Anthony Jackson's Bass Guitars

[mark beem]

Great pic of Anthony with his Fodera.

 

[pacojas]

Great pic of Anthony with his Fodera.

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how cumbersome is that thing,.. YIKES!

 

[LeonD]

What some folks will do, all in the name of tone!

 

[jsbarber]

Here is Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation #9. I sold it here on TB two years ago. Terrific instrument.

 

[mrufino1]

Here is Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation #9. I sold it here on TB two years ago. Terrific instrument.


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I saw him play that with the Michel Camilo big band in NYC, one of the best shows I've ever seen or heard. I met Victor Wooten in the bathroom as well at that show, so needless to say there were very few words exchanged...

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

Here is Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation #9. I sold it here on TB two years ago. Terrific instrument.


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Does it have hidden tone/volume controls?

 

[jsbarber]

No, neither.
In an interview that I read sometime ago, Anthony Jackson commented that the electronics installed in bass guitars was not of the caliber that he used in his rig or in the studio, so he was not compelled to install it in the instrument - or something to that effect. I have seen him perform with a volume pedal that he sometimes uses quite actively while playing to enhance dynamics.

 

[mrufino1]

No, neither.
In an interview that I read sometime ago, Anthony Jackson commented that the electronics installed in bass guitars was not of the caliber that he used in his rig or in the studio, so he was not compelled to install it in the instrument - or something to that effect. I have seen him perform with a volume pedal that he sometimes uses quite actively while playing to enhance dynamics.

That quote was in the article linked earlier in the thread. It seems amazing now that there would have ever been resistance to an extended range bass, but it also helps understand why he defends it so mightily, as it did not come easily.

 

[conebeckham]

No, neither.
In an interview that I read sometime ago, Anthony Jackson commented that the electronics installed in bass guitars was not of the caliber that he used in his rig or in the studio, so he was not compelled to install it in the instrument - or something to that effect. I have seen him perform with a volume pedal that he sometimes uses quite actively while playing to enhance dynamics.

I recall an interview where he talked about using the volume pedal in an attempt to attain a sound similar to the Ondes Martinot, which is an elctroacoustic instrument that O. Messiaen included in some of his compositions. Anthony is THE master of that sort of volume pedal phrasing, IMO.

 

[sikamikanico]

Figured this may be a good place to ask: what Barts was Fodera using back in the early 90s? In particular, do we know what Anthony Jackson had in his Presentation cca 1994 (#8 if I triangulated my sources correctly)? Is there any current Bart pickup that would come close?

I know they later moved to Aero and Duncan dual coils, but I’m not sure about the Barts…

 

[SethD]

I recall an interview where he talked about using the volume pedal in an attempt to attain a sound similar to the Ondes Martinot, which is an elctroacoustic instrument that O. Messiaen included in some of his compositions. Anthony is THE master of that sort of volume pedal phrasing, IMO.

Fascinating. Here is a paper that mentions the AJ and the ondes Martenot:
Link Removed

"Jackson uses similar expressive traits when he combines the metallic sound of his strings with cathedral-style reverb and a volume pedal. As he explains: ‘I use [the volume pedal] as an expression pedal, which is what it’s called on a pipe organ. I confess to imitating one instrument: the ondes Martenot and its main player, Olivier Messiaen’s sister-in-law Jeanne Loriod (…). She was my inspiration for using the volume pedal.’"

 

[TSbR Bass]

The career girl sounds amazing on Simon and Garfunkel's 'Concert in Central Park' live album.

Watching it for the first time now!

Anthony Jackson is the Bass GOAT

 

[sikamikanico]

Here's another Fodera Contrabass. In this thread Mr. Jackson discusses pickup placement, which could explain the appearance of this particular bass.
Fodera AJ owners/experts: A pickup location question

I believe this is #8... #7 was the first singlecut/Presentation, and #9 is well documented on TB.

Well, I just came across this bass in 1993 with an interesting pickup configuration - 3 P pickup coils! there is some sort of cover in the neck location, so I wonder if a 4th P coil or a dummy coil was buried in there for hum cancellation? Anyway, I figured this explains why #8 had that pickguard in later photos such as the one above!

 

[J.Wolf]

Aside from career girl, my favorite sounding bass of his is the quilted mahogany top presentation on the michel Camilo stuff. The new one is incredibly impressive as a build but I liked the tighter sound of that mahogany one.