Jason Wilson, For the Love of Bass Guitar

For the Love of Bass Guitar: Jason Wilson…

Like so many, I started playing bass in high school and, like so many, I worked my way through several failed bands before finding my way into some more serious projects.  I spent my 20s chasing my Rock-Star dreams but eventually stumbled into a career as a gun-for-hire, primarily working in orchestra pits for musical theater productions.

I’m based just outside of Washington, DC in Maryland and it turns out that DC is the third largest theater town in the country (behind New York and Chicago) when it comes to locally produced, professional theater.  Also, it’s not uncommon for a show to do a run in DC prior to going to Broadway to work out the kinks.  Couple all of that with the fact that there are always a ton of happenings and events in DC and I’m always able to find work.

I play an extremely green Yamaha RBX series bass that I found on clearance at a local music store years ago. 

It’s not the highest-end instrument, but it’s been with me from my club days in Baltimore to the Kennedy Center Honors to gigs all over the country and never failed me. 

During the pandemic, I bought a five-string version of the same bass (same color and all) from a dealer in Ukraine.  I wonder sometimes if he’s OK.  I have two main amps that I use.  A Mark Bass CMD combo with two 10″ speakers and a Peavy BA-112 with a single 12″.  Both give me a very clean sound and are easy to haul around.

That last part is important. 

Like a lot of rockers, I used to have a couple of bass cabinets that I would stack and that sounded really good but weighed a ton.  Nowadays, I’m all about being able to make it from my car to the venue in one trip and without a great amount of physical exertion.  It took me some time to find all of the right gear but I’ve figured it out.  It’s nice not arriving in a sweaty mess.

I use light gauge Blue Steel bass strings and keep my action fairly high which gives my bass kind of a growl and a very percussive tone that I love but not everyone enjoys.   I’ve had a couple of sound designers in various theaters grumble about my tone but I’ve gotten really good at turning the knobs on my bass and amp to give folks what they need and everyone always is satisfied.  I’ll admit my ego used to have an issue with others commenting on my tone, but I eventually got over myself and reminded myself that a gig for hire is not about my bass tone…it’s about what the gig needs.  I’ve also learned a few EQ tricks along the way and about what different gear is capable of doing.  You also don’t want folks thinking about your tone, you want them to be paying attention to what you’re playing.

The only time it was an issue for me was when I was recording some tracks for a friend’s album and the engineer asked for me to play his bass.  It was a beautiful Precision Bass but had a very different feel than mine.  It was uncomfortable and I expressed that I wanted to use mine but after hearing me play for about ten seconds, he insisted on the P-Bass.  I began recording the track and he told me that my hand placement on the bass needed to change and it was at this point that I realized that this was an exercise in dealing with disrespect.  I told him my hands were where I always have them and finished the tracks.  I listen to the album now and it sounds great; it just doesn’t sound like me which is a bummer.

There’s a thin line there.  Who has the final say when it comes to tone and how things should sound?  At what point does the personality of the musician give way to the overall creation?

I have a solo project called Resolution Alley.  Fans of Progressive Rock and Art Rock tend to enjoy it.  Those albums are mine and the bass sounds the way I want it to.

Catch me online at www.jasonwilsonroxx.com

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