Ron Blair

derridiandrift · #1 08-29-2010, 04:17 PM

What kind of bass is Ron Blair playing in the two videos included on the deluxe version of MOJO?

waleross · #2 08-29-2010, 04:44 PM

I bought the allbum when it first came out. According the the notes he uses a 65 Jazz, a 59 P bass and a Kay Upright Bass. Great Album.......

derridiandrift · #3 08-29-2010, 07:25 PM

I saw that, and it seems that on every live video from the current tour he's playing a Fender. In the "Deluxe" version of MOJO that I downloaded from iTunes there are two videos of the band ostensibly rehearsing the tunes I Should Have Known It and Good Enough. In the videos for those tunes Ron Blair is playing a bass I can't identify. I've taken a really bad screen shot for clarification. Hopefully someone can see this well enough to figure it out for me.

KPJ · #4 08-29-2010, 07:27 PM

Dusenberg Star Player Bass

http://www.duesenberg.de/

derridiandrift · #5 08-29-2010, 07:29 PM

That was quick! Two minutes after the picture went up.

Thanks Kevin!!!

corinpills · #6 08-30-2010, 08:51 AM

I just saw Curt Smith from Tears For Fears playing a Dusenburg last week- alternating with a Hofner Club bass. Both sounded big and boomy in the best possible way.

derridiandrift · #7 08-30-2010, 11:00 AM

I guess Ron Blair only used the Duesenberg for the video shoot because the youtube videos of the current tour show him using Fenders. That's interesting because Blair endorses Duesenberg. Mike Cambell does too. Maybe the terms of Blair's endorsement were specific to having play them in a couple videos only.

I really dig the look of this bass and it sounds really good in the one demo video I've seen. I can't afford one so I'll have to wait for an endorsement opportunity before I own one :-) I would actually play it AT GIGS if I owned one! The sound that they got on that youtube demo would really cut through live and still be supportive.

JimmyM · #8 08-30-2010, 12:06 PM

interesting that mike campbell and ron blair endorse dusenberg. i don't recall anyone in the heartbreakers endorsing anything in the past, and tom petty's always talked like he's against endorsements.

derridiandrift · #9 08-30-2010, 12:17 PM

I don't follow him that closely, but I can't recall Petty coming right out and saying he won't do endorsements, though I agree, he does seem vaguely anti-corporate.

I've been doing some digging and on the Ron Blair entry in wikipedia (I know, not exactly the most reliable information around) it says something about how odd it is that Blair's SVTs are actually used for stage monitoring, while all other amps on stage are there for show, implying that they use direct amp modelling exclusively. I find that hard to believe because Petty has such a huge collection of amps and guitars, and he seems like he's serious about tone on his recordings. That seems incongruous with amp modelling on stage.

JimmyM · #10 08-30-2010, 02:41 PM

i'm sorry, i refuse to believe that. what's the point of bringing them if you don't use them? i can't imagine guys like them doing that.

thesandman · #11 09-01-2010, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derridiandrift

I don't follow him that closely, but I can't recall Petty coming right out and saying he won't do endorsements, though I agree, he does seem vaguely anti-corporate.

I've been doing some digging and on the Ron Blair entry in wikipedia (I know, not exactly the most reliable information around) it says something about how odd it is that Blair's SVTs are actually used for stage monitoring, while all other amps on stage are there for show, implying that they use direct amp modelling exclusively. I find that hard to believe because Petty has such a huge collection of amps and guitars, and he seems like he's serious about tone on his recordings. That seems incongruous with amp modelling on stage.

They're not using amp modeling, when they were in Gainesville a few years ago, they had a row of Fender amps behind those Vox's.

Mastermold · #12 10-05-2010, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

i'm sorry, i refuse to believe that. what's the point of bringing them if you don't use them? i can't imagine guys like them doing that.

You're right, Jimmy, they use the amps. A friend of mine sold Mike Campbell his Fender Showman, which Mike is using on this present tour although he apparently said it can be a bit too loud on stage.

derridiandrift · #13 10-05-2010, 03:22 PM

Thanks mastermold for proving once again that Wikipedia is a collection of information that is randomly unreliable. I'm pleased that someone could confirm this because like I said originally, I was deeply skeptical that someone with such a notorious collection of classic amps and guitars would actually use amp modelling on stage.

Mastermold · #14 10-05-2010, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derridiandrift

Thanks mastermold for proving once again that Wikipedia is a collection of information that is randomly unreliable. I'm pleased that someone could confirm this because like I said originally, I was deeply skeptical that someone with such a notorious collection of classic amps and guitars would actually use amp modelling on stage.

No worries. BTW, I just saw their show here in Irvine last Saturday and Ron Blair was playing a black Jazz with matching headstock -- anyone know if that's the same one he used to use back in the 70's? I would have thought he'd have retired that one but maybe not.

hagstrom71 · #15 10-06-2010, 09:59 PM

Mike Campbell's live sound these days is a mix of a Fender princeton and Fender Deluxe, with the occasional jangle from a Vox AC30.
Small amps yes, no amp modeling.

I love Ron's black Jazz Bass, I also wonder the current one is the same one from the late 70's with a different pick gaurd??

derridiandrift · #16 10-07-2010, 02:12 PM

Not a thing wrong with small amps, especially those ones! Brilliant amps, all three of them, thought I'd hesitate to call an AC30 small, I get where you're going with that. Small compared to some hero rigs. I worked with someone whose small rig was a Hiwatt 100 and a 4x12. Yeesh.

Ron's a great bass player, and I'm loving the new disk, but I'd love to know if that bass was tracked on any of the songs.