Hey I’m Reggie, I play bass in Osaka Punch. I’ve played bass for roughly 18 years now, been in a lot of different bands along the way, tried my hand at the session muso thing, which was a fun time, but have happily played in Osaka Punch for the last 4 years now, and am still considered a “new member”. Please, join me for the next 3-4 minutes (depending on how fast you read) as I take you on a little tour of my thoughts and feelings about bass guitar, and here, we, go..

What are  your  guitar makes & models?

I actually have two in my collection that I can’t decide between, so I’ll have to call it a tie.

So I have a 5 string Fender Marcus Miller Jazz Bass and a 5 string Warmoth custom bass, put together by Dan Gowen. This one has a P Bass body with a Jazz bass neck. Fender and Warmoth are definitely my favourite brands when it comes to bass guitars.

What sound you produce with these guitars? 

I really love passive basses, both of these have passive pickups, which gives you a really warm, thick sound. I find passive basses break up nicely too when you play a bit harder, and have some overdrive in the mix. For me, both of these basses produce a nice clean tone, but also have a really gnarly tone when running overdrive.

What made you choose these guitars? 

Pretty much I started playing Fender because some of my favourite and most influential bassist use them. I love their tone, they really are a plug and play kind of bass, which I love. They are also quite simple which I really like, I personally don’t like having a shit tone of options with my instrument, all I need is a reliable, great sounding tone, which I feel the Fender and Warmoth provide.

How did you came across the guitar? 

Haha.. ahh this is a fucked one. Well, I use to own a 5 string USA Fender Jass, which I loved, more then my Nanna. Then while we were on tour with The Butterfly Effect over in Perth, some degenerate cunt broke into our van and stole it. Needless to say I was devastated, and for the first time in my life, understood why people commit murder. Anyway, Glenn Esmond from TBE came to my rescue and lent me his MM Fender Jazz for the remainder of the tour, I grew a love for it, once again even greater then the love I have for my sweet, little, old, kind hearted, super supportive, kidney donating Nanna. I ended up buying it from Glenn and that was how I turned my frown upside down.

What is the best song  you have written on it?

I’ve actually only just started writing tunes on this bass, as we finally have a break in our touring schedule, so I plan to write a 17 minute prog disco track on it soon, and that surely will be the best song I will write on it. Possibly even the best song ever written. In the world.

What is ther dream guitar that you’d  like to own?

I own it (Warmoth)! Which is an unreal thing to achieve! I’ve always wanted a custom bass, and now I finally have it. It’s great because I literally chose everything on it, so I got to create my own dream bass. I highly recommend it.

What guitarist inspires you the most?

The list is massive, but I can settle on 4;

Tim Commerford from Rage Against the Machine.

Les Claypool from Primus.

Glenn Esmond from The Butterfly Effect.

Victor Wooten from being so good it actually depresses me.

All these bassist have definitely played a big part in my bass playing and gear selection. They all 100% inspire me to play more, and drive me to try and be a better player. Tim Commerford and Glenn Esmond are the reason why I went down the Fender road, I love their tone, and it’s what got me hooked on those basses, and ones of that kind.