Hey Phish! Can you please do a updated version of the bands rigs again? That would be awesome so see how they progressed through the years! Thanks again :)
Of all of these Phish Rig explanations, this is by far the most in depth and technical. Mike is really a mastermind of the bass and you can tell that he really takes the time to understand all of his equipment down to a science. So cool!
Attention to Phish has always been dominated by Trey because his supreme musicianship is the easiest to distinguish. I appreciate these videos for showing how passionate and knowledgeable Mike is of his instrument. All four members are un-replacable. I am a huge fan of all music, and I can confidently say that there has NEVER been a better live act than Phish from 1994 to 1997.
Mitch McQuarrie Mike was in the early days the real driving force behind the band logistically, booking shows and handling all the financial stuff. Just goes to show you that what most people perceive is actually far from reality. Trey is more outspoken than the rest, so people like to think of him as the leader. where true phans understand that it's 4 guys who like playing together without egos or any of that shite.
***** Phish is awesome and unique for just what you were getting at: "four guys playing without ego or any of that"... sharing in the groove. What I was trying to say originally was that Trey stands out the most. His ability to build tension and then resolve that tension was as good as any musician in the history of modern music. That is what drew, and continues to draw, people to Phish. Granted, the rest of the band is PIVOTAL in that process (they all do this together, for sure) but Trey ends up being the hero in those jams. Phish is one of very few bands I can think of in which no member is replaceable, but to bring up a phrase you used, "true phans understand" that Trey is what made the band truly special. I'm sorry for mixing present and past tense. Nowadays I'd say things are more even, but in Phish's prime I think it's undeniable that Trey was the driving force.
Mitch McQuarrie Yep we actually totally agree lol Sorry my first message was kind of mean spirited, but not towards you of course, sorry if it came off sounding like that Indeed on the face of it Trey is the most dominant, but I just watched his rig rundown and he said he mainly listens to the other guys and "lift" ideas from them. so even when he takes the lead, it's not exactly a monarchy if ya know what I mean ;) IMO Phish's prime was '89 - '96, and Trey on a good night is indeed unparalleled, he's the only musician who can single-handedly lift a so-so show to insane heights and for that reason I actually agree with your original statement. btw speaking of tension and release, Trey gets most of his cues from Fish, if you listen carefully, before a "release", Fish almost always breaks the rhythm to insane syncopations, and then Trey is free to dive into nirvana when Jon resumes to a more steady beat. So yeah, the other guys are more in the background but are always super necessary.
I don't think there's ever been a better live act than phish 2009-present either. I'm a younger fan that didn't get to see them back in 1.0 but I've seen hundreds of other bands and phish has made me feel things at shows I can't describe or replicate anywhere else. Their music is so full of life and joy, and the atmosphere, the people you meet there, and the feeling that anything could happen once they take the stage is all unique to phish in their return. I have listened to enough shows to agree that 94-97 was their peak as musicians but aside from some sloppy drug riddled years (99-2004) phish is a once in a lifetime band that puts on a unrivaled musical experience. I will be seeing my 15th show this summer since 2009 and I hope to see many more. Viva phish.
Mike Gordon!! What an awesome bassist. I love how he copies directly from the greatest of all time, Phil Lesh! You can't spell Phil Lesh without Phish! *laughs* Great stuff Mike!
Gracious Mike, Cute outfit and hair. I'm loving the new more polished Phish wardrobe... P.s. Got a miracle ticket at your San Francisco show for the Electric Moss tour, probably one of the best concert nights of my life thus far!
is that a GoPro Hero cam on yer headstock? I gotta get a few of those. I like that you guys talk more about getting your "own" sound out of your gear instead trying to just get the "best" or most expensive gear. Took me about 12 years to get my rig right but nobody else can use it and I feel like I'm in the Millennium Falcon when I go void blank.
I played one of these Modulus Quantum basses at Guitar Center earlier this week. It absolutely blew my mind. My decent Schecter Stilletto felt like junk when I went back to it.
