Christian McBride Talks About Searching For The Perfect Bass Amp

Legendary acoustic and electric bassist Christian McBride (Sting, James Brown) chats with fellow Epifani Artist KJ (‪@TheOddysy‬) about his search for the perfect bass amp and why he settled on Epifani. "I'm looking for a good, natural sound. I like that with Epifani you can't even tell the amp is there," said Christian. That's high praise from a man who knows a thing or two about upright bass.

While talking to KJ about amps in general, Christian calls back to a time, not long ago, when many upright bass players sounded too much like the strings, pickups, and amps they were using. "Aesthetics are important me," says McBride. "I think acoustic bass should sound how it looks—like a big, wooden violin." He's talking about the nature of the instrument itself, a sound that you can feel as much as hear. It's about honoring the purity of the instrument, not coloring it so much that it ends up sounding like a slick electric.

While most bass amps are products of nameless, faceless technicians in far off lands, Christian makes a point of bringing Nick Epifani himself into the mix. After all, a product is only as good as its designer.

The two met via Dinet Albeta, a long time friend of Epifani and Fodera, and now manager of the legendary bassist Victor Wooten. "You're going to play these amps or I'll hurt you," she said, jokingly pushing Christian toward a piece of bass gear she knew he's fall in love with.

McBride makes mention of his coming from an R&B and soul background back in Philly. "I like a big bottom," he says of his ideal bass tone. "But sometimes it just doesn't cut [through the band] well." Not so with his Epifani rig. Christian says he appreciates the amps ability to let him dial in a fat low end without sacrificing the mids and highs that carry a good bass sound past the kick drum and guitars without getting brash or boxy.

Nick Epifani always says, "You shouldn't have to fight with your bass amp to find a good sound." KJ and Christian agree with Nick wholeheartedly. So much so that they both keep their EQ nearly flat. "Just a tweak here, a tweak there," says McBride. "That's all you need." This coming from a bassist who shares the stage with every one from Chick Corea to Sting.

Christian McBride and KJ have been Epifani Artists for 20 years. They both favor the UL 901 bass amp and DIST2 dual-impedance bass speaker cabinets.

Audio/Video by 23b Productions
Filmed on location at La Bella Strings / The Guitar Shop NYC