Don’t laugh, I need to know...

[Skinnyman]

As a child, Sunday mornings were full of the sound of my father playing selections from his album collection while lunch was being prepared.

One of his favourites was this gem by the mighty Bert Kaempfert;

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X6bsoyT86LE

I have never quite managed to emulate that bass tone. It was consistent across all of his records and is probably one of the things that got me into playing bass in the first place. To me it seems like foam mute, flat wounds, P bass and a touch of reverb?

And technique,  of course.

Or am I way off the mark and it’s just a big fat P bass sitting well up in the mix?

Any ideas?

[ezbass]

This will be of no help, but Bert was a feature in the young Ez’s household too. Other regulars included: James Last, The Ted Heath Orchestra, The Peddlars and Glenn Miller.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I can’t help either, but likewise, this was part of my childhood too. My Dad was a big James Last fan. He took me to see James Last at the Royal Albert Hall (I think 😬). I bet he had some Percy Faith in his collection as well? ‘Theme from a Summer Place’ was  a popular selection.

[Dan Dare]

I always liked that track and the bass sound. Some live footage at - Bert Kaempfert - Medley 1978 - YouTube.

Bassist is using a rather fine stack knob Jazz and playing with a pick, Sounds like he's using flats to me.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Hellzero]

To me, it sounds like a short scale hollow body bass with a neck single coil pickup played with a plectrum on flat wounds muted with foam or more likely palm muting : think Eko basses and the likes. Francis Darizcuren had a similar sound way back in his early days with some similar gear...

[Hellzero]

Ok, after some research, I discovered that the bass player was Ladi GEISLER, a guitar player using a technique of his own to get the "knack bass" sound.

Check this excerpt from his Wikipedia page :

"From composer and big band leader James Last, he bought a late 50s Gibson EB bass guitar, with which he developed his legendary "Knack bass" sound that would become an integral feature in the Easy Listening orchestra of Bert Kaempfert. Later, he used a Fender Jazz Bass model. Most recently, he used a Fender Precision Bass when he was invited to live or recording sessions. Geisler's knack bass sound was a treble staccato bass guitar sound in which the bass string was plucked with a pick and immediately suppressed to cancel out any sustain."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladi_Geisler

 

 

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[MacDaddy]

30 minutes ago, ezbass said:

This will be of no help, but Bert was a feature in the young Ez’s household too. Other regulars included: James Last, The Ted Heath Orchestra, The Peddlars and Glenn Miller.

The Geoff Love Orchestra - Bond themes.

Christmas presents were different in those days.

[Skinnyman]

3 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Ok, after some research, I discovered that the bass player was Ladi GEISLER, a guitar player using a technique of his own to get the "knack bass" sound.

Check this excerpt from his Wikipedia page :

"From composer and big band leader James Last, he bought a late 50s Gibson EB bass guitar, with which he developed his legendary "Knack bass" sound that would become an integral feature in the Easy Listening orchestra of Bert Kaempfert. Later, he used a Fender Jazz Bass model. Most recently, he used a Fender Precision Bass when he was invited to live or recording sessions. Geisler's knack bass sound was a treble staccato bass guitar sound in which the bass string was plucked with a pick and immediately suppressed to cancel out any sustain."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladi_Geisler

 

 

Great detective work, thank you!

I’m digging out the Jazz bass and you know where I’ll be for the rest of the day 😁

[Skinnyman]

Just now, MacDaddy said:

The Geoff Love Orchestra - Bond themes.

Christmas presents were different in those days.

My father went to school with Geoff Love so his albums also featured regularly on Sunday mornings.

 

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Hellzero]

Check this video with loads of stills :

 

[Hellzero]

@Jus Lukin : remember that Ladi GEISLER was a jazz guitar player alongside with a violin player, so mixing the jazz plectrum attack on flat wounds with the violin pizzicato technique (with the fretting hand) helped him get this "knack bass" tone. So you have to mute with your fretting hand too and have loads of treble on the amp to hear the attack, but only the attack, so boosting the bass is not the idea here. The sound comes from the muting and the attack with close to no sustain and flat wounds. On early recordings, the Gibson EB short scale typical "humpf" associated with the flat wounds is really identifiable. Later recordings with the Precision were closer to James Jamerson tone.

 

[Hellzero]

Of course, the neck pickup is almost mandatory to get the early days "knack bass" tone.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 14, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[BassTractor]

Not helpful either, but if one likes "A Swingin' Safari" then one might also like "Zambezi" and "Africaan Beat" off the same album, and at any rate I'd direct one's attention to "Living it up" from "Living it up!".

On the positive side, this stuff isn't hard to listen to, and you'll be well-protected from anything artsy. 😀
I lurve it.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

I think @Spoombung has carried out some research in this area.

Personally,  my Danelectro Longhorn did this type of tone splendidly. 

[Skinnyman]

1 hour ago, Hellzero said:

Of course, the neck pickup is almost mandatory to get the early days "knack bass" tone.

And picking up by the bridge from the look of things

[Hellzero]

14 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

And picking up by the bridge from the look of things

Yep.

[drTStingray]

55 minutes ago, BassTractor said:

Not helpful either, but if one likes "A Swingin' Safari"....

I love that tune - appeared on the radio (Light Programme) very regularly in the 60s alongside the occassional Beat record, Cilla, Lulu and Acker Bilk. 

The bass line is great and a perfect example of "The Knack" bass sound. I had thought it was duplicated with a double bass. 

This style was used in the US studios - Carol Kaye talks about using a "Dano bass" for the tic tac sound (which she sometimes played), whilst other musicians duplicated on "string bass" and "Fender bass" - so no doubt the Dano is a good means of getting the sound.

As is a Stingray (particularly one fitted with mutes) where you can boost the bass on the EQ if needed. 

On left hand muting, I thought everyone did that as part of playing a bass guitar - you can control the level of muting with your fretting hand very effectively - unless it's just the way I learned to play/developed my bass playing style - I've always muted with both hands - dependent on the sound required!!

Edited April 13, 2021 by drTStingray

[Hellzero]

And as I wrote earlier, palm muting on the right end, no foam.

If you like this kind of easy listening music (but not easy written), you'll love André Brasseur music. We saw him a few years ago with his new youngsters band, and it was just amazing.

I think you all know the tunes he's playing... 

Check this 2017 concert :

 

 

[Spoombung]

Such a great sound. Just a couple of points: firstly, you need bit of space around this sound to make it work...so no loud guitarists in the vacinity, secondly use rounds not flats to get it - when you palm or foam mute you'll need some twang from somewhere. Suits single coil pickups too, so a Jazz bass is a good choice.

Edited April 14, 2021 by Spoombung

[Spoombung]

Worth listening to this as well. Brian Odgers....