Another Adam Clayton Bass?

[songwriter21]

The history of Boner...um...I mean Bono (the really juicy gossip is at :47):

 

[StevieM]

Rhonda can also get whatever, I would think. If you were good enough to play for Prince, well....

Agreed, 100%.

 

[Dasgre0g]

Excellent choices. "Gone" might be one of my favorite songs of all time by any band. It's one of the few songs I can say where the music sounds exactly like the lyrics on every level at the same time. The bass tone is not only amazing, but the bass lines FEEL.

Magnificent is the same way. It hurts..in a real way

I'm kinda there with you. Was a huge fan until Rattle and Hum. After all these years, I'm still a listener of everything up to that point, though. I paid for the Joshua Tree reunion tour, more for nostalgia than anything else, and don't regret it. But they really didn't sound that great.

To be honest, what live footage I've seen of them since the 90s, and the the show I went to last summer, both Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. look like they are just calling it in. Given the amount of time these guys have played live together, with a huge chunk of that time spent being outrageously famous, I don't expect them to be overly excited every show. But sheesh, they look they could be playing in their sleep. I guess that doesn't say much about the complexity of their parts LOL. I can't really disagree with the argument that he hasn't really stretched himself. At the same time, he has made an insane amount of money doing it. Why change the formula? I've read interviews with the Malcom brothers where they are very clear about how hard they worked to keep AC/DC "the same". But I see far less vitriol for AC/DC here than I do for U2.

I don't get the hate. They aren't virtuosos. But their sound and groove together was unmistakable. I will still listen to Adam Clayton and enjoy his licks and vamps far more than any solo bass virtuoso. I may be in the minority here, but I think Adam Clayton and Jarry Mullen Jr. are one of the greatest rhythm sections in mainstream rock history. I fully accept that it is a matter of opinion, and that I am not a critic. Simple, rock solid, and tight. Just right for their songs. Just enough unique fills to make things interesting, and nothing more. And that's what I like to play and listen to.

Here's some examples of very different styles of U2 basslines throughout their career which don't suck. (IMO)

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I don’t get the hate either. I have one of their older CD’s kicking around somewhere but they’re far from my favourite band. Sure Bono has become some sort of a d-bag and egos have gotten high, but I don’t begrudge them any of their success.
I wouldn’t mind one of the Clayton jazz basses but I’m not really a fan of Sherwood green. It’s cool to see the old lollipop tuners being made again though.

Sometimes I wonder if Bono just comes across badly, or if sometimes his stage act leaks out. No idea, as I don't know the guy personally. I saw U2 a couple of times in the heyday (90s), so I definitely don't hate U2, but it's an easy target for comedy.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

I got a Marcus Miller jazz and a Tony Franklin Precision. I never expected to sound like MM and to this day I have not (consciously) listened to any song with Tony Franklin.

In both cases these were the best basses I could afford at that point, and both gave me exactly what I was looking for in terms of specs. Both are better than other "regular" basses I have (had/tried).

If I was in the market for another bass (and let's face it, who isn't?) and an Adam Clayton sig would be the best pick of the bunch, I'd go with that one.

The level of stupidity and short-sightedness of some of these responses is staggering, to be honest. Oh and don't hate Adam Clayton for being rich. Hate yourself for not landing as good a gig as he did

 

[1bassleft]

I remember reading an interview with Marcus Miller and he said that the first thing he did when he received his basses from Fender was to send them out and have the preamp changed. So people were buying the Marcus Miller signature bass and it wasn't even what he was using. This is typical of signature basses.

Not disagreeing at all with the point you make, but MM was saying pretty similar when he he was on at UK Bass Day in Manchester (looked up the date and it was 2011 , where's my life gone?). Someone in the crowd hoofed their Sig up towards the stage and there was a lot of "come on, stand by your product" banter. He swapped basses and, apart from a mumble-grumble about how old the strings were, played on with that. I know he couldn't do much else, but he wasn't arsey about it and he didn't sound much different (to me, which is saying nothing. I got pulled over for playing a bass while in charge of a vehicle. When they heard my chops, even my licence didn't get an endorsement.)

 

[gjohnson441496]

Adam Clayton gets trash talked so regularly here he could practically set his watches by it.

...and we'd be obligated to make him a custom bass; The Adam Clayton "Talk Bass".

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I got a Marcus Miller jazz and a Tony Franklin Precision. I never expected to sound like MM and to this day I have not (consciously) listened to any song with Tony Franklin.

In both cases these were the best basses I could afford at that point, and both gave me exactly what I was looking for in terms of specs. Both are better than other "regular" basses I have (had/tried).

If I was in the market for another bass (and let's face it, who isn't?) and an Adam Clayton sig would be the best pick of the bunch, I'd go with that one.

The level of stupidity and short-sightedness of some of these responses is staggering, to be honest. Oh and don't hate Adam Clayton for being rich. Hate yourself for not landing as good a gig as he did

I'm happy not to hate myself. Fate plays a role in these things, after all. Also what might seem a minor decision at the time might be a large one. For example, an uncle if mine was asked to join a popular beat combo, before any fame, but it didn't look promising, so he continued with his medical career.

 

[Fender_Bender]

Sometimes I wonder if Bono just comes across badly, or if sometimes his stage act leaks out. No idea, as I don't know the guy personally. I saw U2 a couple of times in the heyday (90s), so I definitely don't hate U2, but it's an easy target for comedy.

Who knows how any of us would turn out if we had people constantly praising us and patting us on the back for 30 years?. You probably end up believing you can walk on water.

