# Your Favourite Bass Player's Rig/Style File; A Geeky Bass Encyclopedia...



## Bo Millward

I'm starting this thread with the hope of compiling a valuable resource for the bass playing community. We all know how frustrating it can get when searching for your ideal tone, so wouldn't it be sick, if there was a fuck off encyclopaedia listing the rig's of every one's favourite bass players? 
So instead of spending endless days trying to find the tone you&#8217;re after, you could just have a mooch and find out the exact gear you need to get a certain players tone.
As well some analysis of their playing style, you know a look and there technique and approach to the instrument.
Let&#8217;s do it then! 
First some basic rules an shit, your guna need to give the name of the guy/girl your writing about, the band there in (A Myspace link/band web site would be fair sick too). 
Be as specific as you can, state if it's the rig they use live, for an album or if it's the rig used on a specific track (obviously give the track name and what album it's off in this case). 
Do a bit of a Bio on em.
List; basses, amps, cabs, FX, recording equipment of any kind. The more in-depth and bass geeky the better.
Pick, fingers or slap?
An over view of their playing from a theoretical stand point. What makes their playing individual to them?
Use pictures, photos of them and their rig... Be creative and run with it.
I'll start the ball rolling with my favourite player;

*Alex Katunich;* (born August 18, 1976) is the former bassist of Incubus.





Alex went by the stage name of Dirk Lance which was apparently taken from the credits of an anonymous '70s porn flick. He stayed with Incubus on bass guitar for over 12 years until he left the band in 2003.
*Incubus career;*
Katunich was a member of Incubus from 1991-2002, and played bass on the EPs Let Me Tell Ya 'Bout Root Beer, Enjoy Incubus, When Incubus Attacks Volume 1 and the albums Fungus Amongus, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself, and Morning View.
*Post-Incubus Career;*
Recently, Katunich has come back to the spotlight with Stickman Entertainment, which creates videogame music. Stickman Entertainment's portfolio is extensive; it includes contracts with musicians such as THQ, 311's P-Nut and Suzie Katayama. Stickman Entertainment has worked on soundtracks for such video games as Red Faction, WWE Smackdown, and MotoGP 2.
In April 2006, Alex Katunich played a gig with a Southern California-based jam/funk band named Willie's Nerve Clinic, and as of 2009 he remains with the band.
Stickman Entertainment has created Traction in Game Radio a software for gamers to listen to music in game.
*Basses;*




Alex&#8217;s main basses were a Warwick streamer stage II fretted, a Warwick streamer stage II fretless and an old Fender Jazz (I&#8217;m not sure what year it was maybe a 79, but don't quote me on that), he used on the songs Dig, Are you in? And the full Fungus Amongus album. 
*Rig;*




This is the live rig Alex used with Incubus;
*Style file;*
I'm guna keep this bit fairly brief cos I&#8217;m getting board of typing now...
Alex's playing incorporates elements of Jazz/Funk/Nu-Metal. 
He draws heavily on the influence of Les Claypool of Primus, the man sighted as one of his biggest influences on bass.
Quick bit of theory; he regularly utilizes the Dorian/Phrygian modes as a base for his lines. Also he has a tendency to incorporate a major 10th on top of minor or Dorian harmony.

Sources; Alex Katunich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Incubus-Online-View,


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## heavy7-665

This is actually a good idea


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## distressed_romeo

Like it!  I'll see if I have anything to contribute...


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## Coryd

*Rex Robert Brown* (born July 27, 1964 in Graham, Texas) is an American heavy metal bassist. Currently a member of Down, he is most famous as the longtime bassist for the Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling band Pantera.






*Career:*
Along with former Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo, he subsequently joined Down to replace bassist Todd Strange, and most recently played bass on the Down album Down III: Over the Under.

During the early days of Pantera, Rex Brown went by the stage name Rex Rocker. It wasn't until Far Beyond Driven that he changed his stage name to Rex Brown. According to the Pantera Cowboys from Hell inner notes, Rex is simply credited as "Rex" , thus dropping the last part of his stage name "Rocker".

