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Craig's Music Page

Hi, I'm Craig Boeker and this is my page. I'm not a fulltime musician - that's just my avocation. It's also the main reason I get on the 'net for fun. I'm a family guy (a picture of my son holding an ex-bass of mine is here and a picture of my daughter with another bass is here). I've been involved with a number of different bands over the years. I've got a couple of soundclick pages for different things including my original music and gear soundclips.

I'm playing more bass than anything else these days. That started in my first band out of college where we had two saxes and no bass - Ed and I split both sax and bass duties and shortly afterwards both wanted to do bass full time. I started on clarinet in elementary school then switched to sax in junior high which fit me much better. I played sax (tenor and occasionally bari) all through high school and college and then added bass afterwards.

Basses

Reverend Rumblefish PJ
bugeye black chrome
TI Powerbass (roundwound)

The neck is everything the reviews say it is - just wonderful in feel and dimensions (if you like a narrow neck). The square body edge can cut into your right forearm but I got used to playing a Godin A4 which was even worse. The biggest drawback for me is the short horn moving the neck a few inches left making it a longer reach to first position. After some experimentation I found a strap length that makes it work for me. At any rate the sound is IT for me. Punch and depth from the P pickup (and P growl) with added texture (growl and spank) from the J. I'm a happy bass player. And this was a 40th bday present from my family, too.

I swapped in a DiMarzio Model J pickup in the bridge position (so no more hum) and converted the controls to blend/vol/tone and am now a really happy camper. Unfortunately Reverend has stopped making basses so it's even more precious (beyond the sentimental value it has for me) as it's irreplaceable.

In the long run it's not quite as comfortable to play as I'd like (for me). So although it's my favorite bass sound I can't play it exclusively. Bummer. But it's never going anywhere . . .

G&L SB-2
lake placid blue/unlined ebony
SIT Power Flats

A skinny necked G&L is the most comfortable type of bass, for me, that I've found. So that's what I wanted in a fretless. This is a nice, lightweight G&L SB-2 fretless with an unlined ebony board.

This bass is very lightweight which makes it a nice change from the 10.4lb fretless SB2 I had before. I'll need to do the stacked-knob modification on it to give it a tone control and then it should be ready to go. I also aesthetically prefer unlined boards (which this has) to lined (which the old one had) and like lake placid blue (the new color) to black (the old color). Now I just have to get my intonation good enough to play it more.

With SIT Power Flats it's got a warm, throaty voice I like and is the lightest (~8.0 lbs) G&L I've ever had. Very comfortable to hang on my shoulder and play.

I did my stacked knob modification on it and for a while it wore a fretted neck (from the black swirl SB2, and vice versa) but is back to its original configuration.

G&L Tribute SB-2
bordeaux red metallic/rw
SIT Silencers

I tried a Yamaha BB714BS (Billy Sheehan sig) that had a "mudbucker" in the neck position with a split-coil P pickup and absolutely loved the tone(s). But the ergonomics weren't there. So I decided to get a G&L SB-2 and modify it with a DiMarzio Will Power neck humbucker to try and get the same tones in a package that is more comfortable for me. This Trib SB2 is the anticipated donor for that project.

This bass has the backup/beater slot. As a Tribute it's less expensive and I feel less guilty/worried taking it places where the environment (weather, locale) and circumstances (have to share, leave in car, etc.) has me worried about it's effects on a bass. It's also taken a great setup (low action, easy to play) and is a lot of fun to play with all the tones it gets.

The bass is light enough - 8.8lbs - and I love the finish. The deep metallic burgundy/wine red looks great. I had a local shop to the routing and pickguard trimming for me and I wired it myself. I went with a couple of stacked pots and set it up with a volume for each pickup and a tone. I added a switch that puts a .01 mF capacitor across the neck humbucker only - an idea stolen from the Yamaha Attitude circuit. I wired the DiMarzio in series and found that its standard wiring was out of phase with the MFDs so I had to reverse the red & green wires.

