Dingus

Some of my favourite players on there, too. I think the bulk of the album was recorded at Muscle Shoals and features the magnificent and much-underrated David Hood on bass, as well the rest of that formidable group of Southern session musicians . I remember hearing an interview with Rod on the radio where he was complaining that it was difficult to get a drink down there while he was recording there because Muscle Shoals Studio was in a "dry county" at that time with highly restricted liquor licensing laws. Surely they could have sent a roadie to find an off- licence? From the list of credits it looks as if some of the album must have been recorded in L.A., as well. It's certainly a stellar line up of musicians. I suppose this was all back in the heyday of big recording budgets . The deluxe version of this album that your son recommends is superb. I particulaly like the tracks with Booker T and the MGS. I think some people are put off by the fact that it's Rod Stewart, if you know what I mean, but good music is good music , and some of the stuff on this album has got real soul.

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1346179342' post='1786218'] No you won't. It's worth pointing out though,as I said earlier,that the Jazz Bass that Jaco used in the video wasn't his. It belonged to Jerry Jemmott and was lent to Jaco for the filming of the video. [/quote] If I recall correctly, according to Bass Player Magazine , the sunburst Jazz Bass in the the video did indeed belong to Jaco. The maple 70s P bass neck was a temporary substitute whilst Kevin Kaufman mended the original neck after Jaco had damaged it somehow . Its worth mentionig that Jaco had more than one Jazz Bass, and that this bass is not neccesarilly the "bass of doom".

I have to go along with all of those who have commented that the sound was much more to do with Jaco and far less to do with the gear. You only need to watch the man in action for a couple of minutes and witness the intensity and variation he puts into the way he attacks the strings to see that he approaches the electric bass as if it was an acoustic instrument . He instinctively varies the way he plucks and produces the notes he plays, and would have sounded like Jaco on most any bass I can think of. Of course he explored and exploited the natural tones of the Fender Jazz Bass-he enjoyed the comfort and familiarity of that model- but there are recorded examples of him picking up other peoples basses and playing them ( like Jerry Jemmotts') and he sounds...just like Jaco. I think the significance of his reliance on the Fender Jazz Bass is more that it was a blank canvas for him to inflict his personality upon and an instrument that ,largely due to circumstance, he felt at home with.

Now that looks like a bass with a story to tell! I would love to hear this bass in action , and I can think of few other basses that I have seen on on Basschat that I would rather have a go on than this one.

Wouldn't it have been much more radical statement if he had decided to repair his bass on stage , or indeed actually learn how to play it?

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1346085287' post='1785054'] I always think of Alder being quite light and Mahog being heavy, my black SR5 is heavy but as its a solid finish Im not sure what its made of? I think my pre EB is ash as was my old Teal SR4 which are both light in comparison. [/quote] I think of alder being light to medium weight too, but I think ash is very variable in weight. Genuine swamp ash is very light, but what is known as northern ash can tend to be very heavy. Genuine swamp ash comes from Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, northern ash from elsewhere in the United States. Needless to say , the swamp ash is in great demand and is in limited supply, and therefore commands a higher price. It is possible to find lightweight ash elsewhere, but it is a question of chance finding it and so needs to be hand- selected. U.S.A Laklands' use genuine swamp ash, as do a few other select makers. I know that E.B.M.M are able to supply specially-selected light- weight instruments to their endorsing artists, but do not extend this service to the general public.

[quote name='Jerry_B' timestamp='1346078657' post='1784938'] He was probably insured... [/quote] Call it intuition if you like, but have a sneaking suspicion that this young man might have lacked the the good sense and foresight to ensure his musical equipment was properly insured. This kind of behaviour can also void most policies, I expect.

I can just imagine you recounting this anecdote in rehab a couple of years down the line...

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1346082917' post='1785011'] Watching the Big Al review clips Ed says the 5 string version is mahogany which helps make it lighter? [/quote] I wondered about that too. Was the original body wood for the Big Al ash ( like a regular Stingray) ? I think it was. All I can say is that a lot of the 30TH Anniversary Stingrays were heavy. The lightest one I ever saw was about 9 1/2 pounds , which is about my maximum weight limit on any bass. Most seemed to be heavier than that.

If this sounds like the 30th Anniversary Stingray , and with a solid mahogany body and rosewood board it should do , then it will be one of the best sounding Stingrays ever. The colour scheme is not at all my taste, but that is a very subjective thing - I expect many others will love it. My biggest reservation would , however, be the weight. EBMM Stingrays aren't on the whole that light nowadys ( I know you get the odd lucky-find light one , but on the whole they tend to be on the weighty side), and these mahogany bodies won't help too much with that. I know the 30TH Anniversary one tended to be heavier. Maybe it's more of an issue to me than to other people. I bet it sounds great, anyway.

