Staff Picks: Scott Tooredman

P Basses to rock the house but not wake the wife - Scott's picks are all about simplicity and quality.

FENDER PRECISION BASS

Which one? All of them! What year? Every year!! Leo Fender nailed it on the first try when he invented this beautiful piece of equipment in 1950, and in the nearly 70 years since its creation, not much has changed.

The patent from 1952 is a piece of artwork itself -- Google it! I've got a framed copy hanging up on my wall at home. I love the history of the super early ones (which we sell here! what?!?!); I love the feel of the Fullerton-Era American Vintage Reissues; I love my mid 90's P bass that I play every day. Bury me in a tomb of Precision Basses and my soul can rest easy.

ELECTRO-HARMONIX BASS SOUL FOOD OVERDRIVE

When I began to test some overdrive pedals, I started with the standards but found that I didn't like how much low end was lost in exchange for the fuzz. Next, I found some that kept the bass, but the overdrive itself was a bit too "metal-y" for my kind of sound.

It was then that I stumbled upon the perfect beast that is the Bass Soul Food Overdrive. It gives me just enough of a signal boost with the right overdrive tone to really let me cut through on those epic choruses and wicked bass solos. Plus, who doesn't love fried chicken, mac 'n cheese, and a slice of cornbread? The sound from the Soul Food Overdrive is almost as delicious.

QUILTER LABS BASS BLOCK 802 BASS AMP HEAD

There are many different types of bassists out there -- from those with too many pedals, to those who never bring their own cab to a gig. I'm a "no-frills" type of player who likes to brag to my guitarists about how much easier my setup is. This is one reason I love the Quilter Bass Block 802; someone experiencing their first bass amp can just plug and play, and they'll get a great tone from the get-go.

For those who wanna dig into the knobs, it has them too, but not so many that they start to seem superfluous. Since the first Bass Block, Quilter added an effects loop and a post-Master headphone outlet, made specifically for the purpose of letting me practice late-night without waking the wife.