I just noticed that I have tons of recordings with Eddie Gomez and yet I have a hard time listening to them, I was just forcing myself to listen to his playing and he is truly a bad dude, his phrasing is really melodic and creative, but I have a hard time dealing with his sound, his sound is always pick up like, I've been browsing and cannot find one record where the bass seems to be recorded with mic only, I'd appreciate if any of you guys know of such records with Eddie gomez and would like to share, I guess the best that I found was You must believe in spring by Bill Evans, but it's still not what I am looking for, it only has a better pick up sound, thanks, looking forward to hear from you all.
Bijoux

I don't have a lot of Eddie Gomez on record, but I really dig his playing, tone and all (even though it is not the kind of tone I would personally go for in my playing). It has a certain dry "stinging" quality that seems to go well with his style of playing.

If Eddie wanted to get a different sound, I'm sure he'd be able to get it. This just happens to be his conception -- the sound he hears in his head.

One of my favorite performances by Eddie is on Eliane Elias Plays Jobim. It happens that on this particular recording, his tone is fuller and more "woody" than on, say, Chick Corea's "Three Quartets."

I was disappointed with his tone on a new release by Jack Wilkins.

I bet you'll enjoy his sound on his 1974 duo record with Bill Evans, "Intuition." It's a great record and EG's bass sounds really well.

I have a recording that he made in Japan and was recorded sans pickup -- beautiful tone! He has the same problem that I, Miroslav, Gary Peacock,..., have -- and that is that if you get that vocal, open quality out of the bass, it doesn't amplify well. I hate the sound that Gary gets with the amp, but his tone in the studio (acoustically) is really awsome. Same with Miroslav. If I ever figure out how to amplify that type of tone, I'll certainly (keep it a secret) let you guys know :) Until then, I'll continue to cringe with each note that comes out of the amp...

Eddie was playing a wierdo bass on the Three Quartets stuff. Kolstein still had it for sale at his site last time I was there. Last time I saw Eddie live was with Eliane, and I think the thing he was playing was a big, French bass. He had some kind of pickup that was incorporated into the bridge adjusters and then wired together similar to an Underwood. He said it was Japanese, but I forget the manufacturer. He was playing through an SWR combo with a couple of 10" or 12" speakers. It sounded amplified, but wasn't bothersome at all. Also remember that when a lot fo those albums were recorded, the amplified sound was in vogue.

Originally posted by Ray Parker
and that is that if you get that vocal, open quality out of the bass, it doesn't amplify well. I hate the sound that Gary gets with the amp, but his tone in the studio (acoustically) is really awsome. Same with Miroslav. If I ever figure out how to amplify that type of tone, I'll certainly (keep it a secret) let you guys know :) Until then, I'll continue to cringe with each note that comes out of the amp...

Have you tried playing not using a pick-up? When I need to amplify the bass I use a microphone; it doesn't get any better.

I have the AMT mic -- great mic. It's sounds great and is better than most mics at cancelling ambient sound. There is still a limit to how loud you can get. When the sound pressure on stage reaches a certain level any mic will fail. Especially in the small rooms that you have to play in NY. I start with the mic, fall back to mic+pickup and adjust in more and more pickup until things are loud enough that I'm just serving as an expensive mic stand for the drums, then I go all pickup. I play a lot of duo and trio stuff, where I can get away playing acoustically for the most part. That'll spoil you on tone -- any amplified sound is agony after a night in a good room sans decibel support....

RP
Was the "big, French bass" also very dark varnish?

I've seen that pickup thru the adjusters. IMHP not as good as what K&K can do.

I've always thought the Eddie Gomez sound was due to his incredibly low action so that he could do all that Scott LeFaro style stuff. I assumed that was where the string sound was coming from. I really like his playing but I don't think his sound is the best (although lately I've been loving Henry Grimes so maybe I'm not the best person to talk).

Originally posted by Ray Parker
I have a recording that he made in Japan and was recorded sans pickup -- beautiful tone! He has the same problem that I, Miroslav, Gary Peacock,..., have -- and that is that if you get that vocal, open quality out of the bass, it doesn't amplify well.

