[Bass Player of the Week] Rohan Drew (the man who will play bass anywhere, literally)

Ordinarily we don’t start bassist of the week articles with videos, but this is an exception and you’ll understand why right now.

Rohan, who is from Melbourne, Australia, has played bass at the lake:

…and on the beach (several times):

…and in the rainforest:

…and on a wind farm:

…and on the bus:

So yeah, we had to interview this guy.

Here’s what Rohan had to say.

What is the main bass guitar that you play, how long have you owned it and is it a stock or custom instrument?

The main bass I play is an old Yamaha RBX375A five string from the 90’s. I picked it up secondhand about 16 years ago. It’s a stock instrument, haven’t felt the need to make any changes to it, plays really well and sounds pretty good. I’ve bought a couple of other basses since then, but I always seem to gravitate back to the trusty old yammy five string!

What is your normal process for recording yourself playing bass outside?

I keep it nice and simple to record the bass outside, just a GoPro Hero Session4 clamped onto the headstock of the bass. I picked up a little MICRO CUBE bass amp which runs on 6 x AA batteries, so I can play electric bass just about anywhere. Before that I had a speaker backpack and an EQ pedal for a bit level boost. The micro cube sounds much better that the old setup!

How many places have you been to record the bass outside, and where were the locations?

I’ve gone out to more than 20 places to film so far. A few in and around my hometown Melbourne Australia & a few journeys further afield to the Lakes, Beaches & wind farms in East Gippsland Victoria. There was also a lovely trip up and down the east coast of Tasmania with bass in tow, looking for buenas vistas. Lots of lovely scenery down there!

Do you always take the same bass to record outside with?

I’ve got a few different basses to choose from, a customised Yamaha RBX260, the cheapest bass I own, but it plays so well! The Spector Classic 6 gets a run sometimes, as does the old Ibanez acoustic.

Have you ever had a bass damaged while recording video of it outside?

Nope, haven’t had any incidents while recording outside, hope to keep it that way! Touch (rose)wood!

What was the most dangerous (or most challenging) location to play and record the bass in?

The most dangerous spot might have been down in Tasmania on the Freycinet Peninsula, a view over the spectacular Wine Glass bay, it was a tad rainy and slippery, almost ended up down in the drink with a muddy bass! 

What is the most-customized (or custom built) bass you own?

I’m just in the process to reviving my first bass, it’s a de-fretted Aria Pro II from the late 80’s. I’m replacing the old Aria pickups with a new SD Quarter Pound set & re-coating the fingerboard to give the old bass a new life. Can wait to take it out for a run in the sun.

You can check out Rohan’s other videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/robob36

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