CARVIN 5011-3 (.40, .60, .80, .100, .128) - I used these strings for a long time on my Roscoe Beck basses for all live performances with my band ROAD TRIP. I liked them a LOT! They have a unique sound that took me a while to get used to... You can't beat Carvin's price! They make me want to check out more of the Carvin line. Worth trying!

D'ADDARIO SLOW WOUNDS SW5000SL (.45, .65, .80, .100, .130) - These strings were on a six string Curbow bass I got used and I liked them enough to try them on some of my other basses. I like them a LOT, but only on certain instruments. They seem to sound good on passive basses. I tried them on my Warwick Streamer Stage II bass and didn't like that combination at all. I seem to break a lot of these strings, but I still use them because I think they're a good combination with passive basses - a full, rich sound. I break a lot of strings when I'm playing live no matter what I'm using I guess - I tend to "dig in" pretty hard...

DR - My Aria Pro tenor bass was strung with DR strings for a while and they sounded GREAT. I tried DR Hi-Beams on my Marcus Miller Jazz for a while (when I had it) and liked them on there as well (I believe Marcus Miller uses Hi-Beams, I tried these gauges: .45, .65, .85, .105).

DR "LO-RIDERS" MH5-45 (.45, .65, .85, .105, .125) - I tried these strings for a while on my Roscoe Beck basses and found them to be acceptable.

FODERA (#28125 - .28, .40, .62, .85, .106, .125) - I use these strings on my Modulus Quantum 6 bass and I like them a LOT. Can Fodera MAKE a bad product?

GHS BASS BOOMERS (ML - .45, .65, .80, .100) - From 1984 to 1997 I pretty much used GHS Bass Boomers exclusively while playing mostly Fender 4 strings. I still like them a lot for use on a four string bass, but I tried their 5-string Boomers (M - .45, .65, .85, .105, .130) and didn't like them as much as other 5-string sets. I also tried their 6-string set (ML - .30, .45, .65, .80, .100, .126) and didn't like them as much as other companies 6-string sets, either. I'm not currently stringing any of my basses with Boomers.

*** LAKLAND STAINLESS STEEL MEDIUM (.45, .65, .85, .105, .128) - I'm currently stringing my Roscoe Beck and Lakland basses with these strings. I haven't broken a string since I switched to these from the Carvin strings I was using previously (see above). They sound great, too! They're made by GHS for Lakland.

LAKLAND NICKEL PLATED MEDIUM (.45, .65, .85, .105, .128) - I didn't like these strings much. They're made by GHS for Lakland, these are the same strings as GHS Bass Boomers (see above).

DEAN MARKLEY BLUE STEEL (#2679, ML - .45, .65, .80, .105, .128) - I've been trying some new strings lately and the Blue Steels worked out very well on my Fender Roscoe Beck bass. I would definitely use them again! Good high end response & bass. Worth a try!

*** ROTOSOUND SWING BASS 66 RS66LD (.45, .65, .80, .105) - I use these on my 1966 Fender Jazz Bass, they're my preferred choice for most 4 string basses. I started using them when I heard they were the string Jaco preferred. I like them a LOT on my Jazz bass!

KEN SMITH MASTER SERIES - I used a couple sets on my Roscoe Beck basses for a while & found these to be acceptable strings.

WARWICK BLACK LABEL STAINLESS (M - .45, .65, .85, .105, .135) - Warwick strings are REALLY good for active basses. I used them on my Steamer Stage II 5-string when I had it, and I liked that combination very much. They didn't sound very good on my passive Roscoe Beck basses, though - not nearly as much low end as I get with D'Addario Slow Wounds. I used Warwick strings on a passive Corvette fretless I had for a while, though and they sounded great on that bass as well. Maybe Warwick strings just sound very good on Warwick basses...

DiMARZIO CLIPLOCK NO STRETCH GUITAR STRAP - I LOVE these straps. They use no animal products (sans leather), instead opting for "ultra-tough seatbelt material". They make wide straps for bass players, but I like the look and feel of the guitar straps better. I do have some other straps I like - a couple tie-died ones, etc..., but these are by far my favorites. They attach right to the guitar for security, similar straps that I have seen (Planet waves for example) still connect to the guitar with the same ends as a regular strap. Which means that they can fall off, OR you can use strap-locks, but I break strap-locks all the time, so I use DiMarzio straps on ALL my basses for use in live shows. GREAT straps, never broke one & I've used them for years. Never had a guitar fall off. HIGHLY recommended!

