It’s nothing to walk down any isle and hear incredible musicianship.  Here’s a video of my bro’s Jermaine Hall and Oliver McEwan in an impromptu jam session at the TC Electronics booth.  They’re jamming to MJ’s Human Nature.  Enjoy!

NAMM & EBS Logos

Guys I’m headed to NAMM in Anaheim, CA!!!  This is my first year and I am so very excited to be attending.  For those of you that may have never heard of it (from namm.org):

NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization’s popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global music products industry. Our association—and our trade shows—serve as a hub for people wanting to seek out the newest innovations in musical products, recording technology, sound and lighting. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages.

In the Winter and Summer every year, NAMM sponsors trade shows that allow all of the merchants and manufacturers to showcase their products.  This results in every musical company that exists convening in one place to show off the goods!!!  Nearly every person that is endorsed by these companies stops by and performs, showcases new products, takes pictures, signs autographs and just hang.  It’s an incredible opportunity to hang and network with musicians from all over the world.

NAMM isn’t open to the public, so a manufacturer or merchant has to help you gain access.  EBS Sweden, a company that graciously allows me to endorse their pedals, allowed me the opportunity to go to this year’s conference!  I am very thankful and grateful for this opportunity.

I’ll have tons of pics and video in the coming days!!

So guys, the infamous Carvin Card came in the mail over the holidays!  I was excited to know that the process of building my bass had begun.  The postcard is pretty much cut and dry.  You can hardly read it, but the card lists the buyers info (Name, address, etc.), your salesperson’s name, and says the following:

Thank you for your order.

We expect it to be completed on 01/30/12.

Order must be paid in full before being shipped.

That’s pretty much it.  I guess I was expected a slight bit more.  I’ve been seeing the posts about the “card” from the guys on talkbass.com and maybe I turned it into some kind of fairytale like moment in my head.  This is my first custom bass and somehow this stage in the process didn’t excite me as much as I expected, but I can’t wait to get this baby in my hands!

And for you guys that are wondering, I ordered the bass on 11/28/2011 during the “Black Friday” weekend sale which gave $100 off of the base price and $100 of off custom options.  The completion date of 01/30/2012 will put the total time somewhere around 8 weeks.

I just wanted to share the experience with you guys that have never ordered before or are considering ordering!  More info as I receive it!!

1. Shielded the control cavity
2. Changed to CTS pots
3. Installed Nordstrand NJ5F pickups
4. Installed a Nordstrand 2B Preamp
5. Wired the controls to be Vol/Blend/Bass&Treble Stack.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a fanatic for Roger Sadowsky bass guitars.  I’ve been playing the same M5-24 since 2006.  I call her Brownie because of her Sunburst color and she gets virtually NO downtime and has had one vaction in 5 years (when I played a Sadowsky MV-5 for a tour in South America)!!  We’ve toured 5 continents together and prayerfully we’ll be able to do more.  With all of that being said, I think it’s time to get her a little relief!!

I’ve been searching for another bass to try that could be a great backup to Brownie.  I know that the obvious solution would be to get another Sadowsky, which I will one day, but for now that price tag puts this idea a little out of reach.  The prices of those wonderful instruments have increased over the last five years and I have to admit that I faced a bit of sticker shock when I went back to start pricing basses.  I totally understand it though.

In the interim, I’ve researched almost EVERY bass manufacturer that exists.  I’ve even bought inexpensive basses and have modified them in search of a great backup/alternate bass.  The new Fenders are inconsistent in sound/feel, the older Fenders cost just as much as the new ones, the Squier’s feel/sound great passive but do not have any realistically usable preamps (if any at all), G&L’s are great but just don’t suit my taste or work load, Warwick necks are too small for my hands, and I’m not a fan of the Shecters,  ESP’s, Epiphone’s etc.  So that leaves a few options that could work in my world… Ibanez Premiums, the new Lakland AJ’s and the Carvin SB5000 / B50.

Of the last three basses mentioned, I figured I’d just take a first stab with Carvin.  I met Sekou Bunch at a Jazz Festival in California last year.  We were in the slot right before the band he was with that night.  As we were leaving the stage he invited me to his trailer to check out this new bass, the Carvin SB5000.  He raved that this was an incredible instrument and that I should come play his bass.  I must say that I’ve never owned anything from Carvin before and I had always received those magazines from the company that just seemed to magically follow me wherever I moved!  So I was familiar with the brand through media, but this was my first time up close.  The neck on this bass felt incredible and when he played it on stage the sound was big and round yet articulate for every note.  I was really feeling this bass, except for one thing… the body shape.

Carvin SB5000

I’m just more of a traditional when it comes to bass body styles.  This design is close to a traditional shape, but that upper horn on the bass just didn’t appeal to me.  I went to the website anyway to check out the specs, and it was then that I found out that Carvin offers the SB5000 bass and many others as a custom build.  My Sadowsky was a metro model, so this custom thing really intrigued me and I was very elated to know that I would have a unique bass. A little more delving into the site lead me to the Carvin B50 which has the SB500 electronics with a more traditional body shape:

Carvin B50

Discovering this bass sold me on trying Carvin first.  Everything about this bass is appealing to me.  I honestly don’t think that too many people are aware that the B50 is basically the same as the SB5000.  Web searches yielded little to no information about the latest B50 models.  So when I get my bass I’ll do reviews and YouTube clips on how the bass sounds.   I just made the order on Cyber Monday, which ironically was the last day to receive close to $200 off the price of the bass at the time, but has been since extended for a week.  The base price is somewhere around $860 and price fluctuates with the options you choose for your build.  Build time is currently running about 7 weeks.  This is great considering that many smaller companies average about 6 months.

Please visit Carvin and check out these basses.  I’ll keep you posted on the process!!

Life Bike - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

It’s always cool to encounter artwork that is seemingly placed at random so that the world can stumble upon it.  I wouldn’t even know where to begin in trying to decipher the true sentiment behind this.  First glance led me to feel that the colors represent vibrant life, the flowers represent a growing fragrant life.  Although chained, this bike can also represent the bondage in which so many people life, despite the fullness of life that lives within them.

Scooter Mural - Photo taken by Demonterious Lawrence

This was an incredible pic.  I took the pic as I initially saw the scene – through the scooters.  The colors are what really inspired me to take the picture.  In addition to the first two pics, the following two pics were taken in Camden Town.

Church - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

Camden Lock - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

I had the opportunity to take a stroll through China Town.  Here are a few pics:

China Town - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

Hungs - Photo Taken By Demonterious Lawrence

As I’m sure visitors to the US are a bit weirded out by so many places offering their “native food”, I too joined the ranks of weirded out people when I saw this:

Fry That Chicken - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

I love the British lingo.  I can still hear recorded voice singing ” Mind The Gap”!

Mind The Gap - Photo Taken By Demonterious Lawrence

We took the Tube (sounds like they say Chube) across town and took a little walk through the governmental area of the city.

City Scene - Photo Taken By Demonterious Lawrence

Classic London Shot - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

Classic London Photo OPP - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

It was cool to see the homie Ben up close and personal!

The Homie Big Ben - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

If you’re ever in London, please take the time to ride the London Eye.  It gives you incredible views of the city!

London Eye - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

London Eye - Photo taken by Demonterious Lawrence

London Eye-ful - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

London Eye-ful - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

From The Top Down - Photo Taken by Demonterious Lawrence

Hope you enjoyed the pics!