Los Angeles, CA – October 2011… Ask any audio professional about a cable’s impact on sound quality and you’ll inevitably be told one’s choice of cable is not the place to save a few bucks. Such is the case for Willie Basse. Best known as the former frontman of the legendary Los Angeles based rock band Black Sheep, Basse is a multitalented vocalist/bassist, audio engineer and producer, artist manager, studio owner, and actor. Whether on stage or in the studio, Basse never cuts corners when it comes to his cables, and that’s precisely why he insists on using Zaolla Silverline Artist 500 guitar cables with his instrument and Zaolla Silverline microphone cables in his studio.

Break Away-released in 2010 on the New Empire Media label-is the title of Basse’s most recent single, which features Dokken/Lynch Mob guitarist George Lynch and Scorpions drummer James Kottak. As a solo artist, Basse is very particular about his sound and, for the past 3+ years, has relied on Zaolla Silverline cables. He discussed what led him to Zaolla Silverline.

“I’ve spent three quarters of my life dedicated to achieving a better sound,” Basse explained. “Over the years, I’ve conducted numerous cable and connector ‘shootouts’ and I consistently prefer the sound I hear with Zaolla Silverline. I really like the Artist 500 guitar cables. The cable’s solid silver core makes for a much better signal conductor. I first learned about solid-core silver from Doug Sax and Stephen Haselton from the old Mastering Lab in Hollywood and when I listened, I was sold. The Artist 500 is, by far, the most accurate cable available in terms of sound quality. This cable delivers a clean, clear, punchy representation of the sound. These cables enable me to hear exactly what my ears are hearing when I’m standing in the room with the instruments.”

“I’m equally impressed with the plugs on the ends of these cables,” says Basse. “Everything about the Artist 500 is top notch. The build quality, the way they wrap, and the way they lay flat on stage. I’ve had my Zaolla Silverline cables for a good 3-4 years and they simply get the job done better than any other brand I’ve tried.”

Zaolla Silverline Artist 500 guitar cables use silver-core plugs by G&H Industries. Being 99.99% pure silver to increase conductivity and improve sonic responsiveness, these plugs are the only ones on the market with solid-silver core connections-making them the ideal complement to Zaolla Silverline’s cable.

Basse is equally fond of his Zaolla Silverline microphone cables. “These mic cables are clearer than any other cable brand I’ve experienced,” Basse reports. “From the microphone to the mic preamp and on to the channel input, I use my Zaolla Silverline cables all the time. Cables are a critical element in the studio that can’t be overlooked. Zaolla Silverline is as accurate and true to the source as you can find. With these cables, I know exactly what I’m getting when it comes to the sound.”

In addition to their superior sound and build quality, Basse was equally complimentary of Zaolla Silverline’s customer / technical support services. “On my last tour I was opening for Steven Adler (drummer from Gun’s N’ Roses) and his new band, Adler’s Appetite-we had 40 shows booked. I needed more cables and wherever I tried to buy them, the stores were out. I contacted the company and not only did they build me the cables I wanted, the company express shipped them to me. The folks at Zaolla Silverline were really on top of the situation. I was able to get the cables I needed in time, so I didn’t have to stress out over the matter. They were great to deal with.”

Currently, Basse is preparing for the Willie Basse Feed America-NOW tour (www.feedamerica-now.org). This will be a campaign to fund community food banks across the nation in an effort to help those people who have encountered difficulties during our nations’ current economic downturn. The plan is to launch this effort right after Thanksgiving. “These are tough times for a lot of people,” Basse says, “One in every four children go to sleep hungry and I really want to help change this.”

Shifting his attention back to his preparation for the upcoming tour, Basse offered this closing thought, “Working with Zaolla Silverline cables has been like taking the cotton out of my ears or lifting the blanket off my head. Thanks to these cables and their excellent audio qualities, I can hear clearly and this enables me to see, or visualize, the music better in my mind. If you’re looking to improve your sound, start with your cables and take a good, hard look at and listen to Zaolla Silverline.”

To learn more about Willie Basse, visit: www.williebasse.com or www.rockforrecovery.com.

- Hosa

Chicago, IL – March 2011… As an electronic DJ and music producer from the windy city with over 25 years in the business, Bad Boy Bill knows firsthand what it’s like to spend hour after hour in the studio. An owner of several record labels that release house music, Bad Boy Bill recently released The Album, a full length CD of original music. But it doesn’t stop there. This non-stop artist does what to many would seem the unthinkable: he travels the globe on weekends DJ’ing for music fans from seemingly everywhere. As of this writing, Bill was off to Europe for a gig-but he planned on being back in the studio in just a few days! With a schedule like this, there’s no time to be messing around resolving cable issues. That’s why, for his studio, there’s only one cable that Bill knows he can count on-Zaolla Silverline.

