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Bon Jovi 'Keep The faith' - which bass used to record it?


Paul S
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I've been tasked with learning 'Keep The faith' and am finding it hard to get the right feel to it. Anyway, my technical failings aside, it sounds to me like it was recorded on a fretless with flats, or so heavily processed that it kind of emulates that. But it could easily be my ears playing me up. Does anyone know which bass was used to record it?

I tried googling it but it seems no-one can agree as to who actually played the bass on that track, let alone the type! There is often someone here with a bit of 'insider' info though... :ph34r:

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ern500evo is right. Hugh would have played on that, he did so on everything bar 78000. It wasn't long after Keep the Faith (maybe 3 years) that he replaced Alec. Here's the oldest recording I know of with Hugh playing in Bon Jovi live

http://youtu.be/5hqBNkotp3s

Looks like a Sadowsky to me. That said I have Fenders and a Gibson and can get this tone from them. Just Youtube keep the faith live, you'll come up with tons of videos. Best way to get a good ton is to see what he sounds like live. Sometimes you just can't emulate a studio sound live. I find a good P-bass gets the tone, helps if you have a J pickup in the rear, but that's just me and my setup.

FYI, I'm a huge Bon Jovi fan and I regularly play this riff in a sound check, much to my bandmates detest :)[size=4] [/size]

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Thank you for that. Interesting that the tone he has live is absolutely nothing like the tone on the recording, so I am obviously being too anal about it. Or, for that matter, the feel of how he plays it. I'll have a bit of a listen to live version later today, i think.

Thanks again.

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For me the studio version kind of bounces along, really rhythmic. On the face of it it seems a straightforward line but I am struggling to make it flow in the same way. But it would appear that Hugh Macdonald has the same problem live, which makes me wonder if it actually was him in the record as the feel is so different.

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As i type this the song is actually playing on Absolute Radio, lol.

It was him that played on it. I remember seeing a thread that asked if he should have got credit for writing the bassline as it's the driving part of the song. If you check here http://www.huey-mcdonald.com/discography.php you'll see he's credited on the album.

That said, after having a listed it sounds as their is a warm gain on that tone. Very tubey and compressed.

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Well, there you go. Thanks for that.

Still, he wouldn't be the first player to change how he plays. I saw Argent last year and the original bassist (who looks like an extra from a Hobbit film these days) played the iconic 'Hold Your Head Up' bassline with a completely different feel to it. Held the first notes instead of cutting them off. Spoilt it, for me.

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Yeah, I've seen a few bands do that. I think they get bored and you can't blame them for wanting to change it up a bit. Doesn't always work though. I should say if he did change it live then it was probably Jons decision or at least it would have to be run by him. He's a hard task master!

Even when Alec played it live it sounded different but the feeling is closer. Sounds really sharp.
http://youtu.be/t2vDn6Ph1YA

If you are going to change a song then this probably isn't the best way to do it
http://youtu.be/lPq2Mm_1610

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I'm using a Fender Jazz bass Special that someone converted to active with Bartolini pups and electrics. So, yes, P/J pups, middle position, light on the treble, but actually played up close to the neck, gets me as close as I need to I think. Doesn't help me that I play with a pick, mind you. :)

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Ah I heard this on Planet Rock yesterday I think for the first time in about 15 years - what a cool tune! Was just thinking exactly the same about the bass playing. Definitely sounded like flats and very good stuff.

I like it when you hear a tune you haven't heard in ages and think: 'whoa yeah they were actually pretty cool.'

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