Now I get to play it and decide whether it gives me what I liked from the BB714BS (if I can remember). My inital take is I like the tones and there's some added fullness in the low end as compared to a stock SB2. The question is how useful and good the tones are live. I trashed the rounds that came on it (less than 1/2 a wrap on the A string post?) and dropped on some D'Addario XLs. I'll see how I like them as time goes on but I'm thinking Silencers or Power Flats are in the future for this bass.

The mudbucker is a lot of fun - it gives some vintage tones that make me think of the 60s. But in my early live experience with it I'm thinking there's are a reason mudbuckers aren't more popular (the definition and bite from the MFD P-J setup seems more useful). The Silencers are on it to try them out as a cross between rounds and flats (or groundwounds since I don't go all the way flat). Some days I like them and some days I don't. I may try some Chromes on it next to see how I like them compared to Power Flats again (I've always preferred the Power Flats - I find the Chromes metallic which I don't like).

G&L SB-2
black/ebony
SIT Power Flats

This is a nice black SB2 with tortoise guard and ebony board. Reportedly close to 8 lbs so nice and light and in great shape. It will complete the SB2 lineup and hopefully the overall lineup. It's slated to wear "flats" (SIT Power Flats which are actually groundwounds) and be my "main player" for times when I want that flat sound.

After this latest mini-round of thrashing I was back to wanting "just one more" SB2. The thought is one with flats, one with rounds and one to experiment with other tunings (I've got some Circle K strings in a balanced heavier set to try DGCF tuning). I'm thinking SIT Power Flats on this bass, DGCF on the swirl SB2 and leave the rounds on the modified Tribby since it is my "beater" and covers anything I don't to take a more expensive/nicer bass to (although with the modified pickup setup and the great feel it has there are plenty of times I play it just because I want to).

Very light with some grain in the ebony board. Some fret sprout - I'll have to see if time in the humid Houston climate takes care of it or if it's going to have to go in for a touch up (at least initially it's bad enough to need to be fixed).

I did my usual stacked pot mod on it and it sounds very sweet with the SIT Power Flats on it. It's going to stick as my "flatwound" fretted bass and will hopefully get a lot of use. Actual weight is 9.0 lbs but it feels lighter because of the perfect balance and feel.

G&L Tribute JB-2
sunburst/rw
D'Addario XLs

This is a lightweight Tribute JB2. Tributes are G&L's import line and I find them to give most of the goodness of a US G&L at a lower price. With the JB2s I prefer the sound of the Tributes over the US models that I've had so far.

The cut and balance that the single coils in a Trib JB2 provide have never let me down live in a dense/loud mix. The sound can be clangy/harsh in a quieter ensemble. My personal style of playing seems to benefit from the JB2 sound so even though it has not been my favorite, particularly when soloed or when playing via headphone amp, I'll be happy to have one back in the lineup.

Previous Trib JB2s had series/parallel added through a push/pull pot. I have not yet decided whether to add that to this one or leave it "stock" and learn to love it with the traditional controls. My biggest fear is that I end up using it so much that I feel the "need" for either another Trib or a US JB2.

With it in-hand I realize the only reason I let my previous one go was that it was a little too heavy. When playing live a Trib JB2 just works for me and my style. Am I becoming a J-bass guy? It looks that way. Now I'm back to wondering what one of these would sound like with some Darkstars (massive single coils) in it . . .

I swapped necks and now it's a sunburst/rw Trib JB2 and I like that color combo better than the factory standard. I thought about letting these go but when I think about what bass(es) to take to a gig a Trib JB2 is near the top of the list. So at least one needs to stick around.

Bass Amp Stuff

Yamaha BBT-500H head

I had several Yamaha BBT-500H heads and always like the range of tones they put out. With the efficiency of the Schroeders that combination can get quite loud. I usually prefer the simplicity and plug'n'play nature of the Carvin heads so they have taken over as the go-to heads but the Yamaha is sticking around as a backup and for when I want a change of pace. I think my son has appropriated the BBT-500H because he loves the distorted & overdriven sounds so I don't know how much I'll get to use it.