His live sound has supposedly really been nice since he ditched the SWR and started using the Acoustic Image Contra. Equipment DOES make a difference, and I wish more pros took the time to make their stage sound as good as they can sound. I'm sick of paying big bucks to see someone sound like they are playing in the bottom of a well. I've seen far too many bassists with their Realist into the clubs crappy Peavey amp and get a lousy sound. It's good to see guys like Eddie and Buster Williams start carrying small good sounding amps so their sound is the one you hear. I recently heard Richard Davis in a big outdoor area, and he sounded great using a Schertler Stat-B into a preamp into the board. It wasn't exactly microphone like, but it was HIS sound as clear as could be.

Monte

Originally posted by Gideon
I've always thought the Eddie Gomez sound was due to his incredibly low action so that he could do all that Scott LeFaro style stuff. I assumed that was where the string sound was coming from. .

I always thought that as well. One day while I was at college my bass teacher had to send in a sub as he was going on a short tour. The sub told me about when he went to NY to get a lesson with Eddie (about twenty years ago I think) He said that when he played Eddie's bass the strings were so high he had a hard time playing it! I don't know if this was the case all of the time but that's the story I got. The fact that many albums were recorded with "the dreaded bass direct" doesn't help. Look at what they did to Ron Carter in the 80's (Third Plane)

Don -- yeah, it was a dark-varnished bass.

Originally posted by Bass Boy
The fact that many albums were recorded with "the dreaded bass direct" doesn't help. Look at what they did to Ron Carter in the 80's (Third Plane)

Ron did it to himself.

Saw him live last year (hadn't seen him in a good 20 years) and was very surprised. He endorses the AMT mic but at that gig he used it to mike his AMP!!?? :confused: and he was getting that metallic buzzing tone you hear on the records, clear as a bell :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Ray Parker
Don -- yeah, it was a dark-varnished bass.
That may have been the 4/4 Claudot that he had. I played it when he left it at Arnold Schnitzer's shop for sale. Uncomfortable fingering, and unexceptional tone.

4/4's can sound great, for sure. Kinda nifty when the G string shakes the bass.

Originally posted by Don Higdon
That may have been the 4/4 Claudot that he had. I played it when he left it at Arnold Schnitzer's shop for sale. Uncomfortable fingering, and unexceptional tone.

Just goes to show what a wonderful musician he is, though -- I listen to that record a lot. It's not my fantasy tone, but he makes that bass sound as if it plays "like buttah."

An amazing record featuring Eddie Gomez is Mike Mainieri's "An American Diary". He gets a gorgeous tone, and even has an arco feature. His stuff with the Gadd Gang and Steps (Smokin in the Pit) are also ones to check out if your into Eddie.

I saw Eddie a year ago and sat about 3 feet from his bass. He was using the above-mentioned pickup through an Acoustic Image amp. The sound coming out of his bass was very natural and woody, moreso in the low register than high. The action was also on the high side. His hands must be strong as hell. As for his recorded sound, it must not bother Eddie too much since it is fairly consistent from album to album. BTW, a great album with Eddie on it is the "Great American Jazz Trio" recording with Hank Jones and "Smitty" Smith. Eddie tears it up on about 20 standards.

A great recording of Mr.Gomez is trio date of all Monk tunes with Dave Liebman and Adam Nussbaum.Talk about mic only sound,great cd!A Must have....

Maybe I'm the oddball here (probably because I'm coming from the "other" bass), but I heard Three Quartets this weekend and loved Eddie's tone... The reason I found this thread was trying to find out how he got it....

I still think that he's tone on three quartets sucks, but the writhing on that album and the playing is so good that I tend to overlook his tone, you just don't hear the acoustic sound, that woody sound, some guys might as well play fretless electric, when I saw David Friesen live he had a beautiful sound and he was only playing acoustcally then I got his album Other Places Other Times, and it sounds like a fishman sound very thin, just real annoying at least Eddie's sound is not that annoying every now and again you can get through one of his CD's.

there is a trio lp on ecm with eddie, ralph towner and dejohnette with a great bass sound. also, the esp lps he recorded in the 60s were great,
one with paul bley and one with gussepe logan. both are unamplified. i think most bass players are unaware of how much sound is being put out by the bass itself, i play quite loud free jazz, 90% unamplified, even with loud drummers, and the bass will usually get through. i find that one of the things the amp takes away is the percussive drive, so even if im loouder, it's weaker. the great john lindberg said: you never need an amp, you just need different musicians!
damon smith
http://www.balancepointacoustics.com

I got the feeling from an interview with him that he's a very "hands off" (sound engineering wise) kind of guy and doesn't even bring his own bass and just uses whats available. I played with a drummer for a short time who played a few gigs with Eddie years ago and he seemed to confirm this. I would think that this would give you somewhat limited control over your captured sound live or on record. I don't have a ton of his work but I like what I've got.

