• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan
Ernie Ball Music Man Custom Design Experience

Bob Birch-Music Man Endorsee

Derek

Derek

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 18, 2003
Messages
1,181
We just saw Bob at this last Namm show(Winter 2012). In great spirits and having a blast checking out the Big AL 5 and Classic 5 basses. We had a nice chat and a good time hanging about. Its hard to believe his is no longer with us. We had really come to know him pretty well over the last 10 years. Always loyal and very eager to try out any new basses we had. The only bass he wanted to use with Elton was the SR5. It was his tone! I remember when the 2 HH Stingrays were coming out, he was a little apprehensive about them since all he used was single H. He tried one and it fit like a glove. I asked him about his live tone and he answered right back......

From: basstree@
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: bob's tone
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:47:08 -0700

Single H, Tone controls flat. Pickup select pointing towards neck. Fingers pluck over the pickup, hang on for dear life and wait for the smoke to clear.


He loved the series tone and thats why the HH version was a perfect fit....

He was fiercely loyal to Music Man....I'm sure he had other offers, but was completely home here at MM.

Just a couple years ago he e-mailed us with list of all the Elton John concerts since he has been in the band. Thousands of shows around the world all on a SR5.....


From: Robert Birch <basstree@ >
Subject: Elton John Concerts
Date: April 22, 2010 8:58:23 PM PDT
To: [email protected]

Derek,

Hope all is well in your world. I thought you might get a kick out of this site 28 years of eltonjohnallsongslist: Bob Birch's Concerts With Elton. This is a pretty good list of my gigs with Elton, done by a fan, all on a Ernie Ball Musicman 5 String (no other basses). There are more shows than this, but I thought you and the boys might be interested as to where your #1 bass has been.


Your Bassist
Bob Birch

.....Here is a list of basses Bob has used, borrowed, played live or in the studio over the last 20 years..

1992 SR5 Sunburst Rosewood(bought at Nadines Music-Hollywood) feb 1992
1993 SR5 Natural Maple
1994 SR5 Black Maple
2002 SR5 Trans Green Rosewood
2002 SR5 Blue Dawn
2002 SR5 White Sparkle Piezo
2003 SR5 White maple
2004 SR5 Silver Sparkle Piezo (loaner for NFL halftime show) ABC
2006 SR5 Black HH Rosewood
2007 SR5 Radience Red Maple (Loaner for the Red Piano Vegas shows)
2008 SR5 20 Anniversary 5 string (Purchased as a gift for BOB)
2012 SR5 Black Roasted Ebony neck (for Elton Summer 2012 run)

A great guy, killer SR5 tone....Well miss him...Thanks Bob!

db
 
Last edited:
douglasspears

douglasspears

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
505
Location
Atlanta, GA
wow, 253 times in Vegas? I guess Elton had a residency there for a while?

A quick scan of that list showed 18 times in ATL, I think that's 2nd most. I was there a few years ago, on the Elton/Billy Joel tour, and leaned over to my wife when Elton came on and said "hear that deep, clear bass tone? That's a MM, that's why".

There were also some talented fingers thumping the bass as well.

RIP Bob Birch.
 
Hellboy

Hellboy

Well-known member
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
570
Location
Stockholm, Sweden.
That is indeed a impressive list of gigs with just one of the many artists that he worked with. Splendid musician indeed. Sad that he´s gone.

//Jan
 
Smallmouth_Bass

Smallmouth_Bass

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
1,761
Location
Montreal, Canada
Very impressive list of shows. It looks like he really loved the Stingray 5!

RIP. 56 is way too young. Does anyone know what happened? Was it a battle with an illness?
 
B

basscaster

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 5, 2010
Messages
45
Fair question I think. Bob had explained to me years back that he had broken two vertebrae, and both of his tibia. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks, and in a wheelchair for 14 weeks. Elton still gave him his gig back when he recovered. I recently found an article that he had another fall this summer, and was doing gigs in a chair.

Elton Daily: Get Well Soon Bob

When his obit said he was a warrior, I believe it. Imagine having those kind issues, then playing 1400 gigs with a five string over your back for 3 hours a night. Needless to say, he was in an intense amount of pain.
 
Last edited:
R

Ronnie

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2014
Messages
6
Bert said:
StingRay5/Sterling5 HS/HH from 2005-2008 with ceramic pickups are series.
With the change to Alnico in 2008 they switched to the "StingRay = "always parallel" system".
Click to expand...

Oh, I see - thanks.

I guess to get the "Bob Birch" sound now, the best option is a Sterling?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Papa Het's Signature Guitar Strings
Top Bottom