[Bass Player of the Week] Earnest Mann

Earnest Mann is the owner of the feature Bass of the Week, the Bayou Basses Swallowtail. This is an instance where we not only were able to get the story of the build from the builder, but also have an interview with the owner of the instrument, who uses it regularly at his church.

A good amount of BBG’s regular customers are in fact performers who play in church often. If you’ve never played bass in a church yourself, you’ll learn some good information below.

BBG: How long have you been playing bass?

Earnest: I’ve been playing bass for 36 years.

BBG: How long have you been playing bass in church?

Earnest: I started out playing bass for my family gospel quartet.  I shifted to playing bass for churches and choirs about around the age of 12.  Since then I’ve been fortunate to play all over the world via the Air Force, places like Germany, Hungary, Qatar, Afghanistan and a host of other places in the United States.

BBG: What church do you play in? 

Earnest: I am very fortunate and honored to be able to play bass for Cedar Lake Christian Assembly, located in Biloxi, MS.  So, if you’re on the coast come check us out, you won’t regret it!

BBG: Do you prefer the upright bass? If so, why?

Earnest: I prefer to use the upright bass on certain occasions. For instance, at Cedar Lake we put on a great Christmas production every year, and this year I was fortunate to play the upright bass for the Big Band portion.  The upright that I played for that production was the one that Mr. David Dunkin, the church Minister of Music commissioned Bill Kretzer to make.  After that I was hooked and had to have my own.  

BBG: Do you use your own bass amplifier playing in church, or do you use a direct system? 

Earnest: At Cedar Lake I do not use my own amplifier, we use a direct system.  I use my own amplifier when I play for other groups or choirs.  My current set up is a Ampeg SVT-3 Pro with a 4-10 Ampeg cabinet.  I also have a Fender Rumble 500 when I don’t feel like lugging the Ampeg around.

BBG: How many other musicians do you typically perform with on stage?

Earnest: I typically perform with 8 other musicians on stage.

BBG: Do you prefer a specific bass pickup brand (such as Bartolini or Nordstrand) or just let the builder decide which bass pickup is best for you?

Earnest: I am partial to Bartolini and EMG pickups. I let Mr. Kretzer choose the pick ups for my upright 5 string bass.

BBG: What advice would you give to a bass player for playing in church?

My advice to bass players in the church is to learn as many genres of music as possible.  The reason for this is, gospel music is constantly evolving and you need to be a musician that’s current, not one that is stuck to one particular style.  Always challenge yourself to learn something new, HELP THOSE who are struggling to learn and last but not least, be humble because this gift that God has given you could have easily been given to someone else.  That’s all I have to say about that (in the words of Forrest Gump) lol!

(Want to be a BBG featured bass player?)