When Eddie plays acoustically in my shop, his sound is big and gorgeous! Many people forget he was a star Juilliard student of Zimmermann before Bill Evans hired him. His bow arm is as good as any I've heard. FYI, Eddie prefers a pickup from Japan which is built into the bridge adjuster wheels (stereo). He mainly plays and records these days with a dark-varnished 3/4 bass that I reconstructed. Don't tell anyone, but it began life as a Kay model M...

...like most here, I'm not too thrilled about his tone(kinda 'thin'?).
That said-
Three Quartets & Friends by Corea and Steps' Smokin' In The Pit + their debut(Eliane on piano) are nice examples of Gomez' playing.

My favorite recording with Mr. Gomez is the live album from the Village Vanguard with Evans and Philly Joe Jones on drums. I think this was recorded in August 1967 and is avaliable in its entirety in that huge Evans box set - the one that comes in the metal box. I don't think he's ever sounded better. I'm surprised no one else here mentioned this recording. The Best of Bill Evans on Verve has one track from this particular engagement if you just want a small sample. Hopefully Verve will be releasing it alone, in its entirety someday...

Mark

Sorry to bring up an old dead thread, but I really enjoy Eddie Gomez's tone on Tony Rice's Manzanita album. Some of the best bluegrass/jazz fusion from the 70's.

If you watch the recent DVD of Eddie, you will notice that his action is NOT very low, and the sound he gets from his pickup is very nice.
I asked the guys at Gage's shop once and they all confirmed his action is set fairly high.
So I kept mine fairly high and tried to get his tone; it's possible. I don't have anywhere near the technique Eddie has, but if your touch is right you can get his sound.....as a matter of fact, lower action DOES NOT facilitate his sound at all; you will sound more like Bromberg or Clarke that way.

As far as more natural recorded tones of Eddie, check out any of the Bill Evans albums with him on them until 1971 or so; beautiful tone with gut strings too.

Some of our more beloved posters who've been around awhile have tagged that kinda fast left hand sliding vibrato(Gomezing ) on Eddie.
A bit much for me, as is Brian Brombergs....to each his own.

I sometimes catch myself still doing that, just a reflex from an earlier time, I guess. I don't necessarily want to, but it just slips out sometimes. But now, thanks to these forums, a big red flashing sign goes off in my head;

"NO GOMEZING!!!":D

"Eddie was playing a wierdo bass on the Three Quartets stuff. Kolstein still had it for sale at his site last time I was there. "

I played that bass! It was very weird and funky. I liked it and
was considering getting it. I knew it was Eddie's but I didn't
know if he ever really used it.

dp

If you watch the recent DVD of Eddie, you will notice that his action is NOT very low, and the sound he gets from his pickup is very nice.

I own that DVD, and I love his sound, the bow'ed parts are
lovely... The only thing that drives me ABSOLUTELY nuts is
his singing along with his mental flow :) It really gets annoying
when at one point BOTH he and the pianist start doing it :)

Maybe I'm the oddball here (probably because I'm coming from the "other" bass), but I heard Three Quartets this weekend and loved Eddie's tone... The reason I found this thread was trying to find out how he got it....

You're not the only one Jon. That album is one of my
alltime favorites. The whole atmosphere of the album
is 'edgie', the piano, the sax and the bass take on that
character intentionally IMHO. Its a masterpiece.

I own that DVD, and I love his sound, the bow'ed parts are
lovely... The only thing that drives me ABSOLUTELY nuts is
his singing along with his mental flow :) It really gets annoying
when at one point BOTH he and the pianist start doing it :)



Yeah, that's true....but at least he's not Keith Jarrett, who absolutely takes the prize for most annoying genius.

Does anybody know what kind of strings Eddie Gomez uses?

