Tools of the Trade

Pictured throughout the site is my main doublebass, a Rumano Solano Panormo copy built in 1993,
These days, most of my work is done with the Yamaha Silent Bass, SLB-200. It is an electric upright bass which incorporates a semi-hollow body for a very realistic acoustic bass sound. Plus, its' graceful design is a thing of beauty. It's especially useful for traveling, small stages, and on really loud gigs where acoustic feedback would otherwise run rampant. I added a Fishman Full Circle pickup and use Kolstein Heritage strings on this bass to help create the sonic illusion of playing an acoustic bass.

For electric bass projects, A 1988 Tobias Classic 5 string is my tool of choice. For old school electric, a Travis Bean TB2000 comes out of retirement. On the road, my 'beater bass' is a Yamaha TRB 1005.

Listed below are some other products and resources that help me get the job done. Oy, if only I got a referral fee from these companies.....

Helicore String
D'Addario
Helicore Hybrid double bass strings,
.....which I used to use until I found....

Fishman Platinum-Pro Bass EQ

Excellent, and very flexible preamp & direct box
And the fabulous Full Circle pickup

Kolstein Heritage Strings

The most comprehensive doublebass reference site on the web

Double bass repair & sales
Maker of "The Realist" pickup and the new
"Czech-Ease" travel bass
NYC

Eggpin Photo
The EggPin
Inspired by bent shafts used by cellists, this was the groundbreaking design by Paul Ellison to support the weight of a doublebass. Shifts the center of gravity, which means less weight in the left hand. It kept me balanced for 16 years.....

The Laborie-Rabbath Endpin
Graphite pin with round rubber ball tip. Requires a separate hole drilled into the endpin block. A lighter, very secure step up from the EggPin :)

When I use two basses,

Controlling both upright & electric basses with their mismatched levels & different EQ requirements used to be a real pain. The Radial Tonebone BASSBONE is my solution to easily switch between them, and independently control each EQ!

Bass News, Discussion Forums, Articles, Classifieds & More

Kart-A-Bag
The BEST equipment cart on the market - can carry
300 lb., and weighs only 16 lb. folded

Shuttle 6.0-12T

Genz Benz
Fantastic Amplifiers & Speaker Cabinets

GBE 600 Head & Neox 210T Cabinet

Shank's String Instrument Repair
Double bass repair & sales. Elizabethtown, PA

Strings, supplies, etc....Great prices

Thanks to Yamaha Corporation for generously upgrading my original SLB 100 Silent Bass
to the new

SVB/SLB-200
YAMAHA Silent Bass

Great big fat warm acoustic sound, a blast to play. Makes traveling a breeze. Perfect for small stages, or cranking it up. Beautiful eye-catching design. A workhorse in my toolbox!

RATstands

Complete line of innovative music stands

swr logo
SWR Bass Amplification
My 21 year old SM-400, is still going strong....

Hearing protection
Save your ears! Your hearing is fragile - protect it!

Due to nerve damage, I can no longer wear an electric bass on a strap.
The Mbrace keeps me from having to sit on the gig!

Hercules Stands

I mount the Mbrace to a Hercules Transformer stand for stability & flexibility. A sweet stand!