Bass Setup Part 1: The Guitar

Welcome to my blog where I will discuss my setup for playing Bass guitar as of Winter 2017. This will include posts about what Bass Guitar(s) I use, my pedal board (covered in two parts) and my amp setup. In this first post, I will be focusing on what bass guitar I mainly use and gig with.

JB4 w/ White Pickguard

My Carvin JB4 w/ Black Pickguard

Pictured above is my main bass at the moment, a Carvin JB4 Bass Guitar. I purchased this bass new in Spring 2015 and was able to receive it a week before my band had a gig (great timing)! Featuring a Jazz-style pickup arrangement, it is very responsive to different playing styles (pick/finger/slap). I do a little bit of all styles on bass and would distribute it at 15%/70%/15% (pick/finger/slap styles respectively) so my opinion on the bass is mostly for finger style.

This bass also features both active and passive style pickups that can be switched on the fly through the Tone Knob toggle (pulling the tone knob up or down). The electronics include a pickup volume knob, pan knob (to favor either the bridge or neck pickup), a tone knob, and a stacked EQ knob, with the outer knob being Bass EQ and the inner knob being Treble EQ. This allows for a wide range of tonal options that you can switch on the fly without having to adjust them on your amp, very handy in the middle of a gig. I have no trouble cutting through a mix with this bass, but that is also in combination with my pedal board and amp, which I will discuss in future blogs.

The bass itself weighs about 9 pounds and has a very even weight distribution when standing with just a strap. The neck is very mobile and moving along it with your fret hand feels effortless.

Overall this is the bass that has made me stop searching for more since I received it in Spring 2015. My two other basses of mention are:

• A Fender Geddy Lee Signature Jazz Bass (Japanese Manufactured)
• A Pedulla Rapture RB4 (Single Pickup Model)

While I use both of the above mentioned basses from time to time, I always go back to my Carvin JB4. From the construction to the sound, everything about this bass is top notch, and suits what I need it for perfectly. This is my main bass I have used for two and a half years, and look forward to many more years with it.