BOSS ME-8B EFFECTS PEDAL - I don't use this at all with Road Trip, but I find it quite useful for the solo gig, when I use it all the time. It has many different sounds and settings options, which I try to use in different ways to keep things interesting. Mostly I use the chorus, reverb and delay to simulate vocal effects during my solo shows. I don't believe Boss makes these pedals any more.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGE OF MY BOSS ME-8B

CRY BABY BASS WAH WAH 105Q - This is the only effect I used for live performances with ROAD TRIP. I got it when we learned the Lenny Kravitz tune "FLY AWAY". Fun to fool around with, this is the best bass wah I've seen...

DIGITECH JAMMAN LOOPER/PHRASE SAMPLER - Picked this up in 2008 to replace my Boomerang Sampler (see below). haven't had the time to use it a lot yet, think there's things I like better about the Boomerang than this pedal and vice versa. Boomerang is easier to use overall. This pedal can do more things, but for what I use them for ease of use is a biggie for me. Will post more once I use it some more.

PRAXAX BY TWANGER - Th PraxAx! Whoo-hoo! I reviewed the unit for the Jan/Feb 1999 issue of Bass Frontiers. It's pretty cool - I have both a four and a five string model. You can strap it on and practice picking hand fingering technique while watching TV, driving, at your computer, working, wherever... It's amazing how many different things you can come up with as excerices when you're limited to only focusing on your picking hand! Pretty cool! Helps keep you awake for those long late night drives after the show's over!

SADOWSKY PREAMP/DI PEDAL - If you've never tried a Sadowsky preamp you owe it to yourself to find a way to check it out! THEY ROCK! I'm not a big fan of active electronics, so most of my basses are passive. I wanted to get a preamp unit basically just to use with my Aslin Dane Music Man copy and my 66 Jazz bass at home to practice slapping and popping. I chose the Sadowsky preamp after hearing Juraj Griglak's CD "Bass Friends" - his tone is SO cool I wrote and asked him what he used - a 70's Jazz with a Sadowsky outboard preamp for most of the disc. Upon receiving my unit I plugged it into my $260 Aslin Dane MM copy and - WOW! WHAT A SOUND! THE BEST slap/pop sound I have ever gotten - in an instant. After playing around with it for a while and using a couple other basses with it I decided I had to try the preamp at a show. So I took it to that Friday's gig, plugged it in and did sound check. Afterward the soundman (who usually NEVER comments on anything - even when I want him to) came up and said to me, "Your bass sounds great tonight - are you doing something different?". Yep, I was - the Sadowsky preamp. I've been using it non-stop for ALL playing since I got it - the sound for fingerstyle and pick playing is great as well as slapping. You can adjust the preamp volume and match it to the passive volume if you want to use the footswitch to go back and forth between active and passive. I like that a LOT - I prefer using the "passive" input on my amp. This allows me to get an "active" sound while not overdriving the amp on the "passive" setting. I can't say enough good things about this preamp, check out the Sadowsky site at the link above. Tell Roger that DaveOnBass sent you! Oh, and cost? Around $250 shipped... KICK ASS!

SHURE ULX PROFESSIONAL WIRELESS - Well, when my XWire finally stopped working in 2005, I asked around and the general consensus was that this was the best wireless unit out there to replace it. I've had mine for months now with no problems!

BOOMERANG PHRASE SAMPLER - I got this pedal on 7/14/99 and I wish I had found it YEARS ago! This is the coolest effects pedal I've ever used! It records and loops a phrase so you can play a melody or solo over it. You can also add other passages over the original line & play over more than 1 passage at a time. Many other features - this is a GREAT tool for practicing! Helps with timing, soloing, melodies, chords - just FANTASTIC. Check one of these out the first chance you get! Gave it to my stepson in 2008 when I bought a Digitech Jamman Sampler (see above).

X-WIRE X905 DIGITAL WIRELESS - Well, I've owned this piece of equipment for YEARS and I can't believe I never thought to add it to the equipment pages until now. It's an intergral part of my stage setup - I HATE cords! They don't make this particular unit any more, I believe X-Wire was bought out by Sennheiser a while back. Sennheiser makes something similar, but it did change when they bought out X-Wire and from what I hear the Sennheiser product isn't quite as good as the X-Wire wireless was. I sure like mine! Only problem I have is that if you jump on stage you might knock the controller enough to either cut out your sound for a second or two or every now & then the cord will fall out completely if it's not duct-taped in for security. GREAT wireless unit! Buy one used if you can find it! Mine finally puked out for good in 2005 :(

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