Lozz196 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Just got in from seeing From The Jam. Totally awesome, Bruce Foxtons bass playing as ever was great, but the rig he had! It looked to me - from just checking their site - like an Ashdown BTA400 with Ashdown 810, and with an Ashdown 410 on top of that. A 400 watt valve amp going into twelve 10s, must make hearing yourself on stage easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Funnily enough, I've just watched my 'Bruce Foxton Live From London' DVD from a gig he played in 1985 (a fiver on Amazon!). He was using his black P-bass with mirrored scratchplate through his Marshalls and his playing was flawless throughout the concert, fantastic tone. Not a patch on seeing him 'in the flesh' though - I'd love to see him in action live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Bruce Foxton is a Legend in my book.....message ends..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 [quote name='Green Alsatian' timestamp='1396997906' post='2419708'] Funnily enough, I've just watched my 'Bruce Foxton Live From London' DVD from a gig he played in 1985 (a fiver on Amazon!). He was using his black P-bass with mirrored scratchplate through his Marshalls and his playing was flawless throughout the concert, fantastic tone. Not a patch on seeing him 'in the flesh' though - I'd love to see him in action live. [/quote] They're in the middle of a huge tour so grab your chance; a mix of acoustic & full gigs; the link doesn't work properly, but "From The Jam" are listed high on the left left......... [url="http://www.animalsandfriends.co.uk/live-2/forthcoming-gigs/"]http://www.animalsan...rthcoming-gigs/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Thanks Stu - I see they're playing in town in November for the 'Setting Sons' section of the tour. Ticket bought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 What basses was he using last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Wish I had half his talent..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) He uses a new re-issue precision, personally, I think it is to clean for the Jam stuff, he really should dig out one of his Ricks again for a few tracks like eton rifles and going underground . As a player, well, he really knows his stuff and executes it very well, we have to remember, he wrote some of the most recognised basslines in history. Ashdown now sponser him with amps, which given the reliability issues of Marshall bass amps IMO, that can only be a good thing. I would put him as one of the most underated bass players of the last 35 years, he does not over egg the cake, try a few of his later lines to work out just how clever he was on some things, any fool can play notes per second, it takes a genius like Foxton to work out which ones not to play. Edited April 9, 2014 by spacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumphman Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Love foxton, legend. Many a gig has included his art school era patent jump. I wonder if he still has his old ricks and ibanez copy? Do these old pros keep them or are they just nostalgia to us fans. I always see Townsend playing some nasty modern strat with fancy pickups etc etc never see him with his famous old guitars, ricks, p90 sg, three humbucker les Paul etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I do know he had his Black precision he played for most of the Jam years sold at auction for charity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 [quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1397041041' post='2419965'] What basses was he using last night? [/quote] He used his black `57 Reissue Precision (read about this in an interview, though I didn`t know there were any black `57 Reissues), with a pearloid white scratchplate, maple neck. He`s been using this bass for years now, remember seeing him use it in `97 with SLF A lesson for us all maybe, find a good player and instead of trying to better it, stick with it? He also used an acoustic type bass for Start. His playing was awesome last night, and considering the melodies and how he has to run up and down the neck, his backing vocs were spot on - live, he sings on much of the songs, almost like a second lead rather than backing. I`ve seen clips on youtube of FTJ, but now they are a three-piece and much more raw, which personally is what I want from Jam songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cool. We play a lot of Jam songs in our set and I very often have to decide whether to play the correct bass part or do the correct harmony backing vocals as on some songs its virtually impossible to do both. Dont know how he does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booooooom Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Yup, if it wasn't for the Jam and Bruce Foxton I probably wouldn't have got into music like I did and may never have picked up a bass guitar. Fortunately saw the Jam four times in my youth and have seen FTJ a few times but not since Rick left. Thoroughly recommended to anyone thinking about it - either to have a good jump about or to study the great man's playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 i saw Bruce about 20 years ago when he was with the Stiffs. Awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerstodge Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Yea great player but i much preferAli McMordie with SLF, Bruce was perfection with the Jam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 [quote name='Triumphman' timestamp='1397049748' post='2420115'] Love foxton, legend. Many a gig has included his art school era patent jump. I wonder if he still has his old ricks and ibanez copy? Do these old pros keep them or are they just nostalgia to us fans. I always see Townsend playing some nasty modern strat with fancy pickups etc etc never see him with his famous old guitars, ricks, p90 sg, three humbucker les Paul etc [/quote] He did have his old P bass from Jam days (the one that Spacey said was sold at a charity auction) "in the loft" and when he got it back out again, he couldn`t believe how heavy it was compared to the ones he was using these days. I agree with other comments, brilliant bass player and an ok singer as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joefpbass Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Hi all saw him (and met him) when he was with SLF doing a TV thing at London Weekend. Always preferred Jam stuff, but he was using a P bass of some sort at that time it deffo had maple f.board and I think was black or burgundy colour. His playing was fantastic, never over egging, always playing for the song. A true British great of bass, one of my heroes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 I much prefer what From the Jam are doing now than anything Weller is. Appreciate its all old stuff but FTJ have so much energy. I got the live DVD and would love to see them at some point, im just too lazy to travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 You mean this one I was "on about" [url="http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/the-jam:-bruce-foxton-s-fender-precision-bass-gui-292-c-dae2ccaad3"]http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/the-jam:-bruce-foxton-s-fender-precision-bass-gui-292-c-dae2ccaad3[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 (edited) Whilst we are on it here is the 4001 a lot of stuff was recorded with. Note the pick up ! Now then who knew that the sneaky devil. And all the folk trying to capture his kicking sound on classics like Eton rifles and going underground all face palm... Darn you knew it as well, had to be !... [url="http://memorabilia.hardrock.com/?item=033007"]http://memorabilia.h...om/?item=033007[/url] Edited April 10, 2014 by spacey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 Funnily enough, when I watched BBC's 'Sounds of the 70s' in the early 90s, they showed The Jam playing Eton Rifles on 'Somethin' Else' and I remember noticing the Jazz bass bridge pickup on Bruce's Rick (I had a 4001 myself at the time). Here's the clip featuring that bass, although you can't make it out on YouTube: http://youtu.be/lG0L86DRuC8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Yeah I think he switched to the Precision for live work as it had more heft to the sound, seem to remember seeing a documentary where he said this. But the sound of the R*ck is great, and worked well on those recordings. Think the other main factor to Bruces sound was Paul Wellers R*ckenbacker guitar. At the gig the other night the bass came through the mix a lot better when Russell Hastings was playing one, rather than when he played either his Tele or Les Paul Junior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 10, 2014 Share Posted April 10, 2014 For years bass players have been trying to get foxtons Rick sound from those years, well the secret is out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.