Jimmy Johnson gear info...

trevcda · #1 10-02-2007, 07:13 PM

I've had lots of influences over the years but one of the perenial favorites has been Jimmy Johnson, most notably when playing with James Taylor. I just love that sound he gets with Taylor. I know he was at the forefront of the five string revolution but I know little else about the gear he is typically running. His bass has always got several cables coming out of it, but I don't think it's MIDI or 13 pin but I don't know. Does anyone have a link to this information? Thanks for the help!

bassman10096 · #2 10-02-2007, 09:23 PM

I don't claim to be an authority on JJ - just a fan. I've never known him to play anything other than a longscale Alembic Series 2. Look around the Alembic Club site for much more info (he has some serious fans over there). Here's a recent link with the bass I've always seen him playing http://alembic.com/club/messages/393...tml?1191291284.

bassbrad · #3 10-03-2007, 05:30 PM

Those old Alembics have a huge appetite for power and use an external power supply connected thru a 7 pin cannon jack.
Jimmy was indeed behind the contemporary lo B 5 string electric bass originally built by Alembic. He got the idea from his father, an upright bassist and piano technician, who told him that many orchestral bassists added a fifth lower string to their basses rather than using a detuner of which there are several types. Getting Alembic to build the bass was one thing but he (and Anthony Jackson) battled for years with string companies to develop a proper strings for extended tunings.
For amplification he has always used professional PA type gear. I have seen him use a Yamaha professional bass rig several times with Allan Holdsworth and I think he is using a Meyer Audio rig with JT.

trevcda · #4 10-30-2007, 01:32 AM

Just updating my thread: I was lucky enough to catch JJ with James Taylor tonight (just got home) and it appears now that he is relying soley on "ears". I didn't see any cabs on stage for bass at all. There was a smallish rack that had at least a tuner in it, but other than that nothing. As usual the whole group was amazing.

mb94952 · #5 02-26-2013, 10:31 AM

Reviving a SIX year old thread !!
Jimmy Johnson has always been on my top 4 list of favorite bass players of all time. His tone and playing is my #1 !
His tone brings tears to my eyes every time I hear him play. All I know is that he plays a Series II. Other than that, in a way I kind of like the mystery of not knowing.

On "Stanley Clarke's Night School" video he was playing through an SWR Super Redhead, personally one of my favorite amps of all time and my main gig rig. He still had the JJ tone. Also, his solo was light years above and beyond everyone else. I think he even out Stanleyed Stanley !

(You know I love you Stanley !!)

There is only one Jimmy Johnson.

michael_t · #6 02-26-2013, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb94952

Reviving a SIX year old thread !!

mb94952, thanks for doing that. You just made my day simply by mentioning Jimmy Johnson's name! As far as I'm concerned, Jimmy doesn't get enough credit for all he has done for the bass world.

Atalante · #7 02-26-2013, 05:14 PM

Jimmy must be the worlds must underrated players. I've never heard of someone so good getting so little attention from the masses. A true shame.

slicknickhaas · #8 03-18-2013, 03:09 AM

Here's a Video of Jimmy playing with Terry Bozzio, and Alex Machacek on guitar, Jimmy's playing an Alembic series 2 5 sting, the big cable is a DSR 5 pin cable which supply's 18 volts to the bass and lets you split your pickups and run in stereo.

www.alembic.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR3KWRDK3_U

Hobobob · #9 03-18-2013, 03:15 AM

Last time I saw Jimmy (w/ Gregg Bissonette) he was using a Walter Woods amp. Not sure what the cab was. And of course, he was using his Alembic 5'er.

Roscoe East · #10 03-18-2013, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slicknickhaas

Here's a Video of Jimmy playing with Terry Bozzio

I love that Terry's got a music stand wedged into that monstrosity of a drumkit...though I suspect the chart for the tune in that video simply reads "hit something else!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hobobob

Last time I saw Jimmy (w/ Gregg Bissonette) he was using a Walter Woods amp. Not sure what the cab was.

I remember reading an interview in one of those music rags years back where he said his "small" rig was a Walter Woods head and BagEnd cabinets. The "big" rig was all Meyer Sound pro audio stuff (which is what Anthony Jackson also uses fwiw)

Dan Knowlton · #11 03-18-2013, 10:04 AM

I got turned onto Jimmy with "Flim & the BB's" which was one of the first (if not THE first) direct to digital recordings when 3M was experimenting with digital recording.

Great playing in inventive interaction between the musicians!

Dan K.

mb94952 · #12 03-18-2013, 10:33 AM

Personally, I love this video because Jimmy Johnson sounds better than EVERYONE. He doesn't "out play" them, he is just classier and just SO DARN GOOD !!!

