{"id":9565,"date":"2016-08-22T09:52:51","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T14:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/?p=9565"},"modified":"2016-08-22T09:52:51","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T14:52:51","slug":"bass-player-of-the-week-don-lauder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/interviews\/bass-player-of-the-week-don-lauder.html","title":{"rendered":"[Bass Player of the Week] Don Lauder"},"content":{"rendered":"

The feature bass player for this week is Don Lauder<\/a> from San Diego, California! <\/p>\n

Don is a metal bass player that captures great tones (heard in the video below). We interviewed Don and this is what he had to say.<\/p>\n

Is the Spector bass seen in your video stock, or has it been modified? (If it has been modified, what mods have been done to it?)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The Spector bass in the video is an NS-2-JA-R that I modified myself. I like working on basses and guitars so I take care of the modifications myself. The 1st modification I undertook was I installed a set of EMG JVX pickups<\/a>. The exposed pole pieces give my bass a bit more of a traditional tone, and since this set is part of the X-Series, it also leans towards more of a modern tone so it’s kinda like the best of both worlds. The bridge pickup was a hair longer than the original cutout in the bass, so I had to shave open the cutout just a bit. The 2nd mod I performed was I installed a Babicz Full Contact Hardware bridge<\/a>. I saw a YouTube video on this bridge and found myself intrigued with it so I took a gamble and ordered one. Luckily I can say that I am happy with it. This bridge provides sustain for days. The original bridge was a Badass Bridge I which only has 3 anchor screws and the Babicz has 5 anchor screws so I had to fill in the original holes and drill new ones. I have been considering more mods but so far they’re just considerations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do you prefer Spector as your go-to bass instrument or do you have other favorite basses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

I do prefer Spector as my go-to bass so much that I landed myself on the official Spector Artists List, which is an honor beyond belief. Before I discovered my love for Spector, I was playing a Warwick Corvette $$ that I had and used for a really long time. Then, I started reading up on Spector and decided to pick one up, which was my white NS-2-JA-R. I also own #3 of 12 of the Alex Webster Zombie Drip signature model, and I currently have a Euro 5LX on order. The first time I picked up a Spector Bass, it just felt right. Spector basses gave me the platform I needed to improve my skills as a bass player and find confidence in my abilities.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What is your method for getting your bass heard in the mix for a metal song?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Mids. TONS AND TONS of mids. hahaha Actually, I’ve always had to fight to get my bass heard in the mix for as long as I have been playing bass. I’ve always found the mentality of burying the bass in the mix to be the #1 fault of the Metal genre, so I’ve looked to bass players that can be heard such as D. D. Verni (Overkill), Dave Ellefson (Megadeth), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Steve Harris (Iron Maiden), and Geddy Lee (Rush), just to name a few. Sure other bass players have influenced my playing but these guys influenced my tone.  For years (pre-internet) it was always a battle to find out what gear works and what doesn’t for jumping out in the mix. Fast forward to the future and I found out that Doug Castro started Darkglass and made that job SOOO much easier. Wanna jump out of the mix and give your guitar players a run for their money? Check out some Darkglass.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Do you play only with fingers or do you sometimes use a pick?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

I play with both. I really leave it up to the riff that I’m playing. Some songs I play with fingers only. Some songs I play with picks. And then there are the songs that I switch back and forth. I’m really the type of bass player that allows the song to tell me what’s needed instead me trying to dictate what is going to happen. I mean, I always have ideas I try but ultimately it comes done to how the song reacts to what technique I’m using. I’m still on the fence about tapping. haha To me, that’s a guitarist’s trick and I’m like “but, but, but I’m a bass player”. But I know one of these days we’re gonna have a riff that’s going to make me do some tapping. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What was your first bass guitar, and do you still own it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

My first bass was an imitation SG from a company called Key. It was a 30″ and was pretty cool. My best friend and his dad gave it to me when I was like 14, maybe 15? It was a pretty cool bass, but I ended up selling it to another friend of mine. I recently caught up with that friend on Facebook and asked if he still had it, but unfortunately he didn’t. I’ve looked around the internet for another one like it but I can’t even find any mention of the company that made it. The closest I have found is a company called Kay.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What is the most customization you have ever done to a bass?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

I LOVE customizing basses! I have modded every single one of my basses. I think my Alex Webster signature bass will be my only bass I don’t mod. The biggest customization project I did was I took my old ESP LTD F-205 and turned it into a fretless. That was fun and nerve racking all at the same time, but it came out good and I still have it. Most of the time, I’m doing pickup swaps and\/or on-board preamp installs.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What bass pickups do you prefer the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

EMG. Maybe it’s just the Metalhead in me but the tones are just too perfect for what I’m doing which is just straight up Thrash Metal. For me, EMG has defined a tone for Metal that just can’t be mistaken. It’s kinda like when you hear your favorite bass or your favorite amp; you know it when you hear it and you feel it.  <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Video<\/h3>\n