Despite rising to the top of very different genres, Marcus and Robert draw from similar influences. Their heroes—stone-cold legends like James Jamerson, Anthony Jackson, Larry Graham, and Jaco Pastorius—pushed the boundaries to expand their technical and tonal options. Our approach to creating the perfect, modern set of bass strings followed the same spirit.

GREAT MINDS

Fortunately for us, Robert and Marcus had lots to share. Their unique insights, developed in studios and on stages around the world, helped us refine and perfect our processes. But these trailblazing bass players weren’t the only ones who trusted us to make their strings: Feedback from our roster of celebrated artists Michael League, Chris Chaney, Eric Avery, Tim Lefebvre, MonoNeon, Troy Sanders, and many others—also helped us make sure that our strings excelled at everything a professional bassist needed. From players with arena gigs to unsung heroes holding studio tracks together, our friends have been crucial in defining the voice of Dunlop Bass Strings.

CARVE YOUR OWN PATH

Every one of these players channeled their influences and put the work in to sound like themselves. They know what it takes to stand out.

“To have a distinct sound and make your own statement is what we all aspire to achieve,” Robert says. “It just takes time.” Marcus agrees. “You start to trust yourself. If you’re creative, you’ll take some influences, but by the time it goes through your filter, it turns into something completely different.”

We created these strings to help you find the sound and feel that are uniquely yours. If you’re down to put the work in—to put all your influences through your own filter our strings are here to help you carve your own path.

SYSTEM 65™ COMPLETE GUITAR & BASS STRING CHANGE TOOL KIT

The first step in the maintenance journey—the string change. It can feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to. The System 65 Complete Guitar & Bass String Change Tool Kit comes with everything you need to make every step of the process faster and easier, from removing strings and wiping down your fretboard to winding your tuning pegs and adjusting your action. It all comes in a compact carrying case that you can fit in your backpack or gig bag for string changes on the go.

SYSTEM 65™ COMPLETE GUITAR & BASS SETUP TOOL KIT

When you feel like you’re ready to get to know your instrument even better, there’s the System 65 Complete Guitar & Bass Setup Tool Kit. It has all the same goodies as the String Change Tool Kit, but it also comes with several other tools to help you do everything from polishing your frets and tightening or removing hardware to checking neck relief and giving your instrument a quick clean and polish. And like the String Change Tool Kit, the Complete Setup Tool Kit comes in a convenient case so that you can keep it with you at all times.

SYSTEM 65™ COMPLETE SETUP TECH KIT

If you’re looking to set up a proper work station, then the System 65 Complete Setup Tech Kit is the option for you. It comes with the System 65 Complete Guitar & Setup Tool Kit plus a suite of products perfectly suited to make the most of whatever surface you’re working on, whether it’s a bench in your garage or a coffee table in your living room. With a System 65 Neck Cradle, Setup Mat, and more, your instrument can kick back and let the TLC commence.

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Which of these kits most fits your needs? Are you still acquainting yourself the string change routine, trying your hand at setup tinkering, or do you ease up to the work bench like a doctor at an operating table? Whatever your level of comfort and experience, having one of these kits is essential for obtaining the best in tone and playability from your instrument. Get your System 65™ Tool Kit today.

SHAPE EFFECTS

Sometimes, the EQ controls on a pedal just don’t give you enough control. Or a pedal might not offer any tone shaping at all. Putting an MXR Six Band EQ or MXR Ten Band EQ pedal in front of or after that effect, or even a group of effects, will allow you to create the exact sound you want to hear.

Want to tighten up a fuzz? Put your EQ pedal after it, and try cutting lower frequencies. Or give your overdrive and distortion pedals extra punch and presence by boosting the midrange. In other instances, you might want the EQ to come first—namely, when you want to control what the input signal is feeding into a particular effect. Experiment, and discover which setups work for you and your sound.

AN EXTRA PREAMP FOR YOUR AMP STACK

At the end of your signal chain, just before your amp, the MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals shape everything that comes before—it’s like having an extra preamp. A pre-preamp, if you will. Sometimes, effects combos become unruly and imbalanced. An EQ pedal allows you to shape it all into a more cohesive sound before your amp works its magic.

Relatedly—if you have an amp that’s prone to tubby or thin sounds, placing an EQ pedal in the FX loop allows you to do some “under-the-hood” tweaks to pull off your perfect sound.

