John Entwistle-BASS GOD

[LeftyBiskit]

Evening low enders!
Just bin out had a few scoops,
tonights burning question,how did the master of soloing get that sound-thanks you tube!!
chuffin amazin that it is,sans effects too i'll wager
pure tone and massive amount of drive i'll guess.
thank's in advance.
I'll go and sleep off these ferkins of bank top,-
nite all.

[chris_b]

He used new strings everytime he played.

[Happy Jack]

And a new bass.

[Truckstop]

Didnt his right hand placement add a lot to it too? Sometimes when I'm bored and playing gibberish, I play literally on the neck around the 15 fret with a touch of drive and it's almost a passable Entwistle sound.

Truckstop

[Badass]

I also hear he cut 1Khz on his amps EQ. Read somewhere he hated that frequency in his sound.

Probably a lot more to it than that though

[Doddy]

[quote name='LeftyBiskit' post='1053618' date='Dec 10 2010, 01:15 AM']the master of soloing[/quote]

[crez5150]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1053871' date='Dec 10 2010, 11:22 AM'][/quote]


HAHAHA....

[Slipperydick]

I remember years ago in the NME there was a regular section on how did so and so get that sound on this or that track.

Someone wrote in and asked how he got his sound, the reply from Entwhistle was "turn the amp up, and pull the bloody strings"

Strikes me that it changed a lot over the years, but FX or amp set up apart, its mostly all in the fingers isnt it ?

I saw the Who a few times and still couldnt work out how he was doing most of it.

Edited December 10, 2010 by Slipperydick

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1053871' date='Dec 10 2010, 11:22 AM'][/quote]


I thought the same!

However, when going for the Entwistle sound don't forget to crank on the treble to a hot signal. If you're looking for "classic" Entwistle sound then be careful not too add too much on a modern amp as EQ's these days are better than on the old heaps of crap he was using back in the day! And don't forget the "typewriter technique". The video of him demonstrating it should be on youtube.

[ElCapitan]

His tone towards the end was dreadful. Bad hearing caused him to crank up the treble or he couldn't hear himself on stage.

[apa]

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

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5mFVo55bKQ&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5mFVo55bKQ...feature=related[/url]

Not bad for a half deaf pensioner!! And he didnt move his feet once ;-)

But no he wasnt the 'master of soloing'

[Wil]

I thought his solos were quite entertaining to watch but the one's I've seen on youtube are a bit, well... all over the place, melodically speaking. I like his playing though, it's totally distinctive and he really pushed the boundaries.

I get the impression he dug into the strings a fair bit!

[Wolverinebass]

It depends what era of his sound you want to emulate. The Live at Leeds sound is pretty easy to do, but the late 70's/early 80's tone is impossible. Amazingly impossible to get. I tried for ages to do it and I just gave up.

Whilst I can say that El Capitan's comments are probably true especially his tone from 2000 until his death it's brutal cutting treble and I would say his bass sounds more like a banjo in places. That in itself is quite sad.

Before that 2000 - 2002 tour I think his tone on "The Vegas Job" or at any time round about 1999 is brilliant. Very bass heavy, but with a mountain of chorusing. Link below for a sample. Anything from 5 minutes in. This is at the House of Blues.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jVSQrEAiw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2jVSQrEAiw[/url]


And this is from the Vegas Job (from 4:25).

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW9azvZbVlU"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW9azvZbVlU[/url]

Try to get that sound and it's almost impossible unless you have the stuff he was using. I went through a quest to get a Digitech 2120 which took months, but that bonkers octal chorusing sound is pretty much the only way you'll get that sound. Digitech don't make anything that's even comparable to that unit any more. Muppets.

I suspect that I'm in a minority of 1 of people who like that as a bass sound. Oh well.

[rmshaw37]

no no, i love it!

and the overdrive sounds just like the sansamp rpm with active emgs (plus chorus)

not i just need to get the hooningly bassy lows and i'll be a happy bunny!

ps how do you get your sound really fookin bassy?? (lookin for a single rack unit! lol)

[Bilbo]

All smacks of derivative blues licks played very loud and with a very clumsy technique. Sorry but I don't rate Entwhistle at all and didn't even when I was into rock music as a teenager. The Who had their good days but Entwhistle was, for me as a developing player, pretty irrelevant. The videos embedded here offer nothing to challenge my view. Another one of the 'greats' who is only great because they played with one of the more popular bands and not because they offered anything particularly interesting. At best, it could be argued that his was a unique voice but, frankly, like Lemmy, that would be because noone else would actually want to play like that. And I can't believe anyone actually [i]wants[/i] to get that tone?

But what do I know?

[Lozz196]

Kindof agree, kindof don`t. I do think Entwhistle was a very good bassist (my disagreement), but, I can`t really place his style in any other band apart from The Who (my agreement). As per the Lemmy comment also.

