Clarky72 Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 [quote name='NJE' timestamp='1393241365' post='2377603'] Its a tricky riff but slow it down with a metronome and you can get it fingerstyle without too much bother. I have just about got it, and get a reasonable facsimile of the bernard tone with the bridge pickup on my roscoe beck with the tone almost or fully off. I have had a few compliments that it sounds like the record. I tried doing it using bernards 'finger plectrum' technique and its very awkward and painful, to be honest unless your doing it for personal reasons to nail it 100% i doubt anyone at a gig would ever hear the difference. I cant find a video where Jerry Barnes the current chic bass player plays that riff at all, they re-arrange it live. Perhaps even Jerry cant do it justice. [/quote] He's pretty much got it down... https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ_EjWLhKjD/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjim Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 [quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1457903184' post='3002923'] +10000 I was listening to Thinking Of You by Sister Sledge the other day and it occurred to me that it was one of the greatest guitar riffs but I've never personally heard a guitarist play it. [/quote] We do a few chic sister sledge tunes. Our guitarist can't do the Nile thing either on Thinking of You as well as should be. Blissfully unaware of it. Our drummer,and most drummers while I think about it, play a ride cymbal all over the Chorus of We are Fam. Ok if you are Omar Hakim but if not it kills the feel and groove for me. Its not a metal song!! I go for back pickup with tone rolled off by half on a jazz when doing these tunes. Not a Stingray but up loud and live it does the job well enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 [quote name='Pete Academy' timestamp='1458042808' post='3004110'] I saw Chic live at the Apollo in the 70s. Bernard was using a BC Rich with a single P-bass pickup. His sound was awful - muddy and boomy. None of that lovely burp I heard on their records. It became obvious to me that it was all about getting the sound on tape in the studio. The same went for Tom Barney with Steely Dan in 1996 at the Birmingham NEC. Every instrument was clear except the bass, which was that boomy mush. [/quote] No matter how big you are, I guess it could happen. I saw The Stones in a small 23,000 seat Ampitheater 2 years ago and Daryl's Bass signal was also boomy and muddy. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 From Nile himself: https://twitter.com/nilerodgers/status/642173067121328128 'Nard used flats first then swapped to rounds in the 70s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Bernard Edwards played a 1977 Stingray. It is suggested they were shipped with flats (GHS) from 76-78 and changed to rounds in 1978. Bernard Edwards is one of the main reasons I first bought a Ray back in the late 70s - one element of sound I could never get was the pops in We Are Family - until I fitted flats to a Ray a couple of years back and nailed the exact sound. So for my money, in Chic in the late 70s his Ray (with which most of their material from that time was recorded) had flats. + 1 on Jerry Barnes - does a great job (even seems to have the bass sound fattened but remaining clear and punchy sometimes as per Bernard - not sure if Jerry uses an effect). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Louis Johnson also got his great slap sound (in the early days) playing an SR with flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Bernard Edwards was a powerful and unique payer, but listening to BE then and Chic now, I think there are several points to think about. As we know, the sound is mainly in the person, their style and technique, but more importantly, Nile Rodgers doesn't try to make Jerry Barnes play like BE or even sound like him. So the guy actually playing in Chic doesn't have to sound like Chic! He is allowed to play sounding like himself. BE is a great player and like all the other great players we shouldn't be trying to sound exactly like him, just assimilating him into our own styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damonjames Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1492809212' post='3283471'] From Nile himself: https://twitter.com/nilerodgers/status/642173067121328128 'Nard used flats first then swapped to rounds in the 70s. [/quote] And that was about the last time he changed them too!! I remember reading somewhere (think it was in Nile's autobiography), 'Nard never like to change his strings, and think it was that fateful gig in Japan he snapped a string and was pissed about it. He liked the sound of dead rounds apparently! I can't find enough words to describe Bernard, In my mind he is simply the perfect bass player. He can play stripped back and simple, or a really fancy groove when required. He can also get a bunch of different sounds depending on his right hand technique. Just downright amazing. Taken way too soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbass Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 [quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1492866340' post='3283763'] And that was about the last time he changed them too!! I remember reading somewhere (think it was in Nile's autobiography), 'Nard never like to change his strings, and think it was that fateful gig in Japan he snapped a string and was pissed about it. He liked the sound of dead rounds apparently! I can't find enough words to describe Bernard, In my mind he is simply the perfect bass player. He can play stripped back and simple, or a really fancy groove when required. He can also get a bunch of different sounds depending on his right hand technique. Just downright amazing. Taken way too soon! [/quote] I agree. If ever a player dispelled the idea that you needed fancy gear and fancy strings etc to sound amazing it was Bernard. His fingers were like an orchestra, I grew up on that dry poppy sound of his and the chuka thing too...a unique bassist, amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky72 Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Although its not the bass he's most known for, I'm surprised fender haven't cashed in with a signature model yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmjos Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Damn right, soo..... few people pay attention to the fact he used a P to great effect, Everyone is fixated in the Ray. Then of course there was the BC Rich which was in single P format also unless I am mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 There's nowhere to put your thumb on a Ray.... Just sayin'.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky72 Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 [quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1493209321' post='3286500'] There's nowhere to put your thumb on a Ray.... Just sayin'.... [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 26, 2017 Share Posted April 26, 2017 [quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1492783184' post='3283221'] Our guitarist can't do the Nile thing either on Thinking of You as well as should be.