 

[cnltb]

Oh and by the way, if you think Adam Clayton's bass playing begins and ends with plodding driving 8th note lines try listening to some more U2 songs.

Does it matter?

 

[Nev375]

Does it matter?

Well, I'm an advocate for people not being ignorant.
So in a way it does matter. To me at least.

 

[Dasgre0g]

Well, I'm an advocate for people not being ignorant.
So in a way it does matter. To me at least.

Exactly. Unfortunately people tend to believe what they want to believe to continue to support their ignorance.

 

[mikeswals]

I’m surprised how many people on his forum would turn down their own signature model if given the opportunity.

I would absolutely turn it down....I think the idea of sig models is stupid.

 

[Bigbri]

...and we'd be obligated to make him a custom bass; The Adam Clayton "Talk Bass".

I would absolutely turn it down....I think the idea of sig models is stupid.

They're just "tribute" guitars and hardly anything like the real thing anyway. At first Fender couldn't even bother getting the right dot spacing at the 12th fret for any pre-cbs tribute guitars. Today I think they are just asking the artist to think up a bass they would like. Then Fender will sell it as their sig guitar/bass for no more than a tour. There's businesses out there that are taking a 59 RI, deconstructing it and rebuilding like Gibson should have for about 10K.

 

[glocke1]

So I fent...Had this in my cart at Reverb for the past week while I mulled it over...I don't even like U2, and the color purple isn't even something I like, but damn this is a sweet looking bass, and than this morning I look and they are 15% off (wilcutt guitars), which will lessen the pain if I later on decide its not something that works for me. Im not even sure if I'll be able to play it out...Bringing a purple sparkely bass out with the Grateful Dead cover band Im in might be frowned upon by the Hippies

 

[JimmyM]

So I fent...Had this in my cart at Reverb for the past week while I mulled it over...I don't even like U2, and the color purple isn't even something I like, but damn this is a sweet looking bass, and than this morning I look and they are 15% off (wilcutt guitars), which will lessen the pain if I later on decide its not something that works for me. Im not even sure if I'll be able to play it out...Bringing a purple sparkely bass out with the Grateful Dead cover band Im in might be frowned upon by the Hippies

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Might have to agree with you there. Phil's basses were always flashy but I don't recall anything like that.

 

[glocke1]

Might have to agree with you there. Phil's basses were always flashy but I don't recall anything like that.

haha...yeah..I'll bring it to a rehearsal and see how well it's received. On the plus side this will go along way towards my goal of not trying to look like Lesh wannabe clone.

 

[gjohnson441496]

Bringing a purple sparkely bass out with the Grateful Dead cover band Im in might be frowned upon by the Hippies

Yep it would be.

 

[sailri]

It's not a multimillionaire from some say it is a band, others say it is a multinational corporation or hedge fund, who takes every more dollar he can find to market his 5th or so signature bass.
But I still in general don't like this signature-thing or players, who prostitute themselves to as many corporations as possible. Maybe if it is a very small company and they have very good stuff and a famous player wants to support them a bit...

There’s lots of hate on this thread and you’ve been of the most specific , if illogical. You have two signature basses also made by Fender. You bought them because you liked them.

What’s wrong with that?

Sure your Noel Redding was a Sig model not even made in the US, and your Duck Dunn looks is way different than that other Duck Dunn signature model (a Lakland, isn’t it?). If you like them, buy them. But to hate on an Adam Clayton Fender sig bass while owning two Fender sig basses, one of which is a Duck Dunn who has sig basses with two different companies, is really just hating on Adam for becoming a wealthy bass player from Dublin instead of a virtuoso bass player from Dublin.

But you are not alone. Lots of hate here for a very rich bass player who is also one of the most silent for as well publicized as they are. Larry Mullin Jr is even more silent.

I never understood why people who have a job in order to make money hate that others make money too. All this in a discussion group where we all play with Toys / Tools and most have owned way more than two that we don’t need.

But if I did have a house on the Cote d’Azur that I could afford to buy from Adam here is my promise. I would buy an Adam signature Fender bass for the haters on this thread. And I would give them away to anyone who would sign a confession that they would like more money, that they’d like more basses, that they’d like to be good enough a bass player to be famous OR lucky enough to be popular with their current skills to do stadium gigs for tens of thousands of fans paying way too much for tickets.

Oh and you’d have to go down to only three basses and one would have to be an Adam Clayton Fender of one flavor or another, of you’d have to give it back to me.

I bet I’d have at least one one of the haters here take that free bass. And I bet they would like it and that they would keep it. And that is OK too.

And they’d be whoring themselves out for only a new bass.

I would love to have the things Adam Clayton has. I’d like to hang out with him and teach me some of what he’s learned in 38 years.

Bill

 

[superdick2112]

So I fent...Had this in my cart at Reverb for the past week while I mulled it over...I don't even like U2, and the color purple isn't even something I like, but damn this is a sweet looking bass, and than this morning I look and they are 15% off (wilcutt guitars), which will lessen the pain if I later on decide its not something that works for me. Im not even sure if I'll be able to play it out...Bringing a purple sparkely bass out with the Grateful Dead cover band Im in might be frowned upon by the Hippies

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I have the matching Precision, and it is an amazing bass - you will not regret it.
I was lucky enough to have the P and J to try out side by side, and it was a very difficult decision.
The neck & pickups (and the build quality in general) on the AC Jazz are superb. You are going to be a happy camper.