How was James Jamerson's bass recorded?

[schnozzle]

I keep seeing references to a single amp at the Motown Studio A that the bass players and all the guitarists plugged into simultaneously. Does this mean that the bass was recorded direct and the 'amp' was used as more of a monitor? Or was this amp miked? Or did they do something else? Does anyone know? I looked at the Bob Olhsson article and am still confused.

[takeout]

I keep seeing references to a single amp at the Motown Studio A that the bass players and all the guitarists plugged into simultaneously. Does this mean that the bass was recorded direct and the 'amp' was used as more of a monitor? Or was this amp miked? Or did they do something else? Does anyone know? I looked at the Bob Olhsson article and am still confused.

Most likely he ran direct. There was a lot of that going on at Motown, guitar and bass. The intro to "My Girl" is supposedly a direct guitar.

Jamerson used an Ampeg B-15 amp live.

[Al]

A fender jazz and an Ampeg portaflex amp was his set up, i can only but assume he used that in the studio too, i've used the modern portaflex, it sounds amazing, i know if i owned one myself i'd be using it in the studio that's for sure!.
I'd fukn sleep with the thing as well, i wouldn't tell the Mrs though, she'd freak right out..

[luckybastard]

on "standing in the shadows of motwobn" they say that jamison always went direct into the boad if i recall. i would check but i don't feel like getting up and popping in that dvd right now. he was renowned for using a portaflex b-15 also. my brother went through one of those in a basement recording session a couple of years ago- an early sixties one. so much tone it made me cry. he's always meant to track one down but his v4b serves him well the studio.

[schnozzle]

Okay, cool. Thanks for clarifyin'. I guess direct into their tube board would sound a little different than direct into my not-tube board, though.

[Catoogie]

Jamerson used a Precision not a Jazz and I've seen pictures of him using a Kustom amp live.

[Scodiddly]

The (hopefully) definitive answer comes from the book, which came out back in the early 90's (it was a book with sheet music and cassettes of the bass lines, along with many pages of history and stories later used in the movie).

Jamerson only used the B15 live, and later used a Kustom system for more power.

In the Detroit studio, all of the guitar players and the bass player plugged into a mixer panel mounted in the live room. They all had to listen to their instrument through one shared monitor. The mixer (I think tube-based) included a VU meter, which Jamerson used (along with the sound from the monitor) to dial in the proper amount of "mush" on his bass.

So there you have it. The mixer was probably made locally for that purpose, and Jamerson helped himself to a bit of overdrive from it. Probably not too much, or the engineer(s) would have hassled him about it.

[tiger vomitt]

listen to the intro of my girl (is that the one im thinking of? it goes: bum...bum bum............bum...bum bum....)

totally sounds direct (to me anyway)

[chetatkinsdiet]

I have a B15 from I believe 65. It's got a JBL in it and has the most amazing sound ever. It's got the growl of an SVT, but in a smaller 50ish watt amp. Incredible in the studio...and live for smaller gigs. I highly recommend tracking one down for your bass rig in a studio. Also, since it's got a single 15" speaker, you get an amazing low end out of it. If you do like most when tracking bass and run direct for the attack and the amp for the fullness....this is the one to go with.
later,
m

[Scodiddly]

Incidentally (and now I'm talking as a bass player instead of an audio guy), Jamerson did use a Precision (the same one over all those years). He used flatwounds and never changed one unless it broke. He had rather high action from being an upright player (on an upright with high action! ) and also kept all of the pickup/bridge covers installed along with the foam mute. He believed that the covers and the mute were an important part of the instrument.

In the Motown movie you can see that Bob Babbit has no covers on his P-bass, but instead he's got a sponge stuffed under the strings near the bridge. This is to match the sound of Jamerson... I've done the same thing with various bits of foam rubber.

[Al]

Jamerson used a Precision not a Jazz and I've seen pictures of him using a Kustom amp live.

Catoogie you Trainspotter you!...your absolutley right though. P .bass

[soundguy]

damn, its too bad none of you pokes have questions about how jenna jameson's ass was recorded, I could probably answer some of those with little speculation...

dave

[cgarges]

damn, its too bad none of you pokes have questions about how jenna jameson's ass was recorded, I could probably answer some of those with little speculation...

dave

Damn film guys...

Chris

[heylow]

Might be worth knowing that in addition to flatwounds, he played a MONSTER gauge set at that. I can't remember the exact size but I read a whole deal on him a while back and a lot of guys thought he was nuts for having such monster strings at such high action.

He was renouned for having powerful hands....

Though he was known for playing through an ampeg, recorded tracks were direct into tube preamps.

Another thing worth mention that changes EVERYTHING tonewise is, he always plucked up infront of the pickup covers...he said that "that's where the tone comes from". Put a set of Thomastiks on a P Bass and pluck there yourself....big difference when the plucking hand is up that far....DEEEEEEEP.


heylow

[joel hamilton]

How did carol king record? She played half of that shit that Jamerson was credited for.

I love the fact that people would show up with pedals for the bass that did nothing whatsoever, because it counted in those days as a second instrument (tecnically, union loophole) and they would make double scale. Awesome.