has been making guitars for a while now, and one of their lightest and more interesting instruments is the Gibson SG, with its evil look and slim body. Many people play and have played the Gibson Les Paul SG guitar, but what about us? What about bass players? We also have feelings, like Thom Yorke, Carlos Santana, and even Angus Young. Don't we like the SG? Don't we deserve one too? Thanks for answering my plea. Gibson is producing a classic once more. Classic dual-pickup SG-style bass from the 1960's has returned as the SG Reissue. Vintage-style TB Plus bass humbucker and mini bass humbucker in the bridge position. With its short scale (30.5in) and slim neck - just like the original - the SG Reissue is the fastest bass in the Gibson family. Devilish. Hell never looked so good.

About Strats And Teles

For those who did not understand the previous post about the Tele-Strat hybrid I'll show you a Fender Telecaster at your left and a Fender Stratocaster at your right to help you comprehend the relevance of the piece discussed. The Tele came first on 1946 by Mr. Leo Fender, then a revolutionary "Tele" was designed in 1954 as a futuristic version of the beloved guitar, it was named the Stratocaster. The thing is that it came out so well that it's been around for 52 years. This two babes have been praised and used by almost every musician who plays guitar, as Mr. David Riddle (of NBT) said about the Strat: "...It's the de facto standard. Our literature calls it the most popular electric guitar ever made. When people think of an electric guitar, they think of that shape..."

Tele-vision

Fender is celebrating their 60th aniversary, and seems like they have gone senile. Introducing the Fender Closet Classic Tele/Strat Hybrid LTD, built by Custom Shop master builder Chris Flemming. Just for those who are wondering, "What the heck is a closet classic?". Well, Fender Custom Shop's vintage guitar reissues are built in three different categories. First, the New Old Stock (NOS), built as if the guitar was discovered in a controled warehouse after many years, never played and showing no signs of age or wear. Second, the Closet Classic, like finding a vintage guitar in a yard sale that's been stashed in a closet, worn a bit, yellowed with age, finish cracks that are typical of an instrument exposed to years of humidity and temperature variations. And Third, the Relic, shows wear and tear from years of heavy use, nicks, scratches, worn finish, rusty hardware, aged plastic parts, looks, feels and plays like it's taken the punishment of many long nightclub hours through many years.

This Fender Closet Classic Tele/Strat Hybrid LTD comes with a Telecaster body but with a Stratocaster's top mounted jack, pickguard, electronics and pickup configurations and what makes it look so rad, a Stratocaster's neck and matching color headstock with vintage tunning machines. Only 100 of these were made, and probably they are already sold. How much are we willing to pay for one? Will we have to wait 60 years to save enough money? I hope not.

Sharp Shapes

There was a recent addition to the Washburn guitar family, the Bantam series, released on January 2006, with sleek body shapes, and a radical headstock and an extended neck tenon of uneven shape to increase body contact surface area, which results in a better sustain of the instrument. Also it sported a new headstock style, same shape, but with a matching-color plastic plate covering part of the headstock and leaving some wood exposed, giving it a futuristic and cool look. But, is it really that radical? Is this sharp shape really that new? We'll have to look into the dark realms of our minds and guitar archives. And the answer is, No. The first time I spotted a new Yamaha RBX 774 was in July 2002 in a Yamaha catalog, it was not display as a product in the catalog but it was in some pictures of it, being held by Taproot's bass player Philip Lipscomb. It had the same shape of the Bantam bass I already described, the same body with sharp cut borders, even the same pickup configuration, just some changes in the horns and in the bridge, but the concept being kept the same. And this rises the question, why is quintessential guitar maker, Washburn, copying body shapes and headstock concepts from a japanese company? I'm not saying this is bad, but this speaks ill of the creativity of the design department of Washburn. I'd buy the Bantam BB4 anytime if available , I think is a good bass, both basses play very well and have unique tones, and that's good, sound identity was not touched but aesthetics tell us a different story. The Yamaha RBX 774 was already discontinued last year. Did Washburn think we would forget about Yamaha's design? I dunno. Probably they did and thought this idea was fresh and new. Benchmarking is everywhere.

Through My Bass

I think is time we discussed something about guitar construction, in case you read this blog. There are mainly three kinds of guitar construction: bolt-on neck, set net and through neck. A bolt-on neck is the cheapest construction, both in cost and sound, a neck bolted to the body with three, four or more screws. A set neck is more expensive and has more sustain and a richer tone, the neck is glued to the body by mortise-tenon, like a violin. And finally a through neck, where the neck is actually a part of the body and it goes thru it, givin' infinite sustain and a superb tone, usually making this kind of instruments very expensive, such as a Rickenbacker and other guitars.

Since 1883, the Chicago based Washburn Guitars has been building quality instruments for all sorts of musicians, from Derek Trucks, Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt to the late Pantera's Dimebag Darrell. I found a bass built by them, the Taurus T24 and T25 (five strings). These basses resemble the Spanish Jerzy Drozd's Obsession Basic in their body shape but unlikely the Iberian Company this bass is about ten times less the price, and actually very cheap for a neck through bass but without compromising tone. Roughly 300usd in its street price, the T24 delivers rich sustain and beautiful sound. It has passive electronics, a stained mahogany body, multi laminate neck and grover bass tuners. I really like the "bunny ear" long horn. The looks and performace will cut through your soul.

