{Originally Posted on Facebook on Thursday, February 14, 2013. Updates are noted.}
People have been asking about the gear I’m using on the current Victor Wooten Band Tour…. so here’s a rundown for all of us Gear-Geeks….
Because I’m a BASS Player first, I’m playing a Warwick Steve Bailey prototype 6-string fretted bass most of the time. I have no idea what the woods are…but it’s beautiful and sounds great.
I use my 5-string fretless Fodera Emperor for “Sword and Stone”. It has a Mahogany body and a Bubinga top with matching pickup covers. The fingerboard is Ebony. There’s a custom Mike Pope 18v preamp inside.
All of my basses are strung with D’Addario Nickle-Wound strings. (.32, .45, .55, .75, .90, .120)
(Update.. I now endorse DR strings, exclusively.)
Our Drum & Bass Tech/Stage Manager, James Barrett, keeps us all sounding fresh. {Update: James is now the Guitar Tech with Ke$ha. MJ Schmitz takes loving care of my rig now.}
My backline consists of 2 Hartke HyDrive cabinets (1×15 & 4×10) and a Hartke LH-1000 head. (Note: I used an Ampeg SVT-6 Pro on the West Coast run.) The Bass and Keyboard signals go thru a Samson MDR1248 mixer feeding Front of House, Monitor World and my backline. The only effect I use is a Chorus pedal…either a DOD FX63 Deep Freeze or an EBS UniChorus. {Update: I added a Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal on the April ’13 run.) There’s also a picture of my Dad on the top of my rig; my inspiration.
MJ, sets it all up for me every day.
The music we’re performing on the Tour is demanding and requires that we all double and triple on multiple instruments. We’re constantly changing between and even during songs.
I’m playing a 1946 King Legacy Bb Trumpet with a Kelly Screamer Lexan mouthpiece, (sometimes a Schilke 14A4A) {Update: I used an original Jet-Tone Custom 4B on the April ’13 run.} and a Jupiter C Trumpet with a Holton MF3 mouthpiece. I use a Humes & Berg Harmon mute and a Sennheiser wireless microphone.
The Keyboard is an M-Audio Axiom 49. (I used an M-Audio O2 controller when we played in Brazil. It fit in my suitcase.) All of the sounds and samples come from a Apple Retina MacBook Pro running “Mainstage“. The songs require up to 9 patch changes and I’m able to run everything right from the keyboard. The Sampler is the Logic Pro EXS24 which has some great sounds. The signal runs thru a Samson stereo DI to my mixer.
Additional triggering comes from a Keith McMillen 12-Step floor controller. It’s amazing!
Rounding out the rig is a variety of shakers and noisemakers for percussion.
Monitoring is via Shure Wireless In-Ears with Future Sonic earbuds or the floor wedges duJour.
Jack Trifiro is our FOH Engineer and sometimes does Monitors from there. Otherwise, the venue provides the Monitor Mixer. Jack is also our Tour Manager and heads up the best crew on the Road!