Kong Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Hi, this is me! My nick is well known in several german and american bass-websites. Just came on this nice site by accident a few days/weeks ago, and thought it is time to say hello. I am comming from the south of germany, where I was born in 1961, and raised. Started with music at the age of 8, because my grandmothers big piano, a Grothrian-Steinweg, stood there in the "Music Salon" of the stately home my grandfather built in the 1920's. Really big house with 6 rooms per floor, three floors to live in, basement and attic of the same size. This made it easy to find a practising room later when we builted the first band. OK, I had to learn piano, it was like a shotgun wedding, my parents forced me to play this huge black thing. At the age of 13 I told my parents that I wanted to quit playing piano and wanted to start with the Bass - because I love the sound of this huge bass-strings, vibrating and sounding like a hell's bell. So they allowed it, but I had to get my gear from my own money. First bass was a Höfner Jazz Bass with two PU's like the Beatles Bass. We used to play over old tube-radios from our grandparents. This old stuff soundet real good, believe it or not... At the age of 14 I had enough money to buy a FAL Kestrel, a huge transistor combo with 150 Watt and a 15'' speaker - soundet awful.... But I had to get me something because i got together with two guitarists and a drummer to form a band. Later that year I bought a 200 Watt amphead, can't remember what brand, it looked like a "Acoustic" - clone, but with a red faceplate. I ran it through that FAL Kestrel, soundet not that bad. This all happened in 1975. In October that year we had our first gig, so I can proudly say that this year I had my 36th aniversary on stage. In 1976 I sold the FAL Kestrel and found a Marshall 115 - cab, wrapped in a nice red tolex. But it was so heavy and boomy that I changed it with my best music gear dealer (until today) into a DIY-Cab with 2x15'' speakers. It was built like the well known Peavey-cab. 1977 I bought a DIY 212 - cab, built like the famous MusicMan-cab and a Kasuga Jazz Bass. This combination soundet awesome! This combination worked until 1979, when I started professional training for ihe job of a salesman in my fathers business. So I earned my own money, and was able to get a real good amp: Gallien Krueger MB400. With the old, used Fender Precision (made in 1964) I bought from a friends cousin and my cabs it soundet so good, but not loud enough. So I asked my fellow music dealer to built two more cabs for me, one 212 and one 215, so I could run them with two GallienKrueger MB 400 amps, one for every side of the drumriser. During this time, starting in 1980, I had two guitarists, each with two Marshall fullstacks, so we had a real bad ass backline. With a singer we gigged the venues in south germany. The sound was kind of "NWOBHM", we soundet like Saxon, Judas Priest or Anthrax. This band lasted long, more than 12 years. We did openings for some famous german bands like "Fargo" and "Accept". The name of my band was "Headley and the Rangers". Do you remember Headley, the Ranger of the TV show called "Daktari"? About 1981, I bought my first Double Bass. Just to the actual day I like jamming together with some Jazzy Dudes I know for a long time. This now is just for fun. But in this times you had to take a Double Bass if you wanted to go graduate in music. I was 6 years at a conservatorium in Manheim and graduated. I was lucky, because Manheim is just about 200 km away from my hometown.To be honest, I did easy because of my parents forcing me learning the grand piano. I was not afraid of reading music or harmonics and stuff. After "Hadley and the Rangers" parted in friendship, I joined a nice Punk Band with some guys I knew since school. The name was "The Atomic f*** Band". Nice kinda self made punk rock, but also some "Ramones" songs. Before I joined the Atomic f*** Band I got rid of this huge "Rig of Doom" with 2 x 2*15'' and 2 x 2*12'' - cabs. My fellow dealer started building nice closed 410-cabs, built like the upper half of the big Ampeg-fridge. One of them and a brand new SWR Redhead was all I needet. Nice little 6*10 fullstack. I loved this rig. 1989 I found a second band called "BBC", what meant "Big, Bad, Curious". Nice band, three guitarists, drummer, keyboards and bass. Two guitarists and me did the singing. We gigged nearly every weekend, played germany, austria, switzerland, italy and produced 8 albums in the last 6 1/2 years. In 1999 I left this band because of personal and musical troubles with the singer. He was a scoolfriend of mine and played a long time with me in my first band. I asked him in 1996 to join the band because our lead singer left for going to an university. He was a young man... The new one was a good singer, but tried to overtake the whole band, not able to write new songs, but disturbing at any time. You know these people who cant give anything positive or constructive to the music? People that destroy good ideas by taking a guitar, squealing around and telling everybody: "This new lick of yours sounds like "Korn". Listen, this is Korn! This is Korn!" No? You are a lucky guy...As sayed before, I left this band. 4 month later the singer left the band, too. As well known session musician in my aerea, I did a lots of recording the years before and after this. I helped out a lots of Bands, recording sessions, a "Rock against Nazis" project called "Steamhammer Project", just to show the people that beeing into Metal does not mean beeing a Nazi automatically. I remember one band mostly, a kind of, let's say, progressive metal band (wanted to sound like Dream Theater), young guys, one good, one real gifted guitarist. But the music had no "red thread" as we say, just one complicated lick after another. Stayed with them until the album was ready, theyr name was "Nathan Jones". Never heard of them? No problem... I didn't hear anything of them after the album was released... They owe me some money.... But it was a nice job, I found out lots of good bass-lines. I love the album because of my work... You will find my name in the booklets of several Hard Rock and Metal Bands from my aerea, from 1985 until now. I am kind of a "rootsy" player who loves to support the band and work together with the drummer, just grooving. If somebody wants me to, I am able to do a lot of noodling around, not to say, I am a good soloist. I am able to slap much better than mediocre, but I love my sound when playing fingerstyle. As I am not dogmatic, I use a pick in several situations. It's all in the groove, all for he band. No w***ing around over the 12th fret! Because of playing with a lot of bands I had to get me more gear, because the single SWR Redhead and the 410-cab was not enough. I had a GallienKrueger MB 200 since the days of the "Atomic f*** Band" and used it for practising at home. To make a long story short, I just want to list up the amps and cabs I own today. So sad, the SWR fadet away not reparable (fubar) in 1999, I had to get me a new amp. Realy, so sad, the SWR Redhead was a class of its own, but does not count anymore. Actually there is: Amps: GK MB 200 Combo Marshall MB 4410 Combo Ibanez Promethean 5110 Combo Markbass LM II Peavey TMax Ampeg SVP Pro + Crown Poweramp 2x 1.200 Watt @ 2 Ohm, 2x 900 Watt @ 4 Ohm, 2x 700 Watt @ 8 Ohm, 1.800 Watt bridged @ 4 Ohm, 1.400 Watt bridged @ 8 Ohm Cabs: 1x Peavev TVX 410 1x Peavey TVX 210 2x Custom built 410, sealed, no tweeter 1x SWR Workingpro 212 2xTecamp 810L The Peaveys come with the TMax, the SWR 212 with the LM II or for exttension with the GK 200 MB, as well I can use the custom built cabs for this purposes - or to get a fullstack under the LM II, either 2 cabs 410'' or one 212'' and one 410'' cab. Mostly use the custom built cabs together with my Ampeg and the poweramp for smaller situations. On big stages I grab me my two fridges and blow everyting out of the water! This is my ultimative live rig. But, as you see, I am prepared to any situation. In the rehearshall room of my main band there is my Ampeg + 2 times custom built 410. In the venue of Band Nr. 2, a german stoner rock band, there is my TMax and the Peavey cabs. Small venues get rocked by my LM II and either a custom built 410 or the SWR 212. The Marshall MB 4410 is the most underrated amp I know. With one of my 410''-cabs it makes a wall of sound, and with the "Modern" (solid state), "Classic" (with a a ecc83 valve in the preamp) and the change-overing - posibility it has three useable channels with great sounds. A verry versatile amp! In recording situations I use my GK 200MB, the Ampeg SVP Pro or DI, it depends on the situation. The Promethean comes with me to small sessions, club gigs with one of my sidekick projects - or at home for practising or teaching. It is a loud amp with my SWR 212 I use as extention cab to get the whole 500 Watt out of this small cube. Bass Guitars: 5-stringed MusicMan StingRay 5 Harry Haeussel Jazz Bass headless, custom built Ibanez K5 Fieldy Model 4-stringed Fender Precision dob 1964 Warwick Streamer Stage I Fenix Jazzbass Frettles Hohner B2 A, headless, active Aria AEB, dreadnought shape. Short Scale Fender Mustang, dob 1969 Hoshino Gakki "Master", dob 1956 Upright Stagg EUB Hungarian Double Bass, (Juzek???) Effects, stompboxes: Boss OC-3 Octave EBS Bass-IQ Envelope Filter + Autowah Boss RC 30 Looper Visual Sound V1JH1 "Jeckyll and Hyde" Overdrive and Distortion. I Like this because of its bottom lift knob, adds lost low end to the signal. The overdrive is so sweet, sounds super-fat when feeding the LM II or the Promethean some meat... Mostly there are only three things: Bass, cable, amp. The stomp boxes are used just for fun. Not for serious busines.... As you see, I have a lots of gear, lots of basses, many amps. But I use all of them. In my aerea I am known as "The Busy Bassman", because I have a lot to do with bands, recording, teaching... This year I celebrated my 50th birthday and 36 years on stage. Just want to carry on with hard rock and heavy metal music the rest of my live. Because this is me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Howdy, Kong, nice to meet you! For 15 years, I worked (in England) for a Baden-Wurttemberg based company called W&G, based in Eningen-unter-Achalm, near Reutlingen. I did get to visit a few times, and very nice it was, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Hallo und herzlich willkommen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanbass1 Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Welcome Aboard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelso Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Verbleiben Niedrige! (Hope that makes sense!?) Stay low! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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