Dean Bernardini (born December 27, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the former bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band Chevelle. He joined the band in 2005 after the departure of Joe Loeffler, who had been a member of the group since 1995. Bernardini is also a noted visual artist and woodworker; the cover of the 2009 album '' Sci-Fi Crimes'' was an original 24''x48'' oil on canvas painting by Bernardini, and he also supplied an original oil on canvas painting for the band's 2012 album '' Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites''.

History

Before Chevelle, Bernardini played drums in the Chicago band Liftpoint. Bernardini taught himself to play bass by listening to and attempting to copy bass lines on albums. The first album he played to was Muse's ''

Absolution Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...

''. When Joe Loeffler left Chevelle, Bernardini, who is married to Pete, Joe, and Sam Loeffler's sister, replaced him. In May 2006, Bernardini injured his left hand forcing the band to pull out of the first eight concert dates (from June 30 to July 26) with

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It wen ...

and

Hoobastank Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist ...

. In September 2019, Bernardini announced he would take a hiatus from Chevelle to focus on his family and personal projects.

Equipment

In a feature in '' Bass Player'', Bernardini stated that he uses

Gibson Thunderbird The Gibson Thunderbird is an electric bass guitar made by Gibson and Epiphone. Background and introduction The Gibson Thunderbird was introduced in 1963. At the time, Fender had been the leader in the electric bass market since their introdu ...

and

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, ...

BTB bass guitars with

Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...

Big Block 750 amplifiers and Mesa 8x10 cabinets for both clean and distorted tones. He is also a featured artist by both

Gibson Guitars Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * G ...

and Ibanez Guitars. The Thunderbirds Bernardini plays are custom built by Ryan Loux of Loux Custom Instruments. One is black with a scale and Chevelle logo inlays, and another is a white bass that features a custom inlaid fretboard inspired by a Picasso painting, and featuring Nordstrand pickups and an extended scale length. The Ibanez BTB570s are modified by Bernardini by refinishing and installing hand-made pickguards and Bartonlini pickups. He uses custom gauge (65-85-115-130) GHS strings.

Discography

with Chevelle * '' Vena Sera'' (2007) * '' Sci-Fi Crimes'' (2009) * '' Hats Off to the Bull'' (2011) * '' La Gárgola'' (2014) * '' The North Corridor'' (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardini, Dean 1973 births American heavy metal bass guitarists Living people Guitarists from Illinois People from Deerfield, Illinois American male bass guitarists 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American male musicians