*Pantera*
Rex joined Pantera in 1982 with his friend guitarist Dimebag Darrell, drummer Vinnie Paul and vocalist Terry Glaze.

Pantera recruited vocalist Phil Anselmo to replace Glaze in 1987. By 1990 the band had been signed to Atco Records and released Cowboys from Hell which proved to be the band's turning point. Over the course of four more studio records, a live album and a greatest hits compilation, Anselmo and Pantera were nominated for four best metal performance Grammys, in 1995 for "I'm Broken", 1997 for "Suicide Note Pt. I", 1998 for "Cemetery Gates" and 2001 for "Revolution Is My Name." In 2001, Anselmo decided to put Pantera on hold because of back pain while he toured and recorded with his side projects. Pantera disbanded in 2003.

*Rebel Meets Rebel*
During down time Brown and the Abbott Brothers, teamed up with country artist David Allan Coe in a project called "Rebel Meets Rebel" in 1999. The album was released May 2, 2006 on Vinnie Pauls "Big Vin Records" label. Rebel Meets Rebel disbanded in 2003.
*
Down*
Brown joined Down in 1999 after the departure of Todd Strange from the band. On March 26, 2002, Down released their second album called A Bustle in Your Hedgerow with Brown on bass. After Down reunited in 2006 after a four year hiatus, work began on their third album, Over the Under. They are currently recording their fourth album to be released sometime in 2009.

*Other work*
Rex has worked previously with Jerry Cantrell on five tracks included on the album called Boggy Depot as well as eleven tracks with Crowbar on the album Lifesblood for the Downtrodden. Rex is also a producer and plays acoustic guitar. He has also provided bass work for Crowbar in 2004 and 2005 and to Cavalera Conspiracy in 2008.

*Playing style and equipment*
Rex was a jazz bassist and was offered a scholarship to the University of North Texas but declined.[1] He often plays with a pick. He is widely considered to be, along with Dimebag Darrell, one of the driving forces behind groove metal.

Rex was notable for often contributing walking basslines underneath Darrell's guitar solos. Standout tracks include "Floods" "Walk" "5 Minutes Alone", "Throes of Rejection", "Cowboys from Hell", "Living Through Me (Hells Wrath)", "I Can't Hide", "Use my Third Arm", "Where You Come From", "This Love", "I'm Broken" and many others.

Brown is currently endorsed by Spector basses and Ampeg amplification.

*Basses*
Spector Rex-5XL - Rex signature bass
Custom Spector NS4-style bass
Spector NS basses - 4 and 5 stringed model
Fender Precision Bass - Used in studio.
Fernandes "Telecaster" prototype basses - 4 and 5 stringed models
Fernandes 8-string - Used in studio.
Musicman Stingray basses - 4 and 5 stringed model
ESP Surveyor basses (4&5 strings)
Charvel basses - 4 and 5 stringed models
Jackson basses - 4 and 5 stringed model
Ovation B778-5 - Acoustic bass

*Effects*
BOSS CH-1 Super Chorus
Morley PBA-2 Bass Wah
Korg DTR-1 Rack Tuner
Rocktron VooDoo Valve Preamp / Multi-FX
Ashdown Bass Chorus Plus
MXR Phase 90
Sound Design Earthquake Bass Wah
HBE Hematoma

Rig & Video Tour of Rex's Rig: 







Sources:guitargeek | rex brown of pantera Rex Brown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## heavy7-665

Good Choice.


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## Bo Millward

Safe as! I thought this would just die cos no one was posting, but sick keep up the good work!


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## MaKo´s Tethan

Reginald "Fieldy/Reggie" Arvizu (born November 2, 1969 in Bakersfield, California) is the bass guitar player for the band Korn.




