Gear: Zon Michael Manring Hyperbass

[@snail415]

"When I flip this switch right here, free HBO."

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Hahahaha!! 😂

[@Eventual420]

He’s one of the people we have to keep reintroducing to the next generations. A brilliant artist, zero ego.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Living humble genius.

[@JOBarata]

Michael is wonderful bassist ignored by the most bass players because he is far beyond the sameness of what is played today. To play a Manning’s music isn’t for all. He is a genius.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Unrecognized genius

[@kijaniband1278]

well said... Perfect description of his realm of genius

[@krenwregget7667]

to me, Michael Manring has always been a quiet genius and a unique voice on a unique instrument. "The Enormous Room" is one of the finest pieces of music I've ever heard.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Agreed. Did you see our recent performance video with Enormous Room?

[@necromaniconjigg1285]

thank you jaco pastorious for teaching Michael manring.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Necromanicon Jigg Agreed

[@6fountain]

I am now looking for every Michael mannering video, both instructional and just listening to the music. Absolutely floored

[@sergiosiin]

I Thought I knew a lot about that bass, but the 5 outputs and pickup stuffing through the instrument is some jaw-dropping news. Michael Manring is definitely my hero.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Glad we were able to show something new!

[@bassfacer1357]

Accidental ASMR: Michael Manring edition

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

No kidding. And you taught me about ASMR. Good comment! :)

[@benjaminwoodrowmusic6070]

Literally felt it as soon as he started talking then saw your comment

[@chrisA20902]

Hahahaha

[@PatrickG74]

Awesom bass,and a really fascinating guy. Could sit and listen to him for hours :-)

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Wait til you see the house concert we filmed. You CAN listen to him for hours. :)

[@brucifer0]

Fearless innovator RESPECT

[@Matmus]

Wonderful interview. I very much like you were asking good questions but you let him talk with no ego. Good man.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Thank you! That’s what I’m trying to do. Glad it worked. :)

[@chrisA20902]

Just wanted to upvote that comment!

[@jimdonovan5847]

I met MM when he played with John Gorka in NJ in the mid 90's, such a fine bassist with an acoustic gtr/vocalist. He was so great I had to speak with him, and he told me of his latest solo releases - THONK, an amazing hard rock/funk collaboration that marked him forever in my ears as one of the most amazing players ever.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

He’s a genius as humble as he is talented. What a human being! Glad you had that opportunity.

[@scottsimmons6656]

JIM Donovan I still have my Thonk cd. Saw MM with Michael Hedges and the Flecktones on a double bill , Vic played two basses at once but Manring played three! The best music goes under the radar.

[@dhadleyray]

One of the most musical bassists we've ever had... Maybe we'll get Manring and Wooten on stage together. What incredible compositions... and they're two spiritual brothers as well. Thanks for interviewing him...

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Did you see the Bass Day 98 DVD? I believe they play together there. I’d love to bring them together.

[@dhadleyray]

@@MakeWeirdMusic I'll investigate that! Thanks!!

[@theicberg]

What a wonderful unbound instrument ! ....It needs to be in the right hands as well, and it certainly IS in Michael's hands. Thanks for this great video.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Totally agree. Michael is a genius and the only one worth of that instrument.

[@davidblack7257]

i've always thought the hyperbass was awesome...michael manring is such a talented musician and an amazing person...love to hear him talk and play

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

He’s an incredible human being. Glad so many others see it too. Thanks for watching Dave!

[@MikeKobb]

I love that you hooked up the quad output so you can hear the panning of the different strings. It really does add an extra complexity to the sound that is really interesting. I've had the great good fortune to see Michael play live quite a few times, and it's always amazing.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Thanks for watching and I"m glad you enjoyed this! We just posted our Manring concert tonight!! Enjoy: makeweirdmusic.com/concert/michael-manring

[@ManCaveStudio]

What a masterpiece of an instrument. Zon and Michael Manring are a match made in heaven.

