Hey Phish! Can you please do a updated version of the bands rigs again? That would be awesome so see how they progressed through the years! Thanks again :)
Of all of these Phish Rig explanations, this is by far the most in depth and technical. Mike is really a mastermind of the bass and you can tell that he really takes the time to understand all of his equipment down to a science. So cool!
Attention to Phish has always been dominated by Trey because his supreme musicianship is the easiest to distinguish. I appreciate these videos for showing how passionate and knowledgeable Mike is of his instrument. All four members are un-replacable. I am a huge fan of all music, and I can confidently say that there has NEVER been a better live act than Phish from 1994 to 1997.
Mitch McQuarrie Mike was in the early days the real driving force behind the band logistically, booking shows and handling all the financial stuff. Just goes to show you that what most people perceive is actually far from reality. Trey is more outspoken than the rest, so people like to think of him as the leader. where true phans understand that it's 4 guys who like playing together without egos or any of that shite.
***** Phish is awesome and unique for just what you were getting at: "four guys playing without ego or any of that"... sharing in the groove. What I was trying to say originally was that Trey stands out the most. His ability to build tension and then resolve that tension was as good as any musician in the history of modern music. That is what drew, and continues to draw, people to Phish. Granted, the rest of the band is PIVOTAL in that process (they all do this together, for sure) but Trey ends up being the hero in those jams. Phish is one of very few bands I can think of in which no member is replaceable, but to bring up a phrase you used, "true phans understand" that Trey is what made the band truly special. I'm sorry for mixing present and past tense. Nowadays I'd say things are more even, but in Phish's prime I think it's undeniable that Trey was the driving force.
Mitch McQuarrie Yep we actually totally agree lol Sorry my first message was kind of mean spirited, but not towards you of course, sorry if it came off sounding like that Indeed on the face of it Trey is the most dominant, but I just watched his rig rundown and he said he mainly listens to the other guys and "lift" ideas from them. so even when he takes the lead, it's not exactly a monarchy if ya know what I mean ;) IMO Phish's prime was '89 - '96, and Trey on a good night is indeed unparalleled, he's the only musician who can single-handedly lift a so-so show to insane heights and for that reason I actually agree with your original statement. btw speaking of tension and release, Trey gets most of his cues from Fish, if you listen carefully, before a "release", Fish almost always breaks the rhythm to insane syncopations, and then Trey is free to dive into nirvana when Jon resumes to a more steady beat. So yeah, the other guys are more in the background but are always super necessary.
I don't think there's ever been a better live act than phish 2009-present either. I'm a younger fan that didn't get to see them back in 1.0 but I've seen hundreds of other bands and phish has made me feel things at shows I can't describe or replicate anywhere else. Their music is so full of life and joy, and the atmosphere, the people you meet there, and the feeling that anything could happen once they take the stage is all unique to phish in their return. I have listened to enough shows to agree that 94-97 was their peak as musicians but aside from some sloppy drug riddled years (99-2004) phish is a once in a lifetime band that puts on a unrivaled musical experience. I will be seeing my 15th show this summer since 2009 and I hope to see many more. Viva phish.
Mike Gordon!! What an awesome bassist. I love how he copies directly from the greatest of all time, Phil Lesh! You can't spell Phil Lesh without Phish! *laughs* Great stuff Mike!
It limits your technique since you can really only use your index finger to pick with. If you dont do a lot of dbl plucking and what not, it's really not an issue
So many technology on the stage, so many... tell me how many bass players (including "normal" not known ones) in the whole world use all of this stuff during the gig. I just wanted to express my opinion. To all of you adorers of huge technology and Mike Gordon I say "Please, forgive me". Any way, Yellowsunism, your boooo for me is like an image in front of a mirror: it turns back to you. Peace ;D
Simen Andreas Knudsen But not really, he definitely has a unique groove going on. I'm glad he uses a pick, the band wouldn't sound the same if he had a completely different tone.