Prior to Arvizu's time in Korn, he and Brian Welch, who would later become one of Korn's two guitarists (alongside James Shaffer), had played together in a number of bands, having become friends while still at school. Upon their graduation from high school, Arvizu, Welch, Shaffer, and drummer David Silveria relocated from Bakersfield to Los Angeles and formed L.A.P.D (the name first stood for "Love and Peace, Dude", but this abbreviation was later changed to "Laughing As People Die"). Although L.A.P.D. did succeed in signing a record deal, their success was limited until the band hired singer Jonathan Davis and changed their name to Korn.
The name "Fieldy" is said to have come about as an inside joke. Originally, his band mates called him "Gopher", due to his large cheeks. Gopher quickly became "Gar", Gar became "Garfield" (based on the comic strip character of the same name), and eventually "Gar" was dropped and a "y" was added to "Field", which became Fieldy. [1] His full moniker is "Fieldy Snuts", which when spoken aloud sounds like "feel these nuts".
He plays a 5-string Ibanez model SDGR SR5005, named the K-5, which is his signature bass.
His playing style consists of slapping, standard finger-style plucking, and left-hand muting; his standard tuning is: A, D, G, C, F. He states that Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers being the one of the main influences towards his playing style.
Fieldy is also one of the main songwriters in Korn. The majority of his bass riffs are hip-hop inspired. He says he gets inspiration from anything hip-hop. On the business side of Korn, Fieldy is responsible for all Korn merchandise, its buying and selling. He will come up with a number of designs, shows them to the band and they either approve or disapprove.

Equipment

[edit]Basses


Fieldy in Italy 2008.
Ibanez Soundgear SR1305 5-string (Natural finish, Lollapalooza '97 bass)
Ibanez Soundgear SR1305 5-string (Maroon, w/ sand paper scratches on it)
Ibanez Soundgear SR885 5-string (black, woodstock '99, origin of K5)
Ibanez Soundgear 505's (Black w/ face scratched out & Natural)
Ibanez ATK305 (Amber/ash body)
Ibanez K5 TKF 5-String (Fieldy Signature/black & red)
Ibanez K15 Custom built 15 string bass guitar
Ibanez Custom 5-string acoustic bass
[edit]Effects
SansAmp Pedal EQ Boost Pedals
Digitech Wah-wah
Boss Hyper Fuzz pedal
Boss GEB-7 Bass Equalizer
Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer
Boss TR-2 Tremelo
Furman Power Conditioner
Ibanez CF-7 Chorus Flanger
VooDoo Lab Tremolo
Whirlwind Rack MultiSelector
[edit]Amplifiers
Ampeg SVT-810E 8x10 cabinets[3]
Mesa Boogie Titan V-12
Mesa Boogie M-2000 heads (no mids, and a heavily tweaked 18-band EQ)
Mesa Boogie 4x10 PowerHouse Cab
Mesa Boogie PowerHouse 1000 Cab
Mesa Boogie 2x15 RoadReady Bass Cab
Mesa Boogie 4x10 RoadReady Bass Cab
Mesa Boogie Big Block 750
Mesa Boogie M-Pulse 600
Mesa Boogie High Gain Amp Switcher
Hughes & Kettner BC 410's
Hughes and Kettner 2x15 cabinet
Now endorses Aguilar DB 750, two GS 410's.


K5 bass, the old model.




k5, the present model.










gear 1999.


>




yea, I`m a korn fan, have some problem with that!


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## Bo Millward

Haha! Nice one man, great post! ^_^


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## fluffheadsr

Mike Gordon






Looks more like an atom molecule then a bass rig. This is how you make UFO's come from the sky and thunderous bombs drop from the speakers.. 





A corrections, yet to be integrated: Pete Menosky reported (4/4/01) that the "cocobola one is the "stage" bass in the black cherry color. So, basically, Mike does use EMG's on all basses and does have a TBX" though it may not have been played live. And Jane McNall reports that Mike " has a Q5TBX in solid black with EMG pickups and a composite fingerboard. (these are no longer in production- The through body quantum's) He also has an Q5 with a cocabola top (which we no longer use ) also with EMG pickups. i am currently making him a new Q5 in Clara Walnut with EMGS"

Also, Matt Monaco reported (1/1/01) "info on Mike's Custom Audio Electronics / Bradshaw Setup and the effects pedals he uses with it. The CAE 4x4 audio mixer sits in his rack and is controlled by the RS10 midi footswitch. The RS10 controlls the Tube Screamer (Ibanez), Lovetone Meatball, EBS Octabass, and the Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer. I'm still working on a few more details, specifically the manufacturer and setup of his three volume pedals which apparently control stereo effects from the rack -- perhaps the Lexicon LXP-15, but I'm not sure."