[@wxb200]

The placement of the pickups in the body of the bass really explains his tone! I've always wondered about that!

[@potatojesusomnipotat8634]

First time I've seen a full explanation of how the bridge works, cool, and knowing the bass has five outputs is probably going to make me listen to his stuff a bit more intently to see if I can pickup(hue) what he's doing with them. Also, you're a tease.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+potatojesus Omnipotat tease about the concert? Or something else? Glad you enjoyed!

[@potatojesusomnipotat8634]

Yes, the concert. :D

[@vinigretzky97]

I still can't really visualize how it works :(

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Vin the bridge or the Hipshots?

[@vinigretzky97]

The bridge.

[@LuisCarlos-oo9im]

Alien bass player needs a alien bass guitar, both are amazing.

[@paubass123]

I LOVE when u smile after he said u can do crazy thing like fuzz on 1 string only :D :))))

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

The guy can do more on one string than I can do on 6. That’s for sure.

[@nettlecarrier8259]

I think Michael has to be muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch more well-known than he is. What a concentration of awesomeness

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

100% agreed.

[@Nillominati]

A soft-spoken MONSTER of a bass player.👍🏻

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Truly an unbelievable talents. Did you see the new video I just posted about his bridge?

[@0megadwarf]

he's right about enjoying the sound of the hipshot extender keys...look at how much the interviewer enjoys it at 11:20

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I still can’t believe I got to sit so close to the genius himself!

[@keenanjacobs9949]

Sounds So Heavenly

[@ooferrell]

That was insanely awesome. That is truly the most ultimate base of all time. That bridge system is nuts

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Can you imagine thinking like he does? Lol. I can’t.

[@samlelowitch]

Manring has been awesome for a long time!

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Since the dawn of the universe!

[@cemegonuts]

great instrument... greater musician

[@patrickr12342]

I don' t know, what i could say? Wow, simply amazing.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Thank you!

[@marachichizola1783]

Que inspirador escuchar alguien que sabe tanto, con un instrumento tan particular, como interesante!! Un placer la entrevista!!

[@triathlonSDhsp]

Incredible! Nice interview.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Thanks for watching

[@carpediemarts705]

11:15 amazing brief hotshot/harmonic demo.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I wanna bring him back to Arizona after the pandemic so we can record an even better video about his bass(es)

[@zyxwfish]

I’ve been a fan of his music since the late 90’s although I haven’t kept up with it lately.

[@MikeKobb]

11:19

[@paulsimmons5726]

I thought these were cool designs when it came out, decades ago. Don't know if they still make the Hyperbass but I'd love to have one if I ever won the lottery. He's such a bass innovator.

[@progmanjum]

Insane.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+progmanjum his brain ain't right. Haha

[@BillLarkinmusic]

Thank you !

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Bill Larkin you're welcome

[@DemsJugglingLs]

"Can you just play a few notes to demonstrate?" Michael: proceeds to write a song

[@NihilistDad]

Damn that's a wild instrument

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Haha yep!

[@Jeff-o-Lee]

I first saw Michael Manring do a clinic @ B.I.T. Musicians Institute in 1989. He had a fretless Music Man Stingray & a PRS Bass they don't make anymore. At the time he was signed to Windham Hill Records & already had 2 albums out. Great clinic. He was manually doing alternate tunings. I don't think he had a Hipshot D Tuner on his E string. I know he didn't on the other 3 strings. In 1994 he came out with an album called "Thonk" which has Steve Morse play on 1 track.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I have all the CDs! Big fan of Michael. I wish I could have seen him perform over the years like you, Jeff!

[@-Leonelli-]

That shit's Otherwordly ma man! What an incredible instrument

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Indeed. I’ve been fascinated by it since the 1990s

[@RadityoPramAdi]

good God....... unbelievable.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Radityo Pramono Adi he's a living genius. Simply stunning at times.

[@johnappleseed8369]

wow, that's an interesting bass, can't say I've heard it sound like that!

