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Main Gig Basses: Nordstrand "Nordy" vJ5

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By Carey Nordstrand

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My Nordstrand Nordy VJ5 basses are killin', incredible basses! They were both custom ordered from Scott Pazera, an amazing world-class bassist. www.pazerasmusic.com Scott is an incredible consultant and a first class guy. Highly recommended! The Trans Coral Blue Nordy looks amazing in person. It has a Swamp Ash body and a highly figured, exhibition class Birdseye maple fingerboard with white pearl block position markers and binding. It has an Audere 3-Band Preamp with passive tone control (commonly called a VTC). My Oly White Nordy vJ5 is my newest acquisition. It has an Alder body & Indian Rosewood fingerboard that is deeply streaked. Stunning! It also sports pearl blocks and binding. It has the highly acclaimed Nordstrand Big Single Pickups and Carey's new Nordstrand preamp. It is Vol/Blend/Passive Tone (w/Push-Pull active-pssive switch), Bass/Mid Stack. I opted for no Treble knob since I never 'ever' boost treble. There are plenty of natural highs in the bass to begin with. The necks have a compound radius and are the most comfortable, most user friendly necks I've ever felt. These basses are just superb. I've never been happier, and I've had a lot of NICE basses! These basses are my true North! It's just that simple. Call Carey or Stew and tell them Gary Roberts sent ya! www.nordstrandguitars.com

F Bass BN5

I played F Bass BN5's for a few years as my main gigging basses. They are stunning creations of the highest craftsmanship. Built in Hamilton, ON, Canada by master builder George Furlanetto. These basses can nail a Marcus Funk tone, or get a nice midrange/Jaco-esque sort of Jazz Bass burpy growl. The neck profile is very sleek and incredibly fast. The B string is very tight, focused, and is perfectly balanced with all the other strings. The preamp is designed and built by F bass. Top row: Vol/Vol/Passive Tone. Passive tone is push-pull for active/passive operation and the Vol knob is a push-pull switch to go from Single Coil mode to Humcancelling, or vice versa depending on the vintage of your F Bass. The finish is done on Nitro and can be somewhat fragile and prone to wear. These are wonderful, high end basses that pay meticulous attention to detail. www.fbass.com

Lakland Daryl Jones 5 (DJ5) Skyline Series

I played a Lakland DJ5 for a year or two as a back up bass. (Since my F Basses were scratching my itch at the time) This DJ5 was a passive bass and had Aero Pickups that were just incrediblyt punchy. It was one of the hottest passive basses I've ever had. The B string sounded wonderful too. The neck profile however was a bit chunky for my hands. It has a rather deep C shape and was wider than my FBass BN5's that were just so thin and fast, that is made switching back and forth a bit too diffferent. The DJ5 has a 35" scale where the F Bass, and even my Nordy's have a 34.5" scale. Small difference, but yes, I can feel it. But these Skyline Series Laklands are just wonderful values and would be great for most players. I am just spoiled by more custom built instruments. That's all. I would not hesitate to own another Lakland bass. They are truly execptional.

Modulus Quantum 5

My Modulus Quantum 5 (Blackstone/Quilt Maple finish) had one of the best B strings in the business! This Modulus was a 2003 and had EMG DC40 Pickups. It could cut through a band mix like butter! The neck is a composite with woven carbon fiber. The benefit is that it is very stable in most climates and has zero dead spots. This was a very dynamic bass. But ultimately as my tonal preferences grew more refined, I found the tone to be rathert sterile and lacking the organic magic of a wood neck.

Roscoe LG3005

This Roscoe LG3005 was a special one because it was built for Kim Stone of the Rippingtons. But Kim got an endorsement deal from Fender before the Roscoe was completed, and I was able to buy it! If only I had half of Kim's talent. The photo's don't show the true depth of the amazing 3 dimensional feathering on the mind blowing exhibition quilt maple top. The bass had a Gaboon Ebony Fingerboard, Bartolini Pickups and an Aguilar OBP-1 (2-band, boost only) Preamp. The bass was incredibly lightweight and the neck profile was very sleek. This is the one that got away. Wish I still had her, but the Ebony fingerboard was just too snappy sounding in the highs for my taste.

G&L L2500 Tribute Series

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The G&L Tribute Series L2500 is one of the best bass values on the market at their very reasonable price point. I bought this bass to keep at a rehearsal space. I was shocked at how good it sounded. The Pickups and electronics are the same as what G&L uses in their high dollar USA made basses. It is Punchy! The neck profile is a little on the chunky side but all in all, for a bass that cost less than $575 street, this bass is a smokin' good value!

Peavey "Sarzo" Vintage 1988

The Peavey Rudy Sarzo, Neck-thru version was a fantastic value when it came out! High-End basses were just beginning to gain popularity, and I had yet to make the jump to five string basses. This bass features a Swamp ash Body wings, 7 piece hard rock maple nek with purple heart stringers. It has an Ebony fingerboard, Oval eye Pearl FB markers, active electroncs, brass nut, BadAss bridge, and a convenient battery compartment. The features and build quality were simply ahead of their time, especially at the price point. It was a very decent bass that served me well for several years.

Amplifiers and Bass Cabinets

My primary bass rig these days is a Markbass LMII amplifier. 500W@ 4 ohms. I am favoring my new Bergantino AE410 cabinet that is also rated at four ohms. SoI am getting the full 500W power from the LMI amp. This is an amazing bass rig. I also have a Genx Benz Shuttle 6.0 amp that is another uber lightweight amp with a ton of power. It is rated at 600W @ 4 ohms and it only weighs 3.7 lbs! Truth be told, I think the LMII has a lot more headroom and useable power. And it only weighs 7 lbs! I also have an Epifani UL310 (S2) Cabinet. It is an amazing cabinet. It only weighs 47 lbs and sounds like it weighs 100 lbs. But in large rooms, it lacks the ultimate headroom and punch that I get from the Bergie AE410 cabinet. For small gigs and rehearsal, I use my Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 1x12 cabinet. If I stay within it's useable power range, it is a tonal giant. It is rated at 300W @ 4ohms. I've paired it with a Bergie EX112 extension cabinet and that makes a much bigger sound than you would expect!

Some Former Gig Rigs: (Key note; Portable and back friendly!)