As the bassist for pop juggernauts Duran Duran, John Taylor has brought a very specific bass tone to nearly every album since the band’s self-titled 1981 debut: “Not too bright, with a full low end,” he told Bass Player in 2015. “I like reggae tone, but I need a lot of clarity, too. And it can’t take up too much room, because there’s a lot going on in the Duran Duran sound.”  In other words, John Taylor likes mids. The bass production on the band’s 1982 Rio album is the perfect example of the “JT sound,” which allowed Taylor to offer muscular support for ’80s blockbusters “Rio” and “Hungry Like the Wolf,” plus classics like “New Religion,” “Hold Back the Pain,” and “My Own Way.” Whether he’s playing with a pick, his fingers, or his thumb, Taylor is never lost in the mix, and it’s easy to see why this tone has served him well for over four decades — and why Dingwall has decided to celebrate his sound with a signature bass. Old Religions Taylor has played many instruments throughout his career, including ones made by Peavey, Fender, Sei, and Kubicki, but the stout mids on Rio are attributed primarily to his late-’70s/early ’80s Aria Pro II SB-600, SB-700, SB-1000, and SB-Elite II basses. (Aria introduced a signature SB-1000JT in 2004, identical to the SB-1000 but with black hardware.)  Taylor became interested in Dingwall basses sometime around 2018, and after using Combustion and NG3 basses with Duran Duran, he worked with Sheldon Dingwall to create the limited-edition Rio Dream 4-string in 2023; all 82 of the instruments, priced at $2,830, sold out quickly. The $2,745 signature bass doesn’t have the Rio Dream’s macassar-ebony fretboard or Hipshot D Xtender key, but it’s otherwise identical.  Like other Dingwalls, the JT has a five-piece maple neck, GraphTech Black Tusq nut, three FD3n neodymium-magnet pickups, Quad-Tone 4-position pickup selector, and fretboard position markers between the D and G strings. The racing stripe, 12th-fret eye logo, and distinctive headstock — designed by longtime Duran Duran collaborator Patty Palazzo — are flashy enough that you can enjoy them without knowing their connection to the Rio album cover (but if you know, you know). Other cool features include all-black hardware, a “minimalist” bridge that simplifies intonation and setup, a nyatoh body and pau ferro fretboard, individual holders for the E, A, and D strings instead of a string tree, passive tone-control knob, and an 18-volt, 2-band Rupert Neve Designs preamp. Neve Power If you’ve been anywhere near a pro recording studio, you’re probably familiar with the exceptional audio gear built by renowned English engineer/entrepreneur Rupert Neve, founder of several companies that bear his name, as well as Focusrite. Neve produ