Arnold would know, he does Eddie's basses. When I bought my bass from him, I recall him telling me that he was using Spiro weichs with a Mittel E. I use that same thing, on Arnold's recommendation.... (Meister SCHNITZENEGGAR, please correct me if I'm wrong.)

It looks like Spiro Orchs on the DVD due to the red windings.

I saw a video many years ago, that I would love to find...it was a Steve Gadd instructional video for drums,which included improv w/ Mr.Gomez...

He really kicks ass on the '60s ESP free jazz dates he plays on - and with huge woody tone. There is one iwth Paul Bley with Milford Graves and Marshall Allen called Barrage and one with Guseppi Logan. There is an ECM trio with Ralph Towner and Dejonette that he sounds great on as well.
He is a great player.

I own that DVD, and I love his sound, the bow'ed parts are
lovely... The only thing that drives me ABSOLUTELY nuts is
his singing along with his mental flow :) It really gets annoying
when at one point BOTH he and the pianist start doing it :)

I have the DVD too, and the singing is really annoying. No offense to Gage, but he really should have turned the mic off when they were playing. The reason you can hear him so loud on the DVD is because the mic for his talking is still on. It wouldn't annoy you if the mic was off....

Eddie uses this pickup:

http://www.yamahiko.info/


Does anyone know what type of strings he uses? If they are Spirocores, he gets a decent arco tone from them. Why can't I be so successful?

I also love the pickup modern tone that Eddie Gomez has , lovely. And what a great player , very melodic and interesting improvisation ideas.

Eddie plays great on this early recording by Chick Corea: ''Friends'' (http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Chick-Corea/dp/B000008AND/ref=pd_bbs_12/002-9969995-4206421?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1174489510&sr=8-12)

A drummer friend lent me a some Gomez CD's from the 80s/early 90s a while back. I couldn't get past his tone, but I recently found some clips of him on YouTube with Bill Evans and he has a nice woody tone. I wish I had heard this material earlier because he really is a great player.

Anybody who loves Eddie Gomez needs to check out Bill Evans "Live in Tokyo". Marty Morell plays drums. I've listened to this CD countless times and will never tire of how the group plays together, Eddie's melodius solos/basslines, or his stunningly gorgeous tone.

huh, pretty weird I came into this forum because I love Eddies distinct and different sound, and to see if others knew how to obtain that sound, but instead it turns out the majority of you guys dislike his tone and prefere the traditional sound. But I can understand, Im bias as I started on electric and I guess I like his tone because I relate to it alot more. Still I would of thought more people on here would be saying how great his sound is, anyway only my opinion.

Eddie had a regular gig with "The Manhattan Jazz Quintet" in the early 90s, with several releases on the ProJazz label. The group was fronted by keyboardist, writer and arranger Dave Mathews. All straight ahead stuff.

He was paired with Steve Gadd and they were a formidable team. One of my favorite rhythm sections.

Of that bunch of releases "My Favorite Things" (a live set) is one of my favorite things.

Worth seeking out, IMHO.

He turns up in the darndest places.
That release he had with Ralph Towner on ECM (Old Friends, New Friends) always struck me as an odd one -- I like it, I was just surprised to see EG turn up there. I guess Ralph liked him because they have at least two on ECM. And then again with Bill Brueford on "If Summer Had Its Ghosts".

And correct me if I'm wrong but I believe he did a stint with Bela Fleck.

Eddie plays great on this early recording by Chick Corea: ''Friends'' (http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Chick-Corea/dp/B000008AND/ref=pd_bbs_12/002-9969995-4206421?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1174489510&sr=8-12)

..damn I feel old! :rollno:

i totally am not in to his or marc johnson's amplified sound so much.
I took lessons with him last year and when we played duos his tone unamplified was amazing. Gary peacock's sound amplified is much more bearable to my ears. I also hate MY sound amplified until i changed my setup. In the studio i can actually listen to myself.

To comment on a fairly old thread, I recently picked up Bill Evan's California, Here I Come, which has Eddie playing unamped, with Philly Joe Jones on the drums. Listening to it, Eddie's tone sounds incredible, but it also feels like an amp accomodates his sound very well. But yeah, Eddie's definitely one of my favorites, one of my biggest influences.