Active Band Man Chats - Horry’s New Gear from 2021

Last time, I talked about my new gear from 2021, so this time it's horry’s turn!

My new gear for this year... Mind if I start with the bass? It’s used, but I got a G&L L-2000 from the Tribute Series.

That’s the one!

I got it for our band, The Showers, that I play in with you. I used to play a Höfner violin bass in that band, but the sound was a bit too light for the band, so I had been searching for a replacement for a while.

We went to so many instrument shops together.

How many times did we go, seriously…

For a while, we were going to music stores almost every week—some of my fans actually got jealous.

Not my problem (laughs).

Because you kept posting photos of me trying out instruments on social media...

That probably made it worse.

Anyway, where were we?

New gear! (laughs) The used G&L. I was aiming for one made during the Japan production era… and this one had a flashy sparkle finish, so… yeah (awkward laugh).

Ah yeah, that blue sparkle—it’s nice.

Honestly, I was planning on not buying another bass this year (awkward laugh). I already bought quite a few last year. I’ve already got the Sadowsky headless, an Ibanez EUB, even a Bacchus electric guitar… Going back further, I bought a Bacchus headless at the end of the year before that. So, I ended up adding four instruments in just one year.

What are you, a millionaire?!

That’s why I told myself I wouldn't get any more this year… But somehow, here we are.

Strange how that happens.

Well, I don’t regret it. I really like it.

Yeah, it sounds great!

I’d like to use it outside of The Showers too.

Yeah, it seems like it’s a bass that could work in any genre.

Other than that, I only got a few pedals.

Let’s hear it.

Going in order… First, the Darkglass bass distortion—Microtubes X.
Darkglass Electronics / Microtubes X bass distortion pedal

Finally! Darkglass!

Yeah, for me, it's a pretty modern-sounding distortion. It depends on the band—it’s more of a special-effects kind of thing. I usually use distortion from HAO, but depending on the situation, I might swap it out with this one.

So HAO has been dethroned?

You don’t need to get clever with the wordplay (laughs). I wouldn’t say it’s been dethroned—just a stand-in. HAO is still my main distortion pedal. And then, next is the PGS ADVENT. It’s technically a distortion pedal for guitar, but it works great on bass too, so I also got this one.

Oh, it’s a guitar pedal? Let me try it sometime!

(ignores the request) I actually found out about it from Imamichi from Barbee Boys. He even sent me a performance video… and it sounded so good that I went to the shop later and tried it out—then I ended up getting it.

That’s awesome!

This might be the piece of gear I was most into in 2021. At first, I thought I’d only use it for songs that needed distortion, but the compression feel is so nice that now I pretty much keep it on all the time.

Yeah, gear like that usually ends up being used in one of two ways.

Oh, and by the way, they released a bass version of the ADVENT later on, so of course I picked that up too (laughs). I haven’t had a chance to test it yet, so I’ll mess around with it in the studio and figure out how I want to use it.

I’m excited! Let me try it too!

(ignores him) Next up... the line transformer from AMATERAS, and it’s also named Neve-kun. I got it to enhance the sound texture, but... in live settings, it can sometimes make things a bit too crisp, so I have to choose the right venue for it. Some venues just aren’t suited for a super bright sound (awkward laugh).

Hmm, I see.

I always bring it to recording sessions though. That said, sometimes the song sounds better without it—so yeah, the fact that its effect is that noticeable just goes to show how strong it is (awkward laugh).

Totally.

Then there’s the Bassballs from Electro-Harmonix. It’s an envelope filter. I thought it might work well in place of a wah pedal for certain songs, so I picked this up… but I haven’t actually used it in a live show yet. I’ve been testing it out in the studio though. I’m sure it’ll come in handy eventually.
Darkglass Electronics / Microtubes X

Then just write a song to go with it!

(ignores him again) And then there's the RNDI from Rupert Neve Designs. It’s a standard DI box. I got it specifically for home recording.
RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS / RNDI

Ah yes, Neve! That name alone has some serious magic to it.

Magic! That’s true (laughs). Even someone like me occasionally gets asked to do recording work... so I got it to be able to deliver tracks from home.

Oh, I can see that.

I also have an AVALON U5 for recording, just in case. But sometimes it’s a bit too colored, so in those cases, I go with the RNDI.

Oh, that makes me excited for when I plan to ask you to do recording work for me in the future.

I think that’s about it.

That’s more than enough.

For this year.

This year is the key phrase.

Then there’s small stuff like the power supply from VITAL AUDIO or the patch cables from Vivie... Oh! I also got the Gene Simmons Otamatone model for some reason—does that count as new gear? (laughs)

Absolutely!

(laughs) Oh! I almost forgot! There’s portable fan from Sound House!

CLASSIC PRO / CPF20WH Oscillating Portable Fan – White

That’s right, you did buy that.

It actually turned out to be pretty great... It was affordable, helped me save on the air conditioning bill, and I think that this might’ve been the most useful thing I bought (laughs). I used it a lot in the summer when I was playing bass in my room.

Yeah, this summer was seriously hot.

Still, I ended up adding a lot of gear again this year. I didn’t mean to... but somehow it just happened (laughs).

It’s fate.

Next year, I swear I won’t get anything new.

Impossible.

No seriously, my room is getting out of control… (awkward laugh). I want to start cleaning up my gear a bit next year and do some organizing.

Totally. By the way, is there anything you’re eyeing right now?

Hmm… there are a couple distortion pedals I’m curious about… and maybe a G&L SB-2.

See?! Not buying anything is impossible!

(awkward laugh) I mean, the G&L I got this year was so good, I couldn’t help myself…

Well, let’s just keep building up our gear responsibly. Because in the end, it’s all for...?

Love!