The entire division of frequency, his processors and effects. . . . . .Jaco was barely breaking the plane of all that stuff. He had a chorus pedal, his amazing fingers, and a fretless.
nelson chauca So? Did you listen to anything he said? He uses a pick because of the sound it produces. Notice the part where he was playing with his fingers and said "Which I would never use that sound, it's very much not me." He's just as good with his fingers but he can't get the sound he wants if he does. Pretty simple..
If you are into Phil Lesh sound, naturally you will need to use a pick. I used to be totally against using picks but some of my favorite bass players primarily use picks, so now I do. I like the tone, only one way to get it.
Mike's lines are some of the best , they are obscure, and hard to replicate in a live situation; like purposely using open notes in a chromatic run. Most of us wouldn't think of it, but that is his sound, open notes....I think it is fine to copy Phil, even down to the picking, I really respect his decision to do what makes the band sound the tightest. I would have said "fuck off", but Mike is a genius, and he will always be in my top 5 bassists of all time. Listen to his duos with Leo Kotkee, just amazing shit. It's all about variety.
So many technology on the stage, so many... tell me how many bass players (including "normal" not known ones) in the whole world use all of this stuff during the gig. I just wanted to express my opinion. To all of you adorers of huge technology and Mike Gordon I say "Please, forgive me". Any way, Yellowsunism, your boooo for me is like an image in front of a mirror: it turns back to you. Peace ;D
just curious, wouldn't all of his speakers get summed together anyway when going through the sound system? if so what is the benefit of having each speaker have its own EQ curve? do they remain separated in the big line array that hangs above the stage? or does he have them separated just for more accurate tone shaping, which will them be summed?
When trying to mix a bass on the frontend, especially when you are playing on massive systems, in wildly different acoustic environments, controlling the tone and volume of the strings is really difficult. Especially when playing so dynamically with picks and slaps and such. There are a lot of different ways that speakers could be arranged but generally they are going to running multiple crossovers (different tone range for different speakers) and often will use cabinet like arrangement (range of speakers and frequencies). This is especially important for bass because it has a fundamental presence in the floor subs as well as harmonic overtones. So to answer your question...both.
It limits your technique since you can really only use your index finger to pick with. If you dont do a lot of dbl plucking and what not, it's really not an issue
I get the feeling you weren't paying attention. He said that if he eq'd his bass a certain way and plays with his fingers near the first pick up, it gives him a jaco-like sound that is 'very much not me'. He literally says in the video that he doesn't sound like jaco and was simply demonstrating the way to make his bass sound that way. Maybe watch it again?
+Jacob Dexter. : ) Right. What Mike demonstrates on his bass as "like a Jaco Pastorious sound", doesn't sound like Jaco to my ears. It still for the most part sounds like Mike. Nevertheless, I wish they'd bust out "Donna Lee" again Just for kicks. It's only been 20 years or so.
I've played shows where my front of house sound was better than what I had on stage, and I have had the opposite. I have to finish the video but this stage setup seems excessive if FOH is going to just mesh all of your split frequencies back together again. Our stage rigs are basically monitors when it comes to large venues, and I am way more concerned about how I sound to the people than how I sound to myself. My favorite players have extremely simple rigs, so I'm just trying to understand if the "why" goes behind personal satisfaction.
Simen Andreas Knudsen But not really, he definitely has a unique groove going on. I'm glad he uses a pick, the band wouldn't sound the same if he had a completely different tone.
I found this video really pretty informative, but also it was interesting in that I have never liked his tone (Billy Sheehan fits into the same zone for me). I am sure it fits in with his band's sound perfectly ... but then I also don't like phish. So, go figure. Well produced clip though, thanks for posting. I somehow got here while looking for product vids on Bergantino cabinets ... Hmmmm ...