Three Basses (counting one MIA)

New bass: Richard Akers <[email protected]> repoted (3/1/99), "I've got Mike a new Gibson Thunderbird on the way and he also is testing the echoplex (stay tuned this should be most interesting)."

The Modulus Bass: Mike started using a new bass on the Feb/Mar European tour in 1997 (not July,as previously reported), and has been primarily using it since. It's a five-string graphite Modulus Quantum 5 (not TBX, and no EMG pickups, as previously reported). Thanks to Dennis John Midkiff <[email protected]> (11/24/97), Russell Mirabelli <[email protected]>, Steve Dolley <[email protected]> (4/8/98 and 5/15/98), Julia <[email protected]> (10/15/98), and Brent Dutcher <[email protected]> 1/12/99. Also, Steve commented that "Mike's switch to the Modulus is a big part of the Phishphunk sound, and has led to his stepping out more and leading jams. The Modulus is very clear and articulate in its attack (primarily due to the neck, which is made of a carbon-graphite composite rather than wood). Very righteous for slap and pick styles. It also has nearly infinite sustain, and rings like a bell. Also, Phil Lesh plays them, and Mike is a major Phil admirer."

The Dragon Bass: An earlier Languedoc bass was stolen a few years ago, but was used from circa 1987 through mid-1997. Simpler than the Modulus, it had five strings "with an inlay of an asian-style dragon in mother of pearl on the headstock. It also has Paul Languedoc's name inlaid into it. It looks like the Languedoc bass that Mike is still using." (Shelly Culbertson; thanks also to Matt Laurence.) "Named for its intricate headstock inlay, the Dragon bass (built in 1989) has a five-piece curly-maple neck and a bound ebony fingerboard. The body is solid koa, with a face of curly-maple veneer. The bridge and tuning machines were made by Schaller. Mike custom-ordered the instrument's active, 18-volt Mørch pickups from Denmark; they came with myriad knobs and switches Mike didn't really want. "I have trouble making decisions," he says. "I probably change my instrument settings only every two years." The three larger knobs on the bass control volume (one per pickup) and pickup blend; the four micro-switches and three smaller knobs are for various midrange contours and high and low boosts. (Languedoc comments, "Even I don't know what they all do!") ... Mike and Paul both call the Fish--also named for its inlays--"a bit of an experiment." The bass, which was built about two years ago, has a two-piece curly-maple body with an interior chamber, a koa face with an f-hole and multiple-layered binding, and only one knob, which blends between the two EMG ASB-5 pickups. Mike eventually wants to add a piezo bridge transducer to accentuate the highs of the instrument's hollow body." (From "Paul Languedoc's Custom Basses" (Bass Player, December 1996) The article also includes a small diagram of his rig at the time, and lists a Lovetone Meatball as Mike's envelope filter. (Thanks also to <[email protected]>.) The bass also has custom-ordered 18-volt Mørch pickups. (Nicolai Knudsen <[email protected]> 8/7/00)

Rig:

Also: The info below somehow omits the Ibanez flanger which gives Mike the cool sound on Down w/ Disease. (Thanks to animationfactory.) it still works.

