I am interviewing pro bass players to tell us their bass guitar settings.
We are featuring Harlan Terson this week.
I appreciate Harlan for answering these questions!!
Harlan Lee Terson
Harlan Terson was born in Chicago in 1951, and began playing electric bass in 1966. His influences include all styles of blues, as well as the recorded sounds of Stax/Atlantic and Motown. James Jamerson, Carole Kaye, Tommy Cogbill, and Duck Dunn are just a few of his favorite bassists. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Illinois-Chicago, he began playing professionally on the Chicago scene.
Terson's steady "in the pocket" groove has kept him working on the competitive Chicago blues circuit, and taken him overseas as well. He recorded and toured with Lonnie Brooks from 1976-1982. He has also appeared and recorded with many other artists, including the legendary Otis Rush, Bo Diddley, Magic Slim, Albert Collins, Sunnyland Slim, Johnny Littlejohn, Eddy Clearwater, Jimmy Rogers, Kim Wilson, Duke Robillard, Eddie Shaw, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Big Mama Thornton, Jody Williams, Steve Freund, Tad Robinson, Dave Specter and the Bluebirds, Jimmy Johnson, Sharon Lewis, Bob Margolin, Willie Smith, Diunna Greenleaf, Mojo and The Bayou Gypsies, The Chicago Rhythm Review, The Blue Coast Band, and Chicago blues rockers, The Fabulous Fish Heads. He performed at the internationally famous Kingston Mines in Chicago for more than twenty years, and has been on the teaching staff at The Old Town School of Folk Music since 1999. He has recorded on the Alligator, Delmark, Evidence, Severn, and JSP labels.
(From his website)
Website: harlanterson.com
Q1. What is your primary bass guitar?
A. Various Precision and Jazz Basses. No main one. 2 of these are P bass body with Jazz Bass neck. Several built from parts. Two Mexican (one P one J) have been upgraded.
Q2. Do you prefer bass with passive pick-up (s) or active pick-up (s)?
A. passive
Q3. Do you primarily play a 4-string bass or 5 -string or more?
A. 4 string
Q4. What type of strings do you use the most?
A. Flatwound
Q5. What are your preferred Bass String Gauges?
A. medium (or regular) gauge 45 - 65 - 80 -105 - (130 Low B) or similar
Q6. How often do you change bass strings? (on your main instrument)
A. less than once a year
Q7. Your specific description of your favorite type of strings.
A. Mostly use GHS Precision Flatwound 45-65-85-105
Q8. What is your playing style?
A. two fingers
Q9. Do you use a form mute (that attaches to the strings by the bridge)?
A. Sometimes
Q10. How do you usually set up your Neck pickup (P bass pick up) volume?
A. 10 out of 10
Q11. How do you usually set up your bridge pickup volume?
A. 10 out of 10
Q12. How is your Tone knob?
A. 10 out of 10
Q13. If you have more specific bass knob settings that you would like to share, please write here.
A. I think a Passive bass sounds best with all potentiometers open all the way.
Q14. Do you use a pedal (s)? if so please write in!
A. No, but occasionally use a sans amp di
Q15. How do you like your bass neck relief? (The distance between a string and the 7th fret when depressing the 1st fret and the last fret (22 or 24).)
A. 0.004 inch or less (almost straight)
Q16. How do you like your string action to be? (The distance between the string and the 17th fret)
A. low action / 4th String = 0.70 inches (a quarter coin thickness)
Q17. What kind of bass amp do you usually use?
A. GK MB-500 and Bag End 1 15” speaker cabinet, or whatever the club has.
Q18. If you get to choose a bass amp for a big festival gig, what types of amp would you request?
A. SVT is pretty good. (AMPEG)
Q19. How do you usually set your amp? "GAIN"
A. 4 out of 10
Q20. How do you usually set your amp? "MASTER VOLUME" (a big size club gig)
A. 8 out of 10
Q21. How do you usually set your amp? "TREBLE EQ"
A. 6 out of 10
Q22. How do you usually set your amp? "MED EQ"
A. 5 out of 10
Q23. How do you usually set your amp? "BASS EQ"
A. 7 out of 10
Q24. If you have more specific amp settings that you would like to share, please write here.
A. I like it deep.
Q25. Who influenced you the most? Please name up to 3 bass players.
A. Dunn, Jameson, Cogbill, 3 is not enough!
Q26. What song or album would you recommend for beginning blues bass players to listen to?
A. BB King, Live at the Regal, Albert King, Born Under a Bad Sign, one is not enough!
Q27. Is there anything you would like to add about you and your bass settings?
A. The EQ questions were hard for me. Generally I like bass highest, treble less, and less mid. I’m really not gear oriented. I mess around with whatever amp is up there until it sounds ok. Thanks.