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!
My love affair with Gallien-Krueger amps and cabinets begin almost immediately after I started playing bass...after playing through a 2001RB head and a pair of 410RBH cabs at a local music store. It is the tone I've sought for my entire career, and now I get to use it every night onstage, regardless of whether I have a rig or not! My go-to rig is the unstoppable 1001RB amplifier, which has become a backline standard, along with a single Neo410 bass cabinet...easily the most powerful and best-sounding rig I've ever run. However, thanks to the "Plex," Gallien-Krueger's new pedal preamp, I still have that unmistakable GK tone in my ears even if I can't have a rig onstage! Versatility, power, tone, durability...these are the reasons why I choose GK. Visit them at www.gallien-krueger.com.
For over a decade, I've been blessed to use in-ear monitors from a company that innovated in-ear monitoring for musicians, Westone Audio out of Colorado Springs, CO. Since 1959, Westone has been the most trusted name in the world for custom in-ear monitors as well as multi-driver universal-fit monitors. I use Westone's line of ES Series custom monitors, the ES50 and ES70 in particular, every night onstage, and have relied on several other monitors in Westone's vast product line over the years. They truly are the in-ear experts! For information about their products and to order your own, head over to www.westone.com!
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!
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!
"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!
I'm blessed to perform on basses built designed and built by Paul Reed Smith and the incredible staff at PRS Guitars. The Grainger Bass, which also goes by the designation of the "Core" Bass, may be the most versatile instrument I've ever used, while also being the most balanced and best-feeling bass I've ever strapped on. Equipped with one of the most versatile active/passive preamps on the market, there's no tone this bass can't get, but it also retains a character all its own. The first time I plugged the Core Bass in, it was obvious that it was going to be my main axe. I need a bass that can cover a wide range of musical situations, so finally having a bass that "does it all" gives me a sense of confidence every time I step onstage or into a recording studio. The PRS Grainger Bass is that bass! Check it out at www.prsguitars.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!
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 one of my primary road and studio instruments! Check out Lakland's extensive line of custom instruments as well as the Skyline models at www.lakland.com!
INSTRUMENTS
1975 Fender Jazz Bass (all original except for pickguard, pickups rewound by Aero)
Paul Reed Smith GG 5-string Bass (strung with Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwound strings)
Roscoe LG-3006 Fretless 6-string Bass (with Barolini soapbar pickups and NTMB preamp)
Iconic J5 "La Jolla" 5-string Bass (with EMG pickups)
Paul Reed Smith SE Kestrel 4-string Bass (tuned B-E-A-D)
Atelier Z Beta 6 (with Atelier Z single coil pickups, Atelier Z humbucker pickup, and Bartolini preamp)
Lakland US 55-64 5-string Bass
Paul Reed Smith GG 5-string Bass
Ernie Ball Music-Man Stringray Special 5-string Bass
NS Design NXT-5 Electric Upright Bass (tuned B-E-A-D-G)
Lanikai Figured Bocote Acoustic-Electric Bass Ukulele
PEDALS, EFFECTS, AND AMPS
SIGNAL PATH: Peterson StroboStomp HD strobe tuner pedal --- Origin Effects Cali76 Limiting Amplifier/Compressor (with Lundahl Transformer) --- Gallien Krueger PLEX Preamp (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 for band and crew in-ear monitors). Loom and patch panel custom-made by Best-Tronics Pro Audio (BTPA). All patch cables are made by Pig Hog Cables.
In the rare even I am able to use backline, this is the rig I use. My bass goes to a Lectrosonics wireless unit, then out to my pedalboard. It returns to the rig at my Radial FireFly direct box, which is my main DI when I'm permitted to use a backline rig. The signal then goes to my two Gallien-Krueger 2001RB amplifiers (one is a spare), then to my GK Neo410 bass cabinet, which is miced with a Shure Beta52 microphone. Everything is plugged into my Radial Power-1 power conditioner and surge protector. All patch cables are made by Pig Hog Cables.
