BY SCOTT MALANDRONE

The idea sounded simple: Pick the 10 most important gear ideas from the last 10 years. After plowing through dozens of issues, I had narrowed down the candidates to a meager 40. Easy task, I thought.

Our criteria? Gear with a unique design that caused a buzz. You know—the "gotta have it" syndrome. Or equipment with a design that improved the sound of the bass. Please keep in mind that this list only covers gear released during the period of 1988 to '98. (The products are listed in alphabetical order.)




Acme Sound Low B-2

Reviewed November '96 & Bass Gear
"A 2x10 that thinks it's a 4x10" was the Bottom Line in our review of Acme Sound's Low B-2 cabinet. This cool 3-way box is a blessing for those who need minimal gear and maximum sound. Although its unique design requires a high-powered head to drive it, the Low B proves it's possible to get big lows from a small, lightweight package. It can even handle an active 5-string.


Ampeg SVT II
Reviewed BP 1989 Special Edition
If you've witnessed a large venue rock show in the last ten years, you've probably heard the massive tones of the 300-watt all-tube Ampeg SVT. The SVT II placed the classic head inside a rackmount case along with hip new features, such as a footswitchable 6-band graphic EQ. A later version, the SVT II Pro, offered a 9-band graphic and user-adjustable tube biasing. Its quick popularity prompted several other tube-amp manufacturers to release their own 300-watt rackmount heads.









Dingwall Voodoo 5-String

Reviewed January '96 & January '97
Canadian luthier Sheldon Dingwall was the first manufacturer to apply Ralph Novax's fanned-fret system to bass. Dingwall's Voodoo 5-string features a 37" scale length on the B string and 34" for the G; this gives the B amazing depth and clarity while keeping the familiar tension on the G. The Voodoo Bass makes our list for its innovation and great B-string sound.



Eden 210XLT and 410XLT

210XLT reviewed in Bass Gear
Although it certainly wasn't the first cabinet on the market with 10s, the Eden XLT delivers major bass for a single enclosure. The 2x10 version took "ultimate 2x10" honors in our Shootout of 17 2x10s Under $1,000, performing especially well with 5- and 6-strings. Its secret? The XLT combines top and bottom ports for extra low-end reinforcement. The 4x10 is even more potent: This cabinet can really crank and keep it together in just about any situation. Beaucoup bass!









Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 5

Reviewed January '97
This bass put the popular StingRay sound into a wonderfully crafted 5-string. But it wasn't just a 'Ray with an extra string: The 5 has a special electronics package that combines coil-switching capabilities with a 3-band EQ. Tons of pros have strapped on a StingRay 5 over the last decade, and the bass received the highest overall score in our Ultimate 5-String Shootout. Judging by the number of single-pickup basses on the market today, we'd say this bass has made its mark.









Fender Deluxe Series

Reviewed May '96; Jazz Bass Deluxe 5 also reviewed January '97
Fender's wonderful Deluxe Series finally brought the Precision and Jazz into the '90s (including a good Jazz Bass 5!). These new axes feature custom humcancelling pickups, a John Suhr-designed active preamp, graphite-reinforced necks, and string-through-body bridges. (The P Bass Deluxe, with its single P pickup and custom dual-coil bridge pickup, is a monster.) The best part: They're priced right.


Genesis 5 by Modulus

Reviewed December '98
A newcomer in the bass scene, the Genesis 5 was the end result of a collaboration between Michael Tobias Design and Modulus Guitars. The Genesis 5's neck is revolutionary: It melds a special graphite center section that carries all of the string tension, allowing atypical woods such as red cedar to be used for the neck shell and headstock. This system offers the bite and attack of graphite and the warm, organic tones of the soft wood. The best of both worlds? You bet.








NS Design Electric Upright Bass

Reviewed December '96
In his roundup of electric uprights, reviewer Bob McCaskey said, "Soundwise the NS Design Bass has it all: sweet arco, contemporary-jazz pizz, thumping Latin, rocking punch, and a mammoth low B." The designer is Ned Steinberger, the man responsible in part for the Spector NS and Steinberger basses. The NS Design has one of the coolest necks we've seen: The rear of the neck curves inward to match the radius of the fingerboard, which your fretting-hand thumb will love. It also has a brilliant electronics package that combines EMG magnetics, a HAZ Labs active EQ and mixer, and a "bipolar" piezo-equipped bridge that's switchable for arco and pizz playing.



SWR Goliath 4x10

Goliath II reviewed November '95
Released in 1988, this cabinet defined the "L.A. sound." Featuring four Eden drivers and a high-frequency tweeter, the SWR's crystalline highs, shy mids, and round lows instantly appealed to thumbsters—but it found its way onto some mighty loud stages as well. (SWR later beefed up the cabinet's power handling and gave it the "II" moniker.) There are dozens of 4x10s on the market today, but the Goliath was one of the forerunners.





2TEK Bridge

Reviewed Sept/Oct '94
The 2TEK Bridge is the most radical aftermarket upgrade since the Leo Quan Badass bridge. Installing the 2TEK requires that you cut a large hole in your bass—but the dramatic sound improvement may be worth it. (Chuck Rainey had one installed on his 1957 P-Bass!) Jim Roberts summed up, "The 2TEK is a truly innovative device that pays big dividends in volume, clarity, and sustain—and it can transform an ordinary bass into one that sounds truly extraordinary."


And an honorable mention:

Peavey Midibase
Reviewed Nov/Dec '92
Although MIDI hasn't made a huge splash with bassists (how many of your gigs require your bass to sound like a flute?), the Peavey Midibase deserves mention as one of the first commercially available units that worked really well. Peavey's latest MIDI bass offering is the Cyberbase; players such as Will Lee, Doug Wimbish, and Neil Stubenhaus have added one to their arsenal.