Bill Wyman's gear

[halloweenfiend]

Hey guys just wondering if anyone here knows a thing or two about Bill's gear throughout the years. Stones era and after. I have not had the oppurtunity of seeing him and his band nowadays (besides Youtube vids). But it looks like he uses some kind of headless short-scale (Steinberger mayb?). Neways, if anyone knows about his basses, amplification, strings, and whatnot please tell.

-Jon

[Bassgrinder77]

In the Stones heyday he used SVT heads and V4B (2x15 folded horn) cabs. He used various basses including a Mustang bass, EB3, plexiglass Dan Armstrong (all short scale) and Steinberger.

Originally Posted by halloweenfiend

Hey guys just wondering if anyone here knows a thing or two about Bill's gear throughout the years. Stones era and after. I have not had the oppurtunity of seeing him and his band nowadays (besides Youtube vids). But it looks like he uses some kind of headless short-scale (Steinberger mayb?). Neways, if anyone knows about his basses, amplification, strings, and whatnot please tell.

-Jon

[JTE]

Most of his recordings were done on a cheap older bass he got when he first started playing bass (I think it's a Framus, but I'm not certain). The neck was in such bad shape that he filed the frets down flush with the fingerboard, and most of the classic Stones stuff was recorded on that fretless bass.

Early on it was Vox amps. He had a day job when he hooked up with Keith, Brian, and Mick. Keith Richards said once that he first time they jammed with Bill, he brought two Vox AC-30s with him as well as his bass amp, and said they could plug into them. It was like going from a no-name practice amp to a Twin Reverb. Keith and Brian said that they didn't think he was the best bass player they'd heard, but he had those amps they could use, so that's how he originally got the gig...

Sorry for the side-track there.

Later the Stones were among the first to use the SVT (and the bass predecessor the SBT), and Bill's been through just about every short-scale bass except for Gibson and Guild. A Mustang is featured in the photos of "Get Your Ya-Ya's Out", and around 1981 in a Guitar Player Magazine interview he was using a custom made Kramer with a short-scale aluminium neck. in that interview he mentions how Keith kept telling him he should have a Fender, but that he just couldn't play a long-scale neck.

jte

[Rezlax31]

I think nowadays he just plays through a 1x15 combo. I'm pretty sure its a Trace Elliot. I would be curious what brand of strings he used. I know flats but in the Gimmie Sheltar film they appear to have blue silks. Possibly Pyramids?

[black.rose1402]

I think it's really hard to tell since the guy played through a lot of gear.

[halloweenfiend]

Hey thanks for the replies guys. This kinda stuff intrigues me, especially since Bill's one of my influences. I've been meaning to read one of his books but I kinda doubt this kinda stuff would be in it.

-Jon

[Rezlax31]

I actually highly recommend "Rolling With the Stones". Plenty of bass gear pics album info and the like.

[Hamrhed]

Originally Posted by JTE

Keith kept telling him he should have a Fender, but that he just couldn't play a long-scale neck

Bill is another favorite of mine- says a lot with a little! I play Fenders because Bill cant

[b_carville]

I remember reading (can't remember where. Maybe bassplayer)that the old fretless he used was a no name Japanese that he got cheap & defretted himself. He added a Burns pickup to it.He stopped using it live during the "screaming girl riot" period of the Stones for fear of it being damaged.I think he said he recorded with it up to "Some Girls" & that Billy Preston called it the "Best bass guitar he ever messed with". I've seen a lot of old pictures of him with that bass.

In the 60's in England,he used two Vox Foundation amps(Tube) with a single 18 cabinet for live shows. For the American 60's live shows(mid 60's.not the 1969 shows) he used Fender Dual Showman's. He also used to play hollowbody Framus Star basses for live & T.V. shows.

Bill Wyman has very small hands & every interview I've read with him that goes into his bass playing,He always mentions his trouble finding the right instrument.

He's one of my favorites.

[Jim Carr]

I Still love those hollowbody Framus Star basses! Bill was an early influence.

If only my 1966 Overland Park, Kansas lawn mowing business had been a little more profitable!

[KramerBassFan]

Well, forgive me if im wrong, but he used his homemade, then a Framus Star bass, Then a Sg Bass, then a Mustang, And then a Travis Bean which he used during the 80's... until he got into steinbergers.
Correct me if im wrong, but i am pretty sure that sums up his instrument wise gear....

I love his late 70's early 80's Tone.

Thanks.

[Fly Guitars]

Don't forget the two Vox basses - his own signature Wyman bass, and the violin-shaped Vox Astro (as used in the Rock and Roll circus film)

[KramerBassFan]

Ahhh! Curses.
I knew i was forgetting something...
I remembered the Vox amps, but i somehow managed to forget the basses. Hmm.

Thanks.

[bassplayer8953]

Originally Posted by KramerBassFan

Well, forgive me if im wrong, but he used his homemade, then a Framus Star bass, Then a Sg Bass, then a Mustang, And then a Travis Bean which he used during the 80's... until he got into steinbergers.
Correct me if im wrong, but i am pretty sure that sums up his instrument wise gear....

I love his late 70's early 80's Tone.

Thanks.

I seem to remember a Vox teardrop bass in there somewhere...

I wish I had some videos of the Stones early days, Ed Sullivan & such...those performances were beyond awesome...& set the R&R world on its ear...

[Zoidberg523]

Originally Posted by JTE

(I think it's a Framus, but I'm not certain).
jte

Yep. I had a chance to buy that very same, fret-filed, Framus... It was at a local music store, and the price wasn't bad (considering who owned it!). The guys at the store said that a guy bought it off Bill a while back, and then the guy put on consignment there...

That neck was TINY. We're talking short scale as well as thin; the whole neck was as thick as Geddy Lee Jazz is at the neck, and just as thin depth-wise. Played well though, all things considered, but it was pretty beat up.

[halloweenfiend]

Originally Posted by Zoidberg523

Yep. I had a chance to buy that very same, fret-filed, Framus... It was at a local music store, and the price wasn't bad (considering who owned it!). The guys at the store said that a guy bought it off Bill a while back, and then the guy put on consignment there...

That neck was TINY. We're talking short scale as well as thin; the whole neck was as thick as Geddy Lee Jazz is at the neck, and just as thin depth-wise. Played well though, all things considered, but it was pretty beat up.

That's pretty cool zoidberg. I think I've seen that thing somewhere on the internet... got a real strange shape to the body doesnt it? Neway, I take it u got to play it? Seeing as u said it played well.

-Jon

[bassbully]

In the last interview he did in Bass Player Bill said he really never paid much attention to gear and didnt remember much about all the stuff he used thru the years. He did say he needed small necks since had small hands but is no gearhead for sure.

[GM60466]

Bill also played a Koa wood Travis Beam for about ten years. I believe the bass actually belonged to Keith Richards.

George

[Zoidberg523]

Originally Posted by halloweenfiend

That's pretty cool zoidberg. I think I've seen that thing somewhere on the internet... got a real strange shape to the body doesnt it? Neway, I take it u got to play it? Seeing as u said it played well.

-Jon

Yep, I played it a bit. It had a nice vintage sound.

[audiorep2]

Does anyone have a decent pic of him playing a clear Dan Armstrong ?