Classic Bass Guitar Sounds
- Jeff White
- ghost haunting audio students
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I am pretty stunned that those classic Carol Kaye bass tones are a P-Bass into a Super Reverb. I have both of those (my Super is a '77 that has been modified to pre-CBS specs) and intend on using them much more. I have always foamed/muted my basses and rolled back the treble on them for a much more classic sound.
Jeff
Jeff
I record, mix, and master in my Philly-based home studio, the Spacement. https://linktr.ee/ipressrecord
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- zen recordist
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I'm not sure if he never changed his electric strings, but I do know that James Jamerson (and the guitar players) were recorded direct and all three monitored through the same speaker.Grinder wrote:I always hear that James Jamerson never changed the strings on his P-bass, because he thought the electric instrument was kind of a joke compared to a double bass. Don't know if it's true or not, but it could be a starting point.
Other than that, I think, that arrangement and mixing of the rest of the elements is a major contributor to the type of sound you're looking for.
Gustav
Whenever you put Bass into an older Fender amp. (Blonde/Brown/Black/Silver) try using the 2nd input on whichever channel. The 2nd input is padded down and will give you more range with the Bass.Jeff White wrote:I am pretty stunned that those classic Carol Kaye bass tones are a P-Bass into a Super Reverb. I have both of those (my Super is a '77 that has been modified to pre-CBS specs) and intend on using them much more. I have always foamed/muted my basses and rolled back the treble on them for a much more classic sound.
Jeff
- Jeff White
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You, sir, are my hero. I always assumed that the Bassman was the only Fender amp voiced for bass, and that I would run the risk of destroying a guitar amp by running low-end through it.roscoenyc wrote:Whenever you put Bass into an older Fender amp. (Blonde/Brown/Black/Silver) try using the 2nd input on whichever channel. The 2nd input is padded down and will give you more range with the Bass.Jeff White wrote:I am pretty stunned that those classic Carol Kaye bass tones are a P-Bass into a Super Reverb. I have both of those (my Super is a '77 that has been modified to pre-CBS specs) and intend on using them much more. I have always foamed/muted my basses and rolled back the treble on them for a much more classic sound.
Jeff
Thanks!
Jeff
I record, mix, and master in my Philly-based home studio, the Spacement. https://linktr.ee/ipressrecord
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- steve albini likes it
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Flatwounds + B15 FTW
A lot of the really inventive Motown electric bass stuff that is commonly thought to be Jamerson is actually Bob Babbitt.
A lot of the really inventive Wrecking Crew electric bass stuff that is commonly thought to be Carol Kaye is really Joe Osborn.
The bass on that track sounds like Joe Osborn (who played the same 1960 Jazz Bass, with the same strings, on everything he did until the late seventies) with Bill Pitmann doubling it on a danelectro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCQx3R_V0p0
A lot of the really inventive Motown electric bass stuff that is commonly thought to be Jamerson is actually Bob Babbitt.
A lot of the really inventive Wrecking Crew electric bass stuff that is commonly thought to be Carol Kaye is really Joe Osborn.
The bass on that track sounds like Joe Osborn (who played the same 1960 Jazz Bass, with the same strings, on everything he did until the late seventies) with Bill Pitmann doubling it on a danelectro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCQx3R_V0p0
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- audio school
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- losthighway
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I think between the amps and eqing for vinyl a lot of the old bass tones sound cool because they have a lot of mids, and not a lot of lows. Maybe I'm just projecting from what's been going on in a lot of my projects but it seems like they did a good job of not letting that cloud build up below 100hz. Plugged into a small guitar amp there probably wouldn't be any of that coming out in the first place.
Is this the right thread to bring up how amazing the bass tone is on the Beatles "Rain" single? Kind of a different sound than the wrecking crew stuff, way more sustain, but man.... best bass tone ever?
I remember in the Geoff Emerick book he was talking about trying the innovation with using a speaker as a mic on that song.
Is this the right thread to bring up how amazing the bass tone is on the Beatles "Rain" single? Kind of a different sound than the wrecking crew stuff, way more sustain, but man.... best bass tone ever?
I remember in the Geoff Emerick book he was talking about trying the innovation with using a speaker as a mic on that song.
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- dead but not forgotten
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A totally awesome read BTW for anyone here who hasn't read it yet.losthighway wrote: I remember in the Geoff Emerick book he was talking about trying the innovation with using a speaker as a mic on that song.
"The mushroom states its own position very clearly. It says, "I require the nervous system of a mammal. Do you have one handy?" Terrence McKenna
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- gimme a little kick & snare
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