Three Times Four

Now Kudos go to Waterstone located in Nashville Tennessee for making outstanding guitars for a not as exorbitant price. Mr. Bob Singer, a passionate musician, guitar collector since 1978, took his passion a step forward and created his own guitars. Sometimes one's passion can take on a life of its own. Bob Singer has taken his passion for vintage guitars and turned it into a thriving new business. As the founder of Waterstone Musical Instruments, Bob has created a variety of guitars and basses reminiscent of classic vintage styles. He collaborated with Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) in the creation of a signature 12string model, he is taking the 12-string bass into uncharted territory with a new vintage vibe and a fresh attitude. And that's what we cheer in this page, isn't it? Attitude. A whole improvement of owning a lot of guitars, taking what is best from them and putting what was missing. The Tom Petersson model is a triple string, four string, confussing, eh? Semihollow body, two humbuckers, two tone knobs and two volume, and pickup selector. Nice f hole and an elegant minimalistic headstock. Medium taper style neck and a very cool feature, you can have it either in a 34in or 32in scale. Now you can have a 12string bass for three times less the price. Math really works, people.

A Bug's Tale

A friend of mine got perplexed by the carbon fiber necks I posted about two days ago I told him that Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea plays one and that actually he has a signature bass that he helped design. Flea's energy and vision mixed with Modulus' experience and expertise produced a bass of uncommon power, versatility and playability. The Quantum KLD ultra-strong, carbon fiber neck provides the solid feel that all Modulus basses share. Bartolini and Basslines pickup options create distinct sonic personalities to suit ones individual style. The 22-fret neck is custom-shaped for comfort whether one plays vintage or modern designs. The carefully balanced alder contoured body provides the right amount of mass for solid tone and playing ease. It is vailable in a variety of metallic and gloss finishes. With motto, white or black shell pickguards. Jazz bass style pickups as the Flea J bass. Dunlop straplock. All with active electronics.

The Modulus Flea Bass comes either in 4 or 5 string versions. Composite fingerboard. Also comes with fancy and exotic body woods and finishes. The bass sound and tone is suitable for any style, wether you may think this bass is strictly funky you can hear its mellow performance and not as sparky and crisp sound in such tunes as "Soul to Suqueeze" and "Otherside"; now if its the electric sharp sound that you are looking for, that "Higher Ground" sound, certainly you will find it in this bass (versatile, remember?). And that's what I like about this instrument, its versatility, you can be like a nuclear physic expert or a poet just by turning some knobs. Impressive instrument, congratulations to Modulus and Flea for keeping music beautiful, very impressive. But remember, folks, that in-your-face style, comes from the heart through the fingers, not from the instrument.

The Fastest Top Secret

Sometimes the secret to sweet tone, that holy grial of musicians does not lie upon an expensive piece of equipment but in an unknown, and sometimes unexpensive instrument. Such is my case with my Dano Rumor Bass, Ed O'Brien with his hidden Squier guitar, Joe Satriani with his Kramer piece of crap, and many, many more. And on this list we can see one of the most creative minds in the guitar department, Pat Smear, whom you will remember from the Nirvana's Unplugged Album and from the Foo Fighters, whose taste for clothes was as weird as his taste for guitars; besides his Gibson Barney Kessels he faved a brand that was certainly unknown, obscure and rarely seen, the Swedish based Hagström, that gave him his peculiar tone. And digging more in this brand we'll find out that it was also used by Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa and even Jimi Hendrix (maybe you already knew, I didn't). Well, anyway, Hagstrom was founded in 1958 and ceased operation on 1983, which made this guitars highly desired. Also back in the 70's there was a boom of guitar copies, which were cheap but their sound could be compared to those guitars they were copying, and you could find Ibanez's Les Pauls and all sorts of asian copies, with their consequent lawsuit, and therefore this guitars were a wanted madness, people went mental over them and their tone, also loved by Smear. The Hagstrom legend came back in 2006 with new and old models, all of them cool in shape and sound and finding a new horde of playing fans. The shape of the body in some models is everything but orthodox. I'll realy like them, specially the headstock, for me the headstock shape is most important in the aesthetics of a guitar, is like dating a super fit yet butt-ugly model, is just not right.

Going back to the Hagstrom chat, the nice Hagstrom Super Swede, that gives an air of Les Paulesque style with its singlecut but this fine babe is far from being a Les Paul, for good. 45mm mahogany back with a 10mm (I love metric system) maple veneer. A set mahogany neck, which is claimed to be The fastes neck on planet Earth. Hagstrom big ol' unique tuners 18:1. Hagstrom custom 58 humbuckers. Resinator freatboard. Three-way pickup toggle, two tone knobs, two volume volume, and a mini-toggle coil tap switch. You'll get a super guitar for no more than 600usd. Vintage yet with a modern crunch. These are sugar all the way. Diabetics, restrain yourselves.

KLD Wonders

Just in case thou werest wondering. This is what a KLD Modulus Quantum Neck looks like. Awesome, eh?