ubit Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 There's some very strange attitudes on this thread about tone being to do with size of fingers . I am a pretty big guy and I can play lightly. I can dig in too, so the tone changes. How does this work in the theory of my sausage or pencil fingers making the tone. I'm pretty sure I can get different tones by playing differently. If you master a copied bassline, it's very easy to sound exactly like the original, unless, of course we are talking about a very unique sound like JJ's . That, I think , is the purpose of this thread. By the way, when I was younger and much, much smaller, I played far more aggressively than I do now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Tone **is** all in the fingers. And the strings. And the pickups. And the bass. And the amp. And the EQ. And the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1424762464' post='2700039'] Tone **is** all in the fingers. And the strings. And the pickups. And the bass. And the amp. And the EQ. And the mix. [/quote] Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1424762464' post='2700039'] Tone **is** all in the fingers. And the strings. And the pickups. And the bass. And the amp. And the EQ. And the mix. [/quote] I agree, but what I'm saying is, you can change the tone by playing differently. Having big fingers does not give you an inherently heavy tone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 I held my fingers to ear, I couldn't hear any tone - any sound at all actually. There was a hissy, scratchy sound when I rubbed them together, but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 [quote name='ubit' timestamp='1424768640' post='2700097'] I agree, but what I'm saying is, you can change the tone by playing differently. Having big fingers does not give you an inherently heavy tone! [/quote] Agree. My natural playing style with a pick generates a warm rounded tone. By changing the way I attack the strings I can get a good Bruce Foxton/JJ Burnell tone. No change of eq, pick, strings, anything, just hitting the strings differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyKnees Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1424725391' post='2699772'][list] [*]I don't buy the story that his cabinets had busted speakers. Firstly, the sound engineer wouldn't mic the obviously cacked speakers and secondly you could not expect wrecked speakers to perform consistently, especially having been lugged in and out of clubs and up flights of stairs. My experiences of blown or damaged speakers has always been the same; rubbish or non-existent sound. [/list] [/quote] According to Hugh Cornwell's biography, JJ originally had a huge cab with 16 x 10" speakers or similar which gradually blew one at a time, giving him his distinctive dirty sound. Not sure if he was still using it when they recorded walk on by though. And I'm sure the sound engineer would have done whatever JJ told him to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Couldn't resist adding my own attempt... This is my 80s marlin p-bass into a joyo 'british sound' (aka their copy of the sansamp 'british') marshall type pedal, into my travel amp, Warwick Blue cab 15.1. I think it sounds quite nice! Sorry about the massive file size, i don't have anything to reduce it with and my phone shoots HD! https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4xudxuij3fxpzy/VID_20150224_202039_edit_0.mp4?dl=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 This has got everything! Can't afford a music stand and the obligatory drunk guy who barges in to " sing" backing vocals ! http://youtu.be/EYno_Em_n2A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spike Vincent Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1424752349' post='2700012'] In support of tone is in your fingers and how you execute your bass line. The Chris Squire example was very good. Here's another, if you picked up Larry Grahams bass played through his rig and started slapping, plucking and popping do you really think you would sound like Larry Graham. I'm sure Larry is doing things with his fingers I haven't mastered or even know how to do. Blue [/quote] If Larry Graham played my bass through my amp, would he sound like me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 [quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1424895635' post='2701727'] If Larry Graham played my bass through my amp, would he sound like me? [/quote] I would think he would sound like Larry Graham playing through your amp with your bass. And if it were the other way around, you would sound like you playing Larry's bass through his rig. blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The ultra heavy weight 77-78 precision and marshall Superbass with 4x12 are all thats required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='spacey' timestamp='1424897393' post='2701754'] The ultra heavy weight 77-78 precision and marshall Superbass with 4x12 are all thats required. [/quote]I was under the impression that JJ's green bass was a 1963 model, not familiar with a the Marshall superbass, I assume it's got a valve overdrive channel which I think was what JJ was doing with a 50 watt sound city guitar amp, anyway there's definitely some sort of distortion going on, not all in the fingers :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1424988581' post='2702794'] I would love to hear his tone isolated. [/quote] Yes! I'm surprised we haven't heard any isolated J. J. yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I tried my P through my MXR Sans amp and an SVT2 and Barefaced Super twin, turned the treble up on the bass, used a pick and I got the JJ tone spot on . It's just a subtle nice distortion you get from the pedal , not too harsh. I tried same settings with a Les Paul bass and it sounded different. Good, but not JJ good. Same with Spector . So it seems quite easy to achieve if you have the right distortion, treble pushed and an aggressive technique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Interested what people think if his current tone and how it compares with the past one? http://youtu.be/SItRVpLjAI0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Still good, but nowhere near as ballsy and aggressive - almost like it`s been matured/refined. That`s a great gig though, Rattus at The Roundhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 [quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1425203201' post='2704894'] Interested what people think if his current tone and how it compares with the past one? [media]http://youtu.be/SItRVpLjAI0[/media] [/quote]a lot cleaner and more like a normal bass these days http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cje1W6iGesw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 [quote name='ubit' timestamp='1424892694' post='2701681'] This has got everything! Can't afford a music stand and the obligatory drunk guy who barges in to " sing" backing vocals ! [media]http://youtu.be/EYno_Em_n2A[/media] [/quote] Yes, reading with the lyric sheet in her hand is nothing less than pathetic. At least the "drunk" new his lyrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1425205622' post='2704927'] Still good, but nowhere near as ballsy and aggressive - almost like it`s been matured/refined. That`s a great gig though, Rattus at The Roundhouse. [/quote] Yeah, I agree. I wonder what exactly has made the difference...? Hard to say, I suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I've still never really heard a tone like it and not seen it replicated in other bands. When I first heard it I thought it was a Rickenbacker as it sounded so much like Chris Squire's tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammeFriday Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So did I - in fact at the time I was listening to both Yes and the Stranglers and was always struck by the tonal similarities between JJB and CS. Of course, in those days you simply weren't allowed to like both bands, so I had to keep quiet about it. Glad to hear you point this connection out now - reminds me of something I had entirely forgotten about! Now, anyone got any ideas about the 'Barracuda Bass' sound on 'In The Shadows'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 [quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1425220035' post='2705156'] Yeah, I agree. I wonder what exactly has made the difference...? Hard to say, I suspect. [/quote] It's worth remembering that what we consider to be classic bass tones were often achieved either through accident or circumstance. Roger Glover has often said he was never happy with his Rickenbacker sound, only playing them as it cut through Lord and Blackmore better than his Precision. Yet many of us think of this as a landmark in rock bass tone. Glover now plays with a very clean, warm active tone and says it's what he's been after for years but technology never allowed it. Similarly, Geezer Butler's sound on the early Sabbath albums - P bass through a 50w Laney guitar head and a half empty cab. Sounds amazing. Geezer was ashamed of it for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedunc Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I don't know if it's been mentioned in the thread but The Stranglers had all their gear nicked whilst playing in the states. That sort of coincided with a bit of a change if direction. I'm sure there was some sort of talk about the theft being some sort of divine intervention and the theft was "meant to be". That's perhaps why JJ's sound changed and the band mellowed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I think it's been well documented that JJ's sound changed when his green P bass fell in half when he punched it during a gig, it never sounded the same after it was repaired, he said he tried hundreds of other basses and could never find one that sounded like it, although some people on here have got pretty close Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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