Berry Oakley's rig?

[Floridabwoy]

: 0

[sturoc]

Hot 'Lanta
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Mountain Jam
Le Brers in Am
Dreams

those are some great pics , more, more !

Berry was a key influence in my playing when just starting out back then. I was not content to just play the root/pedal notes etc.. Along with Jack Bruce, Mel Schacher, Greg Ridley these guys were my foundation and inspiration.
Having progressed all the way thru to the likes of Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Berlin, Fernando Saunders.
Those older guys always remain a main element for me:
When stumped I ask myself " What would Berry do here ?"

[lawjcrg]

Originally Posted by Eric Cioe

I just started listening to the Allman Bros. (despite my bass that is a modern version of The Tractor). I take it Berry was using an SVT an 8x10? He's got a pretty unique tone.

Q

[Jim Carr]

Holy zombie threads, Batman!

RS Guitarworks in Winchester, KY builds replicas of the Tractor.

Scroll down on this link: Welcome to RS Guitarworks | Winchester, KY - Old Friend Contour Basses

[Blues Bass 2]

From the big picture of the band a couple posts up I see a couple 215 cabs behind Barry and the drummer , looks like JBLs in one . On the other side of the stage behind Duane is one of the Casino cabs with what looks like a Sunn head on it . Behind Dickie in the middle are a couple of Marshall 412 cabs with an SVT on each with a Marshall head on each Ampeg . Don't know whos playing through what but I'm sure Duane and Dickie are going through the Marshalls .

The Allmans are my favorite music to jam with when I want to stretch out and just enjoy playing . I have a greatest hits CD and I can't cop everything Barry does or play through many of the songs all the way but it makes me work harder just to try . Barrys feel tone and timing are just incredible to me , every time I listen or play along it gets to me more .

[duncmill]

Those 2x15 cabinets with vertical silver stripes on black cloth were made by Sunn (they used that cloth for a time in 69 and 70 or thereabouts) and they were loaded with JBL D140s.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by duncmill

Those 2x15 cabinets with vertical silver stripes on black cloth were made by Sunn (they used that cloth for a time in 69 and 70 or thereabouts) and they were loaded with JBL D140s.

Really? Not saying it's impossible, but I never saw a Sunn with that grill cloth, and I saw lots of Sunns, starting with the the Kingsmen in 1966 all the way up to the piles the Dead used in 1970 or so. Are you sure they aren't Kasino brand cabs?

Their best cabs were just Kustom's without the tuck and roll, IIRC.

[dmrogers]

Originally Posted by jerry

It might have been the Fender 400PS bass amp.....435 tube watts into a couple folded horn cabs.

^ This.

I'm sure he used other rigs during his career, however the 400PS is the one you see him playing most in photos.

The head he used was recently up for sale.

[BassBob1]

Originally Posted by dmrogers

^ This.

I'm sure he used other rigs during his career, however the 400PS is the one you see him playing most in photos.

The head he used was recently up for sale.

Yup. I believe there was a thread when it was on ebay. I'm pretty sure there was a dual showman that he used too. At some points the tractor bass was run in stereo so he my have used both the showman and PS but I remember reading some where that he did convert his bass back and at the time of his death was not set up to run in stereo. Either way I love his sound and playing.

[edbass]

Originally Posted by Jim Carr

Really? Not saying it's impossible, but I never saw a Sunn with that grill cloth, and I saw lots of Sunns, starting with the the Kingsmen in 1966 all the way up to the piles the Dead used in 1970 or so. Are you sure they aren't Kasino brand cabs?

Their best cabs were just Kustom's without the tuck and roll, IIRC.

I'm pretty sure the striped cabs are Sunns.
Here's some old ads;



The problematic, decidedly unsuccessful, and very short lived Sunn Orion series.



They were an at the time advanced thinking "modular concept" transistor rigs; the head was a preamp and the power amps were built into the speaker cabs.

Maybe a little too advanced for their era; Acoustic had more success when they revitalized the concept with their 360/361 rigs.

I don’t think the Orions were ever offered with JBL’s as OEM though.

[Joel Graham]

I recall a very old Guitar Player mag with Berry's reference to the Orion cabs... It was a single page thing they did monthly for bassists and some guitarists. In addition he mentioned a 60's P bass and a 1968 Telecaster bass in his possession...

[Muziekschuur]

Couldn't Berry Oakley's son answer this question? He's a bassplayer. Isn't he cruising this forum too?

[rapidfirerob]

Originally Posted by Blues Bass 2

From the big picture of the band a couple posts up I see a couple 215 cabs behind Barry and the drummer , looks like JBLs in one . On the other side of the stage behind Duane is one of the Casino cabs with what looks like a Sunn head on it . Behind Dickie in the middle are a couple of Marshall 412 cabs with an SVT on each with a Marshall head on each Ampeg . Don't know whos playing through what but I'm sure Duane and Dickie are going through the Marshalls .

The Allmans are my favorite music to jam with when I want to stretch out and just enjoy playing . I have a greatest hits CD and I can't cop everything Barry does or play through many of the songs all the way but it makes me work harder just to try . Barrys feel tone and timing are just incredible to me , every time I listen or play along it gets to me more .

It's "Berry" my friend.

[GlennW]

I saw the ABros twice with Duane, maybe '70 and '71. At both shows everybody (except the drummers) was running through his own Marshall full stack (two 4x12 cabs).