This article series is about the tools of popular guitarists or bassists.. What are their favorite guitars or basses and how is it related to them? This time with PY Letellier (The Damn Truth).
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
I started playing bass when I was 12-13 years old circa 2003. I’m from a very remote fringe society in the North East of Canada. There are no roads and therefore no way to get there by land. The town had 1 general store, no amenities or services of any kind really. We’d make picks out of milk jug plastic and old credit cards. I had to order my first bass from a catalogue and it came on a boat months later. It was an Epiphone Thunderbird in vintage sunburst. I was in love with Paul Stanley’s black Firebird from the cover of KISS ALIVE which is why I chose the T-bird.
What are your influences and which bass players are your faves?
I first started playing a lot of Country and Folk music with other older musicians and friends in the town. They were my main influences in the beginning. We’d play stuff like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, CCR, Waylon Jennings & Johnny Cash, etc…At home I played to classic rock records a lot. Growing up I loved Cliff Williams of AC/DC and how he could make the simplest thing slap like 10 tons of concrete. My main influences throughout time would definitely be: James Jamerson, John Entwistle, Paul McCartney, Jaco Pastorius, Cliff Williams, Roger Waters & Lemmy.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
I own approximately 5 basses or so. I have a 1978 Maple Glo Rickenbacker 4001, a 2009 five string Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass, some random zombie bass which has no name but tons of character. The last two are boutique guitars and basically one of a kind. One of which is an XXL short scale semi acoustic bass. It’s tiny and has one wood covered P90 pickup. It’s got a very hot signal and is completely made of brown wood. I call her Hawt Chocolate. The last is my signature series bass guitar made by Bunting Guitars. It is called The Lightning Dove. True to my roots it has vintage Thunderbird pickups, British Racing Green hand painted Spanish Cedar body and Bosnian flamed maple neck. If you’ve seen me play, I was mostly likely playing this bass guitar, I just can’t put it down.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
I am a tube amp guy, much to the demise of my tour manager haha. To me there’s just nothing like the sound a tube amp can produce compared to a solid state amp. The extra warmth in the low frequencies and harmonics they produce are unmatched. In North America I am sponsored by Yorkville/Traynor. Since the 60s they’ve been making a tube amp called the YBA-300 and it’s based off the greatest yet most unreliable tube amp on earth, the SVT Classic. I used to rock an SVT Classic but I would break it almost every night on tour, thus earning my call sign „Amp Slayer.“ When recording with Bob Rock i broke all of his and Bryan Adams‘ SVTs as well as all available rentals and had to finish the record on my Traynor. I also have a discontinued Markbass amp called the TTE 500. This amp is amazing for a solid state amp. It features preamp tubes which give it the extra warmth and Oumph! that solid state amps usually lack. When gigging & doing session work around Montreal, I use this Markbass. I wish I had two of them! On this particular EU/UK tour, due to circumstances out of my control I am using the Ampeg Portaflex and Fender Bassman 800. I also hear amazing things about the Orange tube amps and I actually have a deal with them in EU/UK, but haven’t been able to pick up the amp due to logistics outside of my control. We’re going on tour with Glenn Hughes in October and I know he uses them so I’ll get to experience a bass monster using them!
Which basses and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used 3 basses on Now or Nowhere: The Lightning Dove, 1978 Rickenbacker 4001 and Bryan Adams‘ 60s P-bass which was used on Summer of 69. In terms of amplifiers I used up all the SVT Classics in Vancouver & my Traynor YBA-300. I’d play the SVT until it blew and then the engineers would roll out another one. Prior to the session Bob had heard about my amp slaying reputation or curse and had already gathered all the SVT’s available in the city. When there were no more SVTs the Traynor came out to be the session clincher.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
The Lightning Dove Forever. I just can’t put it down.
Bunting guitars don’t just build guitars they build soul mates. Yaniv the master builder gets to know your soul first, through many calls, discussions and music listening sessions. Together we designed the guitar up until a certain point. Then comes the surprise, he goes dark, MIA. Slowly he starts teasing you with little snippets of the process. You don’t see it until it is complete and he hands it to you. A magical moment.