New Rig: As of January 1999 (and current at 7/6/00), Mike's current live bass cabinet rig is an SWR Goliath 4x10, Big Ben 2x18", Yamaha 1x15 PA Speaker, and an SWR SM-900 preamp head. "He's still using the Lovetone Meatball, and probably the EBS octabass instead of the Boss OC-1.". ([email protected]>) "His rig is majorly scaled down since the Winter 99 tour. On the Conan Obrian, Mike was using a David Eden bass rig, it consisted of a Eden WT-800 bass amplifier, and a Eden D410-XLT 4x10 bass cabinet. Should be interesting to see if Mike fully switches to Eden, from his normal live rig." (Garret <[email protected]>)

Old Rig: Excerpts from an article by Matt Laurence (submitted here by Matt), "Mike Gordon Curling Nose Hairs With Phish" (Bass Player, November 1993): Gordon's primary instrument is a custom kos 5-string designed and built by Phish's soundman, Paul Languedoc. The one-of-a-kind bass has a five-piece glued-on neck, customized bridge, abalone inlays [done by Paul], dual active Morch pickups, and a befuddling array of preamp options. Boss OC-2 octaver, Electro-Harmonix Dr. Q envelope filter, and Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals sit alongside the footswitch for his ADA MB-1 preamp. Mike's setup also includes a 1500-watt Crest power amp, Yamaha crossover, and dbx compressor. Preamp and effects settings gather no moss in Gordon's rig, since experimentation is the keystone of Phish's sound. Mike often alters his settings during a song just to see how they affect the overall mood. Pointing to the ten separate controls on his bass, he adds with a laugh, " I don't even know what all of this stuff does. I'm just figuring out MIDI and I'm always playing with new techniques. But thats never ends - which is good, you know? [© 1993 Miller Freeman Inc.] Note: "The ADA company went out of business a year or two ago because of the new movement in smaller rigs as compred with the 80's Rocker Rigs." (Cody <[email protected]>)

Rig Diagrams: The official site (phish.com) offers a picture of Mike's rig -- click the picture of Mike to the right of the discussion about 1993 on the band page to see it. (Thanks to Adam Gallina <[email protected]> 12/3/97.) An earlier rig diagram was graciously contributed by the band's guitar technician, Steve <[email protected]>

Preamp: From: [email protected] (Spinkle): Mike uses an ADA MB-1 preamp, which provides him with almost all of the sounds he uses. However, he also favors a Boss OC-1 ocatve pedal which produces the note he plays and the same note an octave lower. So usually he just uses it when he's soloing or screwing around, like the jam portion of Mike's song. They work best when you just play the high strings. It also has a setting to play a note two octaves below the one you play, but since it's a bass that would be real muddy, so he generally just leaves it on the one octave setting. This pedal goes for around $80 new, about $40 used, and accounts for what I usually refer to as his "fat" bass sound. Otherwise, it's just the preamp. ADA preamps are damn expensive but sound oh-so-good. (I don't know what this means, but the only settings I've seen Mike have it on are 121, 125, and 126...but I remember from Buffalo this year that he had it set on 126 during Down with Disease)."
More info, from Alan W. Verostick <[email protected]> (8/7/96), drawing on the August 1996 Bass and Guitar Players' Guide: "$799.95 List Price (from my experience, most dealers sell the item in question for about 20-30% below list price). Rackmount analog MIDI bass preamp with parallel tube and solid-state circuits. Responds to MIDI continuous-control signals.
*79 Factory Presets, 256 user programs
*5-band programmable semi-parametric EQ
*Programmable compressor and effects loops
*Limiting circuit for speaker protection
*Full-range/bi-amp/balanced direct outputs
*OPTIONS: MC-1 MIDI foot controller ($199.95); MPC MIDI Program Changer ($129.95); MXC MIDI Expandable Controller ($199.95)
Basically this thing has a number of preset tones for the bass guitar. All program numbers about 79 are user-programmed, so you'd have to talk to Mike to find out what settings each program he uses has. In addition to Mike, Victor Wooten of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and Les Claypool of Primus both use these very versatile preamps."
Mu-Tron: From: [email protected] (Josh481853), 10/19/95: It's called the Mu-Tron. The effect itself is called an Envelope Filter (or Follower). I'm pretty sure (unless things have changed over the summer) that Mike dosen't use a Mu-Tron III, though. I know at one point is Phish's career he used an Electro Harmonix "Dr. Q" Envelope filter (on 4/27/91, during a Bass jam in the middle of Tweezer, Fishman screams "DR. Q!! Ladies and gentlemen, on bass, Dr. Q!"). David Schools (WSP) uses two of these bad boys!! They are very Fat, especially for Bass (they have a "Bass enhansor switch"). I wouldn't be surprised if he still has it. [P] The Mu-Tron III is the pedal Jerry Garcia used (  ) on Shakedown, Estimated, and many others. It is by far the Fattest pedal in the universe, and is well worth it's $300-400 dollar price tag. You'll have to track one down, though - they stopped being produced around 1978 and are pretty rare.

