Gear

Basses:

  • ’64 Fender Precision
  • Yamaha BB2025
  • Moollon J Classic 4
  • Lakland “tele” precision
  • Lakland passive DJ 5 string
  • Duesenberg Starplayer bass hollowbody
  • ’78 Fender Mustang
  • ’68 Vox Violin bass
  • Goodfellows classic 5
  • Pedulla Pentabuzz fretless
  • Double Bass

Guitars:

  • Gibson 335
  • Fender Telecaster JV (84)
  • Martin steel string acoustic
  • Nylon string guitar
  • Yamaha LL6 acoustic

Amps:

  • ’60s Ampeg B-15 Portaflex
  • Ashdown ABM600
  • Barefaced 2×12 cab
  • Eden World Tour 800 head
  • Dynacord solid state 4×10
  • Fender DeVille 2×12
  • Laney Lionheart 5W tube studio amp

Misc recording gear

  • UA, Purple Audio, AML EZ1073-500
  • API 550B EQs
  • Urei and UA 1176s,
  • Focal Shape 65, NS10 monitors, Quad amp
  • Cubase 9.5, Ableton Live
  • mics: Neumann CMV 563 w/ M7 capsule, Sennheiser 441, Schoeps CMC6, Audix I5,
  • Lexicon PCM80
  • Studio Electronics SE1, Oberheim Matrix1000, Roland SH101, Arturia Minibrute

32 Replies to “Gear”

    1. Hi. I’m showing my whole pedal board but actually i’m only using the Boss looper and a touch of Tremolo from the Voodoo labs pedal

  1. Hi Robin,

    I just discovered your WICKED playing in the “Maida Vale”-sessions on youtube with Jacob Collier, awesome playing and beautiful sound! Was curious about a few things in “Eleanor Rigby”, do you use your thumb through the whole song? What was the signal chain like (if you remember), did you use any compressors on the way in? Preamps?

    Best regards from Norway

    1. Hi henrik. It was my Lakland 44-51 with labella nylon strings, Ashdown abm500 and 10″ cones. From memory I think the BBC took di and mic’d with an re20 or 421. They have an ssl in that studio but I can’t remember what compressor was used sorry…
      Probs wouldn’t have used my thumb for very long. I sometimes mute a bit with left hand.
      Thanks for the message! R

  2. Hi Robin,
    I love Zero 7, and your bass tones on those recordings are divine! I know so much of it is in the hands, but I still can’t fight my curiosity as to what was going on gear-eise on “Waiting Line”

    1. GAH! I hit the Post button by mistake. By *”gear-wise”, I mean bass, amp, strings, even cable if ya don’t mind sharing.
      Anyway, thanks for the great music, please keep on doin’ what you’re doin’! 🙂

      ~ Jefd

      1. Hi Jeff. That was looong ago and I have a shooort memory. Pretty sure it was my vox violin bass with a pick (I use yellow dunlops). It’s had labella flats on forever. If there was an amp then probs my Ampeg b15. Henry likes to use plenty of api Eq and he maybe whacked a load of 800hz on as we tracked. How’s that?

        1. Oh wait!! I was thinking of Passing By. I didn’t even play on the first album! Haha. Can’t help you there

  3. Huh! Sorry. Then again, I loved the bass on Passing By as well, so info I was interested in received anyway! :D. Any idea who I can stalk down about “Waiting Line”? And thanks for the reply! 🙂

    1. Hi It’s just the Boss OC-2. Love the sound cos it has so many harmonics. I have a back up just in case!

      1. Thanks Robin! Yeah, it’s sounds great. I used to have one, got to get another!
        All the best, you are an amzing player and a great inspiration!

  4. Hi Rob,
    really dig everything you do thanks for your music! Quick question in your video Mr McGee with Zero7 what’s that effect that you are playing on the guitar? Sounding similar to a reverse and beat repeat.
    Thanks a lot you are a genius!

    1. Hi thanks! I think we actually fed it through Ableton beat repeat where Eddie could manipulate it and then it came back out to the guitar amp. Haven’t found a pedal that can do it as well as that

    2. Hi Robin, what was the Bass used in the first and third songs of the Tiny Desk Concert with Jacob Collier? It looked like a uke but I was really surprised how thick the tone was.

      1. You’re right that was a ukelele bass. They take a bit of getting used to but great for thumpy old sounds

  5. Hey, Robin!

    I’ve been listening to the new Steve Wilson record on rotation and I love your playing on it. Your feel and dynamics on Detonation are especially nice; love the bass during the coda section. What bass and setup did you use for that song?

  6. Hi obin, nice work on To the Bone. I was wondering what are you using on “The Same Asylum as Before”. It sounds pretty amazing.
    Best

    1. Hi. Thanks for that. I honestly can’t remember which bass! – may have been my 64 precision or perhaps Paul Stacey’s Rickenbacker. Sorry i can’t help more

    2. Hi Robin,

      kind of a specific question for you, on wich albums i can hear you play the 5 string Lakland with maple fingerboard? And, in general, what do you think about maple? I’m deeply in love with my jazz bass with maple fingerboard but it seems it’s not really used a lot, on recordings, except some funk/slap contexts… i was curious to hear your opinion on that.
      Love you work, hope everything is going well
      Thanks from Italy!

      1. Hey matteo. Maple fingerboards always sound bright but you can always filter out the highs. Better to have more frequency information in my opinion! I’m trying to remember which tracks have that bass… Certainly the live shows with roisin murphy and the live Paloma Faith album. Hmm I’ll try to remember more

  7. Hi Robin,

    was just watching the Glastonbury show with Zero 7 from 2004. Your playing is absolutely fantastic! Really appreciate the tone that you achieve with your Vox violin bass in “Passing by”- focused, tight, warm, with a lot of character to it, and it´s even finger style playing, whereas on record it´s pick style, I guess.
    Could you please explain how to get such a sound. Me too, I´ve had a violin equipped with single coils, but I doesn’t´t get a tone as tight as yours (I know it´s the player as well). Is it flats or rounds? Do you use bridge pickup as well? Is it DI Sound or miced cab?…
    Thanks.

    1. Hi Oliver. Yeah just a pick and flats. I use my palm to control the sustain. Can’t remember if we amped for that track. Maybe it was just an ashdown rig with a 47 and lots of API eq

  8. Super inspiring performance in the Jacob Collier Tiny Desk. Definitely gonna transcribe some of your lines. What strings are you using in this video?

    1. Thanks Adam. They’re labella tapewounds. I had 2 A strings (one was tuned up to D!) on as i couldn’t find a set anywhere on the east coast that week!

  9. Robin you are a great musician! I wonder what effect you use in your recording Higher Ground – Vula & Soul Family, the boss oc 2 maybe? Thank you very much!

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