The Tony Levin Legacy...

John Petrucci

I tried a JP6 once, and loved it. When I bought a new guitar, I decided to buy a JP6. I am so satisfied with it that I have decided to keep playing EBMM instruments, simply because I have never played something that's even close to these instruments in both sound and playability (if that's an English word ). I bought a Bongo some days ago, and I have never tried a Bongo before. But I knew that it was close to the perfect instrument both because of the brand (as I said, I've never tried any guitars or basses that are as good as EBMM instruments) and because John Myung and Tony Levin uses Bongos too. John Petrucci is the reason why I choose EBMM, but John Myung and Tony Levin has also influenced me into buying EBMM.

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I was kind of lucky, the first bass i ever played was a Stingray back in about 92, it belong to a friend who had just took delivery of it that day. At the time i was all about guitar but it got my imagination going towards the bass full stop an started to look more towards the low end an who was playing what, but for some reason it took me over 10yrs to finally get a Ray of my own and haven't looked back since.

I first started playing guitar because I could. Not because of someone. There just happened to be a guitar hanging around and I grabbed it. That was 9 years a go. When I learned about John Petrucci and Dream Theater/LTE it made a huge impact on my playing. And of course through John, EBMM. I tried the OLP JP and fell in love. Then I tried the EBMM JP6. Fell in love even more. Now I'm getting one this summer.

Another big influence is ofcourse mr. Morse. I've been practising his alternate picking excersises more and more lately. With metronome ofcourse.

Well, I'll have to go with John Petrucci on this one

No one's probably ever heard of him, but Charles Weeks, who was Chuck Mangione's bass player, played a Stingray, and I wanted one ever since I heard his great licks in the 70s. Listen to "Give it All you Got" and you will understand what I mean. Big inspiration to me. It took me 30 years to actually start playing bass, and I still want a Stingray.

xbass said:

Yes he is! But... he didn't replied to me. Well he must be tired of "what equipement are you using" question But I really need to know what is he using. compresor, octaver, etc Do you have any ideea?

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Well, in the fall of 2005 he played a show with the Tony Levin Band at a local microbrewery (Keegan Ales in Kingston, NY) to help them celebrate their anniversary. I was RIGHT IN FRONT, about two feet from him all night.

Awesome show... the stage was sheets of plywood resting on top of giant bags of hops!

Here's a picture of his pedalboard and some other eye candy. Frankly, I doubt he has a consistent rig, and also doubt that everything you hear comes from the pedals. Note that this board is set up to support both bass and Stick.

johans said:

do you know where levin located actually?
i heard he's in Marin County of the SF Bay Area

just wondering

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Woodstock, NY

Well I took notice when I first saw Vanhalen with his signature guitar, but since I do not play in that style and always played Teles or Strats I just thought it was a cool ax. I went to get a guitar with humbuckers one day and figured I was leaving with a Les Paul but I started playing an EVH first and just loved it, and that is what I left with.

I was always a one company man really for the longest time. Anyway as time went by I noticed all these great players coming out with a signature EBMM guitar, but the bottom line is what the guitars were offering- body styles, pick up combination's, beautiful tops, killer necks and the wildest colors with it all seeming fresh and innovative and not the same rehashed copies that most companies put out. I have to say that at 48 I feel like I did in my 20s always checking out what is going on over here. Anyway I am a 2 guitar company guy now but with a lot more interest these days on this side of the fence. Though I think before everything is said and done I will one day buy a Les Paul, then again I have been saying that for over 30 years.