Stanley's early basses

bassist15 · #1 02-03-2007, 11:00 AM

I found a video from 1974 of Return To Forever and Stanley is playing a Rickenbacker . did he use the Rickenbacker to record on the first couple albums and ? I know for a lot of the tracks he used an upright bass. I think he used an upright on Captain Marvel by Stan Getz too.

Baryonyx · #2 02-03-2007, 03:53 PM

I know the video of which you speak. However, I'm quite sure Stan didn't record with it, IIRC he bought an Alembic when he joined RTF.

Dr. Cheese · #3 02-03-2007, 04:03 PM

By the time he was making his second solo album, Stanley Clarke, he was using an Alembic. I heard he used a Jazz on "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy" with Return to Forever. I also read several times that he started out on a short scale Gibson (EB-3, I think.)

tightbidness · #4 02-03-2007, 07:33 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFP-alYNq5I

Dr. Cheese · #5 02-03-2007, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tightbidness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFP-alYNq5I

Man, that is one of the most ironic things I have ever seen in my life!

So Stanley Clarke used to play a Rickenbacker 4000
(single pup). So did I for 7 1/2 years. The funny thing was that the whole time, I wanted a bass like Stanley Clarke had (Alembic), heck if I had only known he had played a Rick 4000, maybe, I would have kept that bass, it was really great live, the only downside was that it really sounded raw in a recording studio.

Prahainspring · #6 02-03-2007, 10:08 PM

Damn, that Ric sounds really good. When he starts really laying in it stays thick and full, not clappy and bright like the Alembic. I think I may like his sound with this more!

tightbidness · #7 02-04-2007, 07:47 AM

I don't know what bass Stanley used on the album -- I always assumed it was a Gibson -- but to my ears the bass in that live clip sounds similar to the album cut.

Dr. Cheese · #8 02-04-2007, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prahainspring

Damn, that Ric sounds really good. When he starts really laying in it stays thick and full, not clappy and bright like the Alembic. I think I may like his sound with this more!

Stanley was still playing bass back then. From School Days onward, I think very little of Stanley Clarke's output has been with a standard bass, most has been on Tenor or Piccolo basses.