Second Glance

AT LAst: The Second Glance Collection 1997-2007

While Brent has played bass for many years, he discovered the 12-string bass in 2003. Brent writes, "It has quickly become my preferred instrument; I try to use it on as many songs as the other guys in the band let me get away with."

Regarding his rig: "I play through a Hartke HA3500 head. I like the flexibility of the passive as well as active inputs that minimize the amount of tinkering with my rig I do during gigs. I'm the busiest guy on stage during shows as I split time between my Musicvox Space Cadet 12-string and a fretless Fender Jazz bass, as well as a Philip Kubicki Ex Factor bass that I use for any songs that call for a slap / pop technique. Elvis had a guy to hand him towels during shows... I need a guy to make sure that I'm able to switch basses smoothly, as our set list was designed with no regard to the axes I need to give the songs their best possible sound.”

“My cabinet is a Hartke 810XL (8x10) which is murder to haul and nearly prohibitive as far as playing smaller shows are concerned. If I had it to do all over again I probably would have gone with two separate cabs, 1x15 and 4x10 just for the sake of flexibility and ease of travel. But whenever I show up to gigs with that massive cab people know I've come to chew bubble gum and kick @$$. I use no outside effects; what you hear is the sound of the bass, the sound of the amp, and the sound of the player."

"I am absolutely certain that the Space Cadet 12-string bass is the best buy for the money as far as this instrument is concerned. I chose the Musicvox as my 12 both out of necessity of not having the funds available to buy the typical Hamer USA 12 and because I thought the features were absolutely second to none. Neck-through-body design, stereo inputs, locks on the tuning machines... these are strictly custom shop-quality elements on any bass, let alone for 12-strings. Also, the string groupings and their respective spacings are absolutely superior to the similar models in the Musicvox price range and comparable to the higher-end Hamers. I don't utilize the active electronics; pulling that pot creates such an overdrive effect that the result is sheer distortion, and unlike Tom Petersson, I prefer a cleaner sound, more reminiscent of a keyboard than a massive electric guitar."

Editor’s Note: Both ‘The Judas Blues’ and ‘Lavender’ are included on the "Overkill Is Just Enough - The 12-String Bassists Collection" album.