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Tools of the Trade


In January 2013, I commissioned an Abraham Prescott inspired doublebass called "The Concord" from Upton Bass in Mystic, CT.  The process was excellent, and working with Eric Roy and Gary Upton Birkhamshaw was a pleasure.  I took delivery of the bass during the 2013 International Society of Bassists Convention held at The Easman School of Music.  During the convention the bass was played by, and received rave reviews from bassists coming from over the globe, playing all styles of music.

Upton Bass made a laminated (plywood) copy of  The Concord for me to use in situations where a carved bass might be damaged , like weather extremes, or extra tight spaces, or unruly crowds.  I call it the stunt double bass.   I brought that bass home in April 2015.

Older photos show me pictured with a fully carved Rumano Solano Panormo model doublebass. It was my main bass from 1993-2012.    Other photos show a Blonde Shen SB 90, which I used fom 2012-2014.

A good chunk of my work is done with the Yamaha Silent Bass, SLB-200.  It is an electric upright bass which incorporates a semi-hollow body for a very realistic acoustic bass sound. Plus, its' graceful design is a thing of beauty.  It's especially useful for traveling, small stages, and on really loud gigs where acoustic feedback would otherwise run rampant.  I added a Fishman Full Circle pickup and use Kolstein Heritage strings on this bass to help create the sonic illusion of playing an acoustic bass.

For electric bass projects, A 1988 Tobias Classic 5 string is my tool of choice. For old school electric, a Travis Bean TB2000 comes out of retirement.   On the road, my 'beater bass' is a Yamaha TRB 1005.

Listed below are some other products and resources that help me get the job done. Oy, if only I got a referral fee from these companies.....


Shank logo
Shank's String Instrument Repair

Doublebass restoration, repair & sales.
Elizabethtown, PA    800-613-2277


Upton Bass String Instrument Company
"The Concord
"
Prescott inspired fully carved doublebass.
"The Source" pickup - built into the bridge.
~ Click here to view my Upton Bass Infomercial ~


Master Instrument and Bow Maker, & Restorer
Strings and Rosin
Double Bass Links Page
The most comprehensive
doublebass reference site on the web

Thanks to Yamaha Corporation for generously upgrading my original SLB 100 Silent Bass
to the new

SVB/SLB-200
YAMAHA Silent Bass

Great big fat warm acoustic sound, a blast to play.  Makes traveling a breeze. Perfect for small stages, or cranking it up.  Beautiful eye-catching design.  A workhorse in my toolbox!



Sales, Service, Supplies
Near Washington DC/Baltimore

Gage Logo

Double bass repair & sales
Maker of "The Realist" pickup and the very cool
"Czech-Ease" travel bass
NYC

 

When I use two basses,


Controlling both upright & electric basses with their mismatched levels & different EQ requirements used to be a real pain.  The Radial Tonebone BASSBONE is my solution to easily switch between them, and independently control each EQ!


Another great resource.  Basses, Bows, Strings, Rosin and much more!    Arizona.

 


Jim Cunningham - Guitarist & Luthier
Annapolis, MD


Bass News, Discussion Forums, Articles, Classifieds & More

 

Quinn logo
Strings, supplies, etc....Great prices
Open Kart a bag Closed kart a bag


Kart-A-Bag
The BEST equipment cart on the market - can carry
300 lb., and weighs only 16 lb. folded

 


Shuttle 6.0-12T
Genz Benz
Fantastic Amplifiers & Speaker Cabinets

GBE 600 Head & Neox 210T Cabinet

...also a 3.0-10T Shuttle, 12T Extension cabinet & 6.2 Head....
Yeah, I guess I like this stuff a lot!

 

Fishman Platinum-Pro Bass EQ


Excellent, and very flexible preamp & direct box
And the fabulous Full Circle pickup
RATstands Jazz Stand
RAT Stands

RATstands

Complete line of innovative music stands
Including my choice, the Jazz Stand

 

swr logo
SWR Bass Amplification
My 25 year old SM-400, is still going strong....

 


Hearing protection

Save your ears! Your hearing is fragile - protect it!

Due to nerve damage, I can no longer wear an electric bass on a strap.
The Mbrace keeps me from having to sit on the gig!

Hercules Stands

I mount the Mbrace to a Hercules Transformer stand for stability & flexibility.   A sweet stand!