Owen Biddle joins The Roots

When bassist Hub Hubbard left The Roots in August 2007 after 15 years, Owen Biddle stepped in to play on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, becoming part of one of the most formidable backing bands around.

A whirlwind of high-profile gigs

The Roots backed everyone from Sting to Bootsy Collins, playing Haiti Relief Telethons, Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity, and Carnegie Hall's Tibet House benefit.

Bruce Springsteen's accidental bass

When Springsteen saw Biddle's six-string bass, he shared a story about buying a Gibson EB-6 as a young guitarist seeking Jeff Beck's lush tone, only to have people tell him it sounded like a bass.

“It turns out he had bought an EB-6!”

Two musicians bond over six-strings

Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt lit up when they saw Biddle's instrument, and the two musicians connected over their shared experience with six-string basses and the unique tones they produce.

“You have a six-string bass!”

Building the perfect custom bass

Biddle worked with Philadelphia luthiers CallowHill Basses to create a six-string bass with a compact 30-inch scale, mahogany fretboard, and an overdrive circuit that runs directly from the pickups.

The low B string matters most

Despite having a high C string, Biddle uses the low B string far more, appreciating how the short 30-inch scale keeps notes punchy and prevents them from dying out.

A classic, understated tone

Biddle uses flatwound strings, Nordstrand Fat Stack pickups in single-coil mode, and a mahogany body to create a warm, all-purpose tone that works for almost everything he plays.