What bass does Victor Wooten play?

[Bass_Guardian]

I dont actually have a clue what bass victor wooten plays but i love the tone of it. Ive watched a few videos of him on youtube but dont know what brand and make of bass he uses.

Any help?

Thanks in advance

Alex

[Doddy]

Fodera Monarch

[Telebass]

He plays Fodera basses, more or less exclusively, I think. And he plays banjo, too, apparently...

[Bass_Guardian]

Thanks guys its bothered me for a while that

[Tait]

Good price, Foderas, too. Absolute bargain for the quality.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Tait' post='1000640' date='Oct 25 2010, 11:22 PM']Good price, Foderas, too. Absolute bargain for the quality.[/quote]

Or they are heinously overpriced because of supply:demand. There's a whole thread about exactly this in the bass guitars subforum.

None of which matters a hoot to Victor Wooten because he gets all his gear for free anyway.

[fretmeister]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1000718' date='Oct 26 2010, 02:02 AM']Or they are heinously overpriced because of supply:demand. There's a whole thread about exactly this in the bass guitars subforum.

None of which matters a hoot to Victor Wooten because he gets all his gear for free anyway.[/quote]


In don't think they get their Fods for free - amps maybe, but not the axes.

[thisnameistaken]

Ah come on Vic is Fodera's main marketing tool, he surely gets whatever he wants from them gratis.

[molan]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1000722' date='Oct 26 2010, 01:17 AM']Ah come on Vic is Fodera's main marketing tool, he surely gets whatever he wants from them gratis.[/quote]

Nope he has to pay.

I realise this is going to sound like a bit of smart alec thing to say but I was actually chatting to him yesterday at BPL on the Fodera stand where he was trying out a new custom Monarch. it's made of different woods to any of his and has a narrower neck than a the most usual one specified by Monarch owners (based on a '64 Jazz profile).

I asked him what he thought and he said it was just an amazing bass and he really liked it - so much so that it was going to cost him a lot of money because he was going to order one to a similar spec.

No reason to say that if it wasn't true and the Fodera guys later confirmed he would be coming in soon to go over the details He wasn't able to take the one that was at the show as it was heading to the UK fiarly soon . . .

I'm sure he doesn't pay 'retail' of course. In fact I was talking to another builder at the show who has quite a few 'name' bassists using his instruments and he maintained that every single one of them had to pay for them.

As far as I know Victor W has about 3-4 Monarchs and an NYC bass. His original Monarch is a very early Fodera made in the first year they started building around '83. The one he is most usually seen with is a 'Yin Yang' with a natural/ebony top and a maple board but he also has one with a rosewood board and one in ebony/ white holly. I've never seen him with an NYC but he does have one apparently.

[molan]

The other interesting thing about the one he was tring was that it was fitted with Seymour Duncan dual coil pickups (with great looking wooden covers). In the past VW has always specified EMG's in a PJ configuration as fitted to his original Monarch (although he now has the Mike Pope pre-amp I think).

It'll be interesting to see if he goes for different pickups if he goes ahead with a new build.

Sorry I couldn't simply add this to the post above - too complicated to edit on my BlackBerry (sitting at LAX on my way home and flight is delayed!).

[Kiwi]

Always nice to hear something from the horses mouth rather than relying on speculation or third hand feedback - thanks Barry

[Bigwan]

"heading to the UK fiarly soon . . ." you say. Anything you wan't to share with the group Barry?

[chris_b]

As Molan says, the preferential treatment VW will get probably runs to a discount and he will most likely jump the queue The volume makers might throw basses at players but the small luthiers don't. Over the years everyone paid for their Wal's and Mark King bought all his Status and GB basses.

[jacko]

Vic also plays a five string Joe Compito fretless.

[Chris2112]

[quote name='jacko' post='1001524' date='Oct 26 2010, 06:46 PM']Vic also plays a five string Joe Compito fretless.[/quote]

He also has a 6 string fretted Compito, an old school Graphite Steinberger, a Kubicki Ex Factor and an old long scale Alembic (either a Series I or II) which he had in the early 80's - the story being that he bought that bass when he had the money for it when he was young and used it non-stop. He was recording in NYC when a producer told him he didn't like the bass and sent him out to get another one. Vic came back with his Monarch "#1" bass and the rest is history!

As for bassists getting free basses, I just don't think the small luthiers can afford it! However, Stanley Clarke did get a free Alembic Stanley Clarke bass as as gift after buying Alembic basses for 30 years!

[Bass_Guardian]

So quite a few basses then...

