Bassmonkey Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Had the pleasure of meeting John yesterday at Elland Road. We shared a box watching Leeds v Derby. Despite being a Derby fan, he was truly a lovely guy. Really friendly and good fun. Even showed an interest in my bass activities despite his amazing back catalogue. Now looking forward to Asia at Holmfirth in June. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I saw him with Quango (Asia in all but name), they were brilliant. JW has played with so many prog bands he could be considered 'The' prog bass player; good voice too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 JW is also a killer song-writer... 'Starless' is a full-on prog classic. Also I second the mention of tone... his gritty P-bass tone on the first UK album is to die for... Yes and a great voice too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 [quote name='visog' timestamp='1399225839' post='2442217'] Also I second the mention of tone... his gritty P-bass tone on the first UK album is to die for... [/quote] That's a Jazz! But agreed, his tone is incredible, particularly the live KC stuff and the Rick on the first Asia album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) Really? Never seen pics of JW with either of those? Only ever seen him with his Ps and more recently Gibsons and Zons, etc. And I heard he had a Clarke Spellbinder too. I'd have thought he'd have avoided a Rick on Asia to avoid Squire comparisons? Edited May 5, 2014 by visog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Remember seeing "In The Dead of Night" on OGWT and was amazed by the power of John's bass. I always thought it was a precision too. Big fan of most things JW has done. Liked him with Steve Hackett too. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Great player, great tones. Also played on 'Return To Fantasy' with Uriah Heep (and the follow up). I'm not a UH fan TBH, but I've always had a soft spot for that album.....'Shady Lady' is a brill track, with some nice bass runs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 [quote name='visog' timestamp='1399275026' post='2442570'] Really? Never seen pics of JW with either of those? Only ever seen him with his Ps and more recently Gibsons and Zons, etc. And I heard he had a Clarke Spellbinder too. I'd have thought he'd have avoided a Rick on Asia to avoid Squire comparisons? [/quote] The Jazz was often lurking as a backup during the KC era - black with maple neck and block inlays. It can be seen in various live pics from that era, looking very sorry for itself while the Precision sees all the action! The Jazz was also used in the Heat of The Moment promo. As for the Rick, Wetton himself said that is what he played on the Asia debut album. Incredible sound. I thought it was a Jazz for years thanks to the aforementioned video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 (edited) [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1399316186' post='2443094'] As for the Rick, Wetton himself said that is what he played on the Asia debut album. Incredible sound. I thought it was a Jazz for years thanks to the aforementioned video. [/quote] Saw Asia at Wembley on the first tour in 1982 - Wetton used a Precision, a Zon & a Gibson Victory. I remember the Precision had an enormous cable coming out of it that enabled him to trigger his Taurus pedals from his bass. Brilliant gig, and still the most unbelievably loud one I've ever been to. Edited May 5, 2014 by RhysP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alemb*tch Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1399316186' post='2443094'] As for the Rick, Wetton himself said that is what he played on the Asia debut album. Incredible sound. I thought it was a Jazz for years thanks to the aforementioned video. [/quote] Sorry, that is incorrect. John used his 61 Precision on the first Asia album, through 3 x Marshall super bass heads and cabs, using his Pete Cornish pedalboard. Also, it sounds nothing like a Rick - just listen to the verses of Here Comes The Feeling - unmistakenly a P-bass. John later used his 1968 deluxe Rickenbacker 4001 on every track on Alpha, save for 'The Heat Goes On' which was the Precision. I know John personally so I can coroberate this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 [quote name='alemb*tch' timestamp='1419085848' post='2636391'] Sorry, that is incorrect. John used his 61 Precision on the first Asia album, through 3 x Marshall super bass heads and cabs, using his Pete Cornish pedalboard. Also, it sounds nothing like a Rick - just listen to the verses of Here Comes The Feeling - unmistakenly a P-bass. John later used his 1968 deluxe Rickenbacker 4001 on every track on Alpha, save for 'The Heat Goes On' which was the Precision. I know John personally so I can coroberate this. [/quote] I've just listened to 'Here Comes the Feeling' - doesn't sound much like a P bass to me, but if the man himself says so by all means get him to confirm! I was only going by what he said himself anyway. I'm not a fan of Asia but have always admired his tone on their first album, and it certainly sounds nothing like his P Bass on the KC recordings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alemb*tch Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 No problemo! What I like about JW is his ability to expand the tonal versatility of a simple one-trick instrument like a P-Bass and make it sound so different on lots of things. In KC, his live tone was crushing on some songs, screaming overdriven on others and then he'd scale back and play it almost like a pizzicato cello... Amazing sounds! But my ultimate Rock tone has to be from the first asia album. The songs may be cheesy but that p bass tone is to die for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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