On Stage with Chris Mihn-Doky
     Yamaha performing artist Chris Mihn-Doky first caught on to the Silent Bass nearly a year ago. The Danish bassist is considered one of the top bass players in the world, and has drawn a wealth of critical acclaim for his distinctive style. A prolific recording artist, Manhattan-based Mihn-Doky is also a sought-after jazz bassist, soloist, and bass guitarist. The artist says he decided to give the Silent Bass a try because of his prior experience with the quality of Yamaha products.
     "For years I've tried to find a similar upright electric to play, but every time I would pick one up, it would sound terrible," he says. "So of course I was skeptical-I've tried so many. But I figured, 'Let me give it a chance because I have so much confidence in the bass guitars Yamaha makes.' I was sure that whatever they were going to make was going to sound good."
     Mihn-Doky says that while the portability of the Silent Bass was certainly a draw, he wasn't willing to compromise on sound. Fortunately, he didn't have to.
     "It's not like I would play anything just because it's transportable," he says. "This also sounds really good. One of the tests was the first time I brought it to a rehearsal in New York. It was with the Mike Stern Band; I called them up said, 'Is it cool if I bring this new thing?' They said, 'Sure, let's check it out,' but when they saw it, they said, 'Uh-oh,' because they've all heard the other electric uprights, too. But then I plugged it in and played and everybody was happy."
      As an active live performer, Mihn-Doky says that he's discovered some distinct advantages to bringing his Silent Bass on live gigs.
     "A lot of the acoustic stuff that I do is in pretty loud bands, to put it mildly," he explains. "The drawback with the acoustic bass is that you have a hard time playing it loud enough. And if you get a microphone on the bass that you can turn up loud enough, then you won't be able to hear that it's an acoustic bass-because you'll have pickups that are right under the strings. So if you play even remotely loud, you might as well play the Silent Bass. It would sound the same or probably better ... because you won't have the feedback."
     Mihn-Doky has also found the Silent Bass to be well suited to studio work. Some of the artists he's worked with have already found their recordings enhanced by the sound of this innovative instrument.
     "I've already used it for studio work; I recently did a contemporary pop recording for a European artist, and the studio sound you can get out of the Silent Bass was perfect for it," says Mihn-Doky. "It has the warmth of the acoustic but the definition of the electric. In general, I choose to use the acoustic upright on a lot of pop things because I kind of like that approach, but I lose a little bit of the definition. That's where the Silent Bass really hits the mark, because it's right in between."
     And, of course, the detachable frame does make for exceptional portability-one of Mihn-Doky's favorite fringe benefits.
     "Traveling with the Silent Bass is just so much easier," he says. "In New York City-or any city, really-when you go to rehearsals, it can be a drag to bring your acoustic. You know, the size of it and all ... if you get in a cab, you have to stick it out the window. So the whole easy transport aspect of it is incredible. You just fling it over your shoulder and you're mobile."

On the Road with Jim Widner
     The Silent Bass is also picking up fans among musicians working heavily in the educational field. Yamaha performing artist Jim Widner, dubbed "clinician extra-ordinaire" by colleagues and students alike, maintains a hectic schedule of clinics and festivals at high schools and colleges throughout the country, including a series of seven jazz festivals. An alumnus of the Stan Kenton Band and the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Widner is widely known and respected as a dedicated performer and educator. In fact, the music wing of the University of Missouri-Columbia's Fine Arts Residential College was renamed "Widner House" in 1999 in his honor.
     Widner has been playing the Silent Bass for only a few months, but already has been won over by the instrument's playability as well as its superior sound.
     "The reason that I like the Silent Bass is that it's the first electric upright bass that when I play, I feel like I'm still playing a bass," says Widner. "And for a bass player, that's one of the most important things of all. Like everyone else, I've tried playing some of the other ones, which I affectionately refer to as a stick on a stand. And I just can't do it. I've been playing the upright for over 30 years. So I had to wait until something was out there that at least closely resembled a bass. This is the first thing that I have found that actually does."
Widner says that even more than its playability, the sound quality of the Silent Bass is what really sold him on the instrument.
     "Most of the stuff that I do is live, directly in the schools, either with my big band or a small group or just by myself as a soloist-working and performing with one of the student bands," he says. "So contrary to the name, I use it more as a non-Silent Bass.
     "In fact, I just took it on tour with Jim Widner Big Band. I plugged it right into the amp and man, it just cut right through like an ice pick! Sometimes when you're playing an upright bass-depending on the hall you're in-you reach what we call a 'dead' area on the instrument, in which you get not as much sound in a particular range as you will in other areas of the bass," Widner explains. "With the Yamaha Silent Bass, there are no dead areas. So whether you're in the low register or the high register or anywhere in the middle, it's going to project. The sound is even; no matter where you play on the instrument, it cuts. From a performer's standpoint, that's one of the most impressive aspects. So you've got the feel and the sound, what else do you need?"
     "The thing is, some people get hung up on terms. They hear 'Silent Bass' and they think it's for practice only. And I say, 'No, no, no, listen ...' that's why I run it through an amplifier rather than just through the headphones, so they can hear, 'Wow that really does cut!' and they can hear the evenness of sound in all of the ranges."
     Widner also says that the convenience and mobility of the Silent Bass is a welcome bonus.
     "The icing on the cake of course, is the portability. At the end or the gig, concert, festival, whatever-I unscrew the shoulder, put it in the case with the one-piece body, and I'm out the door just like the horn players."
     Like Widner and Mihn-Doky, other artists such as Carlos Del Puerto, Lou Fischer, and John Patitucci are discovering that the Silent Bass is a viable choice for any kind of work, be it rehearsals, performances, or recording. Finally, there's an upright electric bass that lives up to the high expectations of professional musicians.
     "When I play the Silent Bass," says Widner, "I'm not just playing it because of my relationship with Yamaha. I'm playing it because I actually believe in the product and what it can do. That's why I play it."