Mavericks Gear
First Rig
Chadwick Folding Upright, Barbera pickup, Dan Lakin Basses J, Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2, Greenboy F215
My Three Suns
1940 King Moretone, Chadwick Folding Upright, Christopher Academy
1940 King Moretone
King Moretone
Barbera
A Barbera pickup
Blondes
Chadwick Folding Upright and 1971 Fender Precision basses.
Back In Black
A 1975 Fender Precision and Azola Baby Bass.
Seafoam
A 1973 Fender Precision, and Azola Baby Bass
Choices
1971 Blonde P Bass, 1975 Black P Bass, Azola Baby Bass, Greenboy F215, Genzler Magellan 800
KK Baby Bass UK
KK Baby Bass
KK Baby Bass
Ed Friedland plays the KK Baby Bass with The Mavericks
G&L L1000
Ed Friedland plays the G&L CLF L1000
G&L and Azola underground
Ed Friedland's gear setup with the Mavericks 4/13/19.
G&L Fallout Bass
Ed Friedland plays the G&L Fallout Bass
Current Setup 2020
1940 King Moretone, G&L Fallout Bass, KK Baby Bass, Greenboy F215, Genzler Magellan 800
Mental Case
My custom built road case by Mental Case has never failed me.
BBE Sonic Stomp
ALWAYS on. EVERY gig.
Fallout Belair
I fell in love with the G&L Fallout Bass, but wanted a lightweight one with L1K-style EQ. Thanks G&L! It's perfect!
Tour Rig 2022
I've switched over to a GR Bass One 800 head to power the Greenboy F215. It gives me reliable power, and amazing control over the midrange. The Green Machine and the KK Baby Bass are covering the boom boom boom, and that little red box? The BBE Sonic Stomp - always on!
Acoustic Show Rig
When we first came out of Covid retirement, we played a series of acoustic shows to ease back in. I used my GR Bass One 800/AT-210 rig, with the Lanakai Bass Uke, the Nordy Cat Bass, and my Chadwick Folding Upright Bass.
All The Rest
Over the years I’ve owned a ton of gear, and despite my numerous attempts to “downsize,” I still do. I did sell off a lot of nice instruments that were unplayed during the Great Purge Of 2020. But no worries, I still have more gear than I need, want, or can use. Here’s a look at some of it.
Basses
I’ve cleared out a lot of basses, but there’s still plenty to look at.
G&L Tribute Fallout
I use a US model on the road, but the Tribute version really nails it.
Modern Vintage P
These Modern Vintage basses are excellent examples of their species.
Muckelroy HMC 5
Brady Muckelroy built this for me as a 33" scale 5-string piccolo bass. I currently have it strung E-C in normal range.
G&L L2000 Tribute
This one has beautiful grain, but also pickups with secret sauce Alnico magnets. One of a kind!
MusicMan Sterling 5H Fretless
I keep this around in case that 90's Singer/Songwriter shit ever becomes popular again.
Fender 88' MIJ Precision
This one has survived the cull. Strings are at least 10 year old, crusty LaBella rounds. This bass is money!
Modern Vintage J
The vibrational integrity of this bass astounds me.
Goldtone Acoustic 5-string
Tuned E-C with LaBella tape wound strings.
Lanakai U Bass
This is 24" scale, plays really well. It sounds surprisingly good, and even has decent acoustic volume.
Teisco Del Rey Beatle Bass
This thing sounds half as good as a Hofner, and is twice as cool!
Mike Lull MV5
An indisputable B string. 35" scale, EMGs, a totally killing modern 5-string Jazz.
Fender Roadworn Jazz
A great looking, great sounding relic J. It has a Tonestyler tone circuit.
Nordstrand Acinonyx Bass
The Nordy Cat bass is a new favorite.
Egmond Bass
I've had this one since the mid-80s. A cheap Dutch wonder that has had several lives in my career. Most recently used to record the track "Brand New Day" by the Mavericks.
The Green Machine
I've been using this Pine-body G&L Fallout Bass in Belair Green on the road since July '21. Sometimes you get your hands on a bass that just makes you happy to play. This is one of them! Functional in so many contexts, lightweight, easy to play, looks amazing in all kinds of lighting... it's now Numero Uno!
