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 Gary Shea (Alcatrazz).
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
I started playing bass at 15 after switching over from guitar. I had just bought a brand new 1965 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster. Soon after I picked up a used 1964 Fender Precision off the wall at an electronic repair shop and fell in love with it. It was huge to me like an aircraft carrier and could shake buildings. It was very similar to James Jamerson`s bass again in sunburst. From that day on I have been playing bass.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
My first hero was and still is John Entwistle. His sound was enormous and his technique was amazing. There are too many great influences like Greg Ridley, Ronnie Lane, Randy Jo hobbs, Greg Lake, James Jamerson. Bootsy Collins, David Brown, John Paul Jones and of course Jaco and Stanley Clarke.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
I currently own ten basses. I`m not a collector so most of my basses get into rotation. My favorite bass is my 65 Fender Jazz. I’ve had it for over 50 years and it`s one of a kind. I bought it used, with a P neck on it. I added a 68 Tele pickguard from a bass that was stolen. I’ve used it on almost everything I’ve ever done and it`s been around the world with me. I have a 1980 G+L 1000 that is also very solid. I used it when I played with Vinnie Vincent. You can hear it on the Warrior cd that was released a few years ago. It`s live at rehearsal through a beat up rented Acoustic 360 and sounds huge and nasty. The bass was used exclusively on the first Alcatrazz album. I have two custom Dudacus basses one of which is semi hollow. They both have Bartolini pickups and Aguilar pre amps. Beautiful construction. My two 1983 Aria Pro II Elite basses are still cool. They both have two EMG pickups and Badd Ass bridges. They too saw lots of action with Alcatrazz.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
There is no perfect set up that applies to everyone. I for example am over 6` and have long fingers. When I pick up a Gibson EBO it doesn’t feel right to me. I prefer a full scale vintage Fender neck feel and simple electronics. Others might like something very slim and lighter weight. My Dudacus basses have toggle switches and push pull knobs galore but in the end you want a full bass tone with clarity to it. Amplifiers are utilitarian. What kind of gig you’re playing defines what you might chose. Are you playing a club,, a church, recording session or on an arena tour? I`ve always preferred Ampeg and I used Randall solid state amps that lasted forever. Speaker size is a personal preference also. Do you like 10`s or combinations of 12`s and 15`s? You need a good amount of power to have a great sounding bass amp. Again there are so many choices of amp features built into today’s amps it’s up to the individual.
Which basses and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
I used my 60th Anniversary Precision bass on the new album. I run it through an Ampeg PF 500 and sometimes just direct into my Volt interface.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
That would be the P bass. Its sounds great and if something happens to it I can replace it rather easily.
