Equipment

Instruments, tone and amplification

I've been fortunate to try a wide range of musical equipment throughout my career, refining my setup to suit the music I play and the sound I'm looking for. I regularly receive questions about my musical equipment, with strings being by far the most common topic; details of the strings I use are included in the text beneath each instrument's photograph. The rest of this page shares the equipment I personally use and trust – I hope you find it useful, whether you're just starting out or looking for inspiration to refine your own setup.

Shuker

Series 2 'Superleggera'

4 string

Master-built by Jon at Shuker Bass Guitars in the Peak district, UK. This is based on the Series 2 model. Constructed with: maple neck, maple/wenge scarf headstock, Indian rosewood fretboard, swamp ash body with spalted beech drop-top. I had a Jazz and a Precision neck made for this bass, and it is fitted with gorgeous Aguilar PJ hum-cancelling pickups and John East Uni 4 Preamp. Weight: 3.1kg (J-neck) 3.2kg (P-neck). Strings currently used: Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky roundwounds 45-105

Anaconda

Elite CXE

5 string

Master-built in England in 2015 at Anaconda instruments. This is their Elite CXE 'Crusher' 5-string bass guitar. It's constructed with an ash body and flame maple top, finished in natural satin that lets the wood speak openly. The satin maple and wenge neck is incredibly smooth and fast, paired with a responsive ebony fretboard. It’s fitted with Bartolini pickups and recently upgraded John East preamp (9v) Uni-Pre 5. Weight: 4.05kg. Adjustable string spacing, but it is currently set to 18mm. Strings currently used: Ernie Bass Regular Slinky 45-130

Sei

Headless 'Original'

5 string

A bespoke instrument, masterfully crafted in 2007 for me by renowned luthier Martin Peterson at the Bass Gallery, UK. Zebrano wood body with through neck and book-matched flame maple front and back. 34" scale. Macasa ebony fretboard. Fitted with luminous side dots (Luminlay). John East preamp (18v) Uni-Pre 5 with Kent Armstrong pick-ups. Weight: 4kg. This bass has absolutely zero neck-dive when seated or standing. Adjustable string spacing, but it is currently set to 18mm. Strings currently used: DR PB5-40 Pure Blues 40-120

Mayones

Jabba Custom

5 string

From the renowned Polish guitar builders Mayones, this 2015 Jabba Custom 5-string bass guitar features an ash body topped with eye poplar. It has a delightful rosewood fingerboard. It's slightly extended 34.25" scale offers clarity and definition across the full range. It’s fitted with a set of Aguilar J-style pickups, and is now paired with John East active electronics. Other upgrades include Hipshot Ultralite machine heads and ABM 3705c19 MKII 3D bridge with adjustable string spacing (set to 18mm). Weight: 4.25kg. Strings currently used: DR Sunbeam roundwounds 40–120.

Double Basses

My primary instrument is a handmade Hungarian double bass, used for the majority of my jazz and commercial engagements. It is currently strung with Thomastik Spirocore strings. This bass is regularly maintained by Southampton luthier Ben Taylor of Taylor Violins. Most recently, Ben fitted a beautiful new ebony fingerboard. For ease of transport / stage space etc, most live engagements are performed on my primary instrument. For orchestral engagements, a Thomas & George Martin orchestral double bass is available when required (not stored at my studio).

Pick-ups & microphones

Options to facilitate live amplification / studio recording include:

ISCHELL X48
The Realist Copper head
KNA DB-1 (back up)
Sontronics DB-1
Schoeps CCM4 (L)

For amplified double bass performances and gigs where I double on electric and upright bass, I use an EBS Stanley Clarke Acoustic Preamp. It allows me to switch seamlessly between the two instruments while providing independent tone processing and volume balance for each. When I'm playing only double bass, I use the preamp to blend pickups and/or microphones, enabling me to achieve the best possible sound for each performance setting. A huge thank you goes to Ralf at EBS for providing this excellent preamp.

The photo below shows the pedal complete with some of my pencil markings for different gig settings. It's mounted on a compact pedalboard that I use for doubling gigs. For more information about my pedals, please see the section further down this webpage.

Bows

I have a small selection of bows, my favourite being and French-style Alfred Knoll 4/4 with peppered hair. All my bows have always been lovingly rehaired by Andrew Bellis: http://www.andrewbellis.com

Fender

Precision (70s reissue)

4 string

Japanese Precision 70's reissue bass guitar. This has a 'B' profile neck (nut width 41.5mm). Set for a 'close-to-Motown' sound: Rosewood neck, passive circuitry (CTS pots, NOS Sprague pacer caps, 0.1uF) / Aguilar 4P-60 pick ups, flat wounds, Gotoh bridge with foam mute, chrome pick-up cover and 'ashtray' bridge cover. I use this bass for a variety gigs but especially for function work if it includes soul, Motown, country etc. Weight: 4.1kg Strings used: Either Thomastik Jazz flat wounds 43-100 or La Bella 760FM DTB 49-109 (depends on the gig).

Photo below is the same bass displayed with its fretless maple neck (thumb rest and pick-up cover removed).

