Archive for the ‘General’ category

Modified Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V

April 23rd, 2013

What’s up fam!  So I have some great news!  I finally got that perfect back up bass!  Ironically, it’s a Sadowsky MV-5!  I caught a great deal on a used one in great shape.  Thank God that the search is over!  Yeah, I know, you guys are thinking that I should have done that a long time ago.  Well, the up side is that I got to experiment with some different basses and electronics… only to confirm that I simply just love Sadowsky basses!

 

Okay so back to the reason for this post.  I’ve been doing a great amount of studio time lately and have been dealing with those pesky engineers that only want to see a Fender bass.  I understand the history and significance of this “request”… but I think my Sadowsky is way better in many regards.  At any rate, I took this as an opportunity to experiment yet again.   I decided to go with a Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass V because the neck seems to be just a bit longer than the American standard and it gets me just a little bit closer to the 24 fret that I’m used to playing.

 

I upgraded the pickups and preamp, opting for Lollar Single Coil Jazz bass pickups (direct Fender fit) and a Sadowsky pre (I really trust that preamp in any situation).  The Lollars are very impressive!  I first learned of them while testing out some Bill Nash basses here in Atlanta.  The tone was amazing and consistent!  I typically play using it’s incredible passive tone in the studio, and I prefer to use the pre when I’m playing live.  The combination is impeccable. I’m very happy with the way that this turned out.  This one’s definitely a keeper!

Sadowsky Guitars – The Perfect Bass!!!

January 28th, 2013

Just wanted to share this pic with you guys!  Just because I love my Sadowsky!

 

Demonterious “DeToxXx” Lawrence on his Sadowsky M5-24 Bass

 

 

Anthony David – Let Me In

November 28th, 2012

I don’t know if I’ve formally shared this with you guys or not, but I’ve recently started playing with Grammy nominated artist Anthony David. The ride has been incredible so far and some major things are coming through the pipes very soon! Until I can share more with you, check out this video of our performance in Hunnington Beach at the BB Jazz Festival back in September this year.

Fender American Standard Jazz Bass V

November 20th, 2012

Hey guys,  It’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted anything since February!  Life got a little hectic for me with work!

To update you, I still don’t have a great back up bass.  When I say great, I mean a bass that feels great in my hands as well as sounds great.  It seems to be pretty easy to make them sound like you want, but getting a bass that feels incredible is a more daunting task.  The issue seems to be that I’ve been playing the same bass for over 6 years and I think my hand is just molded to that neck.  My bass is also broken in extremely well, so I’m sure that plays a major role as well.

At any rate, I recorded some audio of another bass that I slightly upgraded.  The bass is a Fender American Standard Jazz Bass V.  Upgrades include Sadowsky Blue Nickel Strings and Nordstrand Nj5FS hum-cancelling pickups.  I am once again very pleased with the Nordstrand pickups.  Check out the audio and tell me what you think.

 

The Carvin Has Arrived!!!

February 14th, 2012

The Carvin B50 has arrived!

Hey guys, the Carvin I ordered finally arrived on February 7th! I ordered the bass on 11/28/11, so it took about 2 months from order to completion. I paid for the bass in advance, which turned out to be somewhat of a “sour” moment, only because they never sent a notice or email that the bass had been shipped, and I wanted to make sure I was home to sign for it.

 

Another bassist on YouTube ordered a B50 about a week before I did, and he advised that I contact my sales advisor because the factory was running a week or so behind, in which he wasn’t notified. My advice to you guys is that if you really want to know when your bass is on it’s way to it’s new home, that you wait and pay closer to your completion date. They won’t ship the bass without payment in full, and this way they’ll be forced to keep you abreast of your build info. If you call and ask about your bass, just know that it may take a day or so for them to get info from the guitar department.

I was very excited about receiving my bass and I wanted to post info about it on the blog on that very day, but I decided to wait until I had time to try it outand see what I really thought about it first. So here we go!

The Specs

Carvin Box with Specs List

Carvin Box with specs list

  •  Carvin B50
  • Swamp Ash Body
  • Black Stain w/ Flame Maple Top
  • Blackburst Edges
  • Active/Passive Electronics
  • SB HeadStock / Flame Maple / Color Matches Body
  • Abalone Dot Inlays
  • Abalone Carvin logo
  • Master Volume / Blend
  • HardShell Case (free promotion!)

Carvin Hardshell Case

This is my first custom bass, so the experience was akin to the “kid in a candy store” adventure that everyone can relate to!  I ripped through the box, opened the case and found this beauty:

Carvin B50

Carvin B50

» Read more: The Carvin Has Arrived!!!

Video From NAMM – Four Handed Bass!

January 25th, 2012

Here’s more video from NAMM 2012.  I like to call this “Four Handed Bass”.  Oliver McEwan was showing us his new Mike Lull bass and demonstrating some pedals and amp gear from TC electronics when Uriah Duffy wanted in on the action.  Watch this hilarious video to see what happened!

 

Catching Up – Gothenburg, Sweden

March 2nd, 2010

Okay, this is a catch up post!!!

We had to travel from Lund, Sweden to Gothenburg.  It was only about a 2 hour’s drive, but this is a great opportunity for me to show you the tour bus that has become my second home!

» Read more: Catching Up – Gothenburg, Sweden

HARD COUNTY!!!

February 19th, 2010

I just wanted to take an opportunity to introduce you to some guys that I’ve had an opportunity to work with. They are a group from Atlanta named Hard County and produced by D. Smith (Lil Wayne, Ciara). They allowed me to put some bass on the track…lol. Check out Hard County… Hip Hop’s new super duo!!!!

Working with “The Feel”

February 18th, 2010

JayeBerry and I have some incredible music coming your way really soon. We’re practically living in our studio right now creating new music. One of the artists that we’re working with is Stan Steam. He’s an awesome emcee and he took a moment in casual conversation to chat with us about working with “The Feel”. Check it out!

Stan Steam and “The Feel” from DetoxXx.Music on Vimeo.

Need Bass?!?! Will Travel!

February 17th, 2010
Angie Stone photo by Dave Ellis

My New Boss - Angie Stone - Photo by Dave Ellis

Hey guys!  For those of you that don’t know I’ve recently joined Angie Stone’s band and I have been doing shows with her all over the US.  It’s been a great experience and as of Monday 02/22/10, it’ll become an experience that we’ll take over seas to Europe! We’ll be visiting Sweden, London, Norway, France, and Poland over a three week period.

I’m very excited about this opportunity and another chance to see parts of the world that I’ve only seen in books or heard about in the movies!  As usual, I’ll try to blog as much as possible and post as many pictures as I can.  This will be a great adventure!  Stay tuned!