Markbass amplification

After many years of using many different amplifiers I am very happy with my new Markbass setup.

I looked into Markbass after hearing a local player, Glen Ackerman, do a gig on upright and electric using the Markbass 121p combo.... It sounded great. At the time I was using a Walter woods and a bag end 115b but I was struggling to get the clarity I wanted. Once I tried the Markbass 121p I was hooked. The amp sounded great and was light weight and portable for the times when I need to get in and out quick. I have used it for a few big band rehearsals and church services and it had been great.

After a few weeks of enjoying the little amp I decided to look into the rest of the Markbass line to see if there was another set up that would work for my larger gigs with RSB and others where a small combo wouldn't cut it.

I always loved the versatility of the Walter Woods since I like to have a channel for my upright and electric each with their own EQ. I could never really find another amp that offered this that I liked. Then I came across the Markbass MoMark LMK. It is a modular amp that allows you to remove and replace the preamp module, EQ module and master volume module individually to get the amp set up that works best for you. I went with the LMK set up that gives me 2 channels each with their own gain and EQ.
I paired the head with the Markbass 104r cab and I am loving the result.

Here is a quick pic from my gig with Robbie Seay this morning at Ecclesia Church. This is the 121p combo and my new 33" scale Overwater Jazz bass.

I'll post pics of the other rig soon..... All my other amplification has either been sold or is up for sale at the moment, thanks to Markbass for making the stuff that so many bass players need.

Overwater Video

Here is a quick video DEMO of the new Overwater Basses.

I'll try to make a better video tomorrow........

Overwater basses set for a Friday delivery

The 2 overwater basses are finally on their way.

I have an RSB gig Friday and I'm hoping they arrive early enough in the day for me to receive them and take them to the gig. If not, I'll play them this Sunday at Ecclesia.

Overwater Basses Complete!

The basses are now completed. I should get my hands on them in about a week.

Here is a photo of Martin from Overwater enjoying the basses.

Overwater Jazz Bass Update

Martin at Overwater just sent me an updated picture of the 33" scale Jazz bass he is making for me and I am really excited for how it is turning out.

We are making a white and a black scratch plate. Here it is with the newly finish white plate and I must say it looks great!

A few more days until completion then both basses ate on their way to Texas.

Overwater Update

Well both Overwater basses are just about finished.

The SD5 is ready to go and the jazz bass will complete tomorrow.

I'm very happy with how the SD5 turned out and I can't wait to hear it. The jazz bass is also looking nice and I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like once the assembly and setup are complete.

Then I'll have to wait for the basses to be shipped from the UK....

Overwater Update

Both basses are coming along nicely and should be completed any day now! I'm very excited to see the final result!

Overwater Update

Here are some updated photos from Martin Lee at Overwater Basses.  The show the progress on the Scott Devine model 5 string that is being made.

I love how these basses are truly hand made using patterns and pin routers.

The next process is to cut the neck pocket then fit the neck to the body to ensure that the neck pocket has a perfect fit.  Then the body count ours will be hand carved to give the bass its final shape.

Should be a few days from completion for both basses, then they will go to the finish booth for a light finish and left to cure for about 10 days before making the trip to the USA!

DIY Leather Straps

While looking into getting a few nice leather straps for my old Fender basses I came across a few videos from Brookwood Leather showing how they make custom leather straps.  If you know me, you know that I love to do things myself and often get myself into projects that can quickly get over my head.  So..... I headed off to Tandy Leather Supply and bought a large piece of leather and a few simple tools and decided to give it a try.

Here are my first 2 straps!  The darker colored strap is dyed brown and distressed to look and feel like a 30 year old strap.  The lighter colored strap is the natural color of the leather and I will leave it unsealed so that the oils from my hands will naturally color and wear the strap to give it a nice vintage look over time.

The reason I was looking into a custom strap was to get a strap cut to the exact length I need and not have it be adjustable so that's how I made these straps.  There is one hole on the end that mounts to the horn of the instrument and I have 2 strap holes on the end that mounts behind the bridge so I can adjust the height by picking what hole to use in the back.

I still have some leather left so let me know if you see something you might want me to make.

Pedal Board Tips

Today I made a simple deal board for Houston guitarist Nolan Burke.  He had bought a Pelican 1700 case to get him through his summer on the road and wanted a pedalboard to go inside.

(http://pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1700)

 I used to build custom flight cases for pedal boards and I think the Pelican is a great solution if the size fits your needs.  The case is super strong, lightweight, and has recessed wheels to make trips through the airport a breeze.  To keep things simple I just made a simple flat 3/8 thick pedalboard that I believe was 12.5 x 33. The board had an ABS plastic top, routed and painted edges and a rubber (shelf liner) glued to the bottom to keep the board from slipping on stage floors.  The ABS plastic works great for stick on velcro or what I prefer is the double sided mounting tape found at Lowes.

The trick to getting the mounting tape to work is to remove all the rubber from the bottom of your pedals, then double up 2 pieces of tape to make it a little thicker to clear any screws that are sticking out below the pedal.  I usually use a strip at the upper and lower part of the bottom of the pedal.  Then firmly press the pedal in place on the ABS surface and it will stay put until you are really ready to pull it off.


 Here is a pic of the board tilted up in the Pelican 1700 case showing the end mounted wheels.

Here is a picture of the underside of the board showing the rubber liner glued to the bottom.  I find that this works better than screwing or riveting rubber feet to the board because the rubber feet tend to get ripped off and take up and extra 1/2 inch of height inside the case.

I'll follow up with a picture of the board once the pedals are all mounted and hooked up..

2 New Overwater Basses To Be Completed Soon

I'm very excited about 2 basses that I am having Chris May and Martin Lee at Overwater in  Carlisle United Kingdom.

The first is a 33" scale maple/ash Jazz bass with downsized dimensions and close string spacing.  This bass will have a sunburst ash body with a maple neck and black bound maple fingerboard wit Overwater pickups and a passive buffered preamp.

Here is the Ash for the Jazz Bass:

Here is the body and neck cutout

Here is the neck fitted to the body:

This is my favorite picture, it is the maple neck with the ebony binding!

The second bass is a Scott Devine model 33" Perception bass with medium weight ash body, Spaele top, Wenge neck and fingerboard with Overwater pickups and East preamp.

The progrès pictures I have received from Martin look great and they basses should hit the spray booth next week and then be on their way to the USA in another 2 weeks.

Here is the Sapele top

I chose the fingerboard on the left:

Here is the headstock veneer being glued to the headstock

Here is the cutout for the neck:

More pics to come in the following days.....

Nashville Showcase with Savannah Berry

Hello! I just set up this blogging account to keep track of my life at home and on the road playing music and this is my first post.

I'm in Nashville right now after playing a Record Label Showcase last night with Savannah Berry from Houston Texas.

The show was at 12th and Porter and went great, I know everyone is a bit received to have the stress of an industry showcase over with and I hope it leads to some exciting opportunities for Savannah. The band was great to and I hope to get the opportunity to play with the guys again some time soon.

Headed to the airport and back home this morning.