Michael Ivins

Ivins can be seen playing a Fender Precision Bass in this photo.

Ivins can be seen playing a Rickenbacker 4003 in this photo.

"Distortion pedals have traditionally been bottom killers, but you can retain the low end with some of the newer ones. I use the Boss ODB-3 Bass OverDrive, which has a BALANCE knob for blending, and a two-band EQ. I crank the low end all the way, set the HIGH knob around 3 o’clock, and the BALANCE anywhere from 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock. I’m still searching for another distortion pedal that sounds good layered in conjunction with it. I split my signal after the pedalboard."

"I use a Framptone 3-Banger to send one signal to the house, one to an Ampeg rig, and another to a Roland JC- 120. Even without the stompbox, there’s still plenty of overdrive going on in the amps. I never use a clean, Dave Matthews Band kind of bass sound—ever."

Distortion pedals invite feedback as soon as you stop playing, so that’s an issue unless you’re playing a song that’s full on. I was using the Boss SYB-3 Bass Synthesizer on “Fight Test” for a while when I discovered that I could also tweak it to achieve a fun, wangy sort of distortion sound. I started using it on tunes like “She Don’t Use Jelly” that require precise stops and starts. I don’t like the new SYB-5’s synthesizer sound as much, but the distortion sound is better, so I have it permanently set that way on my pedalboard.

"The last pedal in the chain is a Boss BF- 2 Flanger—very specifically the Japanese model. I don’t really care if the label is green or black, but there’s something about the regeneration sound on the Japanese-made BF-2 that is more pronounced than the latest model, or the recently discontinued Taiwanese one. I use the flanger in the middle of “Vein of Stars,” a little section of “The W.A.N.D,” and when we go into noise mode. Crazy sounds keep things interesting, and using them in unexpected places, like a string section, is cool. I mean, most people appreciate the sound of a good orchestra, but who doesn’t like the sound of an orchestra through an ARP synthesizer?"