Mike Gordon is a remarkable blend of both instinctive and clever bass playing that has propelled Phish since day one when the Massachusetts native answered an ad posted by guitarist Trey Anastasio in 1983.
What pickups does Mike Gordon use? EMG pickups and EQ flat explained
Gordon’s creative work extends to his solo career, duets with Leo Kottke, numerous sit-ins with other artists, writing and film-making. Gordon directed the award-winning 2002 documentary, Rising Low, that paid tribute to the late Allen Woody, bassist for Gov’t Mule and The Allman Brothers. In the early days of Phish, Gordon was involved in the management of the band. Instrumentally, Gordon also plays banjo and guitar.
Gordon had occasionally used Modulus basses since 1994, it was a show in Hamburg in late March 1997 that marked the full-time shift to the instruments. His model of choice was a Quantum 5 string, featuring Modulus’ speciality and a bolt-on carbon fibre neck. A pair of active EMG pickups are present, although Gordon usually remains on the neck position and keeps the active EQ flat to keep a consistent tonality for the front-of-house mix. Gordon has since had two Modulus TBX basses built, which are essentially a Quantum model but with neck-through construction.
Most frequently during Gordon’s solo work or side projects, Gordon has reached for other basses. A Lakland four-string has been used during sessions for the Kottke duo albums and a Gibson Thunderbird featured heavily on the 2014 solo disc, Overstep.
The most visually striking bass in Gordon’s arsenal is his Moiré bass, built by Ben Lewry of Visionary Instruments. This instrument features two screens and LEDs that can shift patterns depending on the player’s fretboard position. A pair of Moiré basses were used extensively on Ogogo.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