Flea, and Bunny Brunnell are the other two great solos in this, and Stanley, of course ! I never thought I'd say that about Flea !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdRG-hD5ZKo

Oh, I had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy in 1989 with Allan and Chad in a small club ! I remember Neil Schon was standing next to me and he was in awe of Jimmy's solos. That was a great night.

cnltb · #13 03-18-2013, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mb94952

Personally, I love this video because Jimmy Johnson sounds better than EVERYONE. He doesn't "out play" them, he is just classier and just SO DARN GOOD !!!

Flea, and Bunny Brunnell are the other two great solos in this, and Stanley, of course ! I never thought I'd say that about Flea !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdRG-hD5ZKo

Oh, I had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy in 1989 with Allan and Chad in a small club ! I remember Neil Schon was standing next to me and he was in awe of Jimmy's solos. That was a great night.

The video...I found it truly horrible.
Sorry.

Jimmy Johnson and Flea were by far my favorite though..

Signs · #14 03-18-2013, 05:52 PM

Old threads never die...But Jimmy Johnson is really good, doesn't overplay. I like this song from the 80's with Lee Ritenour, Carlos Vega, Phil Perry etc.

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

Great bass player...

zachoff · #15 03-18-2013, 06:25 PM

Can't help but think of either the driver or the coach when I read this thread title. Pardon the interruption.

Vince Klortho · #16 03-18-2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Knowlton

I got turned onto Jimmy with "Flim & the BB's" which was one of the first (if not THE first) direct to digital recordings when 3M was experimenting with digital recording.

Great playing in inventive interaction between the musicians!

Dan K.

I think that is true. Largely because Flim & the BBs were a group of guys who were all based in Minneapolis as is 3M. If you look on YouTube you can find a series of videos of Flim & the BBs recorded live in Minneapolis. They are pretty good. Jimmy's playing is stellar, as is usual for him.

He has frequently posted at the Alembic Club forum. He wrote that his preferred amplification is none at all. He likes to go straight to the board out of his bass's pre-amp and rely on the monitor system to hear himself. He does have some amps that he uses when he has to.

mb94952 · #17 03-18-2013, 06:36 PM

The ONLY Jimmy Johnson is the BASS PLAYER

Adam Wright · #18 03-18-2013, 06:41 PM

when I saw him with Holdsworth in late 2011, he appeared to be going direct. I didn't see a pre and he had no cabs on stage.

PaulieBe · #19 03-18-2013, 07:24 PM

I used to listen to him in the 80's with the Wayne Johnson Trio Grasshopper record and he blew my mind. I was in high school and I would transcribe him and soon realized he was playing all these really low notes finally figuring out he must have a lower string... probably 83 or so. No internet to ask.

I finally saw him play in 1985 or 86 in Boston at The Paradise with Allen Holdsworth and Chad Wackerman. I was too young to get into the clubs so I snuck around thru the alley to the load-in door that had a view of the stage and listened all night in thru the crack. Being a kid, I snuck in after to find him during packup. He was very kind and took me onstage to meet the almost painfully shy Allen and show me his rig: an Ampeg rental with blown speakers, a power amp and an old Alembic F2b preamp- something I promptly searched for and bought used off of some guy on Beacon Hill for $100. Still have it.

He is an incredibly subtle player and one of the really unique voices on the instrument. Kind of a true electric bass 'guitarist' . He has a continually intriguing, liquid, fluid tone. Always melodic, almost diatonic approach that always defaults to tasteful and then moves to amazing from there. Just one of my all time favorites.

p.s. I was on tour mid 2000's and sitting at a terminal in LAX when I was unconsciously found myself staring at a group of older dudes sporting carry-on's with bagtags (a muso giveaway) who were waiting for a flight next to mine. I spotted the tell-tale JJ ponytail and glasses sitting next to James Taylor and put it together. I walked over- everyone quickly surrounding James Taylor to protect him from this intruding 'fan'. I brushed past them all... "Excuse me. Are you Jimmy Johnson?"

mb94952 · #20 03-18-2013, 07:41 PM

That is such a great story !

I am also a huge fan of Wayne Johnson Trio. I actually have Grasshopper and Keeping the Dream Alive in my car CD disc changer as we speak.

I would've also made a bee line at the airport, too if I were you to meet JJ !

On the club site I asked him if he'd give me lessons. He gave me my lesson in one sentence - " trust your ears and play with your heart. Play what makes you happy and others will pick up on that." Coming from JJ was the best advice I ever got. I couldn't believe he had advice for ME. He is my favorite ...