Ask and you shall receive!
Some people have asked me what I do to achieve the tone I get using an amp, and I want to preface this by saying that I know very little about frequency ranges and all of the technical info regarding sound. I just know what sounds good to my ears and use the gear that helps me accomplish that.
That being said, I can’t stress enough that the sound is in your hands. More specifically, the left hand is the sound and the right hand is the sound producer. (Thanks @reid_rufus !)
If you don’t have a good sound acoustically, no amp can save you. I’ll do a separate video later about how I work on getting the acoustic sound I want.
Another important factor is having the sound you desire in your ears so that you can attempt to get to that sound regardless of the amp or the room. That takes a lot of listening to records and then turning a bunch of knobs on the amp.
Another thing I heard Mr. Reid say at a master class during my time at FSU, is that you should dedicate some of your practice time to getting a sound with an amp.
Last but not least, is that I don’t have a “go-to setting” because I always shape the tone depending on the room and the music I’m playing.
Hope this helps!
Fellow bassists, what are some of your tone secrets?
#BassDuJour
The last #BassDuJour of the @patbartmusic #NewVisionsQuartet #European tour comes courtesy of my new friend @milanke73 !
It is a German bass estimated to be about 150 years old. It has an amazing sound and was setup to perfection. Fixed bridge and all!
Spirocore weiches, with a Realist, into the Felix 2, then a Markbass combo amp. 🤌🏾🤌🏾
Thanks once again Milan for letting me use your beautiful instrument, and to @bluzi_dzon , Ivan, and the incredible staff @bluzipivobar !
My first time in #Serbia was truly wonderful thanks to yall!
We had a blast in #Sofia at the National Palace of Culture!
Got to play this Bulgarian plywood bass from the 1960’s thru an an EBS head and Ampeg cab.
I’ve never used EBS amps before, so I struggled at first to find a tone I was comfortable with. The addition of a mic helped out IMMENSELY!
Shout out to Boris for letting me borrow his instrument!
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; borrowing a bass that is played and cared for makes a huge difference!
This #BassDuJour came courtesy of @joshuacavanaghbrierley and is a flat-back French bass from 1850 complete with a C-extension, which I definitely found a way to use on the gig!
A gorgeous instrument strung with Spicores on the E & A, @pirastroofficial Evah Pirazzi’s on the D & G, complete with a David Gage Realist that I ran into my Felix 2 (surprise surprise) into a @markbassamps combo with an extension cab.
I want to take a moment to not only thank Joshua for loaning me his wonderful instrument, but also to the staff @nqjazz and @theyard_mcr for the incredible hospitality the showed us while we were there.
And the #Manchester audience were such an amazing crowd to play for! I really enjoyed talking with them after two SOLD OUT sets!
Can’t wait to come back!
Gig one is in the books!
Had a great time playing this beautiful instrument @impartcentrum for the @jazznadodra jazz festival in #Wroclaw #Poland.
Not sure of its age or origins, but I get excited when I see instruments like this for #BassDuJour.
The venue sounded wonderful as well which made my job way easier!
I ran my @gracedesignproaudio #Felix 2 thru an @aguilaramp DB 751 and 410 cab, and used a @dpa_microphones 4099 for the house and monitors.
This bass has @thomastikinfeld Spirocore Weiches and a @fishmanmusic Full Circle pickup.
As some of you know, Full Circles aren’t really my cup of tea. One the main reasons, besides the sound, is that the wire for the pickup is a bit fragile and breaks easily. I think this was the case with this particular pickup because my sound kept going in and out during the gig which I think was a result of me raising the action.
Nevertheless, the show must go on!
Next stop: Manchester, UK
The @patbartmusic #NewVisions #Quartet European tour has begun and our first stop is in #Wroclaw, Poland!
The #BassDuJour options in #Europe are typically unmatched, as this is the birthplace of the double bass, and it’s extremely common to play a beautiful, fully-carved instrument wherever you go.
This bass is a 1968 Rubner from Germany with a @davidgagestrings Realist and a fresh set of @thomastikinfeld Spirocores thru @markbassamps .
It’s a beautiful feeling when the rehearsal bass sounds and plays as well as this one does.
Kay #BassDuJour!
Played at a newer spot in #Minneapolis called @berlinmpls on this #Kay bass that was in great condition!
The strings were dead but sound punchier in this video than they did from behind the instrument.
This was also the first time I’ve plugged a double bass into @orangeamplifiers , so I had to tweak it a bit to get the sound I wanted.
I usually set the tone on the amp first, and then plug in the Felix 2 to shape the tone with regard to the sound of the room and the music I’m playing.
Fellow double bassists, where do y’all stand on the issue of new vs. dead strings?! I know a few bassists who actually prefer dead strings over the brighter sound of newer ones.
Also, anyone else have experience playing acoustic bass thru Orange amps? I’ve only used them for electric bass.
Let me know!
The Midwest tour has been going great and with it comes a fresh batch of #BassDuJour videos!
This instrument was loaned to me by @johnwasneverhere on the first night of the tour at @northstreetcabaret in #Madison, WI and it spoiled me to say the least.
There’s something to be said about borrowing a bass that is actually played and taken care of.
It’s a New American standard with a @davidgagestrings Realist as well as Spirocores on the E-A-D strings and an Oliv gut string on the G. Almost made me miss playing gut strings, but then I looked at current prices of gut strings and I returned back to Earth 🤣
John left his @eartrumpetlabs #Nadine mic on the bass and I had my @gracedesignproaudio #Felix 2 preamp with me (don’t leave the house without it), so I ran that into an @aguilaramp TH300 and @genzleramps cab which was a surprisingly good combination!
Thanks for letting me use your bass and taking this video John!
COREY WALLACE DUBTET
SMALLS
03/30/2026
A beautiful sight to see these brothers turn the club out from “Can We Talk” to jazz standards. I always look forward to hearing this band and the audience was eating it up like corn flakes. Yeahhhhhh
Corey Wallace / Trombone
Jason Marshall / Baritone Sax
Willerm Delisfort / Piano
Barry Stephenson / Bass
Darrian Douglas / Drums
BARRY STEPHENSON QUINTET
SMALLS
03/30/2026
Barry Stephenson / Bass
Freddie Hendrix/Trumpet
Patrick Bartley Jr / Alto Sax
William Hill ||I / Piano
Kush Abadey/ Drums