G&L Fallout Bass
Another Fallout Bass, this one is a Tribute that is getting the 2-band, L1K-style EQ. They found a relatively light one - 8.7 lbs. This one will be my backup for fly dates, and shows around Tucson.
MVP4-72
The Modern Vintage MVP4-72 is an exceptional P bass, and perhaps the only instrument on the market with the 70s Fender "B" neck profile.
MVJ4-72
Modern Vintage also makes a Jazz with 70s pickup spacing and neck profile. Fantastic!
The "banned" G&L CLF L2000
This Coral Sunset L2K has a Pine body, roasted maple neck, and the headstock and control plate design from the original model. Love this bass! A total Swiss Army knife! I used it solely on a European tour with the Mavs, and continued to play it in the States until the singer had one of his meltdowns and decided the bass was now a problem. At the time, I was interested in keeping the gig, so I stopped using it. Now... I happily play it all the time and smile.
Lucky The Cat
This was an impulse buy gone very right! I love my black Cat bass, but when I saw this one-off finish online - I immediately texted them and said "it's mine!" Not only an amazing instrument, and color, it's FRETLESS!
CNZ Mini J
I sat in on a gig, and the guy had one of these. I was very surprised how good it sounded. For $179, this 28.5" scale mini-Jazz is an amazing deal. I put LaBella short scale flat on it (fit perfectly) and it's a wonderful, thick tone.
Prev
Next
Amps
Every gig, every performing space is different. Good to have choices!
GR Bass One 350 head, 2x8 cab
Just got this for the home studio, and love it. Very clean, flexible, great tone and performance. #GRBass
Genzler Magellan 350
The 350 head isn't quite enough to push this 8ohm Greenboy, but it's got the same great tone I rely on from my Magellan 800.
Amp Shootout
I wrote a Class D amp shootout for Bassplayer a while back.
https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-best-class-d-mini-bass-amps
Genz Benz Shuttle
An oldie, but goodie. This rig was a game changer.
Genz Benz Shuttle 2.0
The second version of the Shuttle stack was even better.
Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2
I still have this head. Super powerful, very versatile.
Greenboys
A Greenboy F110 and F112. Two of the best performing small cabs you'll ever hear.
iLoud
These powered monitors by iLoud do the trick.
BBE Bass Max Preamp, Carvin DCM 2000
This power amp/preamp setup is massive! 2000 watts bridged into 4ohms - if you need it.
Phil Jones Double Four
The PJB Double Four is a great micro amp for home and practice. I've used it on gigs, but it does lack headroom... but it's easy to get it there.
GR Bass Rig
I've been using the GR Bass One 800 head for the past year, it's perfect! This is one of their graphite ultra-light 210 cabs, the AT-210. I use it on my Mavericks acoustic shows.
AT-210
I told you it was light!
Prev
Next
Effects
I don’t use them much these days, but I’ve got some!
Pedalboard 2019
The last gig I used a pedalboard on, this is what I brought. Grizzly Bass OD, Bass Octave Deluxe, Bass Envelope, Bass Chorus, and Carbon Copy Delay - all MXR.
Centrance Mixerface
This has become indispensable. It's my audio interface/mic pre/mixer for computer or mobile, audio and video. Brilliant!
Starlifter Preamp
Nordstrand's Starlifter Preamp is studio-grade in a box. Headroom for days, smart, flexible eq, great DI, top notch!
Mavs Pedals
Before I got my KK Baby Bass, I needed the Grizzly Bass pre for extra gain on my Azola, but these days, all I need is an A/B box and a tuner.
Phil Jones Bass Bighead
The Bighead preamp is a great travel companion, and the PJB headphones make the bass sound fat and clear.
BBE Sonic Stomp
ALWAYS on. EVERY gig.
Prev
Next
Oddballs!
Here’s a gallery for all the weird, wonderful stuff I find while perusing music stores around the world! Some of them are completely unknown to me, if you recognize something… tell me.
Strung Out, Glasgow
Interesting name for a used music store in a town with a big heroin using population. No idea what this bass is.