I can honestly say that your playing is much , much better than I was after four months. You handle the different note- values and the walking bass part in the middle- eight particulaly well. I have given plenty of lessons to beginning bassists in the past, and I can tell you that I have had students who were nowhere near as good as you after four months who have gone on to become accomplished professional players. Keep practising, keep having lessons and persevere with trying to use two fingers on the right hand; I promise you that in no time it will get to feel just as natural as using one finger does to you now. That bass looks and sounds good too.

You've hit the nail on the head when you say that Foderas' are not overpriced when you look at the time and skill which goes into making each one. These are basses that are genuinely craftsman -built, not just pretending to be so like some others I could mention. Whether ther are "worth the money" as is so often the topic of conversation, depends on if you like Foderas or not. If you don't like them that much, no one is forcing you to buy one. In fact, it's quite hard to buy one when you do want one and you've got the money! ( Two year waiting list ect.) I have considered Foderas in the past but they are not really that appealing to me nowadays , largely because I am already happy with what I have got. I can however ,see Foderas' huge appeal to certain styles of players and in the right hands the sound of these basses can be nothing short of sublime. Check out the solo starting at 4:40 [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVklZUQmhfI[/media]

I know that Wal thought the most dominant feature of their basses was their unique pickup design . The choice of woods made a significant difference but the pickups and electronics made them all sound like a Wal , which ever combination you chose,

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1345875472' post='1782577'] Yep. Could I also add that - in the grand scheme of things - basses are IMHO exceptionally good value for the enjoyment they produce, whether they cost a few hundred or several thousand. Other instruments can cost vastly more (check out the Upton double bass site that has an advert for a DB that it says is suitable for a progressing student, a bargain at a cool $20k) and other hobbies* are much more expensive. We have had people on the site telling us how much they spend on archery or stock car racing and this makes even a Fodera look like small change! Its all relative init? * apart from meditation! [/quote] This is the best point I have read in a long time, and has really given me something to think about. ( And even cheered me up a bit!) When you think about it, playing the bass is relatively inexpensive ( I'm not sure "cheap" would be the right word), even when you compare it to playing the drums; look at the cost of a pro-level kit with cymbals and accessories and the price of a good bass and amp look fairly modest by comparison. Also, unlike most other hobbies, you can usually get some of your money back out of it too; the gear has a secondhand value and sometimes you can even get paid for playing.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1345882865' post='1782645'] IMO those qualities are the least important thing because on a custom instrument they should come as standard. What you need to be looking for is that special something that sets the instruments of one luthier apart from another and speaks to you as a player. [/quote] My experience is that you cannot take it for granted that those fundamental things will be done to the highest level on a "custom " instrument. Maybe they should come as standard, but in reality that is not neccesarily the case. Part of what many players find so seductive about Fodera basses is that those things have been done properly, and when they actually try a Fodera in their hands the bass is so effortless to play that it makes a lasting impression.

The filter- based preamp certainly helps a Wal achieve its unique sound, but I think the basic sound of those basses with the preamp turned off is very distinctive . The Wal growl is to do with the prominence and consistancy of the low-mids, which can easily be acscentuated with the preamp , but are there in passive mode regardless . Regarding any debate about what what is growl is , I would say it is exactly that; it's a certain emphasis in the midrange that enables a bass to heard in the mix.

Jermaine Jackson played bass, but I have no idea if he played on I'll Be There .

[quote name='thodrik' timestamp='1345809651' post='1781807'] Apparently Mr Chancellor's tone is so cloaked in different effects, eq and clean/dirty blends that it isn't really a natural example of the Wal bass sound. The tone is amixture of the bass, the player and the general recording and production process, which in Tool's case is pretty extensive. Any kind of dual humbucker or high output pickup bass could get you in the general ballpark. If you look at the basses used by Tool's contemporaries/soundalikes like Isis, Karnivool etc, you'll realise that Wal basses are not the only basses capable of such a sound. You could probably just use a passive Fender and stick it though a Sansamp and still achieve the desired sound. [/quote] Have to go along with what this man writes and that say that Justin Channcellors tone is actually quite untypical of the archetypal sound of a Wal bass. He uses so many effects in his tone that it detracts fom the typical Wal tone and means that you could have a good go at recreating his tone with a whole host of other basses. I would say that using a pick (as opposed to fingers ) would be more crucial to recreating his sound than having a Wal. I know it is kind of ironic because it seems like a generation of younger players have seized upon the Wal bass as an object of desire because of it's association with this chap, but I would think you could approximate Justins' tone just as easily with most modern-style basses. I don't think he has actually got much Wal growl in his sound.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1345818087' post='1781971'] I would argue that what is special about a Fodera is absolutely unique to them. That's why you buy a Fodera over another high-end custom bass. For instance there's no denying that Jon Shuker makes exceptional basses here in the UK, but none of his instruments that I have played have had that special something that would make ME want to buy one. Nothing wrong with the basses, they are just not the right ones for me. That's why I keep repeating that the instruments from custom bass luthiers are not substitutes for each other. [/quote] I take your point entirely , and I was mindful of what you wrote about each case being unique when I said if you want a Fodera, get one. What I am saying is that the guitar-making skills which define the build quality of Foderas i.e actually making them with real attention to detail and genuine care ( as opposed to just claiming to ) are not the sole domain of Fodera; other builders can do this for you to a comparable level.