New filter: Dave Mosca <[email protected]> reported (12/2/98) that Mike is listed in the client list for Lovetone's Meatball envelope filter.

People for a Louder Mike: Also, check out the homepage of People for a Louder Mike, an expanding social movement, featured in the January 1998 issue of Bass Player magazine. The movement's concern is an old idea -- the bass is turned down in many soundboard mixes (not only of Phish, but of many club bands) to account for its reverberation throughout the room, so there's a history of wanting to hear more bass -- but PLM has been concerned with hearing Mike at the shows, not on tape.

Phil influence: In fall 1995, when Phish was "in the bay area, Phil Lesh's bass tech visited Mike on stage while preparing for a show. He loaned Mike Phil's speaker cabinets and taught him a LOT about how Phil gets his tone and what equipment to use. Within a couple of weeks Mike had some identical cabinets built and also filled up his rack with the same equipment that Phil uses. Mike, a long time Phil Lesh devotee, has since been using the Lesh rig on stage and many people have noticed the change in his tone. Mike is also using a pick more often ala Phil. ...Mike is even using the same graphite, triangular picks the Phil uses. I think many Phish-heads and Deadheads miss hearing Phil so hey, Mike's pretty good so why not try to re-create that amazing bass sound." (Wilhem Reich <[email protected]> 10/24/95)

Thanks also to Thomas 'Poppin Fresh' Orgren <[email protected]> 8/9/98.


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## MaKo´s Tethan

John Ro Myung (born on January 24, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is a bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater.








Equipment

Myung began playing bass at the age of 15 after having played violin for a number of years. His first bass was a "Memphis" brand Precision bass copy, but he quickly upgraded to a salmon-colored four-string Fender Jazz bass. He also began to develop a unique playing style high on the neck, adding counterpoint lines and melodies to the band's material which are not typically heard in traditional "rock" music. He was also a heavy user of effects not typically heard on the bass guitar to better bring out his distinctive style.
For Dream Theater's debut album When Dream and Day Unite, Myung played a heavily-modified Ernie Ball/MusicMan Stingray four-string bass, as well as his four-string Fender Jazz Bass, with the Stingray seeing the vast majority of local New York City-area live performances in this period (1988-1992). The Ernie Ball/MusicMan Stingray four-string was customized with an added front pickup sending a traditional clean bass sound to a clean amp, while the bridge signal was sent to a full-time "effected" amplifier, much like his influences Chris Squire and Geddy Lee.
Myung used a 4-string Spector NS-2 for most of the recording of Images and Words in 1992 (although he may have used a 5-string or 6-string bass for songs such as "Take the Time", which features a low-C#). He made the technically challenging switch to 6-string basses for Dream Theater's subsequent tour of America, Europe, and Japan, using several high-end Tobias "Basic"-model basses. At least two, a Cherry Sunburst (seen on the "Live In Tokyo" VHS/DVD release) and "Transparent Red" (seen in the "Take The Time" video) Maple body-and-neck with Rosewood fretboard can be seen and heard on various Dream Theater music videos and on the Live At The Marquee EP released in 1993. Myung continued to use Tobias basses throughout the "Images And Tour" and "Music In Progress" tours from 1992 to late 1993.
For Dream Theater's Awake album, Myung became the primary endorser of Tung basses, which were produced by a small company formed by ex-Tobias luthier Nicholas Tung. Myung owned at least three of the only 100 instruments constructed, two "Wingbass II Bolt-on" six-strings (one Natural and one Sunburst, both with Figured Maple tops, Ash bodies and Maple necks with Rosewood fretboards), and one "Wingbass II Hybrid (a "half neck-through") with Spalted Maple top, Ash body, and Maple neck with Birdseye Maple fretboard). The natural-finish Wingbass II bolt-on became his main live instrument for the "Waking Up The World" and "A Change of Seasons" tours, although he used the other two in his "Progressive Bass Concepts" instructional video. During this period, Myung also used a Hamer acoustic bass for "unplugged" radio shows and live performances. For amplification, he was using Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 power amps, a Mesa Boogie Bass 400+, and a modified Mesa Boogie Triaxis guitar preamp with several transistors swapped out for ones that would support the lower range of a bass guitar.
After the Tung company ceased production, Myung began endorsing Yamaha instruments, using its TRB and John Patitucci six-string fretted and fretless basses live for Dream Theater's The Fix For '96 & An Evening of New Music with Dream Theater while working with Yamaha's Artist Custom Shop on what would become his signature instrument. Based on the more "rock"-oriented RBX body style, prototypes of the RBX6JM along with his TRB basses were used for the recording of 1997's Falling Into Infinity. A bolt-on bass with alder body with flame-maple top available in either "Ruby Red" or "Turquoise Blue" with a maple neck, ebony fretboard, gold hardware, 35" scale, and "Infinity" dot inlay on the fretboard, various Red and Blue RBX6JM models were his main studio and live instruments along with his TRB fretless from 1997-1998's Touring Into Infinity, 1998's Once In A LIVEtime double-disc live CD and 5 Years In A LIVEtime video, 1999's 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, following tour and 2001's Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York DVD and Live Scenes From New York three CD live set. Myung's amplification and speaker endorsement changed at this time to SWR Sound Corporation, as can be seen on the Metropolis 2000 DVD. However, Internet-released "Webisodes" of the making of 2002's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence' double album showed an expansion of Myung's studio gear with the use of a Hamer 8-string bass, as well as a Music Man Stingray 5 five-string bass. The usage of this bass on the entirety of disc 2 of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence would lead to changes to his Yamaha signature bass.




