Zach Fowler
Electric and Upright Bassist
Musical Director
Songwriter
Producer
Nashville, TN
Gear and Endorsements
I am blessed to use the absolute best gear any bass player could ever ask for. Whether live or in the studio, the gear I use is consistent. I use this gear because it's reliable, durable, sounds fantastic, and delivers great results every time I go into a performance environment. I also use this gear because of the people behind it. You can tell a lot about a company by the people who stand behind the gear they build.
No matter where I travel, my Reunion Blues gig bag is always with me. I use the RB Continental, RBX, and Leather gig bags on the road and in the air. The RB Continental is easily the most reliable gig bag I have ever used. Visit Reunion Blues at www.reunionblues.com.
When searching for an upright bass, I wanted to have the feel and tone of a traditional acoustic upright, but without all the feedback, transportation difficulties, and cost of ownership. The NS Design NXT series upright bass was the answer. Anyone from the studied classical upright player to the electric player looking to cross over to upright will be comfortable on this bass. See for yourself why the NS upright basses are the most trusted electric upright basses in the world. Visit www.thinkns.com!
I've been a lover of Lakland basses since I started playing, and I was an endorser of Lakland back from 2006 to 2009, so Lakland has been sorta like a home base for me, and I was so excited to reconnect with them back in 2021. Countless prolific players have relied on Lakland instruments over the years, many of whom are huge influences of mine. Names like Jason Scheff, Chris Chaney, Darryl Jones, Uriah Duffy, Joe Osborn, Lance Morrison, Keith Horne, Bob Glaub, John Howard, "Hutch" Hutchinson, Jerry Scheff, and countless others have trusted Lakland basses. I'm a huge fan of Lakland's Vintage Series basses, particularly the 55-60 and the 55-64. These are no-nonsense vintage-style instruments that sound exactly like you think they would, and exactly how you need them to. The Skyline Series is the ultimate in terms of foreign-made instruments that can easily cover their American-made counterparts, although the USA Models are in a class all their own, and I proudly use a custom USA 55-64 P/J 5-string as my primary road instruments, as well as a custom Skyline Japan Series 55-AJ with a J/MM/J pickup configuration for some of the more "spicy" stuff! Check out Lakland's extensive line of custom instruments as well as the Skyline models at www.lakland.com!
I'm a huge fan of Hercules Stands, not just for their functionality, but because of their durability. In my time on the road, Hercules guitar and mic stands have consistently stood out as being able to stand up to the hardships of touring. I trust the AGS guitar stand, as well as the famous Transformer microphone stand. You should give them a try too! Visit www.herculesstands.com for information!
If you're a bass player and don't love the classic Music Man basses, it would be a good idea to get yourself familiarized with them. I have been an avid fan and endorser of Ernie Ball Music Man basses since 2009, when the Bongo bass first made its appearance! There aren't many basses that cut through the mix like a Music Man, which I became a huge fan of thanks to iconic players like Louis Johnson, Bernard Edwards, Flea, Paul S. Denman, Tony Levin, and the incomparable Pino Palladino. I currently utilize a Stingray Special 5-string for stage and studio. If you do not have an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray in your arsenal, get one as soon as you can! Visit www.ernieball.com to view the endless options for these instruments!
Radial Engineering is undoubtedly the most trusted name in quality direct boxes, and I'm blessed to use an array of road-worthy, tonally superior direct boxes from this Canada-based company, including the world-famous Bassbone, the JDV, and my new favorite, the Firefly, which has the most headroom of any tube DI I have ever used! Visit Radial at www.radialeng.com!
When it comes to wireless technology, there's Lectrosonics, and then there's everybody else. This Rio Rancho-based company is the leader at innovative wireless systems for music, television, and film. I proudly use the Lectrosonics R400a wireless unit with LMa transmitter, which produces the most clear, consistent, and uncolored signal and tone of any wireless I've ever used. I have performed over a thousand shows on this system without a singular hiccup, and it is also extremely rugged, making it the most reliable and consistent wireless system you could ever hope to obtain. Visit www.lectrosonics.com!
Ernie Ball never ceases to impress me with their increasingly versatile lineup of bass strings, each with its own unique character and feel, and each with unsurpassed durability and longevity. I depend on Ernie Ball bass strings for their consistency, and I don't dare trust any string other than Ernie Ball to deliver the tone I need every time I set foot onstage or in the studio. My new favorites are the Slinky Cobalt strings, but I'm also a huge fan of the entire Slinky line, including the Slinky Flatwounds, which have the best feel and tone of any flatwound string I've ever used! Check out their wide selection of guitar and bass strings at www.ernieball.com!
There are two factors for me in terms of choosing cables. Sound is obviously an important factor, but even more important is durability. In terms of tone and durability, the most consistent cable I've used is made by Pig Hog. These cables are built to withstand the hardships of touring, but also deliver a beautiful, fat tone night after night. I'm VERY impressed with how my sound has changed for the better by using these cables. They are available at Guitar Center and Sam Ash, but if you'd like more info, visit their site at www.pighogcables.com!
