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african bass sound


Geek99
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I'm jsut curious about this - I was listening to a the radio when a Paul Simon track from Gracelands was played - you know the ones with the jangly African guitars (that sound like a Strat) and that nice sinuous, thumping bass sound. Does anyone know how to achieve that bass sound? Is it in a particular instrument line, or particular amps? Or is it done with Eq and effects? Obviously there is also a certain amount of finger input by the player too, but I'm ignoring that for now.

thoughts?

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[quote name='beerdragon' post='245274' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:30 PM']I think the Bass solo in You can call me Al is played backwards, if you see what i mean.[/quote]
Someone espoused that theory many many years ago, and Dave Lee Travis played the solo both forwards and backwards. You couldn't really tell the difference.

When I saw Paul Simon live at the NEC, he obviously recognised how popular that little solo was, so he let the bassist do it twice. I'm pretty sure he did it forwards.

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I seem to remember on the Gracelands classic albums programme that when they were listening back to the tracks in isolation there were both backwards and forwards bass tracks for the solo in YCCMA .
As for the [i]African[/i] bass sound in general I think the main thing is that is a fretless bass played very acurately with minimal string vibrato .

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[quote name='sticker' post='245463' date='Jul 22 2008, 04:02 PM']As for the [i]African[/i] bass sound in general I think the main thing is that is a fretless bass played very acurately with minimal string vibrato .[/quote]

and a whole lot of fart

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The riff is actually a part played forward and a section attached to it which the tape had been reversed as said in teh above mentioned clasic albums program. It was put in supposedly because it was Bakhiti's birthday. However, I don't believe its the same forward section reversed, as the notes/rhythms are different.

Apart from the great playing from Bakhiti (and it being fretless with minimal vibrato), I suppose the only thing that makes the sound is the EQ'ing and compression. What a bass sound though.

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[quote name='Mikey D' post='245540' date='Jul 22 2008, 05:11 PM']The riff is actually a part played forward and a section attached to it which the tape had been reversed as said in teh above mentioned clasic albums program. It was put in supposedly because it was Bakhiti's birthday. However, I don't believe its the same forward section reversed, as the notes/rhythms are different.

Apart from the great playing from Bakhiti (and it being fretless with minimal vibrato), I suppose the only thing that makes the sound is the EQ'ing and compression. What a bass sound though.[/quote]

I wasnt thinking about [i]that[/i] song in particular (it was one that kept going on about "having diamonds on the soles of your feet"), I was thinking more generally about African bands like The Bhundu Boys and so on, who do all seem to get that same sort of sound. I should have been more clear, it was just that hearing the Gracelands tracks set me off on this train of thought. I hadnt considered that it might have been a fretless, or a defretted instrument. I just really like the sound and wondered if I could get it. Thanks for all the input though I may experiment with the defret setting on my Zoom.

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[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='245882' date='Jul 23 2008, 10:18 AM']I was on Zanzibar (the island) a few years ago & the local band's bass player acheived that sound... With an old and battered jazz copy with what must have been 20 year old strings & a home made cab (banana box or something!)[/quote]


99% fingers

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[quote name='Geek99' post='245251' date='Jul 22 2008, 12:03 PM']I'm jsut curious about this - I was listening to a the radio when a Paul Simon track from Gracelands was played - you know the ones with the jangly African guitars (that sound like a Strat) and that nice sinuous, thumping bass sound. Does anyone know how to achieve that bass sound? Is it in a particular instrument line, or particular amps? Or is it done with Eq and effects? Obviously there is also a certain amount of finger input by the player too, but I'm ignoring that for now.

thoughts?[/quote]

Can you post some youtubes of what you mean? That may help

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[quote name='Geek99' post='245642' date='Jul 22 2008, 08:08 PM']I wasnt thinking about [i]that[/i] song in particular (it was one that kept going on about "having diamonds on the soles of your feet")[/quote]
Diamonds on the soles of her shoes IIRC. Haven't heard it for ages - it is fretless and I think that he may be using short slides up to start each note to get that particular sound (just a semitone or less).

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[quote name='sticker' post='246425' date='Jul 23 2008, 09:36 PM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_FaAwx4ox8"]Diamonds on the soles of her shoes Bass Cover[/url]

Here's a good cover of the Diamonds Bassline .





it's not me .[/quote]


Ooooh that's nicely done!

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yes, very nice - that part about 40 seconds in where he moves up to the 10th fret - THATS the sound I was asking about - sort of a quacking, rasping sound.
He doesnt seem to be doing any short slides up to the notes (as a previous poster quite reasonably suggested) even though it does look like he's using a lined fretless.

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