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What Bass is Bernard playing.


Mickyk
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2 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Andy is right, it's a BC Rich Eagle, but you're hearing his Stingray. I recall an interview with Marcus Miller where Bernard told him he used the BC Rich basses for performances like this because they looked cool but he thought they sounded terrible.

 

The sound is somewhat distinctive (unmistakably Stingray). Interesting that he thought the BC Rich looked cooler

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1 hour ago, AndyTravis said:

BC Rich Eagle

Absolutely spot on, and as Andy Stated he used them in his videos, as he loved the look.

I went through a loving BC Rich phase,as a youngster and would have loved an Eagle,they look remarkably heavy though 😁

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50 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

Yeah, the first Chic album is P and, for the rest of that era, including Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Shiela B, etc, it was almost all Stingray in the studio.

 

Did I read correctly that John Taylor owns Bernard's Stingray now?

Apparently so. John’s tech cut the original strings off when it arrived, to John’s despair! He wanted those old strings ingrained with Bernard’s blood, sweat and tears!

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I think it was left to him in BE's will

 

Edit: trying to find a YouTube clip to substantiate that, I think I've got that wrong. Rather, BE gave it to him deep into a late night pıss up. Imagine waking up with a clattering hangover and thinking, I wonder what foolishness I got up to last night...... oh ffffffffffffffuuuuuuu......

 

The good news is that JT still uses it on tour

 

Edited by Ricky Rioli
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11 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Later in his career he was seen with a Sadowsky Modern J type too. 
 

He would’ve made rubber bands on a shoebox sound good.

Apparently, he also played G&L and Spector basses later in his career but I could not find any photo of him playing these. Maybe in the studio only?

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1 hour ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

Apparently, he also played G&L and Spector basses later in his career but I could not find any photo of him playing these. Maybe in the studio only?


Also seen playing a Yamaha (BB?) in the studio, with John Taylor whilst recording a Power Station track (Get It On). 

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4 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I think it was left to him in BE's will

 

Edit: trying to find a YouTube clip to substantiate that, I think I've got that wrong. Rather, BE gave it to him deep into a late night pıss up. Imagine waking up with a clattering hangover and thinking, I wonder what foolishness I got up to last night...... oh ffffffffffffffuuuuuuu......

 

The good news is that JT still uses it on tour

 


There was a Bass Guitar Magazine interview with JT where he talked extensively about the bass - even quoted the serial number!! 

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38 minutes ago, JJTee said:

Is there any live footage from the late 70s of him actually playing a Stingray? Always seems to be something else. In fact, the 1996 Budokan gig is the only time I’ve seen Bernard physically playing a ‘Ray. 


That's the only time I’ve seen footage of Chic playing live at all - I missed out on shows by them and Sister Sledge circa 1980 as I was gigging. Plenty of TV sessions, some with the Stingray.

 

I always loved their sense of detail - you’ll find the Stingray had a black scratch plate when BE was wearing a black stage suit - a white one when wearing a white stage suit!! 😎

 

Didn't matter when wearing the BC Rich. At that time Ibanez Musicisn basses in natural mahogany were popular with funk/Disco/R and B bands - along with similarly coloured Alembics (Louis Johnson; Rose Royce; John McVie), and Wals. Plain, darker wood basses were fashionable. They also sounded great. 

 

 

Edited by drTStingray
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