In this video I talk about how to make an inexpensive bass play better! The luthier from North Hollywood I mentioned in this video is John Wescott www.wescottguitar.com
You’re a people’s champ Billy! To say that your signature series is expensive and making a video on how to save money on a bass is incredible! You have achieved so much in the industry yet you sound very humble and inspiring. Out of this world! Much respect!
@@BillySheehanOfficial WOW! very grateful for the reply. hey Billy, can I humbly request if you could spend a few minutes checking out some of my videos, would be super cool.
That’s the amazing thing. Everybody has to start somewhere. There are kids out there with the love and the drive but no resources. They’ll do anything to get the sound they want. And Billy loves and respects those kids because he was them once. I mean, think about how much hip hop owes to the ingenuity of musicians who couldn’t afford a single percussion instrument. Geeking out on gear is fun, but it’s no substitute for musicianship.
If I hadn’t watched this vid, I’d have probably payed $50 for someone to turn my truss rod 1/4 turn to get rid of a bit of fret buzz. -Thank you Billy!!
I will be honest--I bookmarked this based on the title. I didn't know it was my boy (I emailed him a decade ago, and he replied--super sincere, nice celebrity) until I started to watch.
Billy has got to be the most Humble of ANY MUSICIAN to grace our Planet....what a class act and He's just a Bass Player.......................LOL🎸What a Gentlemen....Rock on You are an inspiration to all who play Music and to all who don't.................
“In the end, I believe it’s your hands.” Yes. For bass, especially, your hands have such a profound impact on your sound. Billy could play any bass and still sound like Billy. Great video. Thanks.
I love the fact that a world-class musician knows how to do his own stunts on his gear. It is a very humble approach and helps creating a strong bond with the instrument. When I was a kid my grandfather tought me how after WW2 people would fix and build their own stuff, and that inspired me to take care and improve my instruments by myself. It saved me a lot of money and gave me a lot of satisfaction. I am sure this kind of videos can help a lot of people in the same way. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
You must be the hardest working bassist ever and you still take time to give back. You are a true gentleman and that unfortunately is very uncommon nowadays. Thank you for all you do.
I got to hang out for a few hours with Billy at at a local Pub at the London Bass Guitar Show a few years back. All of the kind comments are completely accurate. They say never meet your heroes, you might be disappointed. Billy is the exception to this rule, I hope everyone who is influenced by Billy Sheehan, has the pleasure and honor to hang out with him. He is a wealth of musical knowledge and a really cool guy. His bass playing is musical nourishment, and one of few guitar or bass players who continues push themselves musically. Long, long may it continue. Thanks for posting
Years ago i watched a lot of interviews with Billy, and he often says about bass modification that he did by himself. It was a biggest inspiration to me, to build my own version of attitude bass. I thought "if I can't buy it, I can do it" and I did it :) This kind of video is a great support to all, who want to start exploring technical aspect of bass guitar. It simply showing, that there is nothig to afraid :)
When you have a wealth of knowledge and can pass that along to others, thats amazing stuff. We never had that growing up so easily available, let alone from amazing musical heroes directly!
OMG. Billy Sheehan, showing people how to set up a bass. You are a legend, you are already making people happy by playing as you do. And you now share your ideas and thoughts. Kudos sir. I'll never get tired of hearing you, Steve Vai and David Lee Roth. You are unique and your playing will be referenced for years. Thank you.
No, Mr. Sheehan. You are not JUST a bass player. You have gone far beyond that. Your humility in that statement alone, I believe, proves my point. You called the bass your tool. That makes you what's commonly known as a master craftsman, and a heck of a nice guy.
@@BillySheehanOfficial You took the time to respond to me. You don't know how much that means. I have been a huge fan for better than 30 yrs now. Your skills and your style are the stuff of legend. I used to read your column many years ago. Your "Bass Piano" article inspired me to start transcribing Fur Elise, and Peter & the Wolf and playing them with both hands on the fretboard. I vividly remember seeing you live here in Chattanooga, TN with David Lee Roth. You and Vai together... Magic. Not there is no magic with Paul, there is. I just haven't had the good fortune to see that in person. Thanks for all that and for being a good human being, and like I said before, a heck of a nice guy.
