Latest
Why 11 Strings? Why MIDI? by Al Caldwell
Meet Al Caldwell –
Why 11 strings? Why MIDI? Because it’s here!
When I ventured into the world of extended bass in 1981, I knew that I wanted a tool that went beyond what the market had to bear. Music starts in our mind, not our local music stores. When I first had my bass built, my goal was to play higher notes. I wanted to emulate one of my hero’s, Stanley Clarke. I still needed to play bass on this thing so I stayed with a low E string. Low B strings were not available at the time.
In1983, I moved to New York and it changed my life. I had the lucky chance to meet and hang out with Anthony Jackson. I saw him in session and we’d go to lunch and talk about music. His words changed my life as a musician. He talked about quarter notes and he talked about music. He’s the father of the extended bass movement. He had the first 6 string built. After taking in what he shared, I was convinced that the bass was a tool — It wasn’t a weapon, a collector’s item or a status symbol. My instrument would be an extension of my musical mind.
I wanted an instrument that would let me sing as high as Ella and sing as low and sexy as Barry White. I wanted a musical gender bender and the 11 string bass made the most sense to me. I’ve never been able to play lead guitar because the strings were always to close to me. I love the melody and phrasing that comes from a guitar in a master’s hands. My hands are large and sometimes clumsy and I knew that the spacing of the bass would be paramount in my decision to stay with this instrument. I drew what I wanted on a piece of paper and had Chris Benavente build it for me. He did a great job but I have recently revised my original ideal. My dear friend Garry Goodman, ERB pioneer and String Inventor has helped me solve some of the main problems with what I’ve been searching for.
11 strings make sense to me. My lowest string is a C#. It sounds super deep in the first position but it comes to life in the third position. I wanted an instrument that could play BASS!! Bass is DEEP!! Bass is LOW. Bass is FAT!! I also wanted an instrument that could play chords and melody. I love to listen to Pat Methany and George Benson. I have no desire to play higher than a guitar. My highest string is Eb. I also wanted to have a variety of soundscapes to play with. I wanted a vast array of tones to play with. I’ve played a stringed instrument for over 30 years, so I’m accustomed to the touch. I wanted a tool that would be sensitive to my every nuance. The Roland GK3B pick up has been the best MIDI pick up for the task. The tracking of my high strings are great and I have MIDI on my High 6 strings. The higher the string, the better the tracking. I can barely feel the delay when I play. With my bass, I am the bassist/guitarist or the second keyboard player. I want 3 union checks!
My instrument is a stringed version of a modern synth and it’s up to me to learn how to play it. There is a growing number of 9-13 string bassist out here in the world. Every one of them paints differently. That’s the best thing about music, we can copy or we can create. Jaco said, You can teach a monkey to play my music but you can’t get one to create what I play.”
Here’s a song called “Hop, Skip and Jump” (just click on the ‘Downlaod’) link below. All of the instruments that you hear are from the 11 string bass. I played each part in layers. I built the groove from the drums. I try to phrase drums like a drummer and I approach every sound with that concept. I hope that you enjoy.
Your Pal Al
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @kilianduartebass @meridian_guitars @adamovicbasses @marleaux_bassguitars @jcrluthier @sandbergguitars @ibanezuk_official @dingwallguitars @torzalguitars @ariaguitars
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @bacchusguitars @franz.bassguitars @mendesluthieria @ramabass.ok @meridian_guitars @adamovicbasses @shukerbassguitars @fantabass.it @andys_vintage_guitars @valdesbasses
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @murraykuun_guitars @ja.guitars @combe_luthier @overloadguitars @kevinhidebass @franz.bassguitars @indra_guitars @petercrowdesign @baboomin_bass @jcrluthier
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @sandbergguitars @benevolent_basses @rayriendeau @olintobass @wonkorbasses @bite.guitars @adamovicbasses @maruszczyk_instruments @skervesenguitars @ramabass.ok
Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
Visit online:
Official Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Spotify
Gear News: Fender Unveils Highly Anticipated Vintera III Series
New Music: Oteil Burbridge & Lamar Williams Jr. New Single, Hush
Interview With Bassist Virginia Franks
Nathan East, Echoes of a Lineage – April/May 2026 Issue
Gear Review: Italia Leather Straps
Feb 23 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 2 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 9 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Mar 16 Edition – This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram