Difference between revisions of "Bass"

Revision as of 14:31, 13 January 2021

Straps

Chris mainly uses leather straps from Status Graphite these days, but has been seen using ones from Manson Guitar Works in the past - the same as Bellamy uses.

NA Summer Amphitheatre Tour 2017 & Simulation Theory

Chris recording Simulation Theory; Using an Ashdown BTA 400 with his '73 Fender Jazz Bass

Chris's rack during the Simulation Theory World Tour

Chris's bass tech with gear used on the Simulation Theory World Tour

For the 2017 North American Summer Amphitheatre Tour, Chris mostly kept the same setup as the Drones tour. He only added two new basses: The new graphite-covered green-LED Status The KingBass Mk-II and the new version of the Status Kitara Doubleneck Bass for Madness. For the Simulation Theory tour, he also kept the setup fairly similar, but he used three new basses (including the Keyboard Bass) and switched from the Skrydstrup MR10 system to an RJM Effect Gizmo system. A couple of new stompboxes were also added.

In the studio, while making Simulation Theory, Chris has been seen using '73 Jazz Bass, a '77 Jazz Bass and his Status signature basses. The Ampeg SVT-VR was used yet again in the studio setup, but an Ashdown BTA-400 head was seen for the first time being used by Wolstenholme. According to Chris, he wanted to use more of the old Fender Jazz Bass sound due to the album having an 80s feel, as opposed to mainly using Status bass guitars, which have a more modern sound. Wolstenholme also mentioned, while speaking to John Kennedy on Radio X, that another difference, compared to recording previous albums was, that they've mostly recorded Simulation Theroy with clean bass going straight into the console, giving them the flexibility to manipulate the sound later, in the DAW.

Studio

Basses

Status Chris Wolstenholme Signature Bass (Graphite/Blue-LED)
Fender '77 Jazz Bass
Fender '73 Jazz Bass

Amps

Rack 1

ETA Systems EPD11 LVIEC-CE Power Distribution Unit
Empirical Labs Distressor
Custom Connector Panel
2x Markbass SD1200
2x Kemper Profiling Amplifier
Unknown

Rack 2

ETA Systems EPD11 LVIEC-CE Power Distribution Unit
Skrydstrup Custom Routing Interface
Shure UA845 Antenna Distribution Unit
2x Shure UR4D Dual Wireless Reciever
2x Skrydstrup MR10 Loop System
TC Electronic G-Major 2
Unknown

Amps

Markbass SD1200
Ampeg SVT-VR
Ashdown BTA400

Live

Rack 2

Power Conditioner Unit (Unknown)
Skrydstrup Bass Routing System
2x Shure AD4D Dual Wireless Reciever
RJM Effect Gizmo
TC Electronic G-Major 2
FX Tray 1 (Electro-Harmonix Black Russian Big Muff Pi, MXR Six Band Graphic EQ, Boss OC-2 Octave, Crowther Audio Prunes and Custard, Unknown)
FX Tray 2 (Pigtronix Disnortion, Akai Deep Impact, Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler, Unknown)
RJM Effect Gizmo
FX Tray 3 (Eventide H9 Harmonizer/Effects Processor, EHX POG2, Unknown)

Tuner

Peterson AutoStrobe 490 Tuner
TC Electronic Polytune Mini

Control

RJM Mastermind GT/22 Foot Controller (off-stage)

On-Stage Pedalboard

RJM Mastermind GT/22 Foot Controller (on-stage)
Korg Pitchblack Pro Tuner

Other

Panda Audio midiBeam Wireless MIDI Transmitter
Apple Mac Book Pro (running MainStage)

Drones

Drones studio bass rack

Drones live rack setup

Another view of the Drones live rack setup

During the recording of Drones, Chris mainly used Status bass guitars again, allthough a Rickenbacker and the Gibsons were also spotted in the studio. He ran them through an Ampeg SVT-VR head for the clean channel and two Marshall DBS 7400s for distorted channels. Later, for the cover of New Kind of Kick, he likely used a Gretsch Thunder Jet, seen in the video, in the studio.

As for the live setupr, Chris kept his collection of basses the same as for The 2nd Law tour, with the 5-string Jazz Bass making a return for a couple of Assassin performances. The Chris Wolstenholme Status Graphite 5-String bass also made appearances for Assassin. The rack was almost exactly the same as with the T2L tours with two Kempers and two Markbass SD1200 heads.