RIG ENVY: ROGER LIMA

Posted: 25 April 2018

We catch up with less than Jake Bassist.

Read time: 3 mins

Tell us a bit about your rig and the Eden’s you’re currently using – what do you like about them?

I am using an old school World Tour 800 as my main amp. My speaker cabs are 4 D410XST’s. There is some magic in the combination of the 800 and my basses, there is just a ton of punch, clarity and it’s still thick as molasses. With the adjustable frequencies, I am able to dial in the low end for each venue. All rooms resonate differently, and I feel like I can get it thumping by being able to tweak that knob. I get really bummed if the stage is too small and I can’t have all 4 cabs. They really fill out a room and give me that wooly blanket of gooey tone I can wrap myself up with, but I’m often accused to turning it up too loud. Sorry, not sorry!

What bass are you playing at the minute?

Ernie Ball Music Man Sterlings are my basses of choice. They are a little smaller than Sting Ray’s which is perfect for thrashing around stage and give me a nice crisp top end.  I’m currently touring with a 1996 Sterling that I stripped the finish and re-stained the wood myself. She’s a beauty!

How does your rig differ from being in the studio to being on the road?

These days, I’m tracking bass just with a DI and then re-amping after vocals and other layers are in place. This way, I can adjust the amp sound to best fit with the feel of the song. I usually use my live bass rig (only two speaker cabs) but I have been known to use multiple amps at the same time to get a unique sound. I recently used a Marshall JCM 2000 guitar amp blended with my WT800 on a studio project.

What does 2018 have in store for you?

My band, Less Than Jake, has shows all over the place. US, South America, UK, and Europe. We are fortunate to have fans that come out to see us play and support us so that we can make a living going out on the road. Many are festivals and that is always good fun playing for larger crowds that maybe haven’t seen us play or heard our songs. I love the challenge of those shows.

Who would you say are your biggest influences growing up?

I have always loved The Beatles and always gravitated to Paul’s songs and bass parts. As a kid I was a huge fan of Iron Maiden, and Steve Harris’ aggressive style and songwriting. After discovering punk rock in the form of The Descendents, I was always blown away by Karl Alvarez’s seemingly spastic, interesting and beautiful bass lines.

Who are you listening to at the moment?  

I have been in the studio for the month of March producing a band called Masked Intruder for their third LP, so that is pretty much all I have been listening to aside from The Beatles channel on Sirrus XM on my daily commute. 

Any advice to young, aspiring Eden bassists reading this?

Putting in the time playing along with records you really like is the only way to get better and leads to finding your own niche and style. Even if the parts seem impossible at first, break them down, slow them down and the speed will come. Practice, practice, practice. If anything is worth doing, it’s worth over doing!

You can keep up to date with the latest from Roger and the rest of Less Than Jake here.