I have been a working bassist for around 33 yrs. I have played a wide variety of musical styles over the years from heavy rock to pop, blues, funk, and gospel.
In that time, I have owned many different instruments. Some stayed with me for many years, others for one reason or another were sold because they either didn’t please me enough, or to make room for something else. A few were real unique gems that I let slip through my fingers. I have owned at least one version of most of the standard well known basses that come to mind. For the last 22 yrs I have played the same Fender P-bass. Over the years, it has proven to be for me, the most reliable, best sounding instrument live and in the studio. Until now.
Pure chance had taken me to www. Barkerbass.com. Just one of those things I guess if you believe in chance. One thing led to another and a few weeks later a large box came by truck to my front door. My Barker Vertical Bass experience began right away with the unpacking. Never have I seen an instrument so carefully packaged. The shipping carton was essentially a large cardboard flight case, having been fitted with die-cut closed cell polyfoam about an inch and a quarter thick, that fit the contours of the bass perfectly. In addition, a section of sheet foam was inserted underneath the strings and extra egg-crate foam panels were added on top. The bass had been placed inside a clear 2ml poly bag before being inserted in the carton. The heavy duty folding stand was packaged in its own box and rested in a slot cut into the foam. The custom made soft case was laid on top before the carton was sealed.
After unpacking the instrument I set it up according to the mfr.’s suggestions, taking note that they were just suggestions and that there was a lot of room for personal preference in the adjustments. The model I chose was Barker's latest model, called the “Brio.” The fit and finish immediately told me that this was an instrument that was made with care and attention to detail. After tuning and plugging it in, I gently plucked the open D string. What came out of the speaker was a large, rich fundamental that was not only instantly pleasing to the ear but had a length of sustain to it that was unparalleled in my experience. Really, the note went on and on and actually seemed to produce more overtones as it slowly decayed. My left hand immediately found a home on the jazz bass-style neck and began fretting notes right away. Then, I found another one of the secrets of Barker basses. I discovered almost immediately that what you do with your right hand picking has an enormous effect on what type of sound comes out.
By plucking at the bottom of the neck, the notes begin to come out big and warm with a soft EUB sort of attack. The more I moved my hand down towards the P-bass style pick-up the more the articulation began to resemble the sound of my Fender Precision, only bigger, much bigger. It began to dawn on me that just as the instrument's creator had claimed, the strikingly shaped wooden body was enabling the notes to be much larger and with more sustain than a conventional horizontal bass. Not louder mind you, but bigger. My P-bass sounds great. However, the notes only get so big. I can always make them louder, but not bigger. After playing the Barker right out of the box for about 20 minutes, I decided right away that it was going to the gig with me the next day.
The more I played the instrument, the more attributes were revealed to me. One of which was the way I used my fingers to form notes. If I pulled the pads of my fingers across the strings, the envelope was much different than if I used the tips of my fingers. This alone coupled with a change in musical styles caused my family and fellow musicians to immediately sit up and take notice. For example, I was jamming with my brother-in-law a day or two after getting the bass. He is a classically trained jazz pianist and has a grand piano in his living room. After about twenty minutes of having fun with some charts in The Real Book, my wife (who is a singer and musician herself) wandered in and asked, “is there some kind of upright bass knob or button that you pushed?” It was a little strange at first but the way the Barker responds to different playing styles makes it sort of a chameleon in its attack and timbre.
My Barker kept giving me little surprises over the next few days. For instance, I assumed that with the way the bass developed its huge low-end sound that it would only really shine in the lower register while playing slower, more legato bass lines. I was wrong. On the first gig with it, the set called for our arrangement of Elvis’s “Little Sister”. I was prepared to alter the register immediately as the arrangement called for a quick eighth-note groove in the key of “E”. Out of habit I started down in half position and the Barker immediately stepped up to the plate and delivered the low staccato notes with a punch and clarity that caused my band mates' heads to turn. This was not the first time the instrument had caused heads to turn. Not only did the rest of the band dig the sounds immediately, they agreed that it was also one of the coolest looking instruments they had ever seen.
For me, slapping and popping is just part of my bag as a player. It is for me, in a sense, a condiment rather than the entire meal. Slapping on the Barker has required a slight adjustment in technique but when that was accomplished, the Barker once again delivered the goods with style. The subject of slapping and popping makes me think about the whole ergonomics of my Barker bass. After the first few days I sat back and tried to analyze how and what I was playing on this unique instrument.
One of the things that struck me the most after thinking about it had to do with the instrument's freestanding nature. When playing a conventional horizontal bass, once I decide how high or low to strap it on, my choices beyond that become quite limited. I can raise the angle of the neck, or lower it to accommodate access and/or comfort and that’s really about it. To put it another way, you can’t get away from the instrument or change playing position ‘cause you’re wearing it. However, what I discovered myself doing with the Barker was intuitively coming up with all kinds of adjustments in my body angle and position, often without even thinking about it. I can stand closer to the instrument or farther away. I can move in directly behind it or adopt the suggested “hips at 45 degree angle to the body” or anything in between. All this without having to support the instrument in any way because of its unique freestanding design. I found this not only an incredibly freeing experience, but also quite relaxing and much easier on my right wrist, shoulders and back.
The history of the electric bass spans less than 60 years. There are still people playing the instrument that are older than the instrument itself. Are you an open-minded player? Are you willing to admit that there is more to the electric bass and bass playing than the accepted conventions? Does fabulous tone matter to you? If you are answering yes, than a Barker Vertical Bass may be in your future.
Joel Thomas
