Reader Spotlight: Jay Yaws

If you lean more to the old school then you’ll see Jay Yaws is a bass player’s bass player. Just take some of the phrases from his story and you’ll see: “providing a solid foundation”, “serve the song”, and “that endless search for the perfect tone”.

We dig all those things, and so Jay was a great choice for this week’s No Treble Reader Spotlight feature.

Bio:

I just love playing the bass: being the backbone with the drummer, providing a solid foundation to serve the song, and above all using my gifts to worship God and foster talent in others. Each day I try to learn more and draw inspiration from a variety of sources, and I’m on that endless search for the perfect tone. So I can help out and play as much as I can, I like to make myself available as much as possible and both be easy to play with and get along with. Music, and the bass itself, is my passion, and in addition to playing I love mentoring and building up new musicians so they can develop as players.

Location:

North Richland Hills, TX, United States

Day gig:

Bulk Department Manager at Sprouts

Years experience:

13 years

Bands & Gigs:

More often than not I play at in the worship band at Keystone Church, where I’m a serving member. When not there, I frequently fill in at other churches in the area. I’ve also recorded a few tunes with some friends, including an upcoming track from local hip-hop duo Playdough and DJ Sean P.

Gear:

1. Fender American Standard Nitro Satin Precision
2. G&L L-2500
3. Acoustic B200 and 4×10 extension cab
4. Pigtronix Philosopher Bass Compressor
5. Boss TU-2
6. JHS Morning Glory
7. EHX Bass Big Muff Pi
8. Tech21 SansAmp 3-channel BDDI
9. Boss Flanger
10. TC Electronic Transition delay

Why I play the bass:

All of the other guys my age were learning guitar so someone suggested I play bass. That, along with the bass player in the church band stepping going to college, set me on the road and I haven’t looked back.

My bass superpower/claim to fame

I would love to be able to say some sort of virtuosic skill or technical ability that I may or may not have, but it’s probably my power stance.

My influences

Honestly, I try to pull from whatever I’m listening to at the moment. Right now I’m listening to a lot if R&B, Motown, and soul, so that’s showing up a lot in my playing. My favorite bassist of all time is John Paul Jones, since he’s rock solid, technically adept, and a true musician.

More on the web:

• Keystone Church
• Twitter