• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Find a Dealer
  • Register
  • Support
  • Shop
NS Design Logo

NS Design

Groundbreaking Electric Stringed Instruments

  • NS Design Logo
  • Home
  • Instruments
    • NS Electric Violin
      • NS Electric Violin Overview
      • CR Electric Violin
      • NXTa Violin
      • WAV Electric Violin
      • Custom CR Series Finishes
    • NS Electric Viola
      • NS Electric Viola Overview
      • CR Electric Viola
      • NXTa Viola
      • Custom CR Series Finishes
    • NS Electric Cello
      • NS Electric Cello Overview
      • CR Electric Cello
      • NXTa Cello
      • WAV Electric Cello
      • Custom CR Series Finishes
    • NS Electric Omni Bass
      • NS Electric Omni Bass Overview
      • CR Electric Omni Bass
      • NXTa Omni Bass
      • WAV Electric Omni Bass
      • Custom CR Series Finishes
    • NS Electric Upright Bass
      • NS Electric Upright Bass Overview
      • EU Electric Upright Bass
      • CR-M and CR Electric Upright Bass
      • CRT Electric Upright Bass
      • NXTa Upright Bass
      • WAV Electric Upright Bass
      • Custom CR Series Finishes
    • NS RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
      • NS RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar Overview
      • CR RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
      • NXTa RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
      • WAV RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
  • Accessories
    • NS Electric Strings
    • Bows
    • NS Electric Violin/Viola Accessories
      • Adjustable Chin Rest
      • Balanced Shoulder Rest
      • NS Shoulder Rest
      • Electric Violin/Viola Stand
    • NS Electric Cello Accessories
      • Electric Cello End Pin Stand
      • The NXT Tripod Stands
      • The CR Tripod Stand
      • The Boomerang Strap System
      • The Frame Strap System
      • Thumbstops for Electric Cello and Bass
    • NS Electric Omni/Upright Bass Accessories
      • The Boomerang Strap System
      • The Frame Strap System
      • Bass End Pin Stand
      • Bass End Pin Stand Conversion Kit
      • The CR Tripod Stand
      • The NXT Tripod Stands
      • Thumbstops for Cello and Bass
    • Flight Cases
  • Artists
    • All Artists
    • Electric Violin
    • Electric Viola
    • Electric Cello
    • Electric Omni Bass
    • Electric Upright Bass
    • RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
  • Inside NS
    • News
    • History
    • Interviews
  • Support
    • Register your NS Instrument
    • Parts and Technical Support
    • Contact
    • NS Catalogs
    • Owners' Manuals
    • FAQ
  • Shop NS
    • All Products
    • Instruments
      • All Instruments
      • Prototypes and Special
      • NS Electric Violin
      • NS Electric Viola
      • NS Electric Cello
      • NS Electric Omni Bass
      • NS Electric Upright Bass
      • NS RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
    • Accessories and Support Systems
    • Cases and Gig Bags
    • Bows
    • Merchandise
  • Search

James “Hutch” Hutchinson – Groove Royalty

James “Hutch” Hutchinson is respected far and wide for his musical versatility and long experience playing with top-tier acts. After taking some classes at the Berklee College of Music while gigging in bands around Boston, the 17 year old decided to head out west to the San Francisco Bay Area.  He jumped at opportunities to play on sessions with Link Wray’s band and with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart which lead to an opportunity to join the Quicksilver Messenger Service spin-off Copperhead, all this before he turned 20 years old.

When their album failed to find an audience the band broke up and Hutch left for Guatemala for what he expected to be just a three week visit. Three weeks turned into a year which allowed Hutch to immerse himself in Latin American culture and rhythms. Returning to the US with his Latin Jazz Fusion band The Point, Hutch got an offer to play in The Neville Brothers Band. While playing with the Neville Brothers he was introduced to Bonnie Raitt and in 1983 moved to Los Angeles to join her band after her original bassist dropped out right before she was scheduled to go on tour.

blank

In the intervening 30 plus years, Hutch has made significant contributions to Bonnie’s sound and has co-written some of her tunes along the way. In an interview with Bass Player Magazine Hutch recalls, “Bonnie calls me her ‘musical ranger’ because I bring in all of these different influences. It’s not just that I’ve listened well and learned to play different styles, it’s that I’ve spent time living and working with the players in those communities. There are musicians in various parts of the world—blues players, country guys, even African musicians—who think of me as their style of musician. They may not even be aware of other styles I play.”

Fellow NS artist Tony Levin sums up Hutch’s musical versatility and impact on Bonnie’s records for Bass Player Magazine: “Hutch Hutchinson has never played a wrong note for Bonnie Raitt. He’s perfect for her songs.”

blank

Hutchinson uses a variety of basses to bring the best tone and feel to his music. For songs requiring versatility in upright sound, Hutch loves NS Design’s CR Omni Bass.  Ned Steinberger created the Omni Bass to connect the sound and feel of the electric bass guitar with its familiar 34″ scale and TransRadius™ fingerboard with the tonal purity, voice and bowed or plucked response of the classic upright bass. The Omni bridges both worlds. It’s a portable and adaptable innovation that has opened up new worlds of sonic versatility and physical freedom for so many musicians like Hutch.

Hutch’s favorite go-to upright on the current Dig In Deep tour is NS Design’s high performance CR4M Upright Bass. It’s as versatile as the CR Omni, including an active EQ and mixer, EMG™ magnetic pickups and Steinberger’s patented Polar™ Piezo Pickup System, and provides all the depth of sound that a full scale double bass commands.  Hutch uses the CR4M with vintage Ampeg B-12, B-15’s; and when in the studio, the B-18 combos or the classic Ampeg SVT808’s and 8X8 matching cabinets.

blank

NS Design founder and creator Ned Steinberger with Hutch Hutchinson

Here’s Bonnie Raitt and Co. covering a Bob Dylan classic “Million Miles”  from her 2012 album Slipstream.

With headlining tour dates in May and June around the US, Bonnie, Hutch and Co. will also be joining fellow Massachusetts-native James Taylor in select US dates in August, with a very special performance on August 11th at historic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Check out all tour dates and related info at:  http://www.bonnieraitt.com/tour

Learn more about James “Hutch” Hutchinson, NS Design Artists and NS Basses at thinkNS.com

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Artist Interviews
  • Artists
  • Awards
  • Cello Artist
  • Cello Artists
  • CONNECT2021
  • CONNECTLIVE
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Featured Artist
  • For Bass Players Only Interviews
  • iNSights
  • Instruments
  • Interviews
  • NAMM Show Highlights
  • Ned Steinberger
  • NS Cello
  • NS Insight
  • NS Omni Bass
  • NS Radius Bass Guitar
  • NS Upright Bass
  • NS Viola
  • NS Violin
  • Omni Bass Artist
  • Omni Bass Artists
  • Radius Bass Artist
  • Radius Bass Artists
  • Reviews
  • Uncategorized
  • Upright Bass Artist
  • Upright Bass Artists
  • Video
  • Viola Artists
  • Violin Artist
  • Violin Artists
  • webpage_post

Footer

Join the mailing list

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Products

  • NS Electric Violin
  • NS Electric Viola
  • NS Electric Cello
  • NS Electric Omni Bass
  • NS Electric Upright Bass
  • NS RADIUS Electric Bass Guitar
  • Accessories

Inside NS

  • News
  • Artists
  • NS Connect LIVE
  • Interviews
  • History

Customer Service

  • Contact Us
  • Register your NS Instrument
  • Parts and Technical Support
  • Find a Dealer
  • FAQ
  • Owner’s Manuals

Copyright © 2023 · NS Design · Log in