Here's the whole truth I know it's true I made it up myself And I impart it to you It's not the bait At the end of your line It's the fishing hole Where all the fish is blind Here's the whole truth I know it's true I made it up myself And I impart it to you It's not the driver Of the speedy fast car It's the engine proper That helps you get where you are Time will show you who you are We're all just hapless victims Of knowledge and learning and such The man you thought you licked 'em But you choked in the clutch Brent Black, you said it yourself It's an ethereal kind of flu A Mac virus reveals the plot Of the fiendish Fu Man Chu Here's the whole truth I know it's true Made it up myself And I impart it to you (You!) It's not the drinking Of the suds you partake It's more the clinking And the toast that you make Time will show you where you are Brent Black Where did you go? They stole your face And you missed the show We're all just hapless victims Of knowledge and learning and such The man you thought you licked 'em But you choked in the clutch Brent Black, you said it yourself It's an ethereal kind of flu A Mac virus reveals the plot Of the fiendish Fu Man Chu
Let me tell you in the courtroom a little story about vlad the impaler vlad the impaler woah woahhh woahhh o a o inside this hot fuego i'll keep you frozen this dance you do will not be imposed froze frozen
![[안방1열 직캠4K] 베이비몬스터 치키타 'FOREVER' (BABYMONSTER CHIQUITA FanCam) @SBS Inkigayo 2404707](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Tn3bGHiBWkg/mqdefault.jpg)
![[페이스캠4K] 베이비몬스터 치키타 'FOREVER' (BABYMONSTER CHIQUITA FaceCam) @SBS Inkigayo 240707](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9VRNTV4VDI/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Phish! Can you please do a updated version of the bands rigs again? That would be awesome so see how they progressed through the years! Thanks again :)
Shit, they might have heard you! Trey just posted an updated review of his rig just weeks ago.
I’m more confused about Mike’s rig after watching that lol
😂😂😂😂
Of all of these Phish Rig explanations, this is by far the most in depth and technical. Mike is really a mastermind of the bass and you can tell that he really takes the time to understand all of his equipment down to a science. So cool!
I just realized I’ve never heard Mike talk.
incredibly technical, serious geek. wonderful.
I'd love to see a whole show through that go-pro on the end of mikes bass.
Yess please!
I bet you would
I love that he gives the highest compliment to Phil Lesh by having a similar setup.
Attention to Phish has always been dominated by Trey because his supreme musicianship is the easiest to distinguish. I appreciate these videos for showing how passionate and knowledgeable Mike is of his instrument. All four members are un-replacable.
I am a huge fan of all music, and I can confidently say that there has NEVER been a better live act than Phish from 1994 to 1997.
Mitch McQuarrie Mike was in the early days the real driving force behind the band logistically, booking shows and handling all the financial stuff.
Just goes to show you that what most people perceive is actually far from reality. Trey is more outspoken than the rest, so people like to think of him as the leader. where true phans understand that it's 4 guys who like playing together without egos or any of that shite.
***** Phish is awesome and unique for just what you were getting at: "four guys playing without ego or any of that"... sharing in the groove.
What I was trying to say originally was that Trey stands out the most. His ability to build tension and then resolve that tension was as good as any musician in the history of modern music. That is what drew, and continues to draw, people to Phish. Granted, the rest of the band is PIVOTAL in that process (they all do this together, for sure) but Trey ends up being the hero in those jams.
Phish is one of very few bands I can think of in which no member is replaceable, but to bring up a phrase you used, "true phans understand" that Trey is what made the band truly special.
I'm sorry for mixing present and past tense. Nowadays I'd say things are more even, but in Phish's prime I think it's undeniable that Trey was the driving force.
Mitch McQuarrie Yep we actually totally agree lol
Sorry my first message was kind of mean spirited, but not towards you of course, sorry if it came off sounding like that
Indeed on the face of it Trey is the most dominant, but I just watched his rig rundown and he said he mainly listens to the other guys and "lift" ideas from them. so even when he takes the lead, it's not exactly a monarchy if ya know what I mean ;)
IMO Phish's prime was '89 - '96, and Trey on a good night is indeed unparalleled, he's the only musician who can single-handedly lift a so-so show to insane heights and for that reason I actually agree with your original statement.
btw speaking of tension and release, Trey gets most of his cues from Fish, if you listen carefully, before a "release", Fish almost always breaks the rhythm to insane syncopations, and then Trey is free to dive into nirvana when Jon resumes to a more steady beat. So yeah, the other guys are more in the background but are always super necessary.
