Ben O'Connor-Roots Bass

Upright and electric bass

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Basses

I'm not much of a gearhead. Here's my basic setup:

  • A much-abused '60s Meisel upright bass. This bass is made from the finest plywood, and was lovingly restored by Denver bassist and luthier Pat Carbone after it was discovered in pieces in an Iowa pawn shop. I've recently made the switch to Innovation synthetic strings, which are much softer that the Thomastik orchestra gauge strings I used before. It makes slapping a lot easier.
  • A stock G&L LB-100, strung with D'Addario flatwounds. This bass has the vintage Precision Bass feel, look and sound. I play this for almost all electric gigs.

Upright pickup/mic

I use a K&K transducer through a Fishman preamp, into a rack EQ unit, and then send that signal to the amp. I've tried many things through the years and I'm the happiest I've ever been.

Amps

  • I've struggled for some time to get an acceptable amplified upright sound. I'm currently using a '70s Traynor YBA-1, a great little amp, through an Avatar 2x10 cabinet. This is the best live sound I've been able to get, although I'm always trying ways to get better volume and better pitch definition. The Traynor also sounds great with my electric bass.
  • I also have a 150W Hughes and Kettner Basskick 505 combo, with 1 x 15 speaker. This is a very loud amp suitable for larger clubs. For practice at home, I use a Fender Bassman 25, a nifty little practice amp.

Photo-Meisel Upright Bass

Photo-G&L LB-100

Photo-Bass rig

Photo-Fender Practice Amp

 


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