The 250W @ 4 Ohms (and only 125W @ 8 Ohms) from this amp drove me to getting sensitive 4 Ohm cabinets. 250W into a Schroeder 15+L is plenty loud for the things I want to do. That has handled all rehearsals regardless of volume (and earplug use) as well as many small-medium gigs. And the overdriven sounds are lots of fun. My son has more-or-less stolen it from me (actually stolen it from pile of backup equipment) and is enjoying it.

Carvin B800 head

I'd had several B800s in the past and loved the sound. It's not a lightweight but at ~20-some pounds not overly heavy. With 500W at 4 Ohms and 800 at 2 Ohms it really produces a lot of sound from the Schroeders. It's good to have around and is my "backup" for the BX500 - or my first choice when using both cabs since although I know 800W isn't significantly louder than 500W into my pair of cabs it just psychologically feels better to have more watts on tap (irrational, I know).

This is the default "big rig" head. When I'm doing an outdoor gig or using both Schroeders it's the one I take. Simple, sounds good and "old tech" design (but still not too heavy).

Schroeder 15+L cabinet (x2)

The Carvin LS1503 cabinets I had sounded great but were a bit big/bulky/heavy for carrying up/down stairs and for quieter things. So I tried out a Schroeder 15+L. It's pretty small, ~30lbs and is a dream to cart around. It has rhino lining exterior so it doesn't pick up bar smells like a carpeted cab (the LS1503s) and will has a more traditional 2-way bass cab voicing. It is plenty for rehearsals (including loud GDB rehearsals) and more than enough for church and coffee house gigs.

While I didn't like the sound of the angled baffle (1210, 1212) Schroeders I've had I've always been super-impressed with Jorg Schroeder's service. The 15+L is a "standard" direct firing 2-way cab and the size & weight fit what I want in a smaller cab. I'm thinking that it will serve me well for quiet gigs & rehearsals. I liked the sound well enough that I purchased second one and made them my primary rig.

So far the Schroeder 15+L is knocking me out. It sounds great (which I never thought of the angled baffle Schroeders) and is light and easy to cart around. It can handle both quiet things and loud rehearsals (the 250W from the BBT is enough for either).

I'm backing off from the "loud band" thing - I don't want to do any more bands that require earplugs in rehearsal. As such this little rig is becoming the top dog. With a medical reason to avoid heavy things I'm moving to this setup as my only rig and added a second 15+L as when I sold off my heavier stuff. A pair of 15+Ls with 500-1000W into them are louder than I want to be next to and easy to move around.

I missed my midrange equipped Carvin LS1503s too much and am going to get some custom LDS cabinets with midrange drivers. But I will probably keep around one of the 15+Ls as an extension for my Carvin BR12 and to use with the Yamaha BBT500H - and will try to keep them both around as they've been great little cabs.

LDS 15/6.5 cab
on order

The exact details are still to be finalized as I sent in the deposit 7/26 and build time is currently estimated at 8 weeks but this will be a return to a cabinet with a midrange like the Carvin LS1503s that I loved but found were heavier than I wanted to deal with in the long run. This cab will skip the tweeter but will be based on an Eminence 3015LF. It should be a "one size fits all" at least as far as getting loud enough to handle every gig I do. I may end up adding a second 12/6.5 cab to have an easier schlepp at times. I will also need to add some watts to take full advantage of these cabs. I'm thinking a Carvin BX1500 as it will drive the 15/6 well and still be able to be used with less robust cabs (like the 15+Ls) without issues (where a Carvin B2000 wouldn't match well with the less robust cabs).

current plan:

  • Eminence 3015LF
  • no tweeter? (need to check on cost/weight penalty)
  • cup handles
  • hard coating

Carvin BR12

Although a Schroeder 15+L plus a head isn't overly heavy it's still a separate head and cab. And can get very, very loud. All the church & coffeehouse type playing I do doesn't require that much volume and I thought it would be nice to be able to breeze in with a tiny combo, a power cord and an instrument cord being all I need. So I'm looking for a combo that can fit in below the "single Schroeder 15+L and microhead" level but be no larger/heavier than a single 15+L.