Glasgow
Don't remember the name of the shop, but its got a great selection of basses.
Banjo Bass
This thing is fucking awful! Thankfully it was sold. I did buy a '71 P bass at this shop though.
Kay headstock
Coolest headstock ever! Found this at Rumbleseat Music in Nashville.
Kay "Kelvinator" Bass
They called it the Kelvinator after a popular refrigerator of the time. The headstock has an appliance sort of vibe.
Window Dressing
A window display at an Optometrist in Germany.
Baby Thunderbird
Rockin' little U Bass!
SD Curlee
The guys at Birdsong Guitars in Texas brought back the old SD Curlee basses. I remember these from the 70s.
Alphonso Johnson
Al tried it!
Antonella Mazzolò
Antonella tried it!
Victor Wooten
This is Vic's custom Fodera bass that he uses for his classical work. Only HE can bow this thing and make it sound good! We all tried! He's performed with orchestras around the world with it.
John B. Williams
John B. played it!
I tried it!
Incredible instrument! I couldn't play it for shit!
Cool Mute
Old and dried up, but this looks like a pretty cool mute mechanism.
3 Strings Good
A prototype of Tony Levin's 3-string MusicMan? nah.
Framus Museum 1
Saw soooo many cool instruments at the Framus museum in Markneukirchen, Germany
Nice Pair
...of basses at the Framus museum.
Framus Thinline
So sweet!
Rick Turner
Had this baby in the house for a while. A Rick Turner Electroline bass.
Italian Stallion
Italians have a way with design.
Modulo
Cool AF! Check the horizontal, 4-way Lipstick pickups! Gotta be Italian!
No Clue!
No idea what this is, looks vaguely Russian.
Ribbeke
This belongs to my old friend Joel Landsberg of the Kruger Brothers. Amazing acoustic sound, world class craftsmanship.
UFO
Unidentified Flailing Object
J and Me
My buddy Jason Langely and I met up in London to cruise the guitar shops of Denmark St.
Wandre
Is this not the most horrifically beautiful headstock you've ever seen?
Back View Wandre
Ricky
A neat Rickenbacher in Glasgow.
Arco Bass
Found in London. This reminds me of the Framus electric upright. It's called an Arco, but I seriously doubt you'd want to play it arco!
IMG_3747
MicroFrets
Found this oddball Microfrets Bass at Metrognome Music in Tucson. It's a brand I'd heard about since the 70s, but never actually saw one. Pretty cool, but not something I needed to buy.
Ideal
Tried this one at Metrognome Music, it's an "Ideal" brand hollow body. Very cool, but I passed.
Framus Bass
Another Metrognome Music treasure! A Framus single cut hollow body! I wanted to love it, but it didn't scream "take me home!" Probably because it was in the middle of Covid and I thought I'd never work again!
Framus Solidbody
This was at Metrognome Music as well - they have the coolest stuff! THIS one sounded great, and looked super cool. It was around $900 though... and I wasn't working then... Look at that pick guard!!!
Framus Solidbody
Even with the mask on, you can tell that I LIKE this one! But this was when the world stood still and spending $900 on a quirky, cool, awesome short scale bass was not on the menu.
G&L L2000 Thinline
Here's a unicorn I found at the G&L factory, an L-2000 Thinline!
Silvertone
A mike's Music find. This is a honey! I've seen this bass sold as a Teisco Del Rey too. I believe Johnny Paycheck used to play this model when he was "just" George Jones' bass player.
Mike's Music
A nice assortment, even some "normal" stuff.
Hallmark Bass
This seems like a modern remake of a Wandre Etrurian bass. Whatever it is... not exactly ergonomic!
Mike's Music
I love how they hang all the weird stuff, then just throw a P Bass in the middle of it.
Gibson WTF?
This is my friend John Schmidt's "WTF?" face! A piezo Gibson Destroyer? WTF indeed!
CNZ Mini J
I sat in on a gig, and the guy had one of these. I was very surprised how good it sounded. For $179, this 28.5" scale mini-Jazz is an amazing deal. I put LaBella short scale flat on it (fit perfectly) and it's a wonderful, thick tone.