POP THOSE LEADS

The MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ—especially the Ten Band—can be used to draw all focus to your fancy leads. On the Six Band, just boost and cut the frequencies you need to make your notes stand out in a mix. With the Ten Band, do the same, but with Volume and Gain sliders, it’ll boost your whole signal into the stratosphere if you want it do. Just, you know, make sure that’s cool with your bandmates.

HANDY HOME RECORDING

Gaining control over your tone before it reaches the mixing board ensures the best version of your sound gets recorded. Just as with running the MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals right before your amp stack, running them before the mixing board allows you to meld all the effects in your signal chain together—or put the finishing tonal touch on the sound of your instrument, especially if you’re unable to include your usual amp stack in the recording session.

What if you wanted to record at the mixing board AND mic your amp stack? The MXR Ten Band EQ has two outputs, allowing you to split your signal chain in two while keeping them both polished up and sounding great.

TAKE OVER THE STAGE

Playing live is unpredictable. Every venue sounds different. You might be forced to use backline gear. That means all your careful tweaking and testing during band practice goes out the window. An MXR Six Band EQ or MXR Ten Band EQ pedal on hand will save you a lot of time and frustration, allowing you to adapt sound of your rig to strange gear and stranger places.

FINE TUNES

The MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals give you all the sonic control you need to sound great and express the best version of your musical vision—whether you’re a home recorder in pursuit of the perfect tone or a live performer needing to adapt on the fly.[/read more]

BIAS

An early form of amp-based tremolo, utilized by models made from the 1950s to the early 1960s, produced the effect by varying the voltage going into the amp’s tubes. The result is a lush, browned-out compression. Here, we’ve combined it with the MXR Reverb—a classic effect pairing—and the MXR Sugar Drive™ Pedal to conjure up some old school trem’d out garage rock.

REVO

The Revo setting is an original creation from the MXR design team. It takes the smooth pulses of the Opto setting and runs them in reverse to create more exaggerated peaks and valleys. Want to take a ride straight to the sonic frontier? Pair this setting with an aggressive saturator such as the MXR La Machine™ Fuzz for a trip through wild and unexplored territories.

OPTO

The Opto setting recreates the smooth pulse generated by photo cells in many popular amplifiers from the 1960s on. The MXR Reverb’s Spring setting makes for a historically perfect pairing, and adding the Super Badass Distortion to the mix opens up a full range of expression no matter how big your rig is.

SQR

The SQR (square wave) setting is based on a classic outboard effect that cuts your signal completely rather than gradually lowering and raising the volume, producing a choppy, super pronounced effect. It sounds epic when used with the pedal’s stereo mode—just connect a TRS cable to the main output jack. Adding an MXR Phase 90 and an MXR Reverb set 100% wet is a recipe for cavernous ambience and magically lush soundscapes. 

HARM Setting

The Harm (harmonic) setting recreates the trippy, phase-like tremolo produced by certain rare vintage amplifiers. Those amps did more than just vary the volume of your signal—they actually split your signal through high-and low-pass filters, worked some magic on the separated signals, and then mixed the two back together for a much more ethereal sound. Let your creative impulses run wild with this setting by stacking other modulation pedals along side it, and then slam the signal chain with a dirt pedal for good measure. We used the MXR Reverb, MXR Carbon Copy® Delay, and the MXR Super Badass Distortion to create a combination of sounds that offers a wide range of rich musical tones to explore.

ADVANCED FEATURES

It takes little time to dial in a killer sound with the MXR Tremolo, but if you’re into more advanced setups, this pedal comes with a host of features to satisfy your needs. Here’s a look at what this pedal offers you fine-tuners out there.

ENVELOPE

Envelope Mode allows you to take any one of the six tremolo waveforms and have them react to your playing dynamics. Playing softly produces a slower, more subtle effect, while playing with more intensity produces a faster, more exaggerated effect. You can set set the maximum level for each parameter so that you don’t generate a faster or more exaggerated effect than you need.

STEREO

Few effects create the ambience and texture of a tremolo pulsing from side to side. With the MXR Tremolo, all you need is an MXR TRS Cable to pan your signal two different output sources.

EXPRESSION PEDAL

Want to sweep between two different control configurations? All you need is an MXR TRS Cable and an expression pedal such as the Volume (X)™ Pedal. Adjust the Gain, Speed, and Depth knobs one way with the expression pedal in the heel-down position, and then set them another way for the toe-down position. Blend between the two configurations or switch between the two—the choice is yours.

The MXR Tremolo puts a wide variety of intriguing, well-crafted tremolo waveforms on your board with no overcrowding. Get yours today, and start making your own waves.[/read]