Eric Johnson - Trademark

harlon · #1 11-14-2007, 09:13 PM

I've always appreciated the guitar licks and tone from Eric in this song. And I'm sure this is a familiar tune to veteran bassists, but I'm a long time guitarist who is just finding his bass jones! Anyhow, today I listened to it and zoned in on the bass. That is an impressive bass track! Don't know who was actually playing it (I could Google and find out), but it's impressively clean playing and a a sweet tone!

My question - does anyone know what type of bass was used or how that tone was captured? I likes!

bikeplate · #2 11-14-2007, 09:37 PM

Hi

Roscoe Beck did much of the bass playing for EJ. Fender makes a signature model with his name on it. Dont know if thats what he used on these recordings. Anyone?

Rob

Double Agent · #3 11-14-2007, 09:39 PM

That is one of my favorite instrumental tracks ever. So bluesy and mellow. I agree, it was probably Roscoe Beck, but I can't say for sure. That whole album is chock full of great bass licks. Check out the sweet slapping section on Desert Rose during the verses. EJ was great and always has great players on his recordings.

spade2you · #4 11-14-2007, 09:42 PM

Hard to say. The bass seems to have the bass burried deep in the mix a lot.

Double Agent · #5 11-14-2007, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spade2you

Hard to say. The bass seems to have the bass burried deep in the mix a lot.

You call this buried in the mix?:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4rKijXCm3w

It seems really forward in the mix to me.

bikeplate · #6 11-14-2007, 09:50 PM

HI

Ive never found his tone buried. The recordings are reverb heavy but thats just him style of mixing

Rob

spade2you · #7 11-14-2007, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikeplate

HI

Ive never found his tone buried. The recordings are reverb heavy but thats just him style of mixing

Rob

I dunno, compared to someone like Satriani, just seems harder to hear the bass under EJ's guitar. Of course EJ is the central focus of the album, but I wasn't too fond of the bass being mixed/overshadowed to the point where I wasn't sure what the bassist was using.

Double Agent · #8 11-14-2007, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spade2you

I dunno, compared to someone like Satriani, just seems harder to hear the bass under EJ's guitar. Of course EJ is the central focus of the album, but I wasn't too fond of the bass being mixed/overshadowed to the point where I wasn't sure what the bassist was using.

I couldn't disagree more.

I think the bass is usually far more buried in any given Satch song than an EJ song and I've listened to plenty of their work in both cases. Guess its in the ears of the beholder.

jsingles · #9 11-14-2007, 10:11 PM

Funny you should think so

I have always deeply examined the bass player for eric johnson as horrible. I absolutely despise his tone and his playing. Maybe its just me...

Spector_Ray · #10 11-14-2007, 10:14 PM

I just finished listening to the track and the bass IMHO is definitely NOT buried. It couldn't have more presence and be more clear to me.

bikeplate · #11 11-14-2007, 10:17 PM

HI

Yea, Ray. Not buried. Just a reverb heavy mix, classic EJ style recordings.

I think RB is an awesome player. Very melodic, fast, perfect for EJ. Might not like his tone but cant dispute that he's a big time player

Rob

Smallmouth_Bass · #12 11-14-2007, 10:25 PM

EJ plays a 5-string?

spade2you · #13 11-14-2007, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikeplate

HI

Yea, Ray. Not buried. Just a reverb heavy mix, classic EJ style recordings.

I think RB is an awesome player. Very melodic, fast, perfect for EJ. Might not like his tone but cant dispute that he's a big time player

Rob

Quote:

Originally Posted by Double Agent

I couldn't disagree more.

I think the bass is usually far more buried in any given Satch song than an EJ song and I've listened to plenty of their work in both cases. Guess its in the ears of the beholder.

Basically in my car stereo, I have a mixed CD with a bunch of Satch and EJ tunes. They're definitely mixed very differently. Satriani albums are typically mixed and mastered hot, which is almost a stark contrast to Eric Johnson's albums. I mixed the CD because I liked the songs, but when you a/b the songs side by side, Eric Johnson's overall sound seems more than a few dB shy of a lot of other tunes.

Perhaps RB's chosen EQ shares too any of the same frequencies as EJ's signature tones, but if the bass tone were absolutely clear we wouldn't be wondering what kind of bass he was using, eh?

At any rate, I always thought the EJ bassist's tone tended to be really thin.

jrfrond · #14 11-14-2007, 10:56 PM

Roscoe Beck and Kyle Brock both played bass on that album. I don't know who played on "Trademark", but since my brother mixed that album, I'll ask him and see if he remembers.

AndyMan · #15 11-15-2007, 06:37 AM

I believe it was Kyle Brock. BTW--Roscoe Beck is a monster bass player.

AndyMan · #16 11-15-2007, 06:38 AM

Beck and Brock both played Fender Jazzes durng that period.

WJGreer · #17 11-15-2007, 06:42 AM

It is Kyle Brock on Trademark, according to the liner notes. Great player.

More lately, EJ has been playing with Chris Maresh, who was a contemoprary of mine at the UT Jazz Department in the late 80s. He is an absolute monster. Check out "Magnetized" on the new EJ CD "Bloom" for an example.

jerry · #18 11-15-2007, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

More lately, EJ has been playing with Chris Maresh, who was a contemoprary of mine at the UT Jazz Department in the late 80s. He is an absolute monster. Check out "Magnetized" on the new EJ CD "Bloom" for an example.

Chris was playing with Eric Johnson when I saw him a few years back, he was great!!! I also love his playing with Monte Montgomery!!!

WJGreer · #19 11-15-2007, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

Chris was playing with Eric Johnson when I saw him a few years back, he was great!!! I also love his playing with Monte Montgomery!!!

Yeah, he is one of the guys who, for whatever reason, has decided to stay in Austin. The gigs he gets are the ones with the top-tier Austin cats like EJ and Monte, and sometimes that gets him some national recognition. He did have one of those one-page bio writeups in Bass Player a while ago.

He went to LA briefly about 10 years ago, played with a fusion group there called Uncle Festive, then came back to Austin. My thought is that if he were to make a commitment to a slightly larger scene, he could do a little better. He certainly has the talent to survive in New York with help from a few friends.

But, then again, he would not be the first nor the last world class musician who decided to hang in Austin just because that is where he wants to be.

LiquidMidnight · #20 11-15-2007, 06:56 PM

I did some fill-in work with a band two summers ago, and Trademark was one of the numbers that we played. It was a pleasure to play, and the singer of the group loved to stand back and listen to those 6th chord and 9th chord arrpeggio runs that the bass and guitar do towards the end of the song (the bass does them by itself in the middle of the song).

My guitarist and I have serious considered doing Cliffs of Dover. Now that song has some serious pocket to it.