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I know. It’s an electric bass question. But I know nobody over there and it’s kind of hard not to piss off sone old timer who is offended by your very question. I don’t know the pecking order over there and they really jump on you if you don’t kiss the right feet. Anyway. Here in Japan Fujii...

This discussion comes up now and again, what to do when your rosin starts drying out. It’s always easy to tell when your rosin is on holiday. You swipe and swipe and nothing seems to change. You start to notice the tell-tale rosin dust at the end of your fingerboard. I’m no expert on...

Anyone know what it is? Ff holes are quite distinct in a swept configuration.

For years I depended on my AMT mic and it worked perfectly. But the other day I had a gig in Japan and it buzzed like crazy in the PA. I have to admit, I’m just wary of the replacement mic I got a year ago. I’m weary of AMT in general after the runaround they put me through. The new mic...

I’m putting together a small PA for gigs in Japan. My needs are mostly for acoustic ensembles, lots of mic inputs, no amps. The venues will generally be very small affairs, coffeehouse type situations, often gigs I would play acoustic but Japan likes PAs (a long story). I’m leaning towards a...

So I got to my Irish pub gig and realized I forgot my mic. It’s cool, I said, we can just use my pickup. Plugged my realist into the board and couldn’t get a sound. Realized I probably need something to boost the signal and wished I had a very small lightweight unit I could keep in my case...

I used to have a Felix. It was big and heavy and I found that I really didn't use it except for blending a pick-up with my AMT mic. It was an incredible unit for sure. It just seemed like a lot to carry around on tour. What I ended up doing instead was having two inputs at my station, one...

I can't say I recognize myself recently. The guy who used to hate steel strings. The guy who used to listen to ONLY old recordings of past eras. The guy who lived in a van driving around the south playing with anyone he could find and collecting folk songs and fiddle tunes. In the past few...

I have played an AMT double bass microphone for at least ten years and love it. I think it is a great product. For me the best part of the whole system is the gooseneck that allows an extremely flexible placement of the microphone. It's a great product. My old one began failing and I decided...

It's been a long time since I needed a train with a bass in the US but here I am. I need to get to Middletown NY from NYC with my bass. Does anyone have any experience or advice for doing so? In Europe and Japan it is quite easy, you just secure the bass in a place out of the way or even...

What are you listening with these days? I love all of these for different reasons: Audeze LCD-X - Clarity and soundstage, detail retrieval and pure joy Apple AirPod Pro 2 - convenience, soundstage, practice, phone calls Audeze Maxwell - General listening, walking the streets, subway...

Why did you want to play the bass? What recording did you hear that made you say “This is IT”? In chronological order for me.

Imposter Syndrome. What is it to you? When do you feel it? Why do we feel it? There have always been geniuses yet we pick up the instrument and play anyway. What do we imagine our heroes went through to get past it? Do you ever get past it? Do judgements placed upon us really matter...

Recently we touched on the massive subject of tone regarding the doublebass. Some, to my surprise don’t care at all about acoustic tone while still others obsess with finding the perfect tone that strive for to define their sound. Which are you and why? What do you do to develop your sound...

Recently I had a thought to buy a small PA system for gigs in Japan. Six inputs or so. Mostly amplified acoustic music. I found the usual suspects: Yamaha, Mackie, EV, Fender, Bose. These set-ups hover around a grand. We’ve all used them before. But then I thought, do any of these brands...

I’ll be on the Daily Show this Wednesday with Rhiannon Giddens. This time it’s Fender Jazz all the way!

So I started using IEMS. So far not that big a deal. We did some tv shows and each one was a different board and different engineer. Sometimes the sound was studio quality, sometimes not. It occurred to me that I use a Qudelix dongle DAC on my phone that is great because it has an 12-band EQ...

I’ll be on the Today show live with Rhiannon Giddens. We are already here at the crack of dawn. The IEMS at soundcheck did not inspire confidence but I’m sure the FOH will be fine. See you on the tv! We are also on CBS Saturday Sessions this Saturday.

I backlined my normal upright rig for this touring cycle Aguilar TH350/112SL cab. It’s great for upright but I’ve realized that I’m using my amp for my Fender Jazz electric and as a pre-amp to the board. Last night I had an SWR Blond, a few days ago a Fender Rumble. Both were preferred for my...