I never get tired of saying how much I love and admire you, Billy, as a musician, but mainly as a human being. What a great inspiration. Thank you for everything. Another great video. 😉🤘
Step 1 to being one of the best bass players on the planet...be a genuine nice person. Step 2 be passionate about your craft. Step 3 be willing to share knowledge with others. Bless you Sir! Much respect and appreciation.
One of the things I love most about Billy is that he never says anything bad about anyone or anything. Even if it is a product he doesn't use or like (the rig rundown when he mentions strings is a good example), he always says they are good for others, just not him. His positivity is such a strength as a musician because he never closes himself off from anything and always looks for the positive. A great lesson for all of us!
My first Talas concert was 1975. I was 14. Outdoor show. When I approached the stage they were playing White Punks On Dope. It was the first live show I ever saw. Billy was amazing. Played with headphones on then and wore really high platform shoes back then lol. Talk about a major 1st impression. It changed my life. Some years later when I started going to bars throughout the 70s to see bands we would go see Talas every chance we got. (I got in to bars at 15-16 I looked a lot older than I was) It was like a real rock show in a bar every night with them and the place was always packed. Places with names like Stage One, After Dark, Bowinkles, and The Barrel Head etc. They would put on a free outdoor show and 10 or 15 thousand people would show up. After some time Billy joined a band from Rochester called Light Years (what a great band name! Talas AND Light Years) and we would go see them a lot. They were great too. Anyway I’m rambling. The thing is a lot of people always say what a nice guy Billy is. And you know what, that’s real. He’s been that way his whole life. He is just a good guy. In the bars he would hang out between sets and talk to people. Just a nice down to earth guy. Years later when I met my wife in the 80s one thing we had in common was that we were both Talas and Light Years and Billy fans. We both agreed what a great guy he was. Everyone here in Buffalo has been so happy to see his career go like it has. We all knew he was too good for bars. We are all proud of you Billy!
@@BillySheehanOfficial hey Billy quick story. I was a fedex courier. Did that 30 years. I’m semi retired now. I used to deliver to Pepsi on Walden ave in Cheektowaga. There was a really nice woman there I would see everyday and we would talk about everything under the sky. Well one day for some reason your name came up. Probably reminiscing about the good ole’ days, and she said Billy is my brother! Lol. How cool is that. We both agreed what a good guy you are. Say hi to your sister for me!
Hey, it is pretty inspiring to watch your videos, interviews and to listen to your songs! The love you put on the bass is amazing, it is a really nice example for life! You have made my day! Keep on the good work!
I always enjoy listening to you, because you are always genuinely interested in what you are discussing, so there's never a nod off or feeling preoccupied and missing points when you're on. Your beginners bass course from years ago is still great to go through, and all the stuff afterwards of course. Thanks man.
Hello Billy and thank you for this nice tutorial. One tip though, before filing the frets, make sure to cover the pickups with blue tape to prevent the metal dust sticking to it. When you're done filing, put another layer of tape over the pickups to emprison the dust before removing it all. It won't hurt to so the same with the pots and switch.
I’ve been doing set up’s for years but I’ve never levelled the frets before. I can’t believe how easy this was because of this video. And what a difference it’s made to my already awesome Fender ultra jazz. Thanks Billy!! You really are the People’s champ. We don’t deserve you.
This is extraordinarily cool! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it was Billy actually helping people with their basses. I first saw him on Stanley Clarke's "Night School" video where a group of premier bass players doing School Days. It's so nice to see his humility exceeds his incredible skill. Thanks so much for this video! 🎸
Thanks for the vid billy… Love to see incredible amazing players dig in and show there knowledge on instrument prep…. Shows how in-depth the love for your craft is and some of the work you do behind the scenes 👍
I recently bought a bass, now I've been a guitarplayer for 16 years now (not semi-consistent practice but I'm happy with where I am), but I've never really played bass before, and I'm really looking forward to your playing tips videos. The humility you have shown is off the charts, man.
Billy, Paul Gilbert and all the guys members from Mr.Big are amazing and high intelligent, sincere people! Thank you Billy Sheehan for your great videos and musical inspiration! :) We love you!
Gotta say Billy has an awesome demeanor. You can tell he's really a good guy who really does have a tremendous passion for bass and would probably be a really good teacher and it's funny and cool at the same time that he's so humble about his tech skills and does things to his own basses just bc he's interested in getting what he wants by doing it himself and it's all about his personal preferences to serve his own mechanics and techniques. He has somewhat of a childlike excitement about it, like a big kid enjoying getting into every aspect of what he's trying to get it to do. I bet he'd be great to be in a band with for sure, seems like he would be all about just having fun.
