themusiciansite.com

Man, I tell you. When it comes to music – and when it comes to cranking out your sound so everyone at your venue can hear you (and everyone within a mile of it) – it’s not just about your instrument, or your skill. Imagine sticking James Hetfield of Metallica or Geddy Lee of Rush on an Amplifier the size of your fist and running stripped, decade-old cable between them! You’d lose so much tone, and so much sound, that you might not even be able to tell a legend was behind the strings. When it comes to music, you can shred as hard as you want, but no one will notice if you don’t have some serious equipment screaming out that beastly new riff of yours for the masses to hear, or singing that smooth Bassline holding up your group.

I play a lot of instruments, and I understand that getting that sound out is different for each and every one. However, if I had to pick one musical label to attach to myself, it’d have to be the title of Bassist. I totally dig Basses, Bass products, Bass accessories, Bass Pedals… I try to give myself as many opportunities as I can to experience the low end every way it can be experienced. I've played on everything from a low-end Fender offshoot to a Bass I can hardly believe I got to run on, the extremely high-end (and may I say, totally sweet)
Tobias Growler 5 String Electric Bass Guitar. I’ve plugged into a wide range of Amplifiers from a wide range of Amp makers. So today, I’m going to talk Basses – and more importantly, the keys to their sound: Bass Amps.

I play a Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, myself. Not the most expensive of Basses in the world (And let me tell you, that Tobias Growler is incredible, despite it being ridiculously expensive), but it’s got a sound I love. The strings and especially the fingerboard feel just right on my hands, and it grooves like no other for me. And I don’t just play Bass, I’m all over the Rhythm section, and I play a lot of brass instruments, too. No coincidence – I’m a Jazz Bassist, and I know this baby sounds awesome from every part of the Jazz Combo. It backs you up and takes the lead seamlessly, and feels right the whole way through. I’m a big fan of Fender instruments in general because Leo Fender himself was intent on bringing the Electric Bass to the masses, but this instrument shows that the sound on their merchandise holds that ideal true.

However, my Five String J-Bass has also had many hookups in its time. It has seen quite a bit of the market: I got it with a low-end Ibanez amp, and as I felt more and more at home with my bass, I started to wonder why my sound wasn’t coming through like I thought it could. The Ibanez was great to start on, and I was getting a sound out and it was cool because I could play whatever I wanted and hear it, but it just wasn’t quite right...

Then it happened: I hooked up to my friend’s Eden Electronics Nemesis Bass Guitar Amp through some high-end Monster Cable, and realized my sound was going to the void of hookups that just weren’t there in my little home practice setup. The out-of-the-box programs are like no other when it comes to the need to just feel the frets, make the sound, get your technique down and understand the mechanics of the music. But once you’ve got that down and you feel like something’s just missing, well, you’re probably right. You’re missing the next step up in your equipment, be it your amplifier or your cables or even your instrument, and once you feel like there’s a ceiling that your sound is getting trapped under, it’s time to step up. I’d heartily recommend the Nemesis line for any next-step-up Bassists (they’re all mid-range pricing – not professional quality, but the equipment you need to break the barrier). However, the need to step up equipment occurs amongst all musicians! When you’re ready to step up, no matter what you’re playing, I encourage you to start looking, start asking, and find those amps and cables that will take your sound one step closer to perfection.

Labels: amplifier, bass guitars, bassist, bassline, Electronics Nemesis, fender, Fender Standard Jazz 5 String, fingerboard, gibson, Ibanez, Jazz Bassist, Leo Fender, monster cable, riff, shopping, tobias growler, wish list

I am a hobby musician. I’ve been "playing" guitar for several years on an old acoustic guitar, but I know the electric guitar would suit my style better. So, I jumped online and began shopping around.

First of all; there are too many choices to make when it comes to buying an electric guitar. What brand, what kind of pickups, the wattage on your future amplifier, how many add –ons do you need, and on and on… That being said; finding someone who can help, someone who wants to help, can be very important. You don’t want to spend $1000 as a beginner, when you may find that the setup you got into isn’t the one you’re really into (especially as a hobby player). That’s where the help comes in.

You go to your local guitar shop and start with some basic questions. The sales people there are willing to help as long as it suits them. Very rarely will you find someone who’s willing to say, "I think you want this, but it’s not something that we carry: check these guys out." Usually the sales person is trying to convince you to buy something that the shop has in stock or will earn them a nice commission. This can lead to buying more than you need or the guitar that they want… Not good at all.

Shopping online has its own pitfalls. The information on any guitar can be too limited and sometimes online research is too time consuming. Great; the guitar I’m looking into has EMG 85 and Gibson Dirty Fingers Pickups, but what does that even mean to me? So, you want to talk to someone, right? Well, call those 1-800 numbers and get your fingers ready to do some talking because in most cases you’ll be pushing button for several minutes before you speak with a human being. After you get through you’ll be speaking with a salesman again who may not know how to help you.

All of this adds up and can deter the hobby player from buying a guitar at all. I found my own solution which I can describe in one sentence. Guitar Packages at American Musical Supply. Ok, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted or needed yet, so I called that dreaded 800 number and guess what? A person answered the phone (there are PEOPLE there 24/7)! It was a sales person, but a very knowledgeable one. Furthermore, when I asked some questions about the sound of a specific guitar I was put in touch with a real musician who had experience with that guitar!

I ended up with an Epiphone Les Paul Special II Players Electric Guitar Package that just rules! I knew I liked the Les Paul Body style, but sound is a bit more important to me. I explained just what I was looking for and that’s what I got. Even more; I got a guitar with the sound AND looks I was after! The package came with everything I needed to get going; the guitar (of course), amp, gig bag, tuner, picks, strap, and even an instructional DVD (which my friends tell me I should get around to checking out). All that and I had the choice of buying on the phone (great for questions that come up on the fly) or online. I can keep gushing: their easy pay plans are awesome (check it out, really – most musicians can’t find two pennies to rub together).

For a beginner or a hobby player the guitar packages are the way to go and for my business American Musical Supply has some of the best customer service around!

Labels: acoustic, acoustic guitars, amplifier, electric guitars, emg 85, Ephiphone Les Paul Gibson, ephipone les paul special performance pack, gibson, gibson dirty fingers pickups, guitar packages, guitars