Fodera basses are beautifully made by highly skilled professionals to the highest possible standards;,that much is true. Are they that much better than ( still very expensive ) basses that cost half the price? It depends what other brand you choose- in my experience high -end bass builders all talk a good game when it comes to quality, but in reality there can be some fairly rudimentary flaws in construction and design when you recieve the final product. It can be a fine line between handmade and homemade. Fodera are exceptional in that they really do take a huge amount of care over the basses that they turn out, and it is that time and attention that they give every bass that you are paying for, and skilled mens' time costs money.They go to great lenghths to ensure that the things that make a bass play well i.e fretting, nut height, properly -trued fingerboard ect are done to perfection on every bass they turn out. There are plenty of other excellent ,honest and skilled builders out there , including a good few in the U.K , who can build instruments that in terms of fit and finish are on a par with Fodera.-Wal , Status and J.D spring to mind - and equally importantly can offer the after sales service to players in the U.K that Fodera offer so obligingly to players in the U.S.A., and therein lies another part of the equation; a big part of the Fodera mystique is in their association with NYC - based professional players with international reputations and significant media profiles. The quality of their product is undeniable, but Fodera have also benefitted from their geographic location and the access it gives them to one of the worlds' most important communities of musicians. A lot of top players in New York choose Fodera because they know that they can stop by the workshop in Brooklyn and get a repair, setup or service at any time and the crew there will be glad to help them. If you buy a Fodera in the U.K this facility is not available to you unless you get your bass to New York somehow. I am not " for or against " spending a lot of money on a Fodera if you live in the U.K- if you really want one and you can afford it then get one!- but what is special about them is not unique to Fodera. There are plenty of other basses that play well and sound superlative, and a lot of them cost far less than a third of what a Fodera costs.

I'ts pretty subtle; Chuck has his own slap style that he was developing around this time, supposedly completly independant of Larry Grahams influence.Try listening around the 1:00 mark ( he's slapping only , as opposed to slapping and popping ) . I know it's hard to make out , partially because his part combines rhythmically with the drums and also because he is using flatwound strings . But to me, it sounds as if Chuck is slapping a bit.

It's something that record companies do to boost potential sales ; it means that existing fans have to buy music they mostly already have if they want to access the new tracks, and the new tracks can be promoted and often released as singles to publicise the album. On a side note, one of the other new tracks on Arethas Greatest Hits was Spanish Harlem, which is notable in that it seems to be a very early example of Chuck slapping on a record. It can be a bit hard to make out because he's using flatwounds and is a bit low in the mix , but on a good system i think you can hear him slapping a bit on some of the verses : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuT8gA9KT6I

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1345730628' post='1781001'] the album contyaining the studio version is credited with several bass players on allmusic page but doesnt specify which is which unless you have access to cover or sleeve notes - although from the wee clip available on allmusic my first guess would be ron carter [/quote] It's quoted as several players because it's on a greatest hits compilation. The new tracks included on the compilation , including the one in question, were all played by on by Rainey.

It is indeed Chuck on the studio version and Jerry jemott on the live version. The studio version was one of three new tracks specially recorded to be included on Arethas' 1971 Greatest Hits compilation, presumably around the same time as the sessions for Young ,Gifted And Black, which featured Chuck on bass exclusively. For the Filmore recordings , made in the era immidiately preceding these sessions , she was essentially using King Curtis' live band, featuring Jerry Jemmott et. al.

I remember seeing this on The Tube back in the '80's by being knocked out by her sheer raw talent both as a player and singer. Her subsequent career has shown she's up there with the very best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fsply_AyrU And from her exellent solo album from the late '80's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS-cOOMNtgg