I always thought bass stands were kind of stupid and seemed like a good way to watch your bass fall and break but I’m going to be switching back and forth on this next album cycle and I think I want a really secure stand for the stage this year. What is the most stable bass stand out there?

Excuse my naïveté but I’m trying to fatten up the sound of my Fender Jazz for live touring. The record I’m touring has a very fat, active, even sounding bass sound. The guy played an active 5 string. Now I’m trying to catch some of that live. I like my Jazz tone but I wish it was more thick...

Another from the new album. This one featuring Jason Isbell!

So I woke up this morning to watch the man hisself subbing for me with Rhiannon. Of course she would get the world’s preeminent jazz bassist as the only person to fill in for me! So what did that feel like? Actually not bad at all. It was great to hear how a master would approach the...

We had some fun making this record in the famed Criteria Studios with incredible producer Jack Splash. New album out this summer. Touring to follow.

Looking ahead to touring in the late summer I’m listening to the new record and thinking I might be able to just play upright on the tour. There is one or two songs that might be better with an octaver. Has anyone tried this with upright?

A recent studio recording session brought something to my attention. I’m a bassist that loves to bow. I probably practice arco 95% of the time, a minimum of 2-4 hours a day. I’ve slowly developed a nice sound on the instrument, one that conveys what I hear in my head. But oddly, I mostly play...

Just got back from the famed Criterion Studios in Miami FL. I was there recording the next Rhiannon Giddens album. Rhiannon is generally considered a folk musician who occasionally dabbles in some electric sounds. I generally play upright for her and occasionally electric for some album tours...

I’m in a special place. Criterion Studios in Miami recording Rhiannon Giddens next full band album. The amount of music that has been created in this building is staggering. Saturday Night Fever, James Brown, Hotel California, REM, Gloria Estefan, Rumours…the list goes on and on and on. Jack...

What do you do after playing Carnegie Hall? Rest? Not a chance. Catch a 6am flight to play with the Charlotte Symphony! Gabe Witcher arrangements for Orchestra and trio. They set us up front with the conductor and let’s us go. This one was a little brutal as we were all so very tired from the...

Well, here it is. Tonight I will play a sold out Carnegie Hall with one of my bands Our Native Daughters. OND is a collective of four incredible singers Rhiannon Giddens (my main gig), Amethyst Kiah, Allison Russell and Leyla Macallah. We did a rushed album a few years ago, a quick tour and...

New cabinet with cover. Never used. Moving overseas. Local pick up only.

This is the absolute top dog when it comes to good bass sound at high volumes. My sound engineer demanded that I add it to my signal chain for large festivals like Bonnaroo etc. Surprisingly good sound (I was skeptical). Great for blending with another source. Extremely useful frequency...

Realist in excellent condition. A perfect balance of woody sound with feedback rejection. Rejection? Harsh. Conus.

Barely used New Harmony Bass Wheel. CONUS.

Equator D5 DSP Active monitors are a marvel of technology in a small footprint. I've used these to mix all kinds of music projects for artists and television. They have been my sole monitors and I am sorry to have to leave them behind as I relocate to Japan. The build quality is excellent and...

Equator D5 DSP Active monitors are a marvel of technology in a small footprint. I've used these to mix all kinds of music projects for artists and television. They have been my sole monitors and I am sorry to have to leave them behind as I relocate to Japan. The build quality is excellent and...

As they say, "You can't take it with you" and that would certainly be true when moving to Japan. All of these are in great condition. All of these have been excellent learning tools for me and you will find endless inspiration and challenges within their pages. I don't really know how to...

These magazines are an absolute treasure. I have kept them in great condition and return to them all the time for reference. I assume you all know what they are but since they stopped publishing them in 2007 there may be those who don't. Double Bassist magazine was a beautiful, high-quality...

Exceedingly rare Gamut Solo set (E,B,E,A) of new gut strings. I put them on the bass and they are exquisite, truly works of art. I am taking on the Bach cello suites for my pandemic homework assignment and I thought it might be fascinating to try them on guts. While I find them gorgeous to...