BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:50 PM Page 1 bass “The Boogie Issue is here!” Mesa/Boogie shows us life after 40 gear All gear, all the time. bassgearmag.com Issue 5 “Living in the Home of Tone with the men of Mesa/Boogie” $7.50US TC Electronic Staccato ’51 Markbass New York 604 Bag End PS15-D Rocco’s personal power Italian mini might Bringing power to the port hole BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:50 PM Page 2 BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:50 PM Page 3 BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:51 PM Page 4 COVER STORY - Special Focus: Mesa/Boogie 20 Bass Gear Icon: Randall Smith 24 Mesa/Boogie Virtual Factory Tour 36 Q&A with Dan Van Reizen bass QUICK LOOKS 10 SWR Spellbinder Blue Combo gear 12 Bag End S12-D and PS15-D Bass Cabinets 14 TC Electronic Staccato ‘51 Bass Head 18 KR Guitars Ursa Major XL Bass Guitar FULL REVIEWS 68 Ernie Ball Big Al 5-String Bass Guitar Ed Friedland takes on three pickups, five strings, and a plethora of tonal options with this “big” bass from Ernie Ball Music Man. 58 Roscoe Guitars Century Standard 5 and Century Signature V Bass Guitars The 21st Century has many marvels in store for mankind. Vic Serbe takes two such marvels on an intergalactic planetary trip. 26 Mesa/Boogie M3 Bass Head and PH112 Bass Cabinet Back in issue #1, we reviewed the M6 and PH212. That review was so much fun, we decided to cut them in half, and do it again! Alan Loshbaugh does the math… 40 Markbass F500 Bass Head and New York 604 Bass Cabinet Who knew such big things came in such small packages? Vic Serbe investigates these stylish, sophisticated, but mighty, Italian works of art. INDUSTRY NEWS 74 2010 NAMM Revisited BGM looks back on the ghost of NAMM past and revisits the 2010 Winter and Summer NAMM Shows. 84 2010 Winter NAMM Show Awards 86 2010 Summer NAMM Show Awards bass 4 gear BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:51 PM Page 5 PLAYER INTERVIEW Rocco Prestia 52 Continuing our in-depth player interview series, Vic Serbe climbs the Tower of Power to talk with the legendary Rocco Prestia. issue COLUMNS How I See It 6 5 Why do bass players get more excited about gear than our bandmates? Because gear makes music… In The Doghouse – EA Doubler 94 Who says that the slab bass guys get to have all the fun with the super-light micro heads? Chris Fitzgerald shows us how EA doubled the ante. Philthy Talk – Alsatian Queen Rebuild 98 How do you make Phil Maneri cry? We’re not sure, but if ripping apart his beloved 150-year old double bass doesn’t do it I’m not sure what will! The Speaker – Sealed vs Ported Enclosures 90 Would you like ports with that, sir? Anthony Lucas helps us read the menu when it comes to selecting which type of enclosure will suit our tastes the best. The Upright Perspective – Getting Your Bass Playing the 96 Way You’d Like, Part 2 An upright bass can be a very significant investment. Arnold Schnitzer provides expert advice on how to make sure that you are getting the most from your investment. Bass & Drums – An Interview with Hal Blaine, Part 2 100 Jake Jacobs finishes off his chat with one of the true living legends of studio and stage, the incomparable Hal Blaine. Manufacturer’s Response 105 Yes, that’s right. We give manufactures and luthiers their very own space to tell us what they really think about our reviews! Fundamental Support – Low Notes for Nashville 106 This past summer, an amazing thing happened in Nashville, TN. It just happened to come after one of the worst natural disasters to hit the home of Country… bass gear 5 BGM_Issue5_123010_Layout 1 1/2/11 5:51 PM Page 6 How I See it Tom Bowlus, Editor-in-Chief By Tom Bowlus It doesn’t stop at getting the low end heavy. Recent trends (including class-D right. The electric bass is a full-range output sections, switch-mode power Bass players spend more time thinking instrument, and our rigs have to sound supplies, and neodymium-based drivers) and talking about gear, buying and “right” throughout the midrange. have led to smaller, lighter bass rigs. For selling gear, getting together with other Depending upon individual tastes and players with bad backs or aging joints, players to try out gear, and generally playing styles, some players incorporate this lightweight trend has been welcomed obsessing about gear than other a lot of high end information into their with open arms. Big, heavy gear