[Oakbear]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1055727' date='Dec 12 2010, 09:59 AM']All smacks of derivative blues licks played very loud and with a very clumsy technique. Sorry but I don't rate Entwhistle at all and didn't even when I was into rock music as a teenager. The Who had their good days but Entwhistle was, for me as a developing player, pretty irrelevant. The videos embedded here offer nothing to challenge my view. Another one of the 'greats' who is only great because they played with one of the more popular bands and not because they offered anything particularly interesting. At best, it could be argued that his was a unique voice but, frankly, like Lemmy, that would be because noone else would actually want to play like that. And I can't believe anyone actually [i]wants[/i] to get that tone?

But what do I know? [/quote]

+1

[Doddy]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1055727' date='Dec 12 2010, 09:59 AM']All smacks of derivative blues licks played very loud and with a very clumsy technique. Sorry but I don't rate Entwhistle at all and didn't even when I was into rock music as a teenager. The Who had their good days but Entwhistle was, for me as a developing player, pretty irrelevant. The videos embedded here offer nothing to challenge my view. Another one of the 'greats' who is only great because they played with one of the more popular bands and not because they offered anything particularly interesting. At best, it could be argued that his was a unique voice but, frankly, like Lemmy, that would be because noone else would actually want to play like that. And I can't believe anyone actually [i]wants[/i] to get that tone?

But what do I know? [/quote]

I totally agree,but didn't want to say

[Cat Burrito]

His tone changed a fair bit over the years so I wondered if the OP perhaps referred to any particular era? I was never a "big" fan personally but he did have my respect and was a cool looking cat in the 60s

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1053674' date='Dec 10 2010, 07:52 AM']And a new bass.[/quote]

[deaver]

A lot of the above has tickled me but not as much as this quote from T.M.Stevens, 'John Entwistle told me, “All you guys play this widdly-woo stuff I can’t play, but I’ll be remembered forever because I play songs.”'

Each to their own but I'd take his tone anytime from 1969-86 over any widdly-wooer current or deceased.

[Prosebass]

[quote name='deaver' post='1056412' date='Dec 12 2010, 08:01 PM']A lot of the above has tickled me but not as much as this quote from T.M.Stevens, 'John Entwistle told me, “All you guys play this widdly-woo stuff I can’t play, but I’ll be remembered forever because I play songs.”'

Each to their own but I'd take his tone anytime from 1969-86 over any widdly-wooer current or deceased.[/quote]

I once wrote and produced a song called 'widdly woo' and it didn't have any bass solo in it !
It was also the name I gave to a dog of mine years ago for the sake of pedigree registration.....

Seems a shame that a bassist from one of the most successful bands ever has the basschat snob wand waved over him.
Next you'll be telling us Lemmy is a one trick pony..

Edited December 12, 2010 by Prosebass

[LeftyBiskit]

[quote name='deaver' post='1056412' date='Dec 12 2010, 08:01 PM']A lot of the above has tickled me but not as much as this quote from T.M.Stevens, 'John Entwistle told me, “All you guys play this widdly-woo stuff I can’t play, but I’ll be remembered forever because I play songs.”'

Each to their own but I'd take his tone anytime from 1969-86 over any widdly-wooer current or deceased.[/quote]




I concur....
I'm quite a fan of Lemmy's too!!!!!!!

[bassmeg]

[quote name='deaver' post='1056412' date='Dec 12 2010, 08:01 PM']A lot of the above has tickled me but not as much as this quote from T.M.Stevens, 'John Entwistle told me, “All you guys play this widdly-woo stuff I can’t play, but I’ll be remembered forever because I play songs.”'

Each to their own but I'd take his tone anytime from 1969-86 over any widdly-wooer current or deceased.[/quote]



Couldnt agree more. Watched an Entwistle tribute last night and although it was never going to slate the Ox, it showed quite clearly that he was a pioneer and a particularly distinctive one at that.

Townsend had nothing but praise for his ability, he basically said that his guitar and the songs would never have sounded good without John, ultimatley without him the Who would not have been.

His sound is awesome. It cuts through and gets heard.

Edited December 31, 2010 by bassmeg

[chuck_stones]

I've got an old tuition VHS with Entwistle on it and he get's asked about his distinctive sound; the man himself put it down to the following 4 factors:
1. New strings
2. Pickups cranked up to full
3. Treble cranked up to full
4. Hitting the strings hard.

Apparently he believed that the only way to cut through the mix and be heard was to crank the treble up as much as possible and dig into the strings.

[Bigjas]

Well I have listened to The Who for the last 20 years or so, got most of the commercially available albums and really enjoy listening to the music. I have always enjoyed listening to John playing the Bass, even though I have only been playing the Bass for the last year or so. The distinct sound of Johns bass enhanced the music of The Who and worked so well. He rarely just played root notes quietly just filling in the rhythm parts. I love his playing on 'my generation' it makes me smile when I listen to it. For me, that is good music and good playing. Personally, I don't think you need to be an outstandingly technical player to be in a good band, but of course it helps!

All of this is just my opinion of course..................

Jas