Those of you who are familiar with Ashdown amps and cabinets are well aware of their reputation for building some of the loudest and most durable bass amplifiers and cabinets in the world. The Ashdown gear I use has been around the country a few times, but when the opportunity to get this gear came up, I jumped on it. Since adding it to my road setup, my ABM amp and cabinets along with my EVO amp have been nothing short of stellar! I know Nashville isn't exactly in the habit of allowing bass players to have backline on stage, and there are times when stages may not be big enough to allow a bunch of amps and cabs, but when I use my Ashdown setup, I know it's going to be a great night. The cabinets can move an incredible amount of air, and the amps have just the right combination of warmth, punch, grit, and headroom. If you ever get the chance to try Ashdown's vast selection of gear, please do so...you will not be disappointed. Visit them at www.ashdownmusic.com for info!
"Uke basses" made a huge impact in the bass world thanks to their mobility and ease of use, but it took a while for me to find a ukulele bass that I could feel comfortable playing, especially when finding the right tone. Fast forward to 2020, when Lanikai, arguably one of the most well-known names in ukuleles, released their version of the ukulele bass. What I love about Lanikai's version of the uke bass is their use of a hybrid string that uses a nylon core with phosphor bronze wrap, so you get the brightness and sustain of a traditional acoustic bass guitar, but with the added "thud" of a uke bass that have made them such a hit! As many acoustic shows as I play, my Lanikai acoustic/electric ukulele bass is a huge game-changer! Check out their new line of ukulele basses at www.lanikaiukuleles.com!
After Westone Audio shut down their music division, I did a HEAVY amount of research into what I wanted my next in-ear monitor to be. Honestly, there's a ton of hype in the world of in-ear monitors...there's what everyone is using, there's the pros are using, there's what works, there's what's affordable, there's what has the best option for your particular instrument...it's an exhausting process. However, a new company emerged from what was once Westone, and after researching all my options, Dark Matter Audio Labs easily stood out as the best option for delivering what I needed in a custom-fit in-ear monitor. The DMA8 custom monitor easily stands out as the best in-ear monitor I've ever used, with four bass drivers that provide an incredible amount of headroom not only for my bass, but for the kick drum that I rely so much on. If you're in need of custom in-ear monitors, you owe it to yourself to give Dark Matter a try. Go beyond the hype, and get what works! Visit Dark Matter Audio Labs at darkmatteraudiolabs.com!
Through my career, I've never endorsed a particular pickup brand because, in my naivety, I figured whoever was making the bass used those particular pickups for a reason, and I didn't want to mess with the sound they had in mind. However, later in my career, I came to the realization that the pickup IS the sound. The bass can have a great feel, great balance, great wood combinations, great hardware, and little nuances that make them unique, but the pickups are what deliver the tone, the clarity, the punch, the sizzle, the bottom, the grit...and the one company that has always stood out in terms of delivering the sound I want is Bartolini. My first custom-designed instrument was a Roscoe LG-3006 fretless bass, which sported Bartolini soapbar pickups and an 18-volt NTMB preamp. Today, all my road and studio basses are set up with Bartolini pickups, including my Japanese and USA Lakland basses, as well as my first Roscoe, which is still sporting the same Bartolini pickups and electronics that came with it 25 years ago! For information about Bartolini's huge selection of pickups and preamps for every kind of bass imaginable, head over to www.bartolini.net!
INSTRUMENTS
Lakland US 55-64 5-string Bass
Lakland Skyline Japan Series
55-AJ (with Bartolini single-coil and MM pickups and Bartolini preamp)
1975 Fender Jazz Bass (all original except for pickguard, pickups rewound by Aero)
Atelier Z Beta 6 (with Atelier Z single coil pickups, Atelier Z humbucker pickup, and Bartolini preamp)
Roscoe LG-3006 Fretless 6-string Bass (with Barolini soapbar pickups and NTMB preamp)
Ernie Ball Music-Man Stringray Special 5-string Bass
Paul Reed Smith SE Kestrel 4-string Bass (tuned B-E-A-D)
Paul Reed Smith GG 5-string Bass (strung with Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwound strings)
Paul Reed Smith GG 5-string Bass
Lanikai Figured Bocote Acoustic-Electric Bass Ukulele
NS Design NXT-5 Electric Upright Bass (tuned B-E-A-D-G)
Iconic J5 "La Jolla" 5-string Bass
PEDALS, EFFECTS, AND AMPS
SIGNAL PATH: Peterson StroboStomp HD strobe tuner pedal --- Origin Effects Cali76 Limiting Amplifier/Compressor (with Lundahl Transformer) --- Radial Bassbone V2 preamp/DI (to Front-of-House and monitors). EFFECTS LOOP: Line 6 HX Stomp --- Darkglass Microtubes B3K Overdrive --- EBS Octabass octave pedal. OTHER: Radial HotShot DM1 XLR toggle pedal (vocal microphone toggle that switches from my vocal to a talkback so I can communicate with the artist, band, and crew through their in-ear monitors). Loom and patch panel custom-made by Best-Tronics Pro Audio (BTPA). All patch cables are made by Pig Hog Cables.
My bass goes to a Shure Axient wireless unit at the monitor position, then back out to my pedalboard. From my pedalboard, the signal is split between two Ashdown amplifiers...an EVO III 900 and an ABM 900. Each amp powers an Ashdown ABM 810 bass cabinet. One cabinet is miced with a Shure Beta 52, which is blended with the direct signal from the Radial Bassbone V2.