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+John Appleseed wait til you see the concert we hosted! Mind-blowing.

[@johnappleseed8369]

Make Weird Music I'll get the popcorn haha Sounds exciting!! Ps any luck with Hevydevy yet? I hope you're able to get an interview!

[@warrenmmusic6381]

Here’s a good drinking game - drink each time Michael says “Instrument”

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

🥴

[@terrancemason1156]

Michael Manring is a brilliant musician, and he would have to be to play that hyperbass.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Absolutely, Terrance. Did you see the other videos we made with him? I released one early this year going into more detail about his tuning system.

[@charlotteice5704]

oh wow that is just amazing. Recently, I was wondering how a bass that could reach as high as a guitar but still as low as a bass could be built. As a bass reaches one octave lower than a guitar, I thought one could maybe take a guitar and extend its fretboard to reach an octave lower as I thought squeezing the high notes near the pick ups of a bass would be more mathematically complicated but I never thought it was as simple as just extending the fretboard. So a few minutes ago, I was reading a post on a forum about which three bassists' basses you would get if you had to pick three and this bass was on one such list and I was curious about why it was called hyperbass... so there we are.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Yes. That bass is out of this world. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@anthonypayne2526]

I came here wanting to know about the tuning switches, and find out that's like the simplest part of this bass. :-O Wow.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Watch the updated video I posted from February.

[@NeedyForMusic]

The Bob Ross of Bass

[@bassimprovjams3772]

So what does the other pickups in the bass do? Do they give more output? Or can he tap on that area for a percussion?

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Good question, Jeremy. I'll ask him when we re-do this video in 4K later this month.

[@yvancluet8146]

Awesome ! You should have Bumblefoot to talk about his double foot guitar

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Yvan Cluet yeah, that'd be cool! I'll have to look him up after I get through my queue of interviews.

[@donaldbest7621]

Excellent playing, and excellent instrument! Does Gerry dorsch still make the necks for Zion? It sure sounds like graphite.....that piano sound.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I have no idea. Ask Michael on Facebook. He’ll answer.

[@andyr5579]

Yes to Graphite neck. But don’t forget it has Piccolo bass strings on. I dunno exactly what weights MM is using but typically they’re in the 20 - 52 range. That’s the main reason for the piano like tones.

[@bjornedvardsson5510]

what string gauge he uses on this tune? (BbFBbF)?

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Валентин Оганесян I'm not sure. I think his gauges are listed on his website somewhere.

[@MonoIce350s]

.020 .032 .042 .052

[@KevinTheCardigan]

I believe the tone will make it hard for this bass to fit in a mix, unless it's like the main instrument of the track.

[@FartsInTanks]

One of the finest bassists on the planet, but I gotta say, Hipster NYC Geddy Lee

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Hahaha so true.

[@andsalomoni]

If you have a piezo pickup, you can extend the fingerboard to the bridge, you would have virtually infinite octaves available. More than this, I think it's not possible.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

So impossible but totally possible. Right?

[@raweymoore]

andsalomoni I like the idea but you'd need to come up with a different sort of bridge as when you would press down way up near the bridge you'd mess with the intonation because you'd be moving the string really far.

[@ayyohwinning]

I mean you have Basses like the Stradi fretless models which basically do that - the fretboard is made such that it’s level with the rest of the body of the bass, and is neck through right up to the bridge. You’d have to play with your hand above the bass as there’s no cutaway past the “normal” spot on a bass, and past a certain point the actual notes get too close together to be fingered accurately, but it’s totally possible. They’re cool Basses, check em out if you haven’t already

[@vinigretzky97]

Would be nice to know which setup Michael used for this concert: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJKuY3qLbtWapdU Multi-output or mono, does anybody know?

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

He's using a 90-degree guitar cable, which means he's using his mono output. The multi-out requires use of the fancy LIMO cable, which is not a 90-degree jack.

[@vinigretzky97]

Thanks for the info!

