away, this was the first time that I actually had
a decent bass. I came out of Guitar Center with
a Music Man and that just opened my mind as
well to the different possibilities of what we can
do with different basses and different tones.
When I did get my Fender I was like, “Wow,
this is different again.” So, it’s not so much that
I prefer the Yamaha over the Fender, or that I
prefer the Music Man or I prefer this or that,
I just want to be able to experiment and be
as versatile as I can. And the season that I’m
in at the moment is back with Yamaha again.
I love the familiar feel, that’s the biggest draw
for me, because that’s the bass that I grew up
playing. Obviously, a different make and model,
but it’s a very similar nostalgic feel for me, I feel
comfortable.
I deliberately set up my Jazz action a little bit
higher so I could force myself to stop being a
shredder and just play the part and focus on
being specific with what notes I pick and the
length of the notes, how I approach and how I
attack them, all of those kinds of things. I look
back when I was even more of a session guy
$500 bass. But I was the one getting all the gigs [Josh] It started out on my first Planetshakers doing weddings and functions, and that would
even though I didn’t necessarily have the gear. tour. I was a very young gun, I knew how to lend itself more towards Motown and Jazz,
Now that I have a bit more money, obviously, play, but playing with a band like Planetshakers those kinds of songs. With the Yamaha BBNE
the world is my oyster. Traveling to America you’ve got to have the discipline to play your that I’m playing now, I’ve tried to set that one
was where I bought my Jazz bass, which is part. It’s not about showing off, it’s not about up as close to the Yamaha that I used to have,
gorgeous. Now I have those opportunities to doing solos, it’s about the Holy Spirit… it’s not just so that I could be the player that I was.
be a bit more gear minded in the States. about me. It forced me to just play the parts Even though I know that I’m not necessarily
and just keep it simple. going to be shredding on stage, I don’t want to
Now that I spend a lot more time in the studio I
restrict myself from that either.
need to be a bit more tone focused and know I had spent all these years trying to be the best what I’m trying to achieve with the tone, not player that I could be and play as fast or as But the Jazz is a very specific tone, you know
just with the notes that I play or how I play technical as I can, or do all these techniques that it’s a Jazz when you hear a Jazz. You
them. I guess that now I have the freedom, but or whatever it is. When all that was taken away know it’s a Warwick when you hear a Warwick.
I never really had the freedom growing up so from me, all that was left was the bass part of But I don’t ever want to be boxed into that.
that almost forced me to be the player that I am the guitar, and the bass that I had didn’t really today because I didn’t have any other resource have a very good tone. Pastor Russell (Senior or any other options. Pastor of Planetshakers Church) actually sat me
down and asked me if I had any other basses
[WM] While you’ve come full circle back to at home, so I said I had the Cort that was my
Yamaha, there are a number of photos and Dad’s, and he asked if I had anything else. I told
videos with you using the five string Jazz bass. him no, and he said, “Okay, tomorrow I’m going
Can you walk us through that journey? to take you to Guitar Center and we’re going
to get a new bass for you.” It just blew me
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February 2019
Josh Hamm and His Yamaha BBNE2 Bass
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