Fender

Precision

4 string

American made precision bass guitar, with maple neck and finished in metallic blue. It's upgrade with a black through-body stringing Babicz bridge. I often use this for ceilidh / rock / pop gigs and/or when a plectrum is required. Weight: 4kg. Strings currently used: Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky roundwound 45-105

Bass guitar straps

In 2017, I visited the RightOn! factory in Spain, where these fabulous bass guitar straps are made. Since then, I've added five (!) of their Fakey bass guitar straps to my collection. The Fakey is everything I look for in a bass strap: it's comfortably wide, well padded, exceptionally durable, easy to adjust, non-slip, and beautifully made. RightOn! also produces an excellent range of vegan bass guitar straps. If you're in the UK, you don't have to order directly from Spain, as they're available from several retailers, including Bass Direct. Their factory is located in Pedreguer, roughly halfway between the cities of Alicante and Valencia. If you're ever in the area, it's well worth stopping by for a visit. There isn't a formal 'shop', however, so it's a good idea to email or call ahead before making the trip to ensure someone is available to welcome you.

Amplification

I primarily use Mesa Engineering (USA) amplification for most of my public performances where backline is required. My main rig centres around the lightweight but immensely tone-rich WD-800 head, paired with either one or two Subway 2×10 cabinets, providing a powerful yet articulate sound suitable for a wide range of venues. I also own a Mesa D-800 head, which is mainly used for upright bass amplification when required. In these situations I typically run my EBS Stanley Clarke preamp pedal directly into the effects return for a clean, natural tone. For performances where ultra-portability is essential, I use GR (Italy) AT110 cabinets, widely regarded as among the lightest 1×10 bass cabinets available, while still delivering impressive clarity and projection. The photos show:

The WD-800 paired with two Subway 2×10 cabinets in a stacked configuration
The two GR AT110 Carbon cabinets paired with the Mesa WD-800 and Mesa D-800 heads

Signal Processing and Effects

Although I regularly perform without any special effects (such as jazz, ceilidh, folk gigs etc), I own a wide variety of effect pedals that satisfies almost every taste and genre of music. For electric bass only gigs, for the sake of portability and weight (particularly useful for city centre gigs where parking is often 'off-site') I typically only take a very small 'processing' pedalboard with a Peterson Tuner and an Empress Bass (VCA) Compressor. Where needed, I also have an effects pedalboard than can host almost any combination of the effects listed below, all powered by a wonderful and silent Ciocks DC-7 power supply (hidden underneath) or a smaller board powered by a Ciocks Adam (if only a few pedals are being powered).

EQ / DI / Drive

EBS Stanley Clarke Acoustic Preamp
DHA VT1 Di Standard - UK made hand-built valve pre-amp.
TECH21 Sansamp Bass Driver + DI - Does what it says in the tin!

RAFFERTY Fuzz-Orius - An ace fuzz for bass that was specifically based on Jaco's Acoustic 360 fuzz circuit.

Chorus / Reverb

PROVIDENCE Anadime Bass Chorus - a delightful Japanese Chorus with high-pass filter so lower frequencies can have less effect on than higher frequencies; great for solos.
DOD Chorus (vintage) FX62 - adds a warm, thick chorusing sound. This was my first ever pedal and this is still going strong 30+ years later!
MXR M300 Reverb - A wonderful reverb that suits bass well, and the blend feature means you can keep your bottom end as well as several tasteful reverb effects.

Compressors

EMPRESS Bass Compressor - I've tried almost every possible bass compressor, and typically either return or sell them on. This one has stuck. Simply fantastic.

Filters / Synth / Other / Routing

SEAMOON Funk Machine - this analogue filter can create two distict sound effects: a Brecker Brothers-esque 'sponge' down sweep envelope filter and a 'sub-dub' deep synth filter tone.
MXR Bass Auto Q - auto-wah / envelope filter based on the sound of the Cry Baby pedal. This particular pedal has stood-up to the punishment of many gigs.
BOSS OC-5 Octave - With it's refined 'poly mode' that offers numerous enhancements for extended-range playing with the latest tracking technologies, along with the fab vintage mode option (recreation of the legendary mono OC-2 from 1982).
GOJIRA Trembulator - fabulous tremolo that provides a wide range of tremolo sounds.
BRIGHT ONION: Blender Looper - Although not an effect, I often use this to blend a wet (affected) and dry (unaffected) bass signal.
BRIGHT ONION: AB Switch pedal

Tuners

PETERSON Strobostomp HD Tuner - My regular tuner for almost all gigs; the accuracy of a strobe tuner is a must for any professional player, particularly when adjusting intonation.
KORG Pitch Black Tuner - Bright and clear with 9v output for pedal linking - faultless in over 20 years use.
KORG Pitch Black Tuner - mini - mainly used for flying gigs.
HOTONE Tunerpress - Volume / Visible Tuner - great for pit work.

Hearing Protection & IEM

The most important equipment is saved until last! Unless I'm using in-ear monitors (IEMs), I use ACS (PRO17) custom moulded earplugs to protect my hearing. I’m also trialling the MP9-15 electronic hearing protection from Etymotic Research. These are designed for musicians (and others!) and offer 'intelligent sound control' with automatic noise reduction - you can set this to either 9 dB or 15 dB. They feature two listening modes: a natural mode that delivers clear, accurate sound until levels become unsafe, and an enhanced mode that amplifies quieter details while still protecting against sudden loud noise. They are quite compact, lightweight, and battery-powered. It's taking a little while to get used to them, but time will tell. IEM's used: ACS Emotion (moulded)

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