Which Bass to cover Bee Gees?

[Raymeous]

THIS NAILS IT:

Originally Posted by KJung

Just learn the line. Any bass will do.

As proven by

Originally Posted by Frenchy-Lefty

The P-Bass with roundwound strings would be best IMO

Originally Posted by rfslick

Jazz with fresh roundwounds.

Originally Posted by zortation

It was probably done with a P

I'm not saying Frenchy, rfslick, or zortation are wrong in anyway, but it does prove that we if we as bass players can't nail it down in 2 seconds flat, your audience definitely wont be able to or care one way or the other. Just grab your favorite bass and white bell bottoms and have fun.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by KJung

...I was just starting to play professionally when the 'Staying Alive' era of the Bee Gees hit, and it was pretty amazing at the time. Nothing else like it... production, etc. and the playing/writing was pretty darn good IMO. If you kicked into those tunes back then, there would be HUNDREDS of people on the dance floor... actually dancing!

+1, I was in my first "pro" band, doing the Ramada/Holiday Inn lounge circuit, playing 5 sets a night/6 nights a week and the dance floors were always packed , totally unlike today's club scene.

BTW, I used a Rick and I did not know at the time that Maurice did, too. I know a guy who has Maurice's first Rick, and even the guy who had it before the current owner, who, IIRC, got it from Maurice, which would mean a complete ownership history for that particular RM1999.

[TXLawDawg]

My favorite Bee Gees bass tone (and performance in general) is from their 1989 One For All concert in Australia that's on DVD. Bassist was George "Chocolate" Perry and he used a Steinberger.

http://youtu.be/fpjQs0WZEC4

[king_biscuit]

70s style jazz with flats.

[Caca de Kick]

Originally Posted by FranF

Nearly all the Bee Gees stuff from '67 to '80 was done on one of Maurice's Ricks. Pretty well documented and confirmed by Maurice.

Yup, we know he used Rics, but he also had a Guild B series bass (B202?).

[Biggbass]

Theres a great Mix Magazine article on the recording of Stayin Alive that mentions Maurice playing the bass part, with a pick, in the control room DI'd into the board. Doesn't mention which bass but listening to the track on headphones it sounds a lot like one of his Rics, picked near the neck pickup.

But more interesting is the info they shared on how they built the drum track. They transferred a 2 measure segment of the drum track that they'd laid down for another tune to another piece of tape, after carefully listening to the entire song for hours until they found the perfect two measures to lift. Then they made the transfer, over and over and over, until they had enough two measure segments laid down to cut it all together into a length of drum groove that they could build an entire song over. The engineer cut all those two measure segments together with a blade. The article says the tape, which was running at 30ips, required about 20 feet of length to get thru the two measures so they ended up with hundreds of feet of tape edited together. They set up a makeshift system of take up reels all over the studio, attached to mic stands and such, to create a smooth running spindle system to be able to play the tape segments and mark them accurately for the editing so they timing of the groove would be perfect, then play it thru from beginning to end and recapture it on another deck on one piece of tape. It turned out so well they used the same drum "groove" on several tracks. This was, literally, the beginning of creating drum grooves, but done the old fashioned way with a grease pencil and a razor blade.

[Brad Johnson]

Originally Posted by KJung

Just learn the line. Any bass will do. Roll off the treble a bit and there you go. Nothing particularly distinctive about that bass tone. Of course, the groove is famous and wonderful!

Also, make that old tune your own. Just like the old Motown stuff, etc., there is nothing wrong with 'updating' the tone a bit, and even the feel and line somewhat, as long as you respect the tune. Once a tune is that old, the rules kind of go out the window for me. Make it sound good, make it feel good, don't worry about 'copying' everything exactly.

This. I play this stuff on any bass I gig with. In fact a few months back I played "Stayin' Alive" on a six string fretless.

[mjac28]

Can I use my Hofner ?

[JimmyM]

It ain't the gear. Ever. Just remember that Jaco, Larry Graham, and John Paul Jones played nearly identical basses and amps.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by mjac28

Can I use my Hofner ?

Absolutely! A Hofner would likely kill on Bee Gees, though I'd have to boost the treble to make it work for me, but then, I always have to boost it using a violin bass.

[Bassgeer]

This kinda reminds me of the best bass for metal question.

[MrRoden96]

I would go with the SG that big humbucker at the neck will give a nice warm tone along with the short scale neck for comfortable playing

[trevcda]

Originally Posted by Biggbass

It turned out so well they used the same drum "groove" on several tracks. This was, literally, the beginning of creating drum grooves, but done the old fashioned way with a grease pencil and a razor blade.

I just started playing in sixth grade when that came out. Funny! I never knew that, but I'd always thought that it sounded like a loop at the end of the choruses when they're holding out the "Staying Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!" line. I remember trying to create loops with a Space Echo and later a Teac Simulsync with a short loop of tape.

[Dluxe]

Maurice used a Precision bass a lot during the mid to late 70's. He is pictured playing one on their Live LP and used one on The Midnight Special when they did "Nights On Broadway."

[petrus61]

Actually, you want a Guild solidbody with P pups...

[Dluxe]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYmwGEAsz9I

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by 12stringbassist

It should really be a Ric, but next best is probably the Jazz.

Matt Bonelli has been playing a Lakland 55-94 for the last several years. I'd go with either the J bass or MM. Here's a cut from their One Night Only concert in Vegas. Check at 2:34.

[Biggbass]

Originally Posted by Dluxe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYmwGEAsz9I

Excellent! Thanks for finding this!

[Grateful]

If you wear your pants tight enough, no one will noticed what kind of bass you're playing.

[mcm]

P with flats. Stayin alive sounds like it.