Funky custom Js and punchy Ps help this low-end maven earn gigs and nail tones from Motown to Miley and all points in between.
The Musician’s Institute grad—who’s backed up the likes of Miley Cyrus, Fat Joe, Ty Dollar Sign, Dallas Austin, Remy Ma, Aussie Troye Sivan, and (normally) touring with Panic at the Disco—bassist Nicole Row carved out some time just before releasing her debut solo single “Headspace,” to virtually welcome PG’s Chris Kies into her Cali tone retreat. In this Rig Rundown, she goes through her stable of Ps, Js, and custom basses, details how the neck profile dictated her connection to the Jazz model, and details her powerful pedalboard that amps up the snarl, bite, and oomph.
Possibly Nicole’s freshest bass is this custom Marco Bass Guitars TFL 4 model that she scored during quarantine and has yet to gig with it. While luthier Marco Cortes does have base models he builds off, he doesn’t produce the same instrument twice so some notable highlights on this model are the handwound single-coils, 34.5" scale, maple neck and fretboard with large block inlays, and its relic’d forest green finish. She plays exclusively with her fingers and uses Thomastik-Infeld strings in 4- or 5-string sets.
“If it’s my choice and my sound, it’s this bass.” Nicole’s sweet baby is this 1990s Fender Marcus Miller Signature Jazz Bass outfitted with an onboard Sadowsky preamp that “bumps and is really funky and bright” (probably why she only plays it in active mode). She’s owned this one the longest so she feels most comfortable playing when it’s in her hands making it her fly bass, her session bass, and her show bass.
“This bass would sit well with Vulfpeck because it’s bright and excels at staccato funky parts,” says Row about the above Fender American Performer Jazz Bass in the popping satin surf green.
Here is Nicole’s contemporary Fender P that’s been upgraded with a set of passive Bartolini P-bass pickups.
If you’ve seen Nicole Row onstage supporting Brandon Urie and the rest of Panic at the Disco, you’ve seen her thumping on this Fender American Elite Jazz 5-string. “I’ve started to really rely on it with Panic because it cut through (the mix) and has more high range than most of my basses.”
Nicole met luthier L. Ellis Hahn at NAMM while she was still apprenticing under bass-building legend Roger Sadowsky. She’s since navigated her own career and started designing under the L.E.H. Guitars banner. So far she has one model (available in 4- or 5-string) called the Offset and features a 34" scale, 21 frets, a weight-reduced body with chambers towards the neck for improved balance, a Nordstrand 3-band preamp custom wired to “boost only” with graphic fader EQ, and Nordstrand BigRig5 (bridge) and NP5 (neck) pickups.
Typically, on tour with Panic, Nicole would be rocking the 1000-watt Eich T-1000, but for at-home (and most non-arena gigs) she’s happy playing the above T-500.
Again, on tour she cranks her Eich heads through cabs stacked with 10" and 15" speakers, but for home jams like this Rundown, she’s been bonding with their 112XS cab outfitted with a ceramic speaker.
By bass standards, this is a massive board! However, these half-dozen pedals allow Nicole to cover all her bases (pun intended) for any gig, session, or audition. For her Panic days, two of her most-kicked pedals are the Aguilar Fuzzistor and Darkglass Vintage Microtubes for band’s nasty, snarling indie-rock anthems. She uses the EBS OctaBass for its lower-voiced grumbles and when stacked with other pedals can mimic a vintage synth. For silkier, underwater tones, she’ll engage the EBS DPhaser and when it’s popping off in funkytown she’ll hit the MXR Bass Envelope Filter. And at the behest of her bass-playing homies, she recently acquired the Noble Dual Vacuum Tube Preamp/DI Box.
[Updated 1/20/22]
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Wampler Pedals releases the Brent Mason signature ReWired pedal.
Brent Mason’s career as a session guitarist spans over five decades, making him one of the most recorded musicians in history. His unparalleled talent has graced more than 1,000 albums, playing with and contributing to chart-topping hits from icons like Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton, Shania Twain, and many others. A Grammy winner and Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, Brent has also earned twelve Guitarist of the Year awards from the Academy of Country Music, two CMA® Musician of the Year titles, and was named one of the top ten session guitarists ever by Guitar World magazine.
Brian Wampler’s journey with Brent Mason began way back around 2004, when he’d make weekend trips to Nashville just to watch Brent play. Inspired by Brent’s incredible talent and effortless touch, Brian set out to craft a signature pedal that would become the cornerstone of Brent’s sound. The Overdrive channel perfectly captures Brent’s iconic rhythm tones, offering everything from crystal-clear light dirt to a punchy, muscular Overdrive. The Distortion channel screams with rich harmonics, making it ideal for solos - whether used on its own or stacked with the Overdrive for maximum impact.
An Iconic Tone, Reimagined
With two fully independent circuits, the ReWired gives you access to both classic Overdrive and powerful Distortion channels that have been tweaked to Brent’s exact specs. The Overdrive side is perfect for rhythm and Chicken Pickin’ - built for warmth and maximum clarity, staying true to Brent's iconic sound. The Distortion channel is a perfect lead tone and offers a weighty “British” Plexi-like punch. The ReWired also features an order switch that allows the stacking direction to be changed on-the-fly without the hassle of changing cables.
