Mike's Basses:
1975 Fender Precision Bass
Mike’s number one bass was this mid 70s Precision, and if modern pictures and videos on Facebook are to be believed, he was still using it well into the new millennium.
Unlike most of the other bassists for the Amoebas, Mike used modified instruments. This one had Bartolini pickups in it, though they were not active like Todd's. These had already been installed when he bought it.
This bass was used on every recording Mike made during his tenure with The Amoebas, despite having access to others.
Honestly, it’s kind of hard to say much about the P Bass that hasn’t already been said. Like the Telecaster and Stratocaster, Fender just knocked it out of the park early on with only a few minor tweaks along the way. There’s a reason that so many bassists, including every single one who played for The Amoebas, used them. They sound great, they play great, and they look cool. That’s a triple threat right there.
1984 Rickenbacker 4003
When he joined the band, Mike also had a natural finish, late 70s Precision that was his backup bass. However, with Chris’ encouragement, he traded it for a Rickenbacker. Eventually the bridge pickup was replaced with an EMG Select humbucker since the stock one sounded pretty weak.
Even with that modification, he never really liked the Rickenbacker that much. He used it at a few early gigs, including their appearance on a live broadcast on WBRS, but by the time they were making More., it didn’t even show up as a spare at gigs. The one exception, ironically enough, was the final gig of the Boston era, where he hauled it out for the first time in months.
Mike's natural finish Precision.
1995 Hohner HAB-40N
An affordable acoustic bass, while never used with the band in a formal capacity, did get used for impromptu jams and acoustic sets with Jamie's Nirvana tribute band.
Mike's Amp:
Ampeg SVT-350H with Ampeg 1510HE
Like the P Bass, the Ampeg SVT is an all-time classic, and nearly every player of repute has used one.
Mike’s was a solid state version, so it didn’t weigh a ton (all tube SVTs weigh around 80 pounds). It was missing some of the warmth and character of tubes, but this may also be due to Mike’s tendency to EQ his amp fairly trebly and very tight. As he put it, “I like the cut”, so even though Chris was always encouraging him to turn up the ultra low frequencies, it wasn’t really how he wanted to sound.
The speaker cab was the same model as the one used by Todd previously, though not the same individual unit. Mike usually left his high frequency attenuator off, thus allowing all of the brightness to shine through.
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Mike’s effects:
ProCo Rat [similar model pictured]
Courtesy of Chris’ collection, and eventually given to Jamie, this was used extensively on the "Towel" EP.
DOD FX25B Envelope Filter [similar model pictured]
Used on the intro to “Onion Tears”, this is the only effect Mike owned while in the Amoebas. An envelope filter is a sort of ‘auto wah’, and responds to the force with which one plays. Given how wide the sweep is, Mike was digging in pretty hard for him.
Strings and picks:
D'Addario or Dean Markley Blue Steel 40-100, Martin acoustic bass lights.
Dunlop Tortex 1.0mm standard