John Wetton tone and technique used on "Red" by King Crimson

Richard Sabines · #1 05-19-2013, 05:40 AM

Im going to cover songs from that album, I know it's a p bass sound slightly overdriven, many people says he is a finger player but I hear on that "Red" song that he is using a pick, what do you think?

Richard Sabines · #2 05-19-2013, 10:11 AM

I think maybe this answers my question.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXByEf9Epvs

Jaco Taco · #3 05-19-2013, 11:23 PM

Well, in that video he's using a pick as he has done since Asia but back in Crimson he was still a finger player. A lot of Wetton's tone came from the Hiwatt amps that he would send his Fender P through. Overdriven huge and crunchy. One of the coolest tones ever imo. That video doesn't do it justice, of course. If you like Wetton's tone and playing, you should really hunt down "The Great Deceiver" box-set, 4 cd's of live recordings of that version of Crimson. Totally incredible.

Meddle · #4 05-20-2013, 02:16 AM

Wetton used Hiwatt heads into a Cerwin Vega folded-horn cab and possibly some 412 cabs as well. I think he used a Jen fuzz/wah as well, which I think he uses on Red.

Concert footage of the era shows he uses both pick and fingers. I would love to hear an isolated bass track for this tune, as I'm sure quite a lot of the tone on the track is Wetton, even if it isn't obvious. There might be a stripped back 3-piece studio take on the expanded Red album.

rockinrayduke · #5 05-20-2013, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meddle

Wetton used Hiwatt heads into a Cerwin Vega folded-horn cab and possibly some 412 cabs as well. I think he used a Jen fuzz/wah as well, which I think he uses on Red.

Concert footage of the era shows he uses both pick and fingers. I would love to hear an isolated bass track for this tune, as I'm sure quite a lot of the tone on the track is Wetton, even if it isn't obvious. There might be a stripped back 3-piece studio take on the expanded Red album.

Yep. Here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6_7-mwVD6k

Richard Sabines · #6 05-20-2013, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaco Taco

Well, in that video he's using a pick as he has done since Asia but back in Crimson he was still a finger player. A lot of Wetton's tone came from the Hiwatt amps that he would send his Fender P through. Overdriven huge and crunchy. One of the coolest tones ever imo. That video doesn't do it justice, of course. If you like Wetton's tone and playing, you should really hunt down "The Great Deceiver" box-set, 4 cd's of live recordings of that version of Crimson. Totally incredible.

good call on "The Great Deceiver", Jaco Taco, but focusing on the Red track of the Red album and the more I listen to it, I think Wetton is using a pick.

unclejane · #7 05-20-2013, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard Sabines

I think maybe this answers my question.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXByEf9Epvs

Ow ow ow ow... that drummer just can't seem to hit those cymbals hard enough can he?....

Reminds me of my gigs at the Continental Club in Austin years ago, my ears are still ringing here 20+ years later....

LS

**Ric5** · #8 05-20-2013, 05:41 AM

During his King Crimson days he played a p-bass finger style with plenty of distortion. When he played with Asia he used a pick a lot. I think somewhere he developed wrist problems and found pick playing easier. Or maybe he just prefered the sound and attack of the pick. Also in Asia he started using a jazz bass in addition to the p-bass, and he used a Rick on some studio tracks.

I saw King Crimson about 1974 and as far as I can remember he was all or mostly all finger style playing.

**Ric5** · #9 05-21-2013, 08:51 AM

Playing with as musc distortion as Wetton used back then pick or fingers doesn't make a lot of difference.

Tony Levin would cover Wettons bass parts and use a 5 string Stingray and a much cleaner sound and he played fingerstyle.

Jaco Taco · #10 05-21-2013, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric5

Playing with as musc distortion asn Wetton used back then pick or fingers doesn't make a lot of difference.

Tony Levin would cover Wettons bass parts and use a 5 string Stingray and a much cleaner sound and he played fingerstyle.

Huh? T Lev was/is a pick player.

swspiers · #11 05-21-2013, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaco Taco

Huh? T Lev was/is a pick player.

?????????????????????

I do not recall seeing T Lev play with a pick, except for some Gabriel stuff. He has some of the finest finger technique on the planet.

Not saying he doesn't use a pick more than I am aware of, just that he is a master with the right hand.

And let's not forget 'Funk Fingers'...

**Ric5** · #12 Yesterday, 05:41 AM

Here's some video of Tony playing fingerstyle.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=phLeVhVvxj4

nysbob · #13 Yesterday, 06:38 AM

We've got a garden of misinformation here.

Tony is primarily a fingers player, but like most seasoned studio cats, he'll use a pick if that's the sound called for.

When Wetton recorded and toured Red, he was pretty much a fingers player, but see the statement above.

Having listened to that track many a time (as well as performed it in front of paying audiences), I never thought it was anything BUT fingers, because that's how he played when I saw him back in the day.

taurus1 · #14 Yesterday, 07:57 AM

Wetton used 50W Marshall heads after he stopped using Hiwatts.
I saw a cool Asia era pic of his live rig, 5 Marshall 50w heads stacked on top of each other.
his technique nowadays is kind of odd, he uses a thumb pick.

**Ric5** · #15 Yesterday, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taurus1

Wetton used 50W Marshall heads after he stopped using Hiwatts.
I saw a cool Asia era pic of his live rig, 5 Marshall 50w heads stacked on top of each other.
his technique nowadays is kind of odd, he uses a thumb pick.

The thumb pick helps him deal with wrist problems.

pbass2 · #16 Yesterday, 07:14 PM

I saw the tour that the live USA album represents, at the Kennedy Center in D.C. Man, talk about amazing. I was only 12 but already a major bass-geek--I seem to remember quite clearly he played fingerstyle the whole time, white P, HiWatts. Crazy Loud concert!
I saw U.K. too(with Bruford and Holdsworth) and that was all fingerstyle as well I'm certain.

Jaco Taco · #17 Today, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nysbob

Tony is primarily a fingers player, but like most seasoned studio cats, he'll use a pick if that's the sound called for.

All the King Crimson or Peter Gabriel DVD's he's playing with a pick exclusively so I don't know where this comes from.

Pimmsley · #18 Today, 12:48 AM

That maybe be true on the video but in the studio I'm pretty sure he used all techniques... including those ridiculous finger extension slappa things... lol...
but no doubt it's all fingerstyle on Alice Coopers 'welcome to my Nightmare' plus all the Chapman stick (Peter Gabriel) stuff is mainly finger style and tapping... you can hear it on 'So' and 'Us'...There were articles in Bass player mag back in the 90's about it, he described the two hand tapping technique, I don't think he used the Stick on much live stuff post 90's...

Roscoe East · #19 Today, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaco Taco

All the King Crimson or Peter Gabriel DVD's he's playing with a pick exclusively so I don't know where this comes from.

!?!?! I've seen Tony performing with King Crimson on four separate occasions over the course of three decades, and never once did he use a pick.

tkozal · #20 Today, 11:45 AM

I spent much of my misspent youth trying to get his sound. A 73 P bass and an overdriven tube amp got me that sticky sound I desired. With my fingers.