Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)

Freddy-G. · #1 07-02-2010, 06:28 PM

He's played with other bands, but I'm referring to Emerson Lake & Palmer's album "Trilogy". And specifically to the song "The Endless Enigma". Greg's bass sounds unlike any I've ever heard. If you haven't already, you have to check it out. I remember a magazine article from the '70s that said he used Crown amplifiers. Beyond that, I have no idea how he acheived his sound. Does anyone have more information about his equipment and how he made this unique bass tone?

NEW: Check out the youtube vids in post #14. (Thanks Deathblade Eric)

Johnny Crab · #2 07-02-2010, 07:43 PM

http://www.brain-salad-surgery.de/greg_lakes_gear.html

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkX7ugqKy2Y
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...on+lake+palmer

You may also want to check out a band called "Triumverat".
The bass player is deceased but the band sound and casting was very similar to ELP.
Vocals no match for Greg Lake but the bass is similar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-7Xu6QZaig
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Triumverat

N.F.A. · #3 07-02-2010, 09:22 PM

I always thought he used Hiwatts back then.

JimmyM · #4 07-03-2010, 12:53 AM

just thought i'd mention that the gibson thing didn't last very long at all. there was a short period during the brain salad surgery tour, but after that he went to alembics. before then, it was almost all jazz bass, and i'm pretty sure trilogy was done on a jazz.

he did, however, like to split a signal and run half clean and half edgy and trebly, and i'm pretty sure he always used hiwatts for the edgy sound.

N.F.A. · #5 07-03-2010, 02:05 AM

I will have to check, but I have a video of them doing some of Pictures at an Exhibition and I think he is playing a Ric through at least one Hiwatt. It's always been one of my favorite bass tones ever.

Freddy-G. · #6 07-03-2010, 08:27 AM

Thanks for the links and comments. That's a nice Persian rug!

Is he still playing these days?

JTE · #7 07-03-2010, 08:33 AM

In the September, 1974 issue of Guitar Player he said his first bass with Crimson was a Jazz bass "... which in his estimate is one of the best basses in existence". It goes on to say he tried a Gibson which he found to be "too inaccurate" and a Rick ("too difficult to play because the neck, he claims, actually 'moved four inches' in either direction'".

Later the article talks about his then brand new Ripper and its intonation, balance across all four strings, and versatile electronics. He says he was using a rig like "a huge hi-fi system" consisting of Crown DC-1000 (power amps), a separate unspecified EQ circuit, and un-named cainets loaded with JBL speakers and Lansing horns- crossed over at 400 Hz.

I'm glad I still have my copy of the GP book "Rock Guitarists", a collection of reprinted interviews from between '67 and '74. Lottsa stuff, even if it's quite dated, including Bo Bogle, Stu Cook, Glenn Cornick, Rod Ellicott, Jim Fielder, Andy Kulberg, Lake, Felix Pappilardi, Chris Squire, and Martin Turner. As a sign of the times (the book was published in 1974), even though they have bits on Jack Bruce, Jack Casady, Chris Hillman, and John Entwistle, they're not listed in the table of contents because the feature article was of the whole band (Cream, Jefferson Airplane, The Who)- while the guitarist Clapton, McGuinn, and Townshend are...

John

kreider204 · #8 07-03-2010, 08:44 AM

I vaguely recall seeing pictures of him playing a P bass at some point. Don't quote me on that, though.

Bigjohn · #9 07-03-2010, 11:56 PM

Yes, Fender Jazz through Hiwatts.
GL used Fender Jazz through Hiwatts for the first 4 albums: (self titled), Tarkus, Pictures At An Exhibition, and Trilogy.
I don't know if he used them for the Brain Salad Surgery recordings but the Crowns and Rippers happened later, on the Brain Salad Surgery tour. The Alembic was later still.

Quote:

Originally Posted by N.F.A.

I always thought he used Hiwatts back then.

Meddle · #10 07-04-2010, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

...and a Rick ("too difficult to play because the neck, he claims, actually 'moved four inches' in either direction'"...

The drugs were strong back then!

To me the classic Greg Lake sound from the early days is his black jazz bass with both pickups on full. I think he said once he always tried to sound like the bass end of Emerson's Steinway piano, so he favoured an ultra-clean hi-fi tone.

I wish I had seen ELP in the 1970s because Greg had ana amazing rig (the Crown rig) that covered a wide range of frequencies, but the live stuff never makes this too obvious. The Cal Jam footage has no bottom end really.

rulyøngo · #11 08-12-2010, 10:48 PM

He's using Sadowskys now:

http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/view/5385.html

http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/stock_...5/GL_RS_lg.jpg

Freddy-G. · #12 08-13-2010, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rulyøngo

He's using Sadowskys now:

http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/view/5385.html

http://www.sadowsky.com/stock/stock_...5/GL_RS_lg.jpg

That's a great pic of Greg with Roger.

plangentmusic · #13 08-14-2010, 12:51 AM

The best sound he ever got was on the first album, which I believe was a P with roto's and played with a pick. Very underrated player.

Tank, Tarkus and Karn Evil 9 are some serious bass works.

Deathblade Eric · #14 08-14-2010, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plangentmusic

The best sound he ever got was on the first album, which I believe was a P with roto's and played with a pick. Very underrated player.

Tank, Tarkus and Karn Evil 9 are some serious bass works.

A Jazz, apart from that, spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfISkpibSCY

Interesting compare & contrast with this from last month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUPz1HdDIE

Greg's a lot rounder than he used to be

plangentmusic · #15 08-14-2010, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathblade Eric

A Jazz, apart from that, spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfISkpibSCY

Interesting compare & contrast with this from last month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUPz1HdDIE

Greg's a lot rounder than he used to be

Ha! And after all that, he's back to the J!

Yeah, Greg didn't age well, nor did his voice. But his sound in that old clip KILLS.

edmidlifecrisis · #16 08-14-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathblade Eric

A Jazz, apart from that, spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfISkpibSCY

Interesting compare & contrast with this from last month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUPz1HdDIE

Greg's a lot rounder than he used to be

That bass tone is unbelievable. I saw them at the Fillmore East that same year (1971), their first US tour date. They were amazing!!

Deathblade Eric · #17 08-14-2010, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edmidlifecrisis

That bass tone is unbelievable. I saw them at the Fillmore East that same year (1971), their first US tour date. They were amazing!!

You Lucky Man (sorry). I reckon a good part of the tone is down to a combination of Rotos & a heavy mock-tortoishell pick. There wasn't much choice back then.

There's a good shot of the headstock in the second clip at 1:36 - Sadowsky?

Freddy-G. · #18 08-15-2010, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deathblade Eric

A Jazz, apart from that, spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfISkpibSCY

Interesting compare & contrast with this from last month: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpUPz1HdDIE

Greg's a lot rounder than he used to be

Thanks for the links. FANTASTIC! I'm a lot rounder than I used to be too. Hey, it happens!

Stinsok · #19 08-15-2010, 05:55 PM

I will look, but I think on the cover of the triple live album he is playing a Precision (on the back of the sleeve.)

AcidFripp · #20 08-15-2010, 08:12 PM

Lake? He's fantastic on King Crimsons In The Court Of The Crimson King...
You wouldn't expect it, but that album has some clever basslines! Lake's a good vocalist, but he's a cool bassist too, both in ELP and in King Crimson. You guys should take a listen.