GODSMACK - Robbie Merrill Gear Home
 Bass > Ibanez Basses
Amplifiers > SRW Amplifiers
Strings > D'Addario Prism
 Source > Bass Player
Date > January 2001
Author > David John Farinella
Godsmack's Robbie Merrill is one of rock's most aggressive players. Yet, he admits,
"I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play this type of music. The songs are really demanding and you can't stray off the parts. But playing live is a lot of fun. Every night you can get your aggression out."
Night after night, the 37-year-old pounds his left-handed Ibanez Soundgear 4-strings -- strung with medium-light GHS Boomers and tuned drop-D or C G C F -- as Godsmack supports its latest Republic/Universal offering, Awake. But not long ago, the Methuen, Massachusetts native played in several completely different bands -- including country, blues, reggae, prog, and a '50s/'60s cover band.
"I'd cut out of a rock rehearsal and show up to a country gig with my long hair and sneaks on, and just plug in and go,"
he laughs. In the '50s/'60s gig Robbie
"learned what bass was all about. I learned what root notes were, and I began to develop my ear."
With other cover bands he stepped in the shoes of some of his heroes, including Geddy Lee (see page 52), Sting, and Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton. Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten have inspired him to start writing solo material, which he describes as "happier" music with a more major feel than his main gig.
Onstage Tip:
Robbie prefers to keep his setup simple:
"Every room is different and sometimes you don't get a soundcheck, so the more basic your setup is, the better off you are."
On tour with Godsmack, Merrill plugs into three SWR Bass 750 heads -- one powers a pair of SWR 4 x 10 cabinets, and each of the other two drives a pair of 8 x 10s. For distortion he uses an SWR Interstellar Overdrive preamp and a Tech 21 SansAmp. For the Awake sessions, Robbie used the SansAmp and two SWR 750 heads powering SWR 1 x 15 and 4 x 10 cabinets.
Drummer-turned-singer Sully Erna is Godsmack's main songwriting force, which accounts for the percussive nature of the band's bass and guitar riffs.
"It's pretty straightforward,"
says Merrill.
"When it comes time for me to put down the bass part I listen to the song and try to figure out what it needs. A lot of times I throw in simple things here and there, but if I overplay, the song starts missing something."
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