Itinerant bass player and devoted Harley rider, Joe Hesse may be the best kept secret in the Los Angeles area.

A high-energy dynamo who talks almost as fast as he works, Hesse has carved out a unique niche for himself and his company - Musician Sound & Support Services - in the highly competitive and very busy Los Angeles music industry.

And he's done it by doing the things musicians usually don't like to do - and doing it with enthusiasm and a smile.

So what does Musician Sound & Support Services do? Hesse outlined what he calls, the three facets of his business: 1) live sound production and engineering, 2) musical instrument logistics and set-up, and 3) artists relations.

"Our company also does a lot of live sound gigs around the area, from concerts, to churches, to award dinners - you name it, we've probably done it," Hesse said. "We do the American Music Awards, the Beverly Hills Christmas Tree lighting ceremony, a lot of private parties after shows, Hollywood celebrity birthday parties and events like that that I can't talk about. We also do sound for a variety of jazz artists. We just did several shows for Isaac Hayes one of which lasted late on a Saturday night, then turned around and did the sound for a church service a few hours later.

"We've moved around and set up everything from harps and grand pianos to xylophones, bass and keyboard rigs to thousands of pounds of speaker cabinets and mixing boards - both in and out of sites," Hesse said.

Joe prides himself on the personal touch. "I have a pretty good rapport with artists because we've lived the touring and live performance scene ourselves so and we can anticipate what's needed. Most of our relationships are on a personal level, and I want to keep it that way."

One of the most important aspects of his business is the area of artists relations. "I got started in that area thanks to Jim Wischmeyer and BAG END Loudspeakers," he said. "I put together musicians and music gear dealers or manufacturers and work out arrangements so both the artist and the manufacturer benefit and, consequently, are happy."

But what really sets Hesse apart from the rest is both his willingness to take on just about any challenge ("No job too big and no job too small") and do it with enthusiasm.

"Joe never says 'it can't be done,'" said Larry McCall, Hesse's chief engineer. "He'll find a way to get it done."

"He is just simply a service monster," McCall added. "He goes out of his way to make sure every client is satisfied - and the word of mouth just keeps spreading."

Joe is a little bit more modest. "I like to think of us as sort of an underground company," said Hesse, who has never purchased one line of advertising. "We have been in and out of every club and studio in this town and have established a name for ourselves by getting out and doing."

McCall is an highly experienced sound engineer who has traveled the world with headline artists. In addition to McCall, Joe has also gathered around him a crew of experienced professionals. They include sound engineer Brad Spur; sound engineer David Talavera, setup and production man Darren Hynes, keyboard technician/sound engineer Bob Rice, who worked with Little Feet and Frank Zappa as well as other artists; and maintenance technician Larry Mah.

So how does one find this unusual niche in the highly competitive meat grinder that is the Hollywood music scene?

"Back in my hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., I was a successful bass player," Hesse said. "When I was 13 I picked up a guitar, and the graduated to bass. When I was 17, I started to play professionally and formed a group called the 'Rockin' Paramounts.' We were the biggest thing in Buffalo at the time."

They graduated into a group called "Just Us Five," and gradually evolved into a hot regional band called "The Road," playing all over the East Coast in New York state. In between gigs, he kept busy studio work, commercials, jingles, played fretted and frettless basses.

But in the mid-80's Joe saw the live music business drying up in the Buffalo area. "My wife and I saved up for a year and moved to Los Angeles with $5,000 in our pockets." Once in L.A., Joe continued to pursue his musical career, along with hundreds of other artists. But he also renewed a friendship with Ron Moss, Chick Corea's manager.

"I had met Ron at a gig in Clearwater, Fla., and we stayed in touch. When I got out here I looked him up," Hesse said. "After performing around town for a while, I accepted a standing offer from Ron, and became road manager for Chick's first Electrik Band in 1984 (a trio with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl). Later Chick added Eric Marienthal and Frank Gambale, and - basically - we were on the road for five years (1985-89). That's where I first met Larry McCall - he was Chick's sound technician."

But after the 1989 tour, Joe had had enough of the road. "I felt the need to plant myself in one place - and the place was Los Angeles," he remembered. "That's when I decided to open my own business."

It was at that point that BAG END president Jim Wischmeyer approached Hesse about representing his loudspeaker company in the Los Angeles area. But Joe said, "No thanks - no pun intended, but that just isn't my bag - I'm not a suit-and-tie kind of guy," he said. But he still hadn't found his exact niche at that point. "I was still looking for it," he said. "Then a lady called me who needed a sound system for a wedding. I had a couple of BAG END AF-1s, so I went out and bought a mixing board and I did the job, had fun, and said to myself, 'Hey, I can make money at this.'"

Wischmeyer also kept after Hesse and the two started to develop the artists relations concept. That has become a key part of his business, and he now represents a wide variety of manufacturers, in addition to BAG END.

"I grew up on another brand of loudspeakers, but Chick was a devoted BAG END user and I watched him play through them, and he let me play through them, and I was sold - I got rid of all my other stuff," he said. "I had gotten a couple of AF1s while I was working for Chick then when I started the business I bought two more AF1s, four monitors, 2 TA15s and I was set."

"I can say we've done more sound gigs on just TA5000 boxes than anyone else - hundred of shows on just them." Eventually he added an array of eight BAG END S18C-C single 18 subwoofer enclosures.

"We've done everyone from Chick, to David Crosby to Herbie Hancock to Wayne Shorter, Stanley Clark, Terri Lynn Carrington - just to name a few - they all thought the system was great."

Hesse was also an early enthusiast of BAG END Crystal and Quartz high-performance speakers. "They're perfect for bigger venues. I've done several Isaac Hayes shows with the new system," He said. "And we've done shows for David Crosby, Keith Emerson Show, John Patitucci, John Abecrombie, Peter Erskine, and a new group put called Niacin, which includes Billy Sheehan, Dennis Chambers and John Novello."

"I don't think BAG END realizes what they have with their Crystal and Quartz speakers," Hesse said. "Other sound people are absolutely amazed when they hear them for the first time. If it sounds like I like BAG END gear, it's because I do," he said. "They build great speakers."

In addition, Joe and Wischmeyer have become close friends over the years. "Jim and I first met during our first tour with Chick," Joe said. "When I decided to start my business, I had to stop being a musician and be this other guy and that was tough on me. Jim was a great supporter when I was getting the business started." So what does Joe Hesse do in his spare time, rare as it is?

"I still play every chance I get. That's one of my outlets, along with riding my Harleys," he said. But music is more than just an outlet. "You really can't ever give it up, it's not something you ever want to give up."