Arctic Monkeys - Nick O'Malley - NEW BASS??

[ProttaBass]

Anyone got an idea as to what brand/model of bass this is?
Saw Nick O'Malley playing it live and on Jimmy Fallon last night for the new Arctic Monkeys songs and I love the tones!!

 

[MMiller28]

"My First Bass" by Fisher Price

That's a short scale joke

 

[Reedt2000]

Looks Vintage MIJ. @JIO is pretty knowledgeable about such things maybe he'll chime in

 

[JIO]

Looks Vintage MIJ. @JIO is pretty knowledgeable about such things maybe he'll chime in

Looks like a 60's vintage Ormston Burns of London LTD- that tone comes from their "Tri-Sonic" hot singles like the ones that were in many Teisco's and non-main-stream brands.

 

[Hillbillypolack]

Who?

 

[Reedt2000]

Looks like a 60's vintage Burns of London

Yup, you got it! Looks like it's the "sonic model"

 

[TheIndieKid]

I done a thread a few days ago asking the same question. Thought it was a Burns but wasn’t sure. I knew that Alex Turner recorded some of the basslines with a, quote “painstakingly sourced Burns Vista Sonic Bass” uniquote, but the tuners seemