Sound Addendum, Pt. 2

Some more stuff to ponder.....

The GK growl that I speak of is not some big ole' overdrivin distortion thing.... Bob Gallien describes it as a small amount of even order harmonic distortion. For me, it's just a bit of throaty, low end authority. It tends to warm the sound up a bit, especially if you're running the eq flat. Driving the amp with the pre-amp gain, to me, sounds like shite, and that is not the kind of distortion I want.

G&L basses have been a "guilty" pleasure of mine for a few years. I currently own three, but one is about to be put up for sale. I love my SB1 and SB2. The SB2 is relatively new, while my SB1 is was purchased new in '87.

The SB1 is super hip, as it has a lot of "mojo"...... and it's all my mojo! Every scratch, ding and worn area on it was done by me! Everytime I see a recent picture of George Porter, Jr.'s beat to all hell Fender P bass, I find my self picking up my SB1. Strung with flats, she's a funky bitch, and with the volume and tone rolled off just a bit, she sounds even better than a 40 year old Fender! This bass has been ultimately dependable, and I can nail setups no matter what strings I throw on her. She currently sports a recently broke in set of Thomastik Jazz Flats, and a piece of foam under the strings at the bridge.

The SB2 is really a "sleeper" bass. If you're in the market for a P/J setup, then this is the bass! Super fast, slim neck, and the hot MFD P Pickup make this thing a wicked beast. The J pickup by itself is pretty useless. But using it to change the character of the P is where it shines. This bass does not have a tone control, although, there is a pretty cheap and easy mod out there to add one (which I have not done). Between the Thomastik Jazz Flats, and wise usage of the J pup volume, I find there is no need for the tone control. I roll the P volume down to about 80%, and run the J volume at about 20%..... silky smooth!

I still own the '92 MIA Fender Jazz Bass I used with 17RW. I'll never part with it. Like the SB1, it was purchased new, and every bit of mojo on it is mine. She's been modded just a bit..... I threw in Seymour Duncan Antiquities, a Bad Ass II bridge, Hipshot detuner, Tort pickguard, and vintage style knobs. Recently, I replaced the standard Fender plastic nut with a bone nute. I a/b'd it with my guitar players '60's Jazz bass, and it sounded nearly identical. About the only difference was mine had a bit more of a woody tone, and a touch more sustain (probably due to the Leo Quan Bad Ass II bridge I installed on it back in '94). Also, like my SB1, this bass is very forgiving in the setup department, and sets up with virtually any string, with low action and no fret buzz. She sports D'Addario nickel roundwounds at the moment...... but I'm looking at Thomastick rounds to put on her next.

Thats it for now!

Da Krusha