[@charleslambiase5670]

is that pickup available

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Charles Lambiase I believe they are. Look up Bartolini Quad Coil pickups. That might be what they use. Or email Zon Guitars.

[@bradynorris1653]

It has a pedal steel flavor.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Wow. How did I never think of that before? Insightful!

[@thisisebo]

for those who wants to skip talking and directly to tuning tools skip to 10.16

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Thanks!

[@charleslambiase5670]

If my wife leaves me LOL !!! BUT Im satisfied with what I have, it works!!!

[@LuisGmoDeLosMonteros]

11:21 Jacob Collier just entered the chat

[@charleslambiase5670]

I meant if I talk text to get you in trouble lol

[@charleslambiase5670]

I spoke to Bartolini already they said that its discontinued I will e-mail Zon maybe he has something laying around thanks a lot👌

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

+Charles Lambiase you should just buy yourself a Hyperbass. 😂

[@Infoseeker6482]

Very impressed with Michael, his music, skill and his bass. I just don't understand why he smacks his lips at the end of almost every sentence.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I should have offered him water!

[@charleslambiase5670]

Define could afford it I would buy the other bass that he uses with the two Bartolini in it LOL I'm quite happy with my combination of basses that I have now but just that pickup if I had that pickup I can just do a lot more with it the concept was but on a good note thank you LOL🤣

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

You don't have $10K laying around for an instrument?!?! hahaha :)

[@jugaajugaa5210]

Make Weird Music no, but I do have 2 kidneys.

[@KaijuAlert]

Not sure why the presenter keeps looking over Michael's head and clearly isn't listening to what he is saying towards the end. It wasn't a long interview, paying attention for fifteen minutes doesn't seem like a lot to ask.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Amateur hour!

[@hazardeur]

I think the only one who knows whom or what the guy is listening to is himself. I think he did the interview just fine. You need to get off that high horse of yours and learn to stop pulling assumptions turned accusations out of your ass.

[@MeAndTheBoys_]

People are basically just interviewing the bass because all of the technology that the bass uses. The player is just there to be the mouthpiece for the bass. This guy created a frankenstein and got captured by his own invention. The same almost happened to the drummer Terry Bozzio, but he managed to escape that fate. P.S : Go thru the comments here, and see how many comments are about the technical aspects of this bass. You'll see my point within 10 seconds.

[@jaydonwood179]

Listen to the music enabled by this bass. To be fair he plays with more than just this bass. BUT the compositions he makes with that thing are unbelievable man! Also I'd imagine that on a video about this bass and all its weirdness that that would be a point of discussion in the comments :)

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Also, I have a full length interview with Michael on the channel as well as live footage.

[@CatrinaDaimonLee]

Noam Chomsky, bass player.

[@exhainca]

Michael is incredible. However, I think he sometimes takes himslef a little too seriously (I've watched a few workshops with him now). At the end of the day, it's just music. You're not solving the next financial crisis with your fretless.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I disagree.

[@exhainca]

@@MakeWeirdMusic With what exactly do you disagree? That music is just music? A wooden plank with four strings played by apes in this case - yet made out to be something almost incomprehensible. Or that this guy speaks like a nuclear physicist about his music, and then you still see a wooden plank with four wires plucked by an ape.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

A) I agree that Michael is incredible. B) Every amazing musician has to take his/her work seriously, sometimes too seriously. C) It's not "just music." He is doing something well beyond "just music." D) No, he is not solving the next financial crisis, but if people modeled more of Michael's behavior and mindset, we might not have these types of financial crises. E) Let the smart guy be smart and talk the way he wants to talk. I did a follow-up interview with him about his Small Moments album and I openly laughed at him at one point saying, "No one understands what on earth you're talking about." He laughed about it. F) I've been lucky enough to talk to Michael at length and make music with him. I'd rather he be the way he is than the way you think he should be.

[@azmiraclegirl441]

Geddy Lee's dorky cousin

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

I'm gonna tell him you said that lol