I don't think there's ever been a better live act than phish 2009-present either. I'm a younger fan that didn't get to see them back in 1.0 but I've seen hundreds of other bands and phish has made me feel things at shows I can't describe or replicate anywhere else. Their music is so full of life and joy, and the atmosphere, the people you meet there, and the feeling that anything could happen once they take the stage is all unique to phish in their return.
I have listened to enough shows to agree that 94-97 was their peak as musicians but aside from some sloppy drug riddled years (99-2004) phish is a once in a lifetime band that puts on a unrivaled musical experience. I will be seeing my 15th show this summer since 2009 and I hope to see many more. Viva phish.
Grateful Dead 72-74 blows Phish out of the water
"In an emergency..." = love it
So cool that he took the time to do this. What a great guy.
They all did
Mike Gordon!! What an awesome bassist. I love how he copies directly from the greatest of all time, Phil Lesh!
You can't spell Phil Lesh without Phish!
*laughs*
Great stuff Mike!
I'm unsubscribing. You have one of the worst opinions on bass players of all time so
Haha yup that's pretty convenient pull in the first 3 and last 2 letters. A tightened up Phil Lesh= Phish
God damnit I love you Mike Gordon
Gracious Mike, Cute outfit and hair.
I'm loving the new more polished Phish wardrobe...
P.s. Got a miracle ticket at your San Francisco show for the Electric Moss tour, probably one of the best concert nights of my life thus far!
VERY interesting!
Very informative, thanks mike. Love ya cactus.
Very smart, as are lots of the comments here. Love it!
you are the great bassist Mike G.
Awesome!
Thank you,Dr . Low-end
You can tell his techs put him on to this stuff but he still gets you the idea of what’s going on
I'm sure those Meyer guys are helping you dial in what you need. That PA is really wonderful sounding.
i love mike!
phish= best jam of alltime
...i love him.
This guy is just on a whole 'nother level
Happy Birthday Cactus!
Mike Gordon = Michael Cera meets Christopher Guest (a.k.a. Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap).
EgyptianMinor and 80's judd nelson 😃
Meets Jared Fogel.
i find it interesting that he didn't mention the avalon u5 di thats a part of his rack.. anyone else notice? or know if he even uses it?
is that a GoPro Hero cam on yer headstock? I gotta get a few of those.
I like that you guys talk more about getting your "own" sound out of your gear instead trying to just get the "best" or most expensive gear. Took me about 12 years to get my rig right but nobody else can use it and I feel like I'm in the Millennium Falcon when I go void blank.
I love Mike... he's like a living cartoon character! lol
The hair! Woah 😳
the first 5 seconds of the video was bliss
+Phish WE NEED AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS!!!!!
SLAP IT MIKE !
Those are very important.
Sounds like he’s a little confused by it as well.. tough getting good bass tone gig to gig 😎
Does anyone know what jam is at the very beginning of this video. It's sounds amazing, but it's so short!!! Please tell me.
I played one of these Modulus Quantum basses at Guitar Center earlier this week. It absolutely blew my mind. My decent Schecter Stilletto felt like junk when I went back to it.
they are so, soooo nice.
"Yeaaaahhhh....."
Yes. :)
The entire division of frequency, his processors and effects. . . . . .Jaco was barely breaking the plane of all that stuff. He had a chorus pedal, his amazing fingers, and a fretless.
Thanks Cactus! Starting to lego up and there's nobody with a better opinion...Mike knows how to buzz yer sternum
Mike Freakin' Gordon
Thanks Mike. One thing I would be interested in is your choice of strings. I'm curious why you settled on those strings and how often you change them.
Guarantee you they either are changed daily or every other while on tour
welcome to the team Mike. isn't everything vibration. Graphite destroyed Powel Peralta in the 80's. Bass Bot loves you!
Sounds like a real struggle! 😂
Those few years between his two distinct hairstyles were really rough lol
Hey hey hey! This bass has f*cking 26 frets!