This is excellent. I love hearing tips and tricks straight from my favorite musicians’ mouths. I only just found Billy’s channel and I really hope he keeps it up. My favorite kind of video.
Thank you very much, Mr. Sheehan! I really appreciate this video; I have needed my truss rod tweaked for some time now, but haven't gotten up the nerve to do it :). I play an Ibanez SDGR 1000, which I bought brand new in '89...Bella is my main instrument, and I love her :) . You have a wonderful way of explaining things, and give me a little more self-confidence to try this on my own. I'm not gigging, so I don't have a lot of money. Thanks so much, man, you're awesome! Be well, and stay safe
Mr Billy Sheehan has got to be the most humble legendary player on RU-vid, lol. I love the neck rest with tool holder. This is very entertaining and educational at the same time. The real question is how much do you want for that $100 bass
There's a local Luthier in my town that posts all his work on fb. Great learning tools check him out and see for yourself. His name is Dean hoffart on fb. His profile pic has him riding some kinda sit down pedal bike.
I'll NEVER FORGET HOW YOU WERE HUMBLE AND RESCPECTFUL TO ME AND MY FRIENDS IN BELGRADE(SERBIA) IN 2007. (DEVIL'S SLINGSHOT TOUR). WE MET ALSO TOBY HERO WHO IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST AND COOLEST DUDES I EVER MET-BESIDES YOU OF COURSE !!!😎 TOBY BRINGS US BEHIND THE PULT AFTER CONCERT AND WE WERE WITH YOU,TONY AND TOBY WHEN YOU WERE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS, SOLD CD-S , ETC........... WE TOOK A COUPLE OF PICTURES OF US TOGETHER,HANGING OUT....-UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE FOR US-YOUNG MUSICIANS WHO WATCH THEIR IDOLS FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! THANK YOU MR. BILLY SHEEHAN FOR BEING SO KIND !!!! WISH YOU ALL THE BEST!!! LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!!!!😉
Always aware of your talent Billy, I can't say I was any fan, but my respect for you has just skyrocketed! Fine video presentation to help any bass player increase their knowledge of the instrument which is a really important part of helping them to make it sing - I knew all this stuff and yet I still come away enlightened - thanks very much Sir and keep up the fine work!
Hey Billy I've been playing bass for 10 years and your an amazing bass player and I got introduced to you through Scott's bass lesson shotout to you Billy
Glad you chose this kind of approach to the work to be done. For me, I appreciate that this subject is focused in this way, without fear and thus encouraging a greater rapport with the reality of each electric bass. For that reason I appreciate the minutes I spent watching this video of yours.
Isopropanol 99% evaporates away completely in seconds with no chemical residue, it's handy for instruments and equipment. Plus you can use a 70% dilution ISA on paper towel to sterilize your hands and other surfaces eg. your car etc. COVID-19 safety.
Mr. Sheehan, thank you for all you have contributed to the bass world and to my playing style. I was fortunate enough to briefly meet you while you were standing outside of a club at NAMM 2012. Such a cool moment.
@@NikkieRoxxx Exactly!! I find it truly amazing, Someone as busy, as our dear friend, Billy.... Would have the time to learn how to create such incredible cooking skills!!!!! What a great guy, and genuine person!!!!
When I was gigging, much more so than I do now, I would change my P-Bass Rotosounds every gig - about once a week. Sound excessive? Not if you won’t settle for anything less than that beautiful, deep, piano quality that Rotosounds deliver. There’s no other string that makes a Bass sing - like Rotosounds! They Truly Rock! To Billy: Thanks for the tutorial, and for your total passion for the instrument!
This! 22:28 I have been looking for that answer for 25+ years. Sometimes the inner ears of your imagination are just playing tricks to your common logic. You might be fighting an issue with the instrument that it's not even there. Step back, cool down and start over when you feel you've got "fresh ears". Thank you Billy! You are awesome!
Love you Billy! I saw you and Mr. Vai in Massey Hall Toronto. What a show!! Despite all the downside, I like the fact that this COVID situation provide us the opportunity to get to know our favourite artists better, listening to their stories and learning from their experience. I mostly play guitar but watching this video for me was very timely as I’m building my own custom left handed bass guitar. Thanks for sharing this.