The Carvin BR12 is discontinued small combo - 1x12" driver with a tweeter and 120W. Not very powerful but it should be loud enough for my church and coffeehouse gigs and not too heavy a schlep at 36lbs (nominal). It has built-in tiltback which is a big plus for me as I always tiltback in my quiet settings, using one of several gizmos I've made or acquired.

My first combo attempt was the Markbass CMD121P which was a great size/volume/weight combo but the tone wasn't quite what I wanted and it wouldn't work with one of my 15+Ls as an extension cab. So I'm going to try the older (but NOS) Carvin BR12. It's nominally 36 lbs so that's "good enough" and I'm thinking I can find a way to slide the BX500 into it replacing the amp part (info I can find online seems to indicate it might be a drop-in replacement with the bolt pattern matching perfectly). And maybe a neo driver to lighten the load even more and deal with the higher power of the BX500. Then I'd have a killer kickback 1x12 combo that could use a 15+L as an extension (put the BX500 in 2 Ohm mode).

The BX500 does fit perfectly in the BR12. Now I've got a 300/500W 1x12 combo and need to figure out what upgraded driver to drop in it . . . I'm trying an Eminence Kappalite 3012HO driver. I dropped in an 8 Ohm version and am seeing how I like the sound. The OEM driver I removed was a Carvin PS12 (4 Ohm, 300W) that did pretty well. The Carvin driver was warmer and more "vintage-ey" while the Eminence driver is edgy and has that "Neodymium" sound. I'm going to give it a while longer to see how the sound with the neo grows on me but I wouldn't be surprised if I drop back to the OEM one after a while. Either way is a win-win - both can handle the power of the BX500 and either leaves the combo light enough.

I swapped the OEM speaker back into the amp - with the 300W rating it should be able to handle the BX500 output, at least for as loud as I need to get and sounded like a better match for the (sealed) box. Now it's just a question of whether it sticks around or I yank the BX500 back out and go with BX500 + 1 Schroeder 15+L as the "small rig" solution.

After going with the Schroeders for a while I decided I liked how the BR12 handles lows better as a standalone and have moved back to using it as my main amp with the Schroeders as extension cabs while I look for 12/6 and 15/6 cabs.

Other Combo Amps:
Pignose Hog 30
Peavey Microbass

There are times when a tiny combo is the answer. The Peavey I picked up essentially for free off of Craigslist (I bought it with a bass that I cleaned up, tried for a while and resold for more than I paid for the bass & amp together) and the Pignose was bought new to be used for "unplugged" (back porch, at the park, etc.) playing. ABGs aren't loud enough to compete with an acoustic guitar and I don't play upright so a small battery-operated amp takes care of those playing situations.

Sennheiser 1092D wireless

The Sennheiser is a digital wireless that preserves the low end nicely. The plastic rack ears (cheap on the part of the mfr) finally gave out. So I either carry it separately or toss it into the pedalboard. I use it primarily to disconnect myself from the wiring of the places we play and not because I'm so mobile I can't stay wired up. In fact lots of times I do just use a cable. It seems to have a tendency to be overdriven and uses a 9V battery for a 3-4 set gig so I don't use it all the time.

Rondo pedalboard:
  • Boss TU-2 tuner
  • Boss LS-2 line selector
  • Zoom BFX-708 multifx
  • Dunlop MXR M-80 DI

The tuner is a must-have and the DI gets used for going to the PA (and occasional all-out distortion). The Zoom is for a little bit of whatever I feel like (some synth, some flanger, etc.) and the LS-2 lets me mix in some dry bass signal so the bottom doesn't drop out (and bypass the Zoom completely so tone doesn't get generally sucked out bigtime). Now I've got everything on the board and drag it along but don't use effects much at all.

The Rondo pedalboard saved my gear for sure once when I accidentally tipped my stack over while packing up and the rack case hit the [thankfully closed up] pedalboard. The pedal case shows some scars but the electronics were unscathed.

I can run the M-80 directly into a power amp if necessary so that's a backup rig. I don't like it as much as a dedicated rack preamp but it will work in a pinch.

I don't use effects much - 2 songs out of 40 in my most recent gig (one tune with octave up+distortion, one tune with octave down). My main gig is just too loud & the spectrum far too full to hear much with effects on the bass. I use them more when playing fretless (which I don't do much).

