The feature player for this week is Álvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo from Bucaramanga, Colombia, South America!
We interviewed Álvaro and this is what he had to say.
Do you prefer the Rickenbacker bass for playing fast bass lines, or is there another you like better?
Not really. The main reason why I play my Ric is because it’s a true DIRTY ROCKER. No other bass among the ones I own comes close to the Ric in that regard. But my favorite for “demanding stuff” is my custom Stambaugh 5-string fretted.
Who are your main musical influences?
As a bass player, my #1 influence is Stuart Hamm, without a doubt. He’s the reason why I wanted to stop being a mere “root-fifth” player.
And, speaking of musical influences in general. I can tell for sure that I’ve tried to absorb as much as I’ve could from lots of diverse music styles. I’m a rocker at heart, but I also enjoy listening and playing salsa, funk, tango…
Some of my favorite artists are Rush, AC/DC, Deep Purple, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa… Bassists I admire, aside from Stu Hamm are Geddy Lee, Les Claypool, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan (that guy is not from this planet), Victor Wooten, Mark King, Mick Karn, James Jamerson, Pino Palladino, Salvador Cuevas, Paul McCartney, Tony Oppenheim, John Paul Jones, Michael Manring, Luis Felipe González (a tremendously groovy salsa bassist from Venezuela), Paul Chambers, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Bobby Valentín, Feliciano Arango, Leland Sklar, Steve Harris, Tony Levin, Burke Shelley (the most authentic P-bass tone in rock music to me, BTW), Pedro Aznar, Francis Rocco Prestia, Óscar Stagnaro, Randy Coven, Andrés Rotmistrovsky, Christian McBride… and many more.
How many bass guitars do you own, and which is your favorite?
– 100% custom Stambaugh 5-string with multi-scale fingerboard
– 100% custom Stambaugh fretless 5-string
– EBMM Bongo fretless 5-string
– 1985 Steinberger XL-2 (bought from the great Jauqo III-X)
– 2001 (post-Fender) Kubicki Ex Factor
– 2006 Rickenbacker 4003
– Cort GS-AXE-2
– Höfner Ignition (a.k.a. Icon)
– 1981 Peavey T-40
– A 5-string electric-acoustic made by a local luthier
– Kala U-Bass solid mahogany fretless
When did you first start playing bass, and what was your first bass guitar?
I made my first noises with a bass guitar in March or April 1986. My first bass was a Peavey T-40 identical to the one I currently own (but not the same). After that one, I had a Yamaha BB800, a Washburn Axxess XS-5 (my first 5-string and my first bass with active electronics), a carvin BB75 and a fretted EBMM Bongo which I’m almost sure it was the first EBMM Bongo in my country.
Do you have any modified bass guitars, and if so, what modifications have been done?
I replaced the stock pickups of my Cort Axe bass with an EMG PJ set. It also received a Steinberger Synapse Strap Extender to make it more comfortable to play.
Which bass do you plan on buying next?
I think I’m covered. I’d buy a Wal Mk 3 fretted 5-string if I could afford it. It’s the only bass I think is missing in my arsenal.
Video
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That’s a bassline I’ve not taken much notice of before you played it,nice 1.There’s some good tips in there for sure.
Nice bass, and awesome playing. Will go and visit that song myself.
I have a helicopter incident related back problem and my walnut Gibson EB-3 is too heavy to play while standing for any length of time, so l’ve been working on a 5 string acoustic-electric guitar design for a few years now and would like to know more about your instrumet how it sounds how it looks (got photos and sound bites?) and feels and how to get in touch with the builder.