Tag: bassplayersunited

on by Danny Knapp

Notice what’s missing on this bass?

Notice what’s missing on this bass?
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This bass doesn’t have magnetic pickups. It’s a Lightwave-powered bass from @willcoxguitars. It uses an optical pickup system built into the bridge saddles. This bass provides analog and digital output so I can use it as a bass guitar and a MIDI controller at the same time. The analog bass tone is fantastic, and it enables me to just bring one bass to a gig or recording session, even when I need to play synth bass lines.

on by Danny Knapp

I’m so happy with my current bass rig.

I’m so happy with my current bass rig. For the past four years or so, using @kemperamps_official has been a game-changer for me, both for my original projects as well as my session work and the cover bands I play in. Having the capability to switch my amp tone at will is like getting to carry all my favorite amps around with me at without breaking my back (or my bank account).

For a few of my projects, I’m now exploring automation for my program/effect changes with @ableton software. Once I get this done, it will free me up during live performances so that I don’t have to mash foot controller buttons and I just can concentrate on playing, singing, and putting on a good show.

I’m putting together a video series for a rundown on my rig, using a Kemper as a bassist, and how to integrate a Kemper with midi effect pedals, Ableton Live, and all kinds of fun stuff. Details coming soon!

bassist bassplayer bassguitarist lamusician bassporn bassguitarportal kemperamps ernieballmusicman abletonlive bassplayersunited sessionbassist

Photo by @red_hareimages

on by Danny Knapp

Quick little project: I added some glow-in-the-dark paint to the fret markers on my basses.

Quick little project: I added some glow-in-the-dark paint to the fret markers on my basses.

On a dimly lit stage, it’s often very difficult to quickly check your hand position on the neck of the bass guitar, especially when you are singing backing vocals and you can only look out of the corner of your eye.

In the past I’ve used little glowing-dot stickers, but they wear off rather quickly. This time I used some Glow-On paint. It’s designed to be used on gun sights, but it works great on guitars too. It only takes a few minutes in bright light to charge it for a gig — a flashlight (or cell phone light) works great as well.

on by Danny Knapp

I don’t play with a guitar pick very often.

I don’t play with a guitar pick very often. However, sometimes you really need that really aggressive attack that you can only achieve by using a pick. I just ordered a new, updated design for my custom bass picks from @steveclaytoninc . Thanks again to @hearmedraw for designing a great logo for me!

on by Danny Knapp

This bass is named “Elvis” because of its classic tone and flashy gold-star theme.

This bass is named “Elvis” because of its classic tone and flashy gold-star theme. It’s an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray 5HH with a custom-made @alperiouspickguard. It’s different than most of my other fretted basses in that I keep it loaded with Dunlop Flatwounds so that I can get that fundimental thump that you can only get when using flatwound strings. Stingray basses lend themselves to flatwounds very well — thunderous tone and the string tension is just right. I use this bass for playing Latin, funk, disco, as well as lot of current stuff and original music. I love that Flatwounds have come back into the spotlight in pop and alternative music recently.

on by Danny Knapp

I just updated my @kemperamps_official to the latest firmware.

I just updated my @kemperamps_official to the latest firmware. There’s some fantastic new features and it’s rock solid and stable as always! I still use a few external pedals for certain specialty functions: bass synths from futureimpactpedal and c4synth, as well as advanced filter and distortion effects from @sourceaudio. My external effects are all midi-capable, which empowers me to use the Kemper to control all of their settings. I can change all of my effects (internal & external) with the tap of a button on my pedalboard. In one of my bands, we use @Ableton Live for audio, lighting, and video cues. Ableton even sends patch changes to my bass rig so that I can just concentrate on performing — no more doing the pedal dance. The Kemper Profiler has really been a game-changer for me.