(electric guitar strum reverberating)
- [Troy] Yeah.
- [Musician] There we go.
A little vibe happening.
- [Crew Member] Yo.
- Yeah, I need to talk to the producer
before we go any further.
- [Guitar Holder] We just pulled this one out of the box.
- Four strings and the Fender logo, please.
(playing bluesy riff)
(playing suspenseful bass line)
I'm Troy Sanders from Mastodon.
I am here at Fender to share with you and the world
my new signature Silverburst P. Bass.
(playing suspenseful bass line)
Being a Fender Signature artist means quite a lot to me.
I don't think Fender just gives out guitars to anybody,
so I feel like myself and my own path,
but most importantly,
the band's trajectory through time
has built a reputation,
and Fender has welcomed me into their family,
and, you know, not only have I been playing Fenders
for a long, long time, but many,
many great artists before me,
so it's a special club to be a part of.
That's for damn sure.
I guess the creative process can really start anywhere.
You know, I've been inspired by landscapes
that you drive through
or an experience that happens.
It can really strike at any time,
And I think it's really important
to capture whatever vibe or feeling you get
from any inspiration and kind of lock it in
and let it come out and be channeled
through the art that you have and that you create.
When I have an idea, if anything strikes me,
I sit down and either try to finger it out
if there's something running through my head
or I write it down,
and it can come out lyrically at some point, too.
My approach is pretty simple.
It's just being honest and being authentic.
(playing melodic bass line)
Growing up,
I was super absorbed into the peak of the MTV era
when music videos were nonstop,
and around the age of 10 or so that
I was fully immersed, and it was life-changing.
Everything from the heavy metal on "Headbangers Ball"
to the alternative rock on "120 Minutes"
and all the pop music that was going on at the same time.
I absorbed it all, loved every bit of it.
At the same time,
my younger brother Darren was super into punk,
and he was turning me on
to like Circle Jerks and Bad Religion,
and then my older brother, Kyle Sanders,
was turning me on to Judas Priest
and Kiss and Van Halen,
so I'm getting the best of all these worlds
and just soaking it all in and just fully immersed in it.
And it was just a matter of time before I realized,
"I want to do that with my life."
So, the day I turned 16, I got my driver's license,
and found some dudes to go jam with,
and drove to my first band practice.
Full speed ahead since that day.
(playing rock bass line)
I was really lucky enough to start a relationship
with Fender many years ago
and was able to collaborate on a Jaguar bass guitar
that I did for many years,
and it was awesome,
and that's pretty much all I've played since.
Continuing the relationship with Fender,
I wanted to own a P. bass in the Silverburst fashion,
and it's damn sexy,
so they were super into the idea.
A lot of back and forth to get the right instrument
in my hands that makes me happy,
makes them happy.
Kind of created something new in the fact
that all of my guitars that I own
are active and I like to keep it that way.
(playing rock bass line)
I also own and love some of
my Fender basses that are passive.
The idea of combining the idea came about
and was pretty intriguing
and can really please anyone.
(plays somber bass line)
What we came up with was,
my comfort zone,
is to have the PJ split, pickup wise.
I always rest my thumb right here.
Always have, always will,
so comfort's the key.
One of the biggest differences
between the previous Signature Jaguar that I had with Fender
and this new model is that electronic-wise,
it was really voiced for me.
We created some custom pickups
that I wanted to build with Fender
to really be more versatile
and handle tuning down to A,
which can get real sloppy sometimes,
and I wanted to kind of have a throwback
meets brand-new vibe, audio-wise.
And to give it more headroom,
it's gonna take two nine-volt batteries in the back.
More sonic space is available
with the two nine-volt batteries,
so if you want to go active with this sucker,
it's gonna pop, and you're gonna see it,
and you're gonna hear it, and you're gonna feel it.
(plays somber bass line)
(plays energetic rock bass line)
There's a master volume.
This is a pickup switch P to J,
and we have a stacked treble-bass knob here.
Kind of cuts down on some real estate here.
Stack 'em up.
Easy, easy to control, easy to reach.
But the key here is being able to go passive to active,
this little toggle switch.
So, having this here allows the best of both worlds,
and with this prototype here,
I've played loud with it on my own
and I've also sat down at a studio to check it out as well.
And it's very versatile,
and I think that that's key to this bass guitar
and what sets it apart from others.
When discussions of this bass began,
we had just put out an album called "Emperor of Sand,"
and that is the logo that is on the 12th fret,
and on the backside of the headstock,
instead of signing my name or printing my signature,
I kind of wanted to embrace
the inner Neanderthal within myself
and kind of create a Stonehenge logo,
because a lot of times,
I like to joke about being part caveman, and you know,
half of my life is spent living under a rock
and oblivious to a lot of reality in my surroundings.
So, I thought it would be fun
to put a Silverburst logo on the back with my name.
Hopefully people won't find that too obnoxious
if they want to purchase this,
but I think it's funny and I hope you do, too.
(playing bright bass line)
(playing heavy metal bass line)
I have a lot of features on here that I really love,
which is important.
Feel-wise, it's the neck.
I have played basses with thinner necks
that I've enjoyed for quick movement.
I've played basses with a fatter C neck.
It really solidifies some simple down-low notes
that you're playing.
I chose to go kind of right in the middle
'cause I do a lot of both.
I'm allowed to go high
and kind of dig into some emotional stuff a little better,
and it also handles the low and the growl
and the speed and the dirty.
I play distorted quite a bit.
It handles it like a charm.
(plays emotional bass line)
Aesthetically, Number One,
it would be this word here that says Fender,
because to be a part of it is phenomenal.
The other thing that I probably am most proud of:
on the back here,
this is the icon symbol from Mastodon's "Remission" album
that came out in 2002.
So, when I see the combination of a Fender logo
and this Mastodon icon here,
makes me think of my bandmates
and what we've done collectively to be here
talking to you today.
(playing bright bass line)
It's a very unique emotion
when you see someone playing your signature bass.
It's the ultimate compliment
if you see someone playing your signature bass somewhere,
and I've seen that happen,
and I've seen it hanging in stores,
and it's like an ultimate compliment, really.
Also very humbling.
You know?
There's a saying that I've kind of
lived by for a long time.
It's like the moment that you think you're the shit
is the exact moment you cease to become the shit.
No one can ever get bigger than their britches.
You know?
You don't want to lose that.
I sound like a dad.
- [Producer] No, you don't. No, you don't.
- I am a dad.
- Well, yeah. - I'm just
being authentic to myself.
(crew laughing)
(laughs)
(playing energetic bass line)
I would hope that people see my playing as real,
and for the love of the art,
and for the love of music,
and what music does around the world.
I've seen it with my own eyes.
It spreads enthusiasm and love.
And to see people all around the world, different states,
different countries closing their eyes
and singing to your band,
that's undeniably the best feeling of all time ever,
and I hope to continue to see that more and more
because it's priceless.
(playing energetic bass line)
Thank you.
- Oh yeah.
Uh, what was your name again?
- I'm Troy.
Ah, okay.
(door squeaks)