In 2002 John Myung and Yamaha unveiled the RBX-JM2, an updated version of his signature bass that echoed the redesign of Yamaha's entire RBX-series of basses. Changes included a modified body shape with more "modern" lines and carvings, finishes in either "Inca Silver" or "Plum Purple" in flat as opposed to glossy paint, slightly tighter string-spacing, a maple neck/rosewood fretboard with "Yin-Yang" inlay at the 12th fret, 34" scale as opposed to the 35" scale that the RBX6JM had, and most importantly a single Seymour Duncan Music Man-type Humbucking pickup, by all accounts an influence from his usage of a Music Man Stingray to record a good portion of Dream Theater's last album as well as the Stingray that was his primary bass on the band's first album. This was used on Dream Theater's Train of Thought and Octavarium albums, the tours supporting them, as well as the vast majority of the Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence tour (the prototypes for the second version arrived for him to test early in the tour), the Summer 2002 tour co-headlining with Joe Satriani, the Summer 2003 tour co-headlined with Queensrÿche, and the Gigantour heavy metal festival Dream Theater co-headlined with Megadeth.
During the recording of Systematic Chaos in 2006, Myung was seen using various MusicMan basses (most notably an Egyptian Smoke Bongo 5 HH as well as a Sterling H/SC, which can be seen a few times during in-studio videos and the EPK for this new album). At the beginning of the 2007 "Chaos in Motion" tour, he was spotted playing a MusicMan Bongo 5 HS in his signature "Inca Silver" (Flat Gray) finish on stage as opposed to his signature Yamaha instrument. This was the first time since before Images and Words that Myung had toured with MusicMan instruments. On July 23, 2007, a posting on the Music Man online forum by the owner of Music Man, Sterling Ball, [1] stated with certainty that "I am speaking for both myself and the entire Music Man family in welcoming a wonderfully talented bassist and good guy, John Myung of Dream Theater. John has fallen in love with the prototypes that we made of the Bongo 6 and is now playing them exclusively. He is so in love with them that he wont let me tweak them. He is playing the first proto and has two others from the same batch. This is historic for us to have hit the nail on the head for an artist without any input, visit, or promise." He also stated that, for the first time since John was endorsed by Yamaha over 10 years ago, "It is not a signature bass it is part of the regular line." However, several years ago, Sterling Ball had stated that there was no chance of a six-string Bongo unless a "high-profile artist asked for one," so John Myung's desire for a six-string Music Man can be seen as the genesis of the six-string Bongo. Myung is currently (as of May 2008) playing the 2 original six-string prototypes on Dream Theater's "Progressive Nation 2008" tour, a Flat Silver model very close the "Inca Silver" color on his signature Yamaha and a Black model both with Humbucker/Single Coil pickup combinations, as well as a single humbucker Flat Silver. On July 26, 2007, both he and John Petrucci visited the Music Man factory to test some new instruments that were being made for them - in this visit Myung can be [2] seen with an Egyptian Smoke six-string with a H/SC pickup configuration.
Myung also has used a 12 string Grand Chapman Stick,



