Question:
Remember that the sound you are after is bass ON TAPE, not live bass. To get closer, try a vintage head and bass – I’d recommend a passive Fender Jazz bass.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello all. > I’m sort of still experimenting regarding the basic sound I would like to > get out of my gear. The sound I really love is the vintage thump most > clearly heard on Zeppelin’s "The Girl I love she got long black wavy hair" > or Black Sabbath "War Pigs" (do I smell a litlle wah hear?) > I was just wondering what gear this guys used (does it have to be a > P-bass??), and I know Geezer played both fingerstyle and pick.. > I own a Trace AH200 head with a 4*12 ancient Hiwatt cab, and it does kinda > have that vintage sound but I don’t think it goes well with my "modern" > Ibanez EDC700 – but this bass sounds great on my EBS gear! (the other sound > I like, kinda like GNR "Don’t cry"..) > Uff… > Thanks for your effort and for your advice. > Stay Groovy, > Animal
Response:
Try some flat wound strings. This will get closer to that 70’s thump vibe. Wes – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Hello all. > I’m sort of still experimenting regarding the basic sound I would like to > get out of my gear. The sound I really love is the vintage thump most > clearly heard on Zeppelin’s "The Girl I love she got long black wavy hair" > or Black Sabbath "War Pigs" (do I smell a litlle wah hear?) > I was just wondering what gear this guys used (does it have to be a > P-bass??), and I know Geezer played both fingerstyle and pick.. > I own a Trace AH200 head with a 4*12 ancient Hiwatt cab, and it does kinda > have that vintage sound but I don’t think it goes well with my "modern" > Ibanez EDC700 – but this bass sounds great on my EBS gear! (the other sound > I like, kinda like GNR "Don’t cry"..) > Uff… > Thanks for your effort and for your advice. > Stay Groovy, > Animal
Response:
Animal, There are a lot of considerations here. The main one has been made already…the recordings you mention were made in a studio some 30 years ago onto tape, possibly only 4 or 8 track and with the technology at the time. Nothing whatsoever like the recording facilities we are used to today. The amp heads were definitely all valve and devoid of any on-board effects other than basic tone controls. Any in-line effects would have been those designed for a guitar, NOT bass. leaving that to one side, JPJ used on the early Zep songs both Gibson (EBo, EB3) and fender basses (Jazz). Geezer used primarily an early P Bass, flat wound strings and played with fingers at the bass of the neck joint. As for JPJ, well, I think he used about everything he could!!!!!!! Geezer certainly used both distortion and wah on some tracks. In my band we play both Zep and Sabbath songs and it may be of assistance if I detail the way my rig is set up for this type of song: Maverick bass (twin humbuckers set 90/10 neck PUP) active EQ, treb rolled off a little and bass rolled up a little. Picato half wound steel strings. Marshall DBS 7400 valve head, pre-amp set full valve bias to give a rounded tone. Behringer 2024 effects unit, about 20% blend distortion set with shelf at about 2000KHz giving bias to the lower notes leaving the upper end cleaner. This lot then goes into celestion loaded Trace 4 x 12 and 2 x 15. I do use a pick on some songs where the attack is needed, I simply roll off a little more treble to maintain the deep sounds. I hope this detail assists. Alun
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hello all. > I’m sort of still experimenting regarding the basic sound I would like to > get out of my gear. The sound I really love is the vintage thump most > clearly heard on Zeppelin’s "The Girl I love she got long black wavy hair" > or Black Sabbath "War Pigs" (do I smell a litlle wah hear?) > I was just wondering what gear this guys used (does it have to be a > P-bass??), and I know Geezer played both fingerstyle and pick.. > I own a Trace AH200 head with a 4*12 ancient Hiwatt cab, and it does kinda > have that vintage sound but I don’t think it goes well with my "modern" > Ibanez EDC700 – but this bass sounds great on my EBS gear! (the other sound > I like, kinda like GNR "Don’t cry"..) > Uff… > Thanks for your effort and for your advice. > Stay Groovy, > Animal
Response:
Hello all. I’m sort of still experimenting regarding the basic sound I would like to get out of my gear. The sound I really love is the vintage thump most clearly heard on Zeppelin’s "The Girl I love she got long black wavy hair" or Black Sabbath "War Pigs" (do I smell a litlle wah hear?) I was just wondering what gear this guys used (does it have to be a P-bass??), and I know Geezer played both fingerstyle and pick.. I own a Trace AH200 head with a 4*12 ancient Hiwatt cab, and it does kinda have that vintage sound but I don’t think it goes well with my "modern" Ibanez EDC700 – but this bass sounds great on my EBS gear! (the other sound I like, kinda like GNR "Don’t cry"..) Uff… Thanks for your effort and for your advice. Stay Groovy, Animal