On Saturday, October 14th, The Bass Club of Chicago hosted a day-long event for TalkBass forum members. For those of you who've discovered the Internet in the last ten minutes, TalkBass is the the largest bass-specific forum out there, with tens of thousands of registered "talkers". Several times a year, the members put together meet and greet opportunities (called GTGs, for Get To-Gether) around the country. This is the first time I've been able to attend; I hope it won't be my last.

I drove up from Danville with my new Thunder Rig (WT1205 and D610XLT) as well as my D212XLT and D210MBX cabinets. Jeremy Eckburg, our Inside Sales rep brought a D210XST and the latest prototype of the WTX260. I mated the D212XLT and D210XST with a WT550 - mostly for myself, because I've been wanting to audition this configuration for some time. I'll get to the WTX later...

The official start of the event was the Circle of Introduction, when each person gave their name and a little info. The first piece of Eden swag went to the guy who said right up front that he owned an Eden rig. I immediately gave him a hat, at which point lots of folks said they owned an Eden or wanted one, and we all had a good laugh. (The rest of the swag was given away during my talk.)

TalkBass forum members introduce themselves to each other.

Also attending the event was Dan Lakin of Lakland basses. Dan was first up for the entertainment, and he brought several new Skyline basses to show. Lucky for me, he brought a black one (maple neck) for me to check out. He also talked extensively about the development of Lakland's new pickups. Dan's presentation was very informative and a lot of fun. He's a very likable guy and really knows his stuff without being pretentious about it. (In fact, in that regard, he reminds me of David.)

Dan Lakin of Lakland Basses shows off his new pickups.
Here, Dan introduces a black Skyline that he brought for Lane to check out.

I was next up and, since Dan was nice enough to bring a black bass, I used it for quite a bit of my talk. Of course, I demoed both rigs, and talked about the differences between our two basic EQ designs. Several players seemed very interested in the switching possibilities offered by the WT1205 as well. But the real hit of the talk was the WTX260.

Lane demos a pair of Eden rigs, using The Bass That Dan Built.

After I showed the Thunder Rig, I mentioned my obsession with carrying spares of everything possible. Then, I asked, "so what do you do when your head drops out in the middle of your show?" I then opened my 2-space rack drawer and whipped out the WTX260. "From now on," I said, "I'll just pull out one of these and keep playing." Within seconds, I'd changed the instrument, speaker and power cords as was back to playing.

It was a ton of fun, and everyone oohed and aahed at the right places. Afterwards, I answered questions about all the rigs. While all the gear made an excellent impression, if I'd had them with me, I could have sold a half-dozen WTX units on the spot!

Lane lets a bass chord ring . . . and ring . . . and ring. "You want sustain?
I got your sustain right here, pal. Low rumbling, knock-the-pictures-off-the-wall,
when's-that-note-going-to-end sustain. And tone to match."

The main event was a clinic by Jauqo III-X, a Lakland endorser, solo artist and creator of the Low C# Theory. Jauqo's clinic focused on locking with a drummer. He was quick to point out that he and drummer Leander Taylor had not rehearsed for this clinic, preferring instead to improvise their grooves to avoid getting locked into a pre-formed box.

Jauqo's clinic style is very laid back and accessible. The whole crowd enjoyed his presentation immensely. Oh yeah... he was playing his custom Lakland, which he loves!

Jauqo III-X kicks out the jams with drummer Leander Taylor.
No low C#s today... but a whole lot of groove!

After Jauqo's set, it was time for the Great Wall of Bass. Everyone wanted to jam with everyone else, and it was a mad race for amps with the winners getting the Big Rigs. When I left at about 5 that afternoon, dozens of bassists were happily slapping, tapping, and grooving like mad.

As I said in the beginning, the entire affair was a blast. And it was wonderful to put faces to some of the names I've come to know over the years. If you ever get a chance to take part in one of these hangs, don't miss it. It's a blast . . . and they bring cookies, too!

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