Ben Kenney: His Board

[iamdenialNJ]

ahem.. this must be the chorus everyone loves from alive at red rocks. i think on drive is when he used it most. he was having serious tone issues that night, so i cant tell if the pedal was cutting lows or that was just him.

someone more familiar with the ibanez chorus care to chime in? he isnt bi-amping, so how bad can it be?

the fulltone bass-drive cuts lows. yes I just opened the can of worms.

 

[dannster]

That board is killer! Ben is the man, hes the reason I started playing bass many moons ago.

Ben is seriously talented. I really like his style. Although I've been playing since Ben was floating around in Amniotic fluid.

 

[Dub56]

he played GUITAR for the roots.

I'd say the guitar in the Roots' music has plenty of groove!

 

[sonic assassin]

I'd say the guitar in the Roots' music has plenty of groove!

yea, sure. i can agree with that. but that doesnt make him a very qualified bassist. people like to use that as evidence that he is good. hes good at guitar. i think hes a mediocre bassist.

also, why does he need 2 compressors? maybe the new aggie TLC is there to try out?

 

[dannster]

also, why does he need 2 compressors? maybe the new aggie TLC is there to try out?

Yep I think so. He says here he is a new test pilot....
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[Vic Winters]

yea, sure. i can agree with that. but that doesnt make him a very qualified bassist. people like to use that as evidence that he is good. hes good at guitar. i think hes a mediocre bassist.

also, why does he need 2 compressors? maybe the new aggie TLC is there to try out?

He's good at everything. Guitar,bass, drums and singing. Search youtube for his song Eulogy.

I think one compressor is for his finger and pick style and the other is for slapping. Yes he does some slapping now.

 

[carlos840]

mesa, probably mesa, and last i heard lakland.

I remember seeing a picture of him with 2 pairs of mesa boogie walkabouts + extension!

Found it...

 

[LaklandBass]

Bens tone is awesome. But so was Dirks.
Oddly I think both players had perfect writing, tone, and style..... for each respective era of incubus.
Dirk probably wouldnt have been happy playing the newer incubus style... and Ben certainly wouldnt have been right for the Science album.

 

[Vic Winters]

I owned the CS9 for a bit, there's no blend so there is a bit of low end loss.

 

[sonic assassin]

this thread could have also been called "ben kenney: his BEARD"

 

[matt_bass]

For Live At Red Rocks I believe he was still using the Line 6 Bass Pod for his effects.

 

[natw42]

he played GUITAR for the roots.

yeah, when I saw the Roots playing Lalapalooza a few years back, he was playing this funny looking long necked 4 string guitar.



He played both, depending on what was needed. Hub wasn't at the gig, so he strapped on a light blue 4 string Jazz-style (I'm assuming Lakland JO). Killed it, with a super growly tone that was able to be heard over ?uestlove's kick at the Tweeter Center in Camden NJ (a notoriously muddy venue)

Justy sayin...don't hate unless you do your research

 

[Valerus]

I dig his tone.

 

[tomhanzo]

Well this is a favorite live song

Pistola

 

[The Lurker]

i dont mind that song. there are select tracks on the last few albums that i like. but whole albums? forget it. i can listen to the first few end to end. fungus amongus wears on me after a while, but after that its smooth sailing.

i feel like they went soft in their old age. a little aggression never hurt. anna molly was a cool song if you like to sleep. as was dig. but even on a commercially PERFECT album like morning view, you had songs like "have you ever?". they arent a rock band anymore.

i honestly think its the lack of balance between mike E and dirk. too much pot, too much soft jazz. distortion please.

maybe thats what happens when bands get old. any sort of aggression would just seem fake (ahem metallica).

I'm inclined to agree. Morning View was too much of a lounge-jazz record for me, and a bit repetitive. It struck me that they took the vibe from their one-off breakthrough song on Make Yourself (Drive) and turned it into a whole record.

Now that I think of it, Incubus hasn't put anything out in four years.....

 

[brekfustuvluzer]

anyone know what ibanez pedal is in the middle of the board in the op?

 

[sonic assassin]

ibanez chorus

 

[GrapeApe]

Now that I think of it, Incubus hasn't put anything out in four years.....

Got a new one coming out this year actually. Also, a big +1 for Ben's solo stuff... one viewing of the "Eulogy" video on YouTube should suffice to erase any doubts concerning his talent.

 

[the byronic man]

i love the CS-9. i've got one as part of an old Ibanez multi effect. just right for me.

 

[Plays_For_Dog]

Ben has chops. However, Alex (Dirk Lance) is far more aggressive and funky. That put a spice on incubus that drew me to them. Everything after Morning View is just flat and "pop".

So, Dirk fans.... Have you listened to his new band, Willie's Nerve Clinic? I bought their album off CD baby and it is absolutely phenominal. The tones just drip from that album and make my mouth water. His playing has improved, Deuce is an excellent guitar player (his singing will have to grow on you, but it does; promise), and Matt on the drums holds his own very well.

Check it out. You'll thank me.