Jack Bruce/Cream - Crossroads

[Bubba_Ho-tep]

Okay, I've decided to take on this song for my performance at my school's talent show. I've got only a few weeks until D-Day. Any tips or help for learning this mammoth bass performance would be greatly appreciated. And do note that in the following weeks, sleep will probably not be a factor if my dedication requires as such. On a side note, a few tips to get his particular tone would be nice (my gear: Rickenbacker 4003, various amps,).

[BellBottomBlues]

Roll the tone all the way off would be a good idea for your bright sounding rick.

Its just blues in A.

However, the majority of the song is the section in A with just fills in D and E.

[DocBop]

I'd say do the 2005 version from Royal Albert Hall. They played it more laid back and had a better groove and sound. Also have to focus on time this is song that can speed out of control easily. If doing it as a trio your going to need a lot of bottom to carry the band especially during the guitar solo.

[Sneckumhaw]

I say do the old version. Jack grooves hard on the old one, but in a more perverse way.

[Earthday]

Listen to the Derek and the Dominoes version live at the Fillmore

[DocBop]

Check out the Jeff Berlin version very tight Buddy Miles sings and plays his ass off. Berlin does Bruce's solo, but with a modern tone and so if transcribing makes it very easy to hear everything.

[Sneckumhaw]

You say you have various amps. Your profile says nothing more. Any tube amps in there? You don't need tubes for sure, but I definitely wouldn't recommend a GK for this job.

[Bubba_Ho-tep]

Originally Posted by Sneckumhaw

You say you have various amps. Your profile says nothing more. Any tube amps in there? You don't need tubes for sure, but I definitely wouldn't recommend a GK for this job.

Would a fender bassman be sufficient?

[Sneckumhaw]

Yeah, I guess. Pretty low wattage, right? So just crank it and let it distort on its own! You're partway there, the main challenge is actually nailing that killer bassline.

[Nappa]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Ho-tep

Okay, I've decided to take on this song for my performance at my school's talent show. I've got only a few weeks until D-Day. Any tips or help for learning this mammoth bass performance would be greatly appreciated. And do note that in the following weeks, sleep will probably not be a factor if my dedication requires as such. On a side note, a few tips to get his particular tone would be nice (my gear: Rickenbacker 4003, various amps,).

I'm learning that too! My teacher told me to try using a triad of the Mixolydian mode and the blues scale.

(by the way, i may have misinterpreted what my teacher said about the triads)

[Johnny Crab]

Hmmm.
We do this song now and it's a live version where the drums seem a bit Keith Moon Chaos and the bass goes between "resting" to playing his <you fill it in> off to almost echoing the guitar line and has a tight drum/bass/guitar ending. The patch in a Line 6 Bass POD XT Live called "Sunshine" is real close but becomes nearly identical with a tiny tweak or two.

I've done it with a Thunderbird and a 3 pickup Greco Les Paul clone. Both are done with the front pickup wide open and the rear on about 7. The Line 6 takes care of removing the treble(!) and helping get close to a distorted mudbucker sound.

Before the Line 6, I used a Fulltone BassDrive to get the dirt and the amp/bass guitar tone controls to simulate a Gibson EB.

[Bubba_Ho-tep]

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

Hmmm.
We do this song now and it's a live version where the drums seem a bit Keith Moon Chaos and the bass goes between "resting" to playing his <you fill it in> off to almost echoing the guitar line and has a tight drum/bass/guitar ending. The patch in a Line 6 Bass POD XT Live called "Sunshine" is real close but becomes nearly identical with a tiny tweak or two.

I've done it with a Thunderbird and a 3 pickup Greco Les Paul clone. Both are done with the front pickup wide open and the rear on about 7. The Line 6 takes care of removing the treble(!) and helping get close to a distorted mudbucker sound.

Before the Line 6, I used a Fulltone BassDrive to get the dirt and the amp/bass guitar tone controls to simulate a Gibson EB.

thanks for all the details mate, i will keep them in mind. But I recently put a set of DR Sunbeams on the ole girl ("Lily"), and I'm really digging the warmness and clarity. Heck, I might as well make my tone a little unique compared to Jack Bruce's, since, well at least I do, have some trouble distinguishing the notes he plays in the song.

[gnjpowell]

I've gottah learn this one now too. Have the advantage of a vintage 1970 EB-3 bass and Ampeg SVT-810 and RH450 tubetone. Any suggestions on pickup blend? Most recordings I've heard don't sound like 100% Mudbucker, lottah trebel sound in there. Hints???

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by BellBottomBlues

Its just blues in A.

However, the majority of the song is the section in A with just fills in D and E.

?????

Its just blues in A - I get this (and agree).

However, the majority of the song is the section in A with just fills in D and E - What the heck does this mean?

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Check out the Jeff Berlin version very tight Buddy Miles sings and plays his ass off. Berlin does Bruce's solo, but with a modern tone and so if transcribing makes it very easy to hear everything.

You didn't mention that Berlin did Clapton's parts, too. On bass. Note for note. Yikes!

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Ho-tep

Okay, I've decided to take on this song for my performance at my school's talent show. I've got only a few weeks until D-Day. Any tips or help for learning this mammoth bass performance would be greatly appreciated. And do note that in the following weeks, sleep will probably not be a factor if my dedication requires as such. On a side note, a few tips to get his particular tone would be nice (my gear: Rickenbacker 4003, various amps,).

He didn't use a Rick. IIRC, it was a Gibson. You should be able to look for that on YouTube for shows from that time period. Also, seeing him play it should speed up the learning process.

[Crazyeelboy]

Originally Posted by Bubba_Ho-tep

Okay, I've decided to take on this song for my performance at my school's talent show. I've got only a few weeks until D-Day. Any tips or help for learning this mammoth bass performance would be greatly appreciated. And do note that in the following weeks, sleep will probably not be a factor if my dedication requires as such. On a side note, a few tips to get his particular tone would be nice (my gear: Rickenbacker 4003, various amps,).

I did exactly this back in 1979 and we did the song well. I used a Rick 4001 with a Bassman head going into two 15s. I rolled off the high end on the bass significantly and overdrove the amp like a madman. That got the tone where we wanted it. For the substance of the song, we made sure we had the riff and the groove down to make the song work right. The point was to get the sound and feel rather to mimic every note JB played. Get the sound and groove right and you'll be fine. Once you have that down stone cold, you can try to copy the rest of JBs parts, but you might find it more interesting to come up with your own parts following the feel of the original.

[Ric5]

Try rolling off the bridge pickup volume, boost the mids and add a little distortion. Play fingerstyle and pluck near the neck pickup. Don't use too much treble.

[Stumbo]

Try out BestPractice-PC based, free, easy to use, slow downer/pitch shifter/looper/vocal remover/bass isolator/ backing track maker to help you learn.

[Ric5]

Rush - Crossroads 8-18-2004 - YouTube

Cream - Crossroads (2005) Live At Royal Albert Hall - YouTube

Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood - Crossroads - YouTube