Dual inputs and Outputs
The ReWired can be connected with a single mono input and output cable, just like a regular guitar pedal, or you can connect each channel independently (very useful when used with a loop switcher!). You can even connect a pedal in between both channels - try adding a compressor or an EQ if you want to sculpt your tone further.
Fat Blends
The ReWired incorporates our unique “Fat” circuit control onto each channel as separate knobs. This allows you to dial in just the right amount of low end thump and presence into your rig - helping tame big speaker cabs or enhance smaller ones. The Overdrive channel also has Brent’s signature blend control, allowing you to tune the amount of drive to your liking.
ReWired - for ALL players
This is not a guitar pedal to be bought and put in a case and admired - but with its exclusive new Prime Silver finish (a nod to Brent’s infamous ‘67 Telecaster) and custom graphics we wouldn’t blame you if you did. The Wampler ReWired is designed to be at the heart of your rig. It sounds great with every guitar and amp we’ve tried it with and covers so many genres of music with ease. It comes with Wampler’s standard no fuss 5 Year guarantee and is built from the highest grade components to withstand the rigors of practice and gigging for years to come. The Wampler Brent Mason ReWired Signature Overdrive and Distortion - Rewire Your Sound Today Built in the U.S.A. with high-grade components selected for superior sound and response, premium finish and controls Dual Independent Overdrive and Distortion channels Independent Level, Gain, Tone and Fat controls for both channels, Blend Control for Overdrive channel Channel Order switch with two pairs of Input and Output jacks Power draw: 35mA at 9V and 40mA at 18V. 9-18v power jack - DC supply only, do not exceed 18v DC, battery Included Includes Limited 5-Year Warranty Dimensions: 5” x 4.5” x 2.4″ (88.9mm x 114.3mm x 58.0mm)
The Wampler ReWired carries a street price of $279.97. For more information visit https://www.wamplerpedals.com/
Want to know how tubes shape your tone? Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he breaks down preamp vs. power tubes, tone tweaks, and biasing, in this ultimate beginner's guide to tube amps. From Fender cleans to Marshall grit, learn how to unlock the full potential of your amp!
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Hand-built in the USA, this pedal features original potentiometer values, True Bypass, and three unique modes for versatile distortion options. Commemorative extras included.
This limited-edition pedal is limited to a 1,974-piece run to commemorate the year of DOD’s start, 1974. The original OD250 put DOD on the map as “America’s Pedal” and continues to be an industry favorite today. Each pedal will have a serial-numbered Certificate of Authenticity, a commemorative laser-etched pedal topper, several commemorative guitar picks, and multiple commemorative stickers.
Hand-built in the USA, the DOD OD250 – 50th Anniversary Edition pedal boasts Gain and Level controls using the original potentiometer values and tapers giving the control knob the feel and range that DOD enthusiasts love. A three-position toggle switch features the OD250’s classic “SILICON” mode replicating that original sound. The “Ge/ASYM” mode uses a vintage Germanium diode for asymmetrical even-harmonic distortion. “LIFT” mode cuts the diode clipping from the signal path allowing for a clean boost or even a dirty boost when the vintage LM741 op-amp is clipped at higher gain settings. The DOD 250 also features True Bypass to maintain the integrity of your guitar tone.
This limited edition OD250 is outfitted in a stunning metal flake gray finish with classic yellow screenprint in a callback to the original OD250 of the 1970s. An etched aluminum badge on each unit commemorates this occasion. The DOD OD 250 – 50th Anniversary is ready to take its place among the historic DOD pedal lineup.
When John Johnson and “Mr. DOD” himself, David O. DiFrancesco set out to make DOD Electronics in Salt Lake City, Utah 50 years ago, they had no idea how enduring their legacy would be. Now 50 years later, DOD Electronics continues to be at the forefront of pedal technology. The DOD OD 250 – 50th Anniversary Pedal is an exceptional testament to DOD Electronics’ long–standing success.
Retail Price: $250.00
For more information, please visit digitech.com.
Want to know how tubes shape your tone? Join PG contributor Tom Butwin as he breaks down preamp vs. power tubes, tone tweaks, and biasing, in this ultimate beginner's guide to tube amps. From Fender cleans to Marshall grit, learn how to unlock the full potential of your amp!
The Tube Store Guitar Amp Tube Packages
Here you will find brands like Fender guitar amps, Marshall amps, Vox amps, Mesa Boogie guitar amps, Orange amps, and many other tube amps listed. You will find replacement tube sets in different option levels ranging from Value to Premium to Ultimate. Purchasing guitar amp tubes couldn't be easier.
Tube Amp Doctor Tube Sets
Go and see the doctor: Find all of our products here: our newest product line of high-end Redbase tubes, our famous premium selected tubes, and the equipment we manufacture like our Class A Converters, the Bias Master or the Silencer. Furthermore our TAD reverb cans, condensers and of course the amp kits on boutique level.