jonas hellborg

[Jon Moody]

strange thing, i don't know if you know or not, but the warwick isn't an acoustic bass. according to hellborg it is a solid body bass ( i think there is a solid piece down the middle that the pickup sits on with hollow wings ) he says he prefers the acoustic bass shape as it puts his body in a postion that is comfortable for his back. i would love to try one, just have to find a store that would stock one.

Very interesting to know, thanks! I'd love to try one out myself.

As luck had it, I was talking with my luthier friend yesterday at a show (he was there making sure the repairs on the URB he did for the bassist earlier that day were holding well) about the Hellborg WW bass. He mentioned how close it resembles the Wechter one in its horn shape and style.

 

[johhn smith]

That's one of the reasons I buy almost everything he does, I trust him as a artist.

i agree

i wish he would release more peformance video. i love the youtube stuff and don't get me wrong, but the quality and the piecemeal nature of watching a lot of little clips doesn't do the man or the music any justice at all.

 

[johhn smith]

Very interesting to know, thanks! I'd love to try one out myself.

As luck had it, I was talking with my luthier friend yesterday at a show (he was there making sure the repairs on the URB he did for the bassist earlier that day were holding well) about the Hellborg WW bass. He mentioned how close it resembles the Wechter one in its horn shape and style.

when first i saw the warwick, i noticed that as well - i love the shape of both basses.

i don't know if you've seen any of the video or read any of the interviews connected with the design of the warwick bass/bass amplification system, but hellborg was involved right down to the circuit board level in the project, selecting the electronic componants, testing different pickup winding configurations, et al, until he got the sound that he wanted. it is quite a refreshing change from the standard " pick a colour that we don't already use, we'll silkscreen your signature on the headstock and that'll be your signature guitar " endorsement deals.

 

[Gojiras_Hejira]

It seems like he's doing a full push for his products. I've seen more interviews and advertisements since this new Group than ever before. I'm sure you can find in-depth discussions of his decisions somewhere...

 

[johhn smith]

It seems like he's doing a full push for his products. I've seen more interviews and advertisements since this new Group than ever before. I'm sure you can find in-depth discussions of his decisions somewhere...

oh you can find interviews and him discussing his products on youtube.



i think that he is pushing this line harder than ever before as a result of the amount of involvement he had in the crafting and decision making behind the products. this is a whole bass performance kit from guitar to amp to cabinets and he was deeply involved down to the minutia in this project, as opposed to just having someone make a guitar for him.

 

[The Owl]

my favorite as well ... i like a lot of players and i am glad that i don't have to pick one but if i did, it would be jonas. i am just gobsmacked at his musicality and considering that most of the music that he is performing is largely improvised makes it that much more impressive.

Definitely one of the reasons I LOVE Jonas, very original musician, very deep and comes up with some very interesting ways of integrating Indian and Pakistani music into his.

 

[johhn smith]

Definitely one of the reasons I LOVE Jonas, very original musician, very deep and comes up with some very interesting ways of integrating Indian and Pakistani music into his.

me too

i thought these excerpts from allmusic's description of the cd " Icon " put it is a very concise way.

The most impressive aspect of this recording, however, is not Hellborg's technique, or that of his long-term collaborator, guitarist Shawn Lane, but the integration of the two players into a relatively pure East Indian frame of reference.

Hellborg shows his respect for the tradition by featuring both vocalist and percussionists throughout the CD -- not a commercial move by any means, given the quavering, non-Western quality of Indian vocals and the intricacy of Indian rhythms.

when i got the cd icon, it was about 3 months before i could go a day without listening to it at least once, same for good people in times of evil. something about the fusion of the two musics i found compelling, challenging yet relaxing and eminently listenable.