Does Heartbreaker by Led Zeppelin have two basses ?

[johnvice]

I am questioning if there were two basses on the studio version of Heartbreaker during the verses (i.e. "Hey fellas, have you heard the news..")

#1 I have seen this song transcribed with JPJ's powerful bass A5-C5 bass chords playing the A on the D string at the 7th fret and the E on the G string at the 9th fret (and then sliding that up three frets.)

#2 I have also seen it transcribed with the A played on the E string at the 5th fret, the E played on the A string on the 7th fret and the A played an octave higher on the D string at the 7th fret. (and then sliding that up three frets.)

The best way I've found to approximate this sound live is to use an Octavider pedal set to double my bass signal an octave lower and play #2. I also use distortion to approximate the record. It sounds like in the studio, the bass went through a Leslie rotating speaker cabinet. I approximate this with a phaser pedal.

[tkozal]

I think its multiple Pages, not JPJ....guitars...

[musicman5string]

Originally Posted by tkozal

I think its multiple Pages, not JPJ....guitars...

Nah, that's a bass, played by JPJ.
It's a Jazz bass, I think he said once he used a Marshall guitar amp to record that tune (for the overdriven sound).

Probably one bass, but who knows.

[TL5]

I don't recall where, but within the last month or so I heard the bass track solo'd from that tune. IIRC it was one track, played thru a guitar amp (Marshall would be obvious).

[Andrew Jones]

I thought that one was a 8 string bass going through the acoustic 360 Distortion Channel...............................


What ever it is,It's one of the greatest ugly bass sounds I've ever heard.



Aj

[fenderx55]

I play it as (what i think is) option #2. Ikeep both p'ups on my J all the way on and the tone all the way off. I get it almost spot on to the recording, it's a pretty nasty bassline.