John Taylor gear...

raul · #1 10-08-2011, 11:33 AM

anyone know what kinda gear he used for those classic 80's recordings? amps, strings, pedals...any info at all would be cool...i love his tone and would love to know what he used...

raul · #2 10-09-2011, 01:47 PM

anyone? anything? i'm feeling a bit lonely...and i can't get up!

jmattbassplaya · #3 10-09-2011, 01:54 PM

He used Aria basses. I think his main one was a Aria SB-1000 (or something similar). He had a very mid-ranged based tone. No clue what his rig was like, but if I had to guess I'd think Ashdown.

raul · #4 10-09-2011, 02:00 PM

i remember the Aria, that's right! i wonder if he used it in the studio for tracks like Girls on Film, Rio, Planet Earth...? i love those tones! View To A Kill is also awesome sounding? could it be the Aria? i also remember reading an interview in the mid 80's about his origins as a bassist and all kindsa cool stuff...it had amp/gear info...dangit, i wish i still had that interview, might have been in Guitar World? hmmm...such a cool tone...i think i hear some compression...? and Roto's? i read something also about him trying a Bernard Edwards bass and it had flats on it...sometims his tone had a nice thick quality to it, i figured maybe he used flats? maybe, sometimes...unless he's just a Rotosound rounds kinda guy...

Zooberwerx · #5 10-09-2011, 02:03 PM

IIRC, he used an early Kubicki with the Power Station side-project.

Riis

ShoeManiac · #6 10-09-2011, 02:35 PM

Instrument-wise, John Taylor used the Aria Pro the most during Duran Duran's peak in the 80's. The Kubicki came into play during the Power Station record. And the Music Man that he's played was Bernard Edwards old bass.

These days, his main basses seem to be Peavey Cirrus's. And IIRC he may have a signature bass with them now.

Caca de Kick · #7 10-10-2011, 03:22 AM

Yeah, pretty much Aria SB on everything recorded with DD.
The Kubicki with Powersation.
A Wal on the Band Aid song "Do They Know it Christmas".
He also owns Bernard's StingRay. It was given to him after Bernard died.

cjmatt · #8 10-10-2011, 03:32 AM

I thought he was playing Alleva Coppolo basses now?

richtea · #9 10-10-2011, 04:10 AM

It's a long time ago, from memory, so dont shoot me If I'm wrong, on the first album he played a ric on planet earth, I seem to remember an Ibanez RoadStar as well for one track, but cant be a hundred percent on that one. After that It was the SB1000, (great bass,I had one around 84-5,It's the one I wish I had never sold) Amps, not sure but Trace Elliot rings a bell.

cnltb · #10 10-10-2011, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

He used Aria basses. I think his main one was a Aria SB-1000 (or something similar). He had a very mid-ranged based tone. No clue what his rig was like, but if I had to guess I'd think Ashdown.

Did Ashdown even exist in those days?

richtea · #11 10-10-2011, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnltb

Did Ashdown even exist in those days?

errrr Nope! by about 20 years. like I said I'm pretty sure he was using trace gear and or peavey.

lowendblues · #12 10-10-2011, 04:36 AM

Aria SB-1000 was his main bass I believe, he is shown with a Rick in the Planet Earth video, Kubicki later on, and then I thought he got into Peavey Cirrus basses.

randysmojo · #13 10-10-2011, 07:21 AM

I seem to remember something about him using some Peavey gear amp wise, but you can always watch old youtube vids and see if you can catch a glimpse of his rig.

ERIC31 · #14 10-10-2011, 10:41 AM

Here's some old live video of Planet Earth from 1981. Some nice shots of his Aria and his Peavey rig can be seen at 2:39. =)

Duran Duran - Planet Earth (Live Måndagsbörsen 1981) - YouTube

jmattbassplaya · #15 10-10-2011, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnltb

Did Ashdown even exist in those days?

Did I say Ashdown? *checks* Oops! Yeah, I definitely meant Peavey

kevteop · #16 10-10-2011, 11:01 AM

I don't think Trace Elliot existed while D.D. were in their heyday either.

jgroh · #17 10-10-2011, 11:12 AM

JT's "heyday" Aria tone is my 2nd favorite bass tone of all time (Geddy's Wal tone being the first) I will eventually own both...=)

cnltb · #18 10-10-2011, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevteop

I don't think Trace Elliot existed while D.D. were in their heyday either.

I think they started out in '79 or somewhere thereabuts.

BritPicker · #19 10-10-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevteop

I don't think Trace Elliot existed while D.D. were in their heyday either.

I'd say Trace Elliot and Duran Duran had their peak of popularity at exactly the same time. Early 80's and Trace Elliot was THE amp for any aspiring pop-rock bassist.

So much so that when I see Trace gear I automatically think "cheesy 80's band". (Not that Duran were one of those)

**svtb15** · #20 10-10-2011, 05:15 PM

He has a white alleva coppolo kbp4. It is the sister bass to my signature model tha was made a few days earlier...He too has the reddish African Rosewood finger board from the same blank as mine. Only difference is his has an experimental shape tuning key with the top cut off to be made square .

In the 80s he had A Kunicki ex factor and an aria

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjmatt

I thought he was playing Alleva Coppolo basses now?