80’s bass tones

[Raskolnikov]

I’d like to discuss 80’s bass tones pls what are your favorites whom do you recommend & how to achieve them?

 

specifically I’d love to mimic Bakithi Kumalo’s sound from “Boy in the Bubble,” on Paul Simon’s Graceland 

[Raskolnikov]

 

[Russ]

23 hours ago, Raskolnikov said:

I’d like to discuss 80’s bass tones pls what are your favorites whom do you recommend & how to achieve them?

 

specifically I’d love to mimic Bakithi Kumalo’s sound from “Boy in the Bubble,” on Paul Simon’s Graceland 

Fretless. Bridge pickup. Lots and lots of compression. Midrange-heavy EQ, boost a lot around 800Hz-1kHz, cutting most of the bass and treble. Bakithi has a very particular touch on the bass though - he plays fairly hard, with high-ish action, and mostly plays over the end of the neck. I went to a bass clinic with him a few years back and got to see it up close (as well as the original old Washburn bass he used on those sessions). 

 

Same applies to a lot of 80s bass tones - very prominent and punchy, but not actually all that much low end. That was often left to the synths and the Simmons/808 bass drum. 

Edited October 26 by Russ

[Stub Mandrel]

My favourite 1980s bass tone:

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Pegg, Fender precision. 

 

Edited October 25 by Stub Mandrel

[Bagman]

chorus or flanger effects were very popular in the 1980's 

 

also roundwound strings 

[Elfrasho]

 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

 

[Shaggy]

1 hour ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

 

 

 

Saw them live around 1980 - superb  

 

Back to the OP, I know Mick Karn and Pino are the obvious contenders, but my favourite has always been Barry Adamson's bass tone and playing with Magazine.   Ovation Magnum 1 with aforementioned chorus and compression.  

 

 

 

[ezbass]

Mick Karn, Pino, Alan Spenner on Roxy’s Flesh & Blood, John Giblin, Geddy, Derek Forbes.

Edited October 26 by ezbass

[Lozz196]

John Taylor - boost those mids

Deon Estus - Jazz Bass 

 

[Hellzero]

Lemmy's unique tone, dating back to the 70's, but so representative of the 80's hard rock scene.

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, Shaggy said:

 

 

Saw them live around 1980 - superb  

 

Back to the OP, I know Mick Karn and Pino are the obvious contenders, but my favourite has always been Barry Adamson's bass tone and playing with Magazine.   Ovation Magnum 1 with aforementioned chorus and compression.  

 

 

 

….and often mistaken for fretless, testimony to his lovely fluid playing 

[Norris]

2 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Lemmy's unique tone, dating back to the 70's, but so representative of the 80's hard rock scene.

 

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

….and often mistaken for fretless, testimony to his lovely fluid playing 

Sums up 80s bass playing for me 😂

 

Oh, and some guy called Mark King

[Musicman666]

6 hours ago, ezbass said:

Mick Karn, Pino, Alan Spenner on Roxy’s Flesh & Blood, John Giblin, Geddy, Derek Forbes.

 

permission to add a certain mr tony levin to this list. 

[Misdee]

 There was a divide between bass tone on British and American-made music. With UK artists it was brands like Wal, Jaydee and Status you were hearing regularly on records, and ubiquitous Trace Elliot amps and cabs for live rigs. In the States it was more Steinberger, Spector, Alembic, and Fenders always had an enduring popularity with American players.  Gallien Krueger amps and still plenty of SVT's about in the States. If you listen, there was huge variety within that modern '80's sound.

 

 

Edited October 27 by Misdee

[JottoSW1]

In other words take yer pick from many very different tones.... maybe try an old Trace Elliot Amp and a Status Bass ??

[ezbass]

6 hours ago, Musicman666 said:

 

permission to add a certain mr tony levin to this list. 

Permission granted.

[Cat Burrito]

Personally I like the tones of Simon Gallup (The Cure) and Craig Adams (Sisters of Mercy era), and both helped shaped my early playing days.

[lowdown]

The Musician Man basses were popular, and from about '87 onwards, the five-string version joined in on the fun.

 

[la bam]

Yes, a lot where very mid to high based. Even in rock - duff mckagans tone was quite thin with chorus on as well. Worked beautifully with guns n roses. 

[Crusoe]

"Andy Rourke's bass setup

Andy Rourke's bass setup was a blend of his personal preference and the needs of the band. Here are some of the key components of his bass setup:

Bass Guitar: Rourke primarily used the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. The 1964 Fender Precision Bass in sunburst was his main bass used with The Smiths, purchased by Seymour Stein in 1984. 

 

Strings: He used Rotosound RS66LC Stainless Steel Bass Strings (40-95) for his performances. 

 

Amplifier: His amplifier of choice was the Yamaha BB2000. 

 

Effects: Rourke often used a Boss CE-2 chorus and sometimes a Boss GE-10 EQ. 

 

Tuning: His basses were tuned up to F# in the early days of The Smiths, and he used a dedicated F# bass for older songs alongside a bass in standard E tuning. 

Rourke's bass setup was a testament to his skill and the unique sound he brought to The Smiths. His playing style was characterized by its smooth, sophisticated, and bottom-heavy sound, which complemented the intricate melodies of Morrissey and Johnny Marr. "

 

[Russ]

22 minutes ago, Crusoe said:

"Andy Rourke's bass setup

Andy Rourke's bass setup was a blend of his personal preference and the needs of the band. Here are some of the key components of his bass setup:

Bass Guitar: Rourke primarily used the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. The 1964 Fender Precision Bass in sunburst was his main bass used with The Smiths, purchased by Seymour Stein in 1984. 

 

Strings: He used Rotosound RS66LC Stainless Steel Bass Strings (40-95) for his performances. 

 

Amplifier: His amplifier of choice was the Yamaha BB2000. 

 

Effects: Rourke often used a Boss CE-2 chorus and sometimes a Boss GE-10 EQ. 

 

Tuning: His basses were tuned up to F# in the early days of The Smiths, and he used a dedicated F# bass for older songs alongside a bass in standard E tuning. 

Rourke's bass setup was a testament to his skill and the unique sound he brought to The Smiths. His playing style was characterized by its smooth, sophisticated, and bottom-heavy sound, which complemented the intricate melodies of Morrissey and Johnny Marr. "

 

Er… someone needs to tell ChatGPT that a Yamaha BB2000 is a bass, not an amp! 

 

I think Rourke used pretty much whatever was available in terms of amps, I don’t think he has a preferred brand. Back then, if you were northern and played any kind of rock, you probably had a Laney, Hiwatt or Carlsbro rather than the American brands or “boutique” stuff like Trace. But that sunburst P-Bass was ever-present. 

[Lozz196]

Interesting that given he both tuned up to F# and used quite light strings his sound had such a good low-end. 

[iainbass]

John Taylor

Paul Denman

Mick Karn

 

 

[BassTool]

Sting had some nice tones going on during Police days.

 

Rutgar Gunnarson the Abba bassist, some tasty tones -  the playing and tone on One of Us is great IMO. 

 

Duran's John Taylor, Mark King, Paul Webb from TalkTalk just a few.

 

 

All subjective and IMO of course, but being my era in my 20's, there was a lot of influential bass stuff going on between the 70's and the 80's, glad I was there  😆