is not musicians. I have no empirical data to tone. We fight for sonic space down low dead by any means, but players have back this up, but I’m going to take some with the kick drum. We compete for lower more options now than ever. liberties and pretend for the duration of midrange space with the toms and this article that it is an established fact. guitars. We need to slot our upper mids Gear obsession can take many forms. to lower treble into the Some folks feel the urge to try/buy What does this tell us about bass players guitar/keyboard/horn mix. And don’t everything. Others are constantly and the gear we use? The electric bass is forget about vocals. I have observed in tweaking their existing basses, amps, a relatively new player on the scene. Leo the studio how much overlap exists when cabs, etc. Some players will focus on just Fender put the electric bass on the map in soloing just the bass and vocal tracks one component in the recipe (say, strings, the ‘50s and ‘60s, but it is still evolving as (which is very enlightening thing to do; I or pickups) and experiment until it is just an instrument. Most guitar players seem think it really adds to a song if you are right, and then move on to the next to have some variation of a Strat, Tele, or able to write a bass line that connects to ingredient. There are merits to all of a Les Paul. Sure, there are some outliers, and supports the vocal line). these approaches. Of course, some cats but those three seem to dominate the sound awesome playing through skinny string world. Yes, we have a very These other musical voices are more than anything, but that just tells me that they heavy Fender influence in the bass often fairly “fixed.” You are lucky to have know how to use the tools at their market, but we also have Gibson, the drums in tune, much less dialed in so disposal. Rickenbacker, Music Man, and many as to offer the bass more room. A singer’s strong “custom” bass brands, like MTD, voice pretty much is what it is, and good Why do we obsess over gear? Do we just Pedulla, Alembic, and Smith. Bass players luck getting your guitar players to change enjoy spending the time and resources? seem more willing to experiment. their signature tone. It is often the bass Do we live only to drown out that pesky that has to “compromise” and adjust to guitar player? I think the true answer is Bass guitars have some unique the mix. Some gear has an inherent tone that we are musicians, and we do it for challenges. The thicker strings present that naturally slots this all in (there’s a the music. Serving the end goal – multiple issues for pickups to deal with. It reason so many studios use Fenders and whether it’s a live performance or a takes more hand strength to fret/pluck B-15’s). Some players may prefer a more studio session – is why we spend the these big strings. In addition to having neutral or balanced rig, where knowing time honing our skills and honing our good technique/chops, it is important to how to use your gear (and your hands) to gear. To the uninitiated, playing bass can have a setup on your bass that facilitates adjust to the mix is key. seem like an “easy” role to play, but we your playing style. Finding an instrument have a difficult job to do. Fitting into the that can take the kind of setup that works Upright players have a whole host of mix – tonally and contextually – is for you and learning how to dial in your additional challenges (and corresponding difficult to do “right.” To put forth our bass (from truss rod adjustment, to obsessions): pickups versus mics; input best effort, we have to know how to use bridge saddle height, to pickup height) impedance; phase cancellation; feedback; our gear in our own particular musical are both vital. not sounding like an amplified bass, etc. context. Yes, obsession can be a good Doubling gigs (where you play both thing – especially when the goal is as We also ask a lot of our rigs. It takes more electric and upright) compound these noble as serving the music. amplifier energy to get those low notes issues and involve the art of compromise. moving. The drivers have to deal with That’s how I see it. more excursion. Vibration is a concern not Until recently, the task of reproducing a only for tubes, but also with regard to wide range of frequencies (without Take care, Tom. unwanted rattles, and sometimes even wimping out down low) at sufficient loosening the hardware.