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Ross Valory...Journey

#3
He recorded the Escape album and played the Escape tour with an Ovation Magnum II, the first one with the eq sliders on it. He used the Peavey for Frontiers, and a Fender Jazz up until the Departure album. He didn't switch to a Steinberger until after the Frontiers album, IIRC.

Magnum IIs sell for $250-$450 on eBay, depending on condition.
 
#4
VifferMike said:
He recorded the Escape album and played the Escape tour with an Ovation Magnum II, the first one with the eq sliders on it. He used the Peavey for Frontiers, and a Fender Jazz up until the Departure album. He didn't switch to a Steinberger until after the Frontiers album, IIRC.

Magnum IIs sell for $250-$450 on eBay, depending on condition.
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Are you sure? He's playing a Steinberger on all the videos and concert footage from Frontiers. I read he had used the T-40 as early as the Escape album, getting that growl with the "out-of-phase" switch that is on the T-40 (I owned both basses, BTW, and could get that exact tone from the T-40 with that switch).
 
#5
When rock videos proliferated in the early '80's I would carefully watch what Ross was doing for clues to his sound. He played fingerstyle with his right hand really close to the bridge.

This was Jaco's main right hand position as well.

Try it to get a unique sound, not to mention a unique feel. Once you get use to it you can increase your playing speed.
 
#6
Journey's live "Captured" album came out before "Escape" and Ross is playing a T-40 on the live shots from that album. I've always liked Ross's playing but not necessarily his choice of basses but I admire someone who plays the instrument they like rather than what is considered "cool" to play.
 
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#7
I get that tone from my Bartolini equipped Yamaha. I roll the blend to favor teh bridge pickup a bit and add a little 500K mid. PLa close to th ebridge and you've got it.

I like the tone - pretty "signature" if you ask me. I think adding that mid and playing by the bridge gets you that "fretless" kind of growl.
 
#9
Yep, the Ovation is what he used to record Escape, and concert footage of the Escape tour shows him playing the Magnum II. As for the Steinberger, I'm about 80 percent sure that he recorded Frontiers with the Ovation and/or the Peavey, and broke out the 'berger for the tour (and most of the rest of his public career).

He'd just acquired the Peavey as the Departure tour, footage from which makes up nearly all of the content in 'Captured', took off. You can hear that boosted-mid growl on some of the songs on the live album; he was obviously playing with that boost-cut switch as the tour ran its course.
 
#11
VifferMike said:
He'd just acquired the Peavey as the Departure tour, footage from which makes up nearly all of the content in 'Captured', took off. You can hear that boosted-mid growl on some of the songs on the live album; he was obviously playing with that boost-cut switch as the tour ran its course.
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Not really a "boost-cut" switch. It put the pickups coils out-of-phase with each other, causing a more mid-rangy, thinner, growly tone (according to the literature that came with my new T-40 in 1983 ;) ).
 
#13
You are correct. I did see them on Direct TV with their new singer. He was sounding great and playing was rock solid. I could not identify the bass he was playing though. The headstock was Kubicki like, and the body was small (Cort Curvebowish.)
 
#15
timidbassist said:
He now plays a Cubow Internation Petitie 4 String.
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He is also now playing with B-E-A-D tuning. The Live show you (Stinsok) saw was probably the 2001 show filmed here in Vegas at Mandelay Bay (have it on DVD). For those of you that know the parts, that's why his playing doesn't quite "look" right (compared to normal 4 string tuning).
 
#17
jgoldbe said:
i know ross valory used the peavey t40 on journeys 1978/79 tour. i know this because i now own this exact bass. no i dont mean the same model, i mean the same exact bass he had on tour.
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Or one of the T-40's he used on that tour. ;)

I bought a T-40 back around that time because of seeing his. I was in my teens so it was my first decent bass. Unfortunately the neck went to hell on it.
 
#19
I know this is an old thread, but since it's the one that came up when I did a Google search on the topic, I don't want to leave it in an incorrect state.

Valory used an Ovation Magnum IV (not II) to record Escape. No fretless - he used an Eventide harmonizer, just slightly detuned, to create that semi-fretless, semi-Jaco edge to the tone. He described that in a Bass Player magazine interview a few years back ()

He confirmed which bass he used on his web site: The Ross Zone [The Official Ross Valory Fan Site]

The Ovation II was used on tour, then he switched to the Steinberger for the subsequent album.
 
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