[/quote] I'm a sh*t guitarist and if I can do it, it can't be that difficult. Everybody Dance is way more difficult. Neither Nile nor Bernard have been particularly into their gear. Despite the mythology he's conjured around The Hitmaker, I suspect his pre-CBS strat is a bit of a dog. PreCBS strat pickups are terrible sounding things - very anaemic and scratchy. Apparently he used Tokai strats quite a bit but I've never seen him with one in a photo so suspect they were used in the studio more than anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damonjames Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 [quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1493212080' post='3286553'] I'm a sh*t guitarist and if I can do it, it can't be that difficult. Everybody Dance is way more difficult. Neither Nile nor Bernard have been particularly into their gear. Despite the mythology he's conjured around The Hitmaker, I suspect his pre-CBS strat is a bit of a dog. PreCBS strat pickups are terrible sounding things - very anaemic and scratchy. Apparently he used Tokai strats quite a bit but I've never seen him with one in a photo so suspect they were used in the studio more than anything. [/quote] I'd fancy you are right kiwi. He tells the story of how he came to have that guitar in his book. Bernard talked him into trading his Gibson jazz guitar in for it, and he wanted to sound like jimi Hendrix so went for the strat. If I recall, it was red and he had it repainted white when he bought it. So the story goes, when they were getting ready for the '59 fender agreed to buy a whole bunch of ash off a farmer, and when the went to collect it, it was right at the top of a mountain. Due to the high altitude it was particularly less dense than normal ash, and as a result, that year seems to sound a lot more thin and trebly - Niles signature sound. He admits that none of this was intentional at the time, he just wanted to be like jimi so bought a strat... fate is funny sometimes!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GILLY Posted April 27, 2017 Share Posted April 27, 2017 I had the pleasure of seeing Chic a couple of years ago and was struck by how harsh and brittle Nile's guitar sounded in isolation. However, bring the rest of the band in and the guitar part sounded brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 [quote name='Damonjames' timestamp='1493281083' post='3287041'] I'd fancy you are right kiwi. He tells the story of how he came to have that guitar in his book. Bernard talked him into trading his Gibson jazz guitar in for it, and he wanted to sound like jimi Hendrix so went for the strat. If I recall, it was red and he had it repainted white when he bought it. So the story goes, when they were getting ready for the '59 fender agreed to buy a whole bunch of ash off a farmer, and when the went to collect it, it was right at the top of a mountain. Due to the high altitude it was particularly less dense than normal ash, and as a result, that year seems to sound a lot more thin and trebly - Niles signature sound. He admits that none of this was intentional at the time, he just wanted to be like jimi so bought a strat... fate is funny sometimes!! [/quote] The story I read from Fender's custom shop, when they were measuring the original for their Hitmaker replica, was that the body wood was alder and narrower than the standard. They got a bulk load for a great price off a farmer but (perhaps because of the hill) the shipping costs were far greater than they expected. Leo instructed them to mill the slabs a few eighths of an inch narrower to keep things even per instrument financially. Apparently the Hitmaker has one of those bodies. Original strat pickups are pretty weak and need a bit of gain to sound chimey. Fender's custom shop also speculated that the chrome plated pickguard might have had an influence on inductance as well but who knows. They could have been clutching at straws to justify making the things in such low numbers. The original pickups in mine were slavishly faithful to the 57 originals and I hated them so they were replaced with Fender Noiseless Vintage. The guitar sounds very much like the original (at least compared to live recordings). These are mine BTW. My Hitmaker replica has a chrome plated brass pickguard too: and...FWIW (the Hitmaker replica was made afterwards unfortunately, or I would had it signed instead) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damonjames Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Nice work on the wood type correction kiwi, cheers. And love the replica mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumOne Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 A Google search for 'Bernard Edwards Bass sound' led me here so it must be one of the go-to places for information - but it has been over 5 years since anyone posted so I thought it was about time to resurrect the thread, not really to add any information but to continue the appreciation! I think this is a great assessment of his playing style: "Edwards is a master of taste. A player with great technical ability, he exercises restraint and control in the most musical way—creating a part and letting it guide the song. His lines are simple enough that you can sing along to them, yet they seem fresh over and over again due to the subtle tension they create. In many ways, he defined what we consider a “bass groove”—a hook that doesn’t need elaboration to be interesting, and in fact, is more effective when executed correctly over and over again." https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2018/06/14/bass-players-to-know-bernard-edwards/ He is probably best known for playing a Stingray but his white Precison with black pickguard and white pickups (as seen in the picture posted earlier in this thread and in the Le Freak video) is pretty much my dream bass, it looks 'Chic' and funky while also being similar to the quintessential Punk look of Dee Dee Ramone's White/Black P Bass. I can't remember where I read it but aparently he used a Precision a lot in recording for the earlier stuff and used other basses for photos/videos....not that it probably matters what Bass he was playing as he seems to be a great example of someone that sounded like himself no matter what Bass he played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 The other bass was a BC Rich Eagle which appeared in a lot of photos but didn't sound very good, apparently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 4 minutes ago, Doctor J said: The other bass was a BC Rich Eagle which appeared in a lot of photos but didn't sound very good, apparently. Ne was it particularly attractive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 (edited) Notice from the pic that the Strat is a hard tail... so no rear hole n' springs... not decked or 'blocked' like say Claptons Blackie, keeping the trem springs. ala Angels Voices... So gonna sound different... Edited September 14, 2022 by PaulThePlug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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