Bass Guitars
I have been a very proud endorser of Carlisle’s Overwater Basses since 1999, after purchasing one of there Progress models at the National Music Show in London. I wanted a Conklin 7-string after seeing Bill Dickens play one. At the time, OW had a Conklin 6 so I went to the music show to play that. I hated it, the neck was too round for my liking. Laurence could see my disappointment and suggested I try the 7 string OW they had in stock. Thus began my relationship with these incredible UK made basses.
I currently play 3 of their Instruments.
My main instrument is a 2024 Hybrid 6-string model with a walnut top. The Hybrid bass combines the punch a clarity of a bolt-on neck with the warmth and sustain of a neck-through construction. The neck of the hybrid is recessed into the body as far as the pickups! I wanted the fretboard to have a clean look with no markers so bass also has Luminlay edge markers which glow in the dark . It currently has Overwater’s onboard 3 band preamp.
My 2nd Overwater is a 2005 J5 Deluxe with a flamed blue body and maple fretboard with ebony block markers.
This was built for me after a similar model appeared on the Overwater website which had been built for someone else! This features a John East J-retro preamp. It’s a fantastic all-round bass which has been on 100s of gigs and recordings
My final OW bass is a 2010 PJ5 built after I saw a bass that OW founder Chris May built for BBC Strictly’s resident bassist Trevor Barry. Trevor has a very similar OW P5 but I wanted the flexibility of a PJ configuration. I use this bass when I need a more retro tone or for driving rock sessions. It has the P-retro preamp from John East which is based on ‘filter-type’ preamps found on high end basses like Wal and Alembic.
The latest member of the family is the Jaydee Supernatural Series 1 Classic, built in 2019. This is a replica of Level 42 slap master Mark King’s original Jaydee 003SA model. I had a series 3 model when I was a teenager and have lusted after a Series 1 for a while. The triple combination of Series 1, cherry red and crescent inlays is rare and the current wait time for a new build is 5 years so I was really lucky to find this one. Thanks to Will at Bass Bros!
Next up is a Musicman Stingray SUB 5. I’ve had 2 MM Stingrays in the past, one got smashed at a gig and the other was sold a few years back. The SUB is Musicman’s budget range but it has all the honk and growl of the US models and sounds fantastic on recordings! This is also my travelling bass for gigs in Europe as it sounds good on anything and is less emotionally precious if it gets damaged!
For those times when only a fretless will do, I have a 2010 Fender Squier Jazz lined fretless. The fretboard has lines where the frets should be which means I don’t have to guess!! It’s strung with Newtone roundwound strings which is unusual as many fretless players prefer flatwound strings which don’t damage the fretboard. Everything is stock on this bass.
Finally, I have this Ibanez Electro-acoustic 4 string. I needed a bass for an acoustic gig in a forest, a gig which doesn’t happen often so I wanted something affordable but capable. This bass has a big, round tone, perfect for those times when amplification isn’t possible.
Amplification
Currently, I’m using a GR Bass AT212 ACT, a 2×12″ 800W powered cab. I’m very lucky to own some amazing basses and I enjoy plugging straight into this powered cab with no need for another preamp, so does my back! It sounds amazing and as it’s built of carbon graphite, it is also exceptionally light!
For those gigs when amplifiers aren’t needed or wanted, I plug into a Radial J48 DI box.
Accessories
I am a proud endorser of Read Audio In-ear monitors and use their R303 model. These IEMs are custom moulded so they fit snugly and I don’t have to worry about them falling out. They sound amazing and give me all the low end I need! The customer service is unbeatable and I couldn’t be happier with them. Matt will come to you, take impressions of your ears and your IEMs will arrive super quick!
I run My IEMs into a Fischer Ear Stick headphone amplifier which gives me ultimate control and protection from sudden peaks in noise level.
Strings
I have used almost every mainstream brand of strings in my career but recently I discovered Newtone Strings, made in Derbyshire UK. They are custom made to order and I have them on every bass, apart from the Ibanez acoustic and the Jaydee.
They sound fantastic and they last! I’m not a fan of coated strings and my body chemistry will kill strings in a few gigs but Newtone continue to sound fantastic, even when the initial “zing’ has died away.
I use light strings 30 – 120 on the 6 string, 40 – 120 on the 5’s and 40 – 100 on the fretless.
The Jaydee is strung with Labella Super Slaps, based on the now discontinued Rotosound Funkmaster 606 sets favoured by Mark King. The gauges are 30 – 90, super light. The Labella’s keep the “piano string design’ of the original 606s, where only the central core of the string passes over the bridge. The current Rotosounds have moved away from that (unless you’re Mark King!)
Links to all the good stuff can be found on the LINKS page.