TRAMATIZED!!! Trey is hosting wine parties for his women. Come on down for the cash, fun, and love! he's just the best. he now says he kicked me out of phish smart move king did you ask the other 3 band members before acting? 4 kings = 4 votes why are we doing this
I played one of these Modulus Quantum basses at Guitar Center earlier this week. It absolutely blew my mind. My decent Schecter Stilletto felt like junk when I went back to it.
The entire division of frequency, his processors and effects. . . . . .Jaco was barely breaking the plane of all that stuff. He had a chorus pedal, his amazing fingers, and a fretless.
is that a GoPro Hero cam on yer headstock? I gotta get a few of those. I like that you guys talk more about getting your "own" sound out of your gear instead trying to just get the "best" or most expensive gear. Took me about 12 years to get my rig right but nobody else can use it and I feel like I'm in the Millennium Falcon when I go void blank.
I get the feeling you weren't paying attention. He said that if he eq'd his bass a certain way and plays with his fingers near the first pick up, it gives him a jaco-like sound that is 'very much not me'. He literally says in the video that he doesn't sound like jaco and was simply demonstrating the way to make his bass sound that way. Maybe watch it again?
+Jacob Dexter. : ) Right. What Mike demonstrates on his bass as "like a Jaco Pastorious sound", doesn't sound like Jaco to my ears. It still for the most part sounds like Mike. Nevertheless, I wish they'd bust out "Donna Lee" again Just for kicks. It's only been 20 years or so.
nelson chauca So? Did you listen to anything he said? He uses a pick because of the sound it produces. Notice the part where he was playing with his fingers and said "Which I would never use that sound, it's very much not me." He's just as good with his fingers but he can't get the sound he wants if he does. Pretty simple..
If you are into Phil Lesh sound, naturally you will need to use a pick. I used to be totally against using picks but some of my favorite bass players primarily use picks, so now I do. I like the tone, only one way to get it.
just curious, wouldn't all of his speakers get summed together anyway when going through the sound system? if so what is the benefit of having each speaker have its own EQ curve? do they remain separated in the big line array that hangs above the stage? or does he have them separated just for more accurate tone shaping, which will them be summed?
When trying to mix a bass on the frontend, especially when you are playing on massive systems, in wildly different acoustic environments, controlling the tone and volume of the strings is really difficult. Especially when playing so dynamically with picks and slaps and such. There are a lot of different ways that speakers could be arranged but generally they are going to running multiple crossovers (different tone range for different speakers) and often will use cabinet like arrangement (range of speakers and frequencies). This is especially important for bass because it has a fundamental presence in the floor subs as well as harmonic overtones. So to answer your question...both.
I've played shows where my front of house sound was better than what I had on stage, and I have had the opposite. I have to finish the video but this stage setup seems excessive if FOH is going to just mesh all of your split frequencies back together again. Our stage rigs are basically monitors when it comes to large venues, and I am way more concerned about how I sound to the people than how I sound to myself. My favorite players have extremely simple rigs, so I'm just trying to understand if the "why" goes behind personal satisfaction.
Mike's lines are some of the best , they are obscure, and hard to replicate in a live situation; like purposely using open notes in a chromatic run. Most of us wouldn't think of it, but that is his sound, open notes....I think it is fine to copy Phil, even down to the picking, I really respect his decision to do what makes the band sound the tightest. I would have said "fuck off", but Mike is a genius, and he will always be in my top 5 bassists of all time. Listen to his duos with Leo Kotkee, just amazing shit. It's all about variety.
I found this video really pretty informative, but also it was interesting in that I have never liked his tone (Billy Sheehan fits into the same zone for me). I am sure it fits in with his band's sound perfectly ... but then I also don't like phish. So, go figure. Well produced clip though, thanks for posting. I somehow got here while looking for product vids on Bergantino cabinets ... Hmmmm ...
Gracious Mike, Cute outfit and hair. I'm loving the new more polished Phish wardrobe... P.s. Got a miracle ticket at your San Francisco show for the Electric Moss tour, probably one of the best concert nights of my life thus far!
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