Geek99 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 A lot of that stuff is played by [url="http://www.bakithikumalo.com"]Bakithi Kumalo[/url]. He's awesome. I believe he used a defretted Ibanez or summat on Graceland. Might be wrong, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I think the Bass solo in You can call me Al is played backwards, if you see what i mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 [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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticker Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 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 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 [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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey D Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 [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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey D Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 You can really hear the fretless sound at about 2 mins or just before when he plays a lovely bass fill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticker Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='245528' date='Jul 22 2008, 05:01 PM']and a whole lot of fart[/quote] ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Kumalo used an old Washburn fretless on Graceland, forget the model number but it had PJ pickups. Edited July 22, 2008 by SJA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 [url="http://www.fretlessbass.com/KumaloBakithiInterview-01.html"]http://www.fretlessbass.com/KumaloBakithiInterview-01.html[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 thanks for the link, I will read that. Not suite sure my meagre skills are up to fretless at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [quote name='sticker' post='245695' date='Jul 22 2008, 09:40 PM']???[/quote] it's a an eq setting on my Zoom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [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). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sticker Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 [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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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