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Originally Posted by gfab333  Found this one in the $9.99 bargain bin at Tower. This was recorded back in 1981, a live concert with AJ, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd, etc. The video and sound quality are marginal but alomost decent. You can clearly hear AJ's signature bass style clearly as he plays what appears to be an early '80s American Jazz Bass (4 string). No stunning solos here, just a lot of great groove playing. It's a nice addition to the collection at this bargain price. |
The bass that Anthony Jackson plays in that video is "Career Girl" as Anthony calls it. It is a 60's Fender Jazz Bass tuned down 2 whole steps. He had the finish striped from the bass. That was the bass he used on most of the pop records he played on in the 70's and very early 80's.
From an interview with Anthony:
"Many people think that you used a 5- or 6-string bass on those recordings.
I've never used a 5-string, period. Around the time of Chaka's first solo album [Chaka, Warner Bros., 1978], I resumed the search for an effective 6-string. Remember that the first two instruments had not been successful, despite my using Number One [the Carl Thompson contrabass built in 1975, see photo, page 17] for some recording and touring. In pursuing Number Three, I began discussions with Ken Smith and later Ken Parker, but these went exceedingly slowly, so I did what I could to tide myself over and secure, however awkwardly, a sub-bass range for recording. A little common sense, combined with a willingness to experiment, led me to modify my Fender [the "Career Girl," see photo, page 17] accordingly. I raised the nut, readjusted the truss rod, and did much bridge-fiddling until the instrument felt manageable when tuned down two whole-steps.
I remember feeling rather light-headed, sitting at home the night before the third or fourth session for Naughty, modifying the only instrument I was playing at the time, rendering it unsuitable for any standard project. The rashness of my actions strengthened my resolve to keep on pushing for a true contrabass guitar, confirmed by each minute spent hearing this awesome, thundering sound from my poor, abused 4-string come roaring out of the giant Altec monitors in Atlantic's Studio A."
