John Deacon not playing a Fender!

[Diablo]

Just watching the Queen thing on ITV - Another One Bites The Dust video, JD playing an Ernie Ball. I'm shocked, first time I've ever seen any footage of him playing anything other than a Fender. Hmmm, GAS for an EB now......

[discreet]

[stingrayPete1977]

He used one a lot more than people think from quite early on too as I've seen clips from 77 with one. I think I put a load of links to clips of him with one in a previous John deacon thread I think?

[EssentialTension]

Deacon is the first bassist I can remember seeing with a Musicman, way before Ernie Ball of course. Probably about 1976-77.

[stingrayPete1977]

I suppose the pedant in me should point out that he isn't playing an Ernie ball bass and in fact is more fender than a fender of the same era.

[Cairobill]

Anyone have a list of tracks where he used a stingray? Another One Bites the Dust?

Was it a Bernard Edwards influence?

Deacon is an amazing bassist.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Cairobill

[Bassman Steve]

He has been seen sporting a small number of different basses, Warwick Buzzard, Kramer and even a Fender Jazz. He did, however, regain his senses and return to his black (aka sunburst, aka stripped) Precision so no real harm done.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Cairobill' timestamp='1415867399' post='2604541']
Anyone have a list of tracks where he used a stingray? Another One Bites the Dust?

Was it a Bernard Edwards influence?

Deacon is an amazing bassist.
[/quote]
Not unless he has a time machine

[HowieBass]

He had a Ric as well

[stingrayPete1977]

Day at the races is from 76 and there is a clip of them may 77 to of the pops good old fashioned lover boy so he must have got into rays very early on.

[Diablo]

My mistake from not knowing anything about those basses. I thought Ernie Ball = Music Man = Stingray. I guess not.

[EssentialTension]

Ernie Ball buys Music Man in 1984.

[Cairobill]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1415868778' post='2604559']
Not unless he has a time machine
[/quote]

Ah ...didn't realise he was using them before Edwards. Anyone with a geeky interest in Queen recordings know which tracks were Deacon using a 'Ray?

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1415871826' post='2604617']
My mistake from not knowing anything about those basses. I thought Ernie Ball = Music Man = Stingray. I guess not.
[/quote]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1415872397' post='2604626']
Ernie Ball buys Music Man in 1984.
[/quote]

The Music Man Stingray Bass first appeared in 1976 preceding the EB buyout by 8 years. There was a big article on Music Man and their instruments in an International Musician magazine of the time partly because it was Leo Fender's new project and partly because they had some new features that hadn't been seen on mass-produced instruments before.

Edited November 13, 2014 by BigRedX

[stingrayPete1977]

By which time Leo had started G&L too....

[M-Bass-M]

IIRC, John used that StingRay throughout the whole of [i]The Game[/i] album. Certainly some of the other album tracks have that distinct 'Ray sound as opposed to his traditional Precision sound.

[KevB]

I was never a big Queen fan and mostly just used to see them on TOTP. It wasmany years later that I got the impression he was seen as a 'Fender man' as there seemed to be so many videos of him playing stingrays.