Known as Studio 956, Bad Boy Bill’s studio is outfitted with a variety of Zaolla Silverline cable products, including DB25 to XLR breakouts and balanced interconnects such as XLR, ¼  inch TRS, and  XLR to ¼ inch TRS.  There’s also an assortment of RCA to XLR cables as well as RCA to ¼ inch TS.

“I started using Zaolla Silverline cables a few years ago when I really wanted to upgrade the sound quality in my studio,” Bill reports. “I use Zaolla Silverline for every single connection in my studio, which includes DAWs, loudspeakers, a BLUE Bottle Mic, a Manley Massive Passive signal processor, as well as my Neve, Chandler, Summit, and Tube-Tech microphone preamps-and, of course, to all my vintage keyboards and gear like my Memory Moog, Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer, Studio Electronics SE-1X, etc.”

While reliability is certainly important to him, Bill is adamant about sound quality and, in this regard, he says there’s no substitute for Zaolla Silverline. “Zaolla Silverline cables are the best,” he said, “and it shows in the sound quality I achieve as well as the build quality. In terms of sound quality, what I put in is exactly what I get out-the music sounds rich and full. What more could a guy ask for? This is why there isn’t a cable in my studio that’s not Zaolla Silverline. Anytime we’re working in the analog world, my music gets created or processed flowing through the veins of my Zaolla Silverline cables.”

Bill tells us he’s never had to replace a single Zaolla Silverline cable, “I really haven’t had to deal with the cables much at all because everything works beautifully right out of the box. I haven’t had a single problem with a Zaolla Silverline cable.  To me, that shows the durability and quality the company builds into their cables.”

Before shifting his focus to the business of the day, Bill offered this parting thought, “Listen, I couldn’t ask for anything more. These days, most electronic music is being done ‘in the box,’ but if you’re going to add anything like a vocal or a guitar or an analog keyboard to your track, I feel it’s worth it to make certain you get the highest quality signal into your system as possible. You may also want to send something out from the DAW into an analog EQ or compressor for processing, and then shoot it back into your DAW; so you certainly don’t want to lose any signal quality due to poor cabling. If sound quality is important to you, the investment in high quality audio cables is mandatory. I’m very happy to be a Zaolla Silverline user/endorser and would like to thank everyone at the company for making my recordings sound the absolute best they can be.”

Bad Boy Bill’s music is available online at iTunes, Beatport, and Amazon.com. To learn more, visit him at www.badboybill.com.

- Hosa

Buena Park, CA – January 2011 … As a musician, you’ve definitely arrived when your credits include tours for performers such as En Vogue, R&B/Pop icons Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson, as well as high profile studio sessions with the likes of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (best known for creating Janet Jackson’s pulsating grooves). Currently, he’s the staff guitarist for Michael Bearden & the Ese Vatos, also known as the Lopez Tonight band. Thomas Organ-better known in music circles as Tommy “O”-is at the top of his profession. At this level, you can work with any equipment you choose and when it comes to cables, Tommy O relies on Zaolla Silverline.

Since September, Tujunga, CA-based Tommy O has been using Zaolla Silverline Artist 500 Series guitar cables for both his instrument and his effects pedal board. While he has employed the services of guitar technicians to wire his effects in the past, he prefers a more hands-on approach and enjoys tweaking his gear until every last path in the signal chain is fully optimized. He discussed those factors that most directly impact a good pedal board setup.

“I like to keep my pedal board cables as short as reasonably possible, since it dramatically helps minimize noise, hum, and other audible anomalies,” Tommy explained. “When you move from one gig to another, fluctuating voltage can make a huge difference to the sound coming through the pedal board. I find that by keeping my interconnecting cable lengths as short as possible, it lessens the chance for noise and other undesirable sounds. Since I buy my Zaolla Silverline pedal board cables pre-terminated (plugs already fitted) and in 6-inch lengths, it’s easy to wire the equipment together while minimizing the amount of cable in the system-and this really helps keep your signal clean and noise-free.”

In the few months since he switched to Zaolla Silverline’s Artist 500 Series cables, Tommy O reports his sound is better than ever and he loves the cable’s build quality. “Since switching to Zaolla Silverline cable, I’ve experienced a very noticeable impact on my sound,” he says. “It broadens my sound and gives it considerably more presence than many other cables-without coloring it. My signal is also cleaner and it’s got more bite when I need it.”