[molan]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1001610' date='Oct 26 2010, 06:48 PM']However, Stanley Clarke did get a free Alembic Stanley Clarke bass as as gift after buying Alembic basses for 30 years![/quote]

Shame he didn't use it when I saw him last week - left it on the side of the stage with the LED's glowing but didn't go near it once

According to last month's Bass Player - On Vic's new album he plays mostly his Fodera Yin Yang & tenor basses, but also used:

His original Monarch and NYC 5 string fretted plus an NYC fretless, A spellbinder Piccolo (a present from Stanley C), an old Italian 5/8 size upright, the Compito fretless5, a Ribbecke Gafling acoustic, Taylor fretless ABG & some 'tiny' bass made by Marleaux

[Bass_Guardian]

Just watchin vic on youtube again and i came across a bass battle thingy. What bass is anthony wellington using. It sounds amazing and looks stunning.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na2vXJXmGwQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na2vXJXmGwQ[/url]

Edited October 26, 2010 by Bass_Guardian

[Chris2112]

[quote name='molan' post='1001621' date='Oct 26 2010, 07:55 PM']Shame he didn't use it when I saw him last week - left it on the side of the stage with the LED's glowing but didn't go near it once [/quote]

The bass in question is an Alembic Stanley Clarke with a huge dragon inlay. I don't think it has LED's though so you must have seen a different bass! I know that the dragon bass was used to record some of "The Toys of Men" though, and what a record that is!

[waynepunkdude]

I know this is a little crude, but how much do people like VW earn? I mean they are big in bass player circles and even then it's a small proportion of bass players who will want to hear a bass soloist.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1001610' date='Oct 26 2010, 07:48 PM']He also has a 6 string fretted Compito, an old school Graphite Steinberger, a Kubicki Ex Factor and an old long scale Alembic (either a Series I or II) which he had in the early 80's - the story being that he bought that bass when he had the money for it when he was young and used it non-stop. He was recording in NYC when a producer told him he didn't like the bass and sent him out to get another one. Vic came back with his Monarch "#1" bass and the rest is history!

As for bassists getting free basses, I just don't think the small luthiers can afford it! However, Stanley Clarke did get a free Alembic Stanley Clarke bass as as gift after buying Alembic basses for 30 years![/quote]

Don't forget his Univox Violin bass,that's pictured on the cover of 'What did he say' and 'The Music Lesson'.

Let's be honest,he's got loads of basses....... In an old issue of Bass Player,he mentions(excluding his Fodera's) a Conklin 8 string and EUB, Compito 5 and 6
strings,Kubicki Factor,Roscoe 5 string,Alembic Series 1,Nechville Banjo Bass,Taylor acoustic bass Univox Violin and a Juzek Upright.
He's also pictured with a Fodera Yin Yang Singlecut(Imperial?) on the inlay of 'Palmystery' and used a Sitar Bass on one album.

Mostly though it's one of his Fodera Monarch's-either #1,Yin Yang,or Tenor. Although he also uses an NYC Empire,and he used a Bolt on Monarch
the other year when he was in the UK with the Flecktones.

[molan]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1001634' date='Oct 26 2010, 07:01 PM']I know this is a little crude, but how much do people like VW earn? I mean they are big in bass player circles and even then it's a small proportion of bass players who will want to hear a bass soloist.[/quote]

Having spent most of the weekend in the company of a lot of very well respected bass players and luthiers I got the over-riding impression that none of them really had any kind of 'serious' money.

Obviously they are not going to be strolling around with dollar signs on their backs but there was a consistent theme of people doing it simply because they loved it. Bootsy was a great case in point, didn't get paid much at all for a vast swathe of his work with James Brown & Parliament/Funkadelic. He said he never expected to be paid by JB at all and he thought at the time that he should have been paying him just to be in the same room

I guess Daryl Jones may have been the only high roller in the building given his Rolling Stones work but even then all the stories from the Stones camp seem to be that Mick n Keef take the vast majority of the cash.

Contrary to a lot of people's opinions over here the big name US luthiers are a long way from rolling around in cash as well. I wasn't exactly 'interviewing' them but I did ask a few how well the business paid and they looked at me like I was a complete loon most of the time. One of the biggest names told me that his company had never made a profit in its entire existence - he took a 'basic' wage to keep his family ticking over but he loved his work so much that he could never envisage doing anything else for a living.

[waynepunkdude]

Really interesting post, cheers Barrie.

I'd love to see Wooten with a P bass and an Ampeg having a go at some Punk, I really mean that it'd be fun to see what he'd do.

[tino]

[quote name='Bass_Guardian' post='1000532' date='Oct 25 2010, 09:45 PM']I dont actually have a clue what bass victor wooten plays but i love the tone of it. Ive watched a few videos of him on youtube but dont know what brand and make of bass he uses.

Any help?

Thanks in advance

Alex [/quote]
Its a big wooden one with strings

[Bass_Guardian]

[quote name='tino' post='1001707' date='Oct 26 2010, 08:49 PM']Its a big wooden one with strings [/quote]