Cool man..... Except for that indoor scarf......... ;)
such a nice bass been played with a pick!!!
nelson chauca So? Did you listen to anything he said? He uses a pick because of the sound it produces. Notice the part where he was playing with his fingers and said "Which I would never use that sound, it's very much not me." He's just as good with his fingers but he can't get the sound he wants if he does. Pretty simple..
If you are into Phil Lesh sound, naturally you will need to use a pick. I used to be totally against using picks but some of my favorite bass players primarily use picks, so now I do. I like the tone, only one way to get it.
That is one cool Modulus bass guitar! Does he use Thomastik power-bass strings?
Ken smith slick rounds
dude, ill buy that ticket.
Mike's lines are some of the best , they are obscure, and hard to replicate in a live situation; like purposely using open notes in a chromatic run. Most of us wouldn't think of it, but that is his sound, open notes....I think it is fine to copy Phil, even down to the picking, I really respect his decision to do what makes the band sound the tightest. I would have said "fuck off", but Mike is a genius, and he will always be in my top 5 bassists of all time. Listen to his duos with Leo Kotkee, just amazing shit. It's all about variety.
So many technology on the stage, so many... tell me how many bass players (including "normal" not known ones) in the whole world use all of this stuff during the gig. I just wanted to express my opinion. To all of you adorers of huge technology and Mike Gordon I say "Please, forgive me". Any way, Yellowsunism, your boooo for me is like an image in front of a mirror: it turns back to you. Peace ;D
just curious, wouldn't all of his speakers get summed together anyway when going through the sound system? if so what is the benefit of having each speaker have its own EQ curve? do they remain separated in the big line array that hangs above the stage? or does he have them separated just for more accurate tone shaping, which will them be summed?
When trying to mix a bass on the frontend, especially when you are playing on massive systems, in wildly different acoustic environments, controlling the tone and volume of the strings is really difficult. Especially when playing so dynamically with picks and slaps and such. There are a lot of different ways that speakers could be arranged but generally they are going to running multiple crossovers (different tone range for different speakers) and often will use cabinet like arrangement (range of speakers and frequencies). This is especially important for bass because it has a fundamental presence in the floor subs as well as harmonic overtones. So to answer your question...both.
when you have a ben and jerrys ice cream named after your band, you know youre good
I'd better get into Dave Mathews and The Grateful Dead then
Unless you are Phish. Then you are still shitty suburban White people music.
bad vibes
+Ryan McKinley ewww... What a dirty hippie.
Go check the "vibes" on your trust fund
can't suburban white people like phish without other people getting mad about it?
Holding a pick while slapping is some seriously impressive shit. Might not be as hard as I'm making it, but it feels so strange when you try it.
It limits your technique since you can really only use your index finger to pick with. If you dont do a lot of dbl plucking and what not, it's really not an issue
What the fuck did he say? Oh well.......loved just listening
i would buy that one ticket next to mike every phuckin' time!
I would buy that ticket to be next to mike, no matter the cost
Mike's style and look reminds of the Morlocks from the 1960's movie "The Time Machine."
Geddy Lee...Phil Lesh....Mike Gordon....Jack Cassidy......Rob Wasserman.....
Victor Wooten. Les claypool.
Stanley Clark, Steve Harris......
+Theo Griffith John Myung, Jaco Pastorius ...
Rob Pagliari, Ric Fierabracci
Chris Squire, Greg Lake.
meyer galileo just for ine musician!! amazing!
Insane but professional.
What is that scorpion thing on the end of the neck of his bass (forgot part name of guitar)? A weird tuner/sensor part?
Its a go pro/camera
It's a GoPro/Camera
I love Modulus basses, they play really nice.
I get the sense that he hasn't listened to Jaco in a while. I love Gordon. He's one of my heroes. But even with fingers, he sounds nothing like Jaco.
I get the feeling you weren't paying attention. He said that if he eq'd his bass a certain way and plays with his fingers near the first pick up, it gives him a jaco-like sound that is 'very much not me'. He literally says in the video that he doesn't sound like jaco and was simply demonstrating the way to make his bass sound that way. Maybe watch it again?