“As for the way the cable wraps and lies on the floor,” he continued, “this too, is very impressive. A lot of cables remain pretty wrinkled up when you first unwrap them and lay them across the floor. By contrast, the Zaolla Silverline cables flatten out and lie nicely in just a few moments after unwrapping them. You have a lot less concern about tripping over them or having the cables getting caught on something by accident. It all adds up to a more confident performance.”

When an artist has the performance demands of such high profile work as Tommy O, the ability to count on one’s suppliers is crucial. In this regard, Tommy O had nothing but praise for Zaolla Silverline’s customer/technical support services. “Everyone at Zaolla Silverline has been great to deal with,” he said. “Whenever I have questions or need something, they’re very responsive. They’re a great company to be with. It’s a pleasure to work with the Zaolla Silverline team. They really take great care of their customers and are really good about getting back to you when you have questions or need assistance. When they say they’re going to do something, it gets done and you can’t ask for more than that.”

As he prepared to leave for his next project, Tommy O offered this parting thought about his experience with Zaolla Silverline, “I can honestly say Zaolla Silverline cable products have been the best cables I’ve used thus far in my career. Reliability has been excellent and I have every confidence these cables will be with me for a long time. I’m sold!”

For additional information about Tommy O, visit him online at http://www.lopeztonight.com/guitarist_tommy_organ.php.

- Hosa

Buena Park, CA – June 2010 … Based in Southern California, Jugulur is a 5-piece groove metal band consisting of Justus and Judge on lead vocals, Preacher (guitars and vocals), Monster (bass, vocals, and noises), and Beast behind the drums. Metal for the Masses best summarizes the band’s focus and Monster, whose musical contribution carries tons of attitude, also happens to be the band’s spokesperson. Monster recently re-wired his pedal board setup and, to ensure all was handled with the utmost expertise and the finest cable available, he took advantage of Zaolla Silverline’s custom shop and had much to say after-the-fact.

Though not necessarily common knowledge, Zaolla Silverline offers a unique service whereby artists on the company’s endorsee roster can choose to have their rigs custom wired with the company’s Artist 500 Series cables. The process, which consists of five parts: (1) system cable measurements, (2) cables built to length and specification, (3) system re-wire with new cables, (4) final system adjustments/terminations, and (5) play test, ensures the equipment in question is professionally interconnected—enabling both the artist and the equipment to perform at full throttle without the slightest hiccup.

Monster described his first Zaolla Silverline encounter and how his relationship with the company came about. “I first met Jonathan Pusey (Zaolla Silverline’s Director of Sales and Marketing) and had an opportunity to try the Zaolla Silverline cables at last year’s Bass Player Live mini-tradeshow in Los Angeles,” Monster recalls. “The moment I auditioned the cable, I fell in love with it. The sound I heard was awesome. From that point on, Jonathan and I kept in touch. When Jonathan later informed me of the company’s custom shop, I couldn’t resist. I’m running three pedal boards and the thought of re-wiring the setup myself was more than I could deal with. By contrast, the Zaolla Silverline folks are pros at this sort of thing and are well equipped to handle the project. So I thought to myself, ‘Why not take advantage of the service?’”

Beyond the initial trip to company headquarters and the return trip to actually have the system interconnected, Monster reports the entire process was extremely efficient. “The measuring of all the cables took roughly 1.5 hours,” he notes, “and the actual re-wiring of the system took about 2 hours more. Had I tried to do this myself, I would have spent a small fortune on tools; only to drive myself crazy trying to get it all done—and even then, the actual system wouldn’t be anywhere as clean and professionally assembled as it is now.”

When queried about those qualities of Zaolla Silverline cables that prompted him to wire his entire pedal board with it, Monster offered the following, “Zaolla Silverline cables are the cables that all other cables wish they could be. Since using them, my sound has become louder, cleaner, and more distinctive. They’re also built extremely tough. I’m not exactly the easiest going type of individual when I perform. They work really well and I haven’t had a single problem with them. I like to think of them as Monster-proof.”

“Since I began using the Zaolla Silverline cables on my pedal board rig,” Monster continued, “I’m getting more highs, more lows, and my sound has a much more distinctive character with far greater presence. For those who don’t think that cables make that much of a difference, I’m here to tell you they make a tremendous difference. Wow!”

As he prepared for the band’s next gig, Monster offered a few final comments. “The entire process went really well,” he said. “The Zaolla Silverline folks really understood what I was looking to accomplish. Since the job was completed, my noises—as I like to refer to them—have considerably greater strength. The brutality of my sound has gotten a lot sharper. I’d highly recommend this service to anyone looking to get their setups properly cabled together. These cables are truly 100% alien technology. Best of all, they can handle 100% of Monster’s brutality.”

To learn more about Monster and Jugulur, visit the band online at www.jugulur.com.

- Hosa