an instrument primarily intended to be played by "tapping" the strings much as a pianist plays a keyboard, as well as strumming them or fingerpicking. To date, Myung has only used the Stick on four Dream Theater songs: "New Millennium" (in which he uses fingerpicking technique along with the Stick's traditional tapping), "Trial Of Tears," and "Take Away My Pain" from Falling Into Infinity, and "Misunderstood" from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (although it has been brought into the studio for every recording session since and was the original instrument that the "Home" bassline was performed on until being switched to bass). He did, however, use the Stick on several tracks on Sean Malone's first Gordian Knot including "Srikara Tal" and "Redemption's Way."
Currently (as of May 2008) onstage, Myung uses all rackmount units for his sounds. As of the August 2005 issue of Bass Player magazine detailing his on-stage equipment, he used two Demeter HBP-1 preamps, a Demeter VTDB-2B mono tube direct box, Demeter HXC-1 optical compressor, Ashdown ABM RPM-1 EVO II preamp and ABM APM 1000 Evo II power amp, a Pearce BC-1 preamp, Framptone 3-Banger (for switching between preamps and their different settings) and Mesa Big Block 750 amplifier. Myung does not use speaker cabinets onstage. Instead, he uses direct boxes that feed the signal from his instruments into the front-of-house mixing board.
On the Chaos in motion Tour he used a Demeter VTDB-2B mono tube direct box a Demeter HXC-1 Compressor and a Demeter HBP-1 Preamp for his direct signal. He also used two Mesa Bigblock 750 ampflifieres and a Mesa Bigblock Titan V12 Amplifierer connected to a Mesa 2x12 cabinet and a Mesa 4x12 cabinet. All this is controlled by a Mesa high gain Amp switcher. Furthermore he used a DBX 166xl compressor as well as some Furman units and a shure wireless system. The only rackmount effect unit he used was a Eventide DSP 4000. In All this can be seen on a picture which is shown on the Mesa homepage. In addition You can see a MXR Phase 90 and a MXR double shot distortion pedal on his Pedalboard. A Framptone AB Box as well as a Korg Racktuner and his Midi Footcontroller which is made by Custom audio Electronics are also mounted on his Pedalboard. Myung used to use a 4x10 mesa Cabinet and 2x12 mesa Cabinet. On some pictures you can see two mesa Roadking heads next right to his Cabinets. These might be also used to create his sound.
Apart from the various preamps that he uses for overdrive and distortion, the only "effect" Myung uses is an Eventide DSP4000 Ultra-Harmonizer for chorus, harmonization, and time-based effects: "I dig the Hyper Quad setting on the Eventide. It makes for a great wide, spatial effect that really brings my bass sound to life, especially live."

random pics












































source: wikipedia (data)
web (pics)


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## Bo Millward

Nice one people! Keep it up! ^_^


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## mos

Wow, those rigs make my tiny rig seem even smaller! Bet if they had to set it up themselves they'd have just their bass and a DI! Great insight into the Spinal Tap like world of successful bass players


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