+Jacob Dexter. : ) Right. What Mike demonstrates on his bass as "like a Jaco Pastorious sound", doesn't sound like Jaco to my ears. It still for the most part sounds like Mike. Nevertheless, I wish they'd bust out "Donna Lee" again Just for kicks. It's only been 20 years or so.
@@TheSpaceOuts he was showing where to play in relation to the pickups/bridge to get that "jaco" sound.
I've played shows where my front of house sound was better than what I had on stage, and I have had the opposite. I have to finish the video but this stage setup seems excessive if FOH is going to just mesh all of your split frequencies back together again. Our stage rigs are basically monitors when it comes to large venues, and I am way more concerned about how I sound to the people than how I sound to myself. My favorite players have extremely simple rigs, so I'm just trying to understand if the "why" goes behind personal satisfaction.
Is this the post where everyone else ignores "smallify"?
Why not useth the jacko sound mr gordon
hahah. "this bugger", "the darn software"
KEEP GORDO LOUD!
Block Rockin Beats?
That great rig and he sounds just like any regular bass players with a pick
Simen Andreas Knudsen But not really, he definitely has a unique groove going on. I'm glad he uses a pick, the band wouldn't sound the same if he had a completely different tone.
Bass players name-checked by Mike in this segment:
Jaco Pastorious
Phil Lesh
Bootsy Collins
Jon Entwistle
Thanks for laying out the names. Hello from the future!
1:47 camera man PAGE!
WOAH
"Slap People"
Cactus bass
Count Gordon
I found this video really pretty informative, but also it was interesting in that I have never liked his tone (Billy Sheehan fits into the same zone for me). I am sure it fits in with his band's sound perfectly ... but then I also don't like phish. So, go figure. Well produced clip though, thanks for posting.
I somehow got here while looking for product vids on Bergantino cabinets ... Hmmmm ...
i can't believe rolling stone leaves you out of their top 100 . just wow
As a non guitar player who loves phish. I'll just play the cowbell.
Tell me that you studied electrical engineering without telling me that you studied electrical engineering 🤣
Where biamp systems are out of style, this rig is effectively quad amp
Where is this at? MSG? New rig bitchin Mike.
I need a scarf
Something not right with dudes who wear scarves
Here's the whole truth
I know it's true
I made it up myself
And I impart it to you
It's not the bait
At the end of your line
It's the fishing hole
Where all the fish is blind
Here's the whole truth
I know it's true
I made it up myself
And I impart it to you
It's not the driver
Of the speedy fast car
It's the engine proper
That helps you get where you are
Time will show you who you are
We're all just hapless victims
Of knowledge and learning and such
The man you thought you licked 'em
But you choked in the clutch
Brent Black, you said it yourself
It's an ethereal kind of flu
A Mac virus reveals the plot
Of the fiendish Fu Man Chu
Here's the whole truth
I know it's true
Made it up myself
And I impart it to you
(You!)
It's not the drinking
Of the suds you partake
It's more the clinking
And the toast that you make
Time will show you where you are
Brent Black
Where did you go?
They stole your face
And you missed the show
We're all just hapless victims
Of knowledge and learning and such
The man you thought you licked 'em
But you choked in the clutch
Brent Black, you said it yourself
It's an ethereal kind of flu
A Mac virus reveals the plot
Of the fiendish Fu Man Chu
the g is soft, ladies and gents, michael gordan!
watching really really good bass players always makes me wish I could play better.... I’m not worthy!!!!!
smallify lol
Sounds muddy for a graphite bass. I had one but, it sounded bright
This comment can’t be from a bass player. His tone is the opposite of muddy, lol.
no doubt cool set-up but drop the mids up the treble and forget the pick
Let me tell you in the courtroom a little story about vlad the impaler vlad the impaler
woah woahhh woahhh o a o
inside this hot fuego i'll keep you frozen
this dance you do will not be imposed
froze
frozen
Lmao at all these angry "bass players"
Smallifyit
must be tough to be a bass player
TOO FLUFFY !!!!
Chewing gum sound!
Your fingers give you your sound, he's taken them out of "the equation." Just play..
Like... why is this downvoted. Silly.