I'd like to compact this down somehow and possibly get it up to where I can modify settings without crouching/kneeling down. Either a set of analog effects (miniPOG, Bassdrive, . . .) on a platform for easy tweaking, something like a Bass Pod (in the effects loop) on a mic/music stand where I can mess with it, or a rack-mounted effects processor like the Zoom ones (cheap - I'm sure there are better ones out there for more bucks). My main effects of interest in order are: octave (up&down), overdrive, synth, flange/chorus -- all with dry signal mixed in.

Digitech Jamman Looper

I've been curious about looping and what is possible as a solo musician and finally sprung for a Digitech Jamman pedal to experiment. It's loads of fun, demonstrates how much I still need to work on for technique and how much theory I need to learn. I want to combine bass with wind synth, sax and possibly voice and see what I can come up with. I need to run it into a recorder once I'm to the point where I have some pieces I'm happy with so I can use the loop building output as "songs" as I build a repertoire. I also plan on cut-n-pasting pieces of looping output to build more traditional song forms than I can do within the limitations of the looper itself. Definitely something to keep me occupied when I'm not doing specific gig prep.

Horn Gear

Buescher 440 student model tenor sax

This is my one and only tenor to date. Bought new back in about 1980 from Giardinelli it's seen me through high school band (concert, marching & jazz), Monday night jazz band at CWRU and a number of rock bands since then. I haven't picked it up in a few years as I've been 100% bass lately but it's still there waiting for me when needed. I generally use Bari plastic reeds and the plastic mouthpiece it came with. It's been through a couple of repads and I've worn a lot of the lacquer off the body near the thumbhook. As much as I've gone through basses looking for newer/better I've just gone with the one sax all along.

I did have a silver curved Buescher soprano for a while but sold it to get my first 4-track. I suppose if good saxes were cheaper or I played sax more I might look at another but for now it's the one and only. If I could figure out how to get a Bari sax I suspect the tenor would get lonely, but those are kind of spendy.

Akai EWI4000S wind synth

I finally pulled the trigger to get one of these from Patchman music along with their updated patches. My hope is that it will let me use my rusty sax chops to get different tonalities out and write some music. I may also look for opportunites to perform/gig with it as well if it works out. It fits my needs to practice quietly better than my real sax and will have a lot more flexibility (although I expect it won't give the same satisfaction as playing a "real" horn).

Wind Synth Rig:
ART Tube Channel
bass amp used as power amp
Schroeder 15+L
or Yorkville Y112M wedge x2

The ART Tube Channel is a single-space preamp/compressor/EQ which I can use with any of my bass amps to provide power into any of my speakers. The wedges might be a better full-range speaker but the Schroeders will have better bottom end. I haven't really tried this much so it will take some experimentation whenever I actually need to use a wind synth rig.

GAS List

On the [realistic/shorter term] GAS list:

  • Godin Shifter or US G&L JB-2 -- when extra SB2 sells
  • Carvin BX1500 -- to drive ordered LDS 15/6 cab

On the [eventually/medium term] GAS list:

  • Line6 M9 effects modeller
  • LDS 12/6/1 cab (fEarful design - LDS construction)
  • Zoom R-16 multitrack recorder
  • parts for long mic cables (XLRs, wire) for recording or long XLR cables from monoprice
  • parts for more instrument cables (connectors)

On the [unrealistic/longer term] GAS list:

  • analog effects lineup or a Line 6 M13 Stompbox Modeller
    • Octaver (EHX miniPOG/POG/HOG or EBS)
    • Overdrive (Fulltone Bassdrive? T-Rex Bass Juice?)
    • Chorus/Flange/Phaser (Fulltone ChoralFlange? Red Witch Moon Phaser? Maxxon Phaser?)
    • bass synth (EHX MicroSynth?)
    • filter (EBS BassIQ)
  • more basses:
    • a semihollow that works for me - custom w/top horn to 12th fret, G&L #6/#8 size neck and dual pickups (MFDs? Darkstars?)
    • a Godin Shifter - want to try one of the new 3-pickup jobbies
    • Kala U-bass bass ukelele - the mahogany model
    • Fender Kingman acoustic bass
    • a second Reverend Rumblefish PJ
  • more amp stuff:
    • Carvin BX1500
    • Fearful 15/6 and/or 12/6 -- build from plans
    • A Sansamp BDDI Deluxe or VT programmable
    • New lightweight Carvin or Peavey power amp - PA use and "rack rig" backup
  • A set of professional saxes (Bari, Tenor, Alto and Soprano)

Bases I'd like to have/try someday:

  • semi-hollow G&L SB-2 (G&L would have to start making them first . . . )
  • Musicman Sterling HH
  • Musicman Big Al
  • Carvin AC-40 bass (possibly workable semihollow w/upper horn & slim neck)
  • Status Retro PJ (semihollow w/composite neck)
  • Lakland Decade (Skyline?) or other w/Darkstar pickups
  • Gibson IV (Thunderbird in a Fender shape)
  • Dingwall Super PJ
  • Fender Stu Hamm Urge II
  • Warwick Fortress 4
  • Wendler Electrocoustic fretless
  • Leduc semi-hollow headless
  • Citron AE-4
  • A Rob Allen MB-2f with G&L #6 dimension neck & added magnetic pickup
  • Rob Allen Mouse and/or Kinal Kompact
  • Custom headless semi-hollow (David King, Bassline Worp, etc.)

All in all I've got the gear I need for the things I do (playing & recording). And I need to spend more time writing and practicing and less obsessing on gear. But it's easier (and quicker) to think about gear than work on songs and skills.

Gear Buying Rules

My bass churning has led me (with help from some friends) to try and come up with a couple of simple rules to avoid making mistakes I've already made several times:

  • Skinny Necked G&Ls are the most comfortable basses for me - After much experimentation (which has been a lot of fun) I've found that the only basses that reliably let me play as much as I want without any discomfort are skinny necked (1.5" nut width G&Ls). So although I love the tone of a semihollow bass (Rumblefish PJ, DiPinto Belvedere Std, Fender Thinline Tele, Waterstone ME) playing needs to be comfortable to be fun and skinny necked, normal bodied G&Ls are it from a production bass standpoint. So although I can continue to experiment these are my fallback and are all I really need. And I need to remember that.

  • Don't revisit ergonomically failed basses - this is one of my biggest failings. It's OK to revisit basses whose tone failed me for one reason or another. But if a bass failed me ergonomically (Steinbergers, DiPinto, Waterstone) then I should know better than to try it again because it's going to be the same story. Doing the same thing and expecting different results is one definition of insanity. This can also be applied to tone failures in basses, amps, preamps, cabs, etc. - but tone preference can change over time while what is comfortable to my hands does not seem to change. This includes Rumblefish !!! (this is a reminder to my self).

  • Only acquire a bass that I've physically held one of the same model of - preferably having spent at least 30 minutes with it, and preferably with the actual bass being considered. This would have avoided some of the "not physically comfortable" buy-and-sells I've done.

  • Don't acquire a bass/piece of gear that requires selling/trading another one. That way I can live with new things together with old ones and then determine if one or the other can go after the fact.

  • Some simple physical aspects of basses that are comfortable for me that I need to remember:
    • 34" scale /not 35" scale - too long/haven't tried shorter (but suspect string tension would be an issue)
    • 1-1/2" wide at the nut (1-3/4" is right out, 1-5/8" might work on some necks - must try them)
    • top horn to about 12th fret (so it doesn't make the reach to the first fret too far)
    • well rounded & contoured body (ASAT, Rumblefish, A4 all had square body edges that caused problems)
    • I like alder ash bodies best (but alder & poplar have both been fine), fretboard wood can be any (prefer maple & ebony), like P pickups, humbuckers, don't seem to be satisfied with J pickups unless single coil (MTD Beast, G&L JB-2)
    • detuning is neat but hipshot detuners may move/aggravate dead spots
    • graphite necks are good
    • headless is good (even if it looks strange)
    • pickguards & control plates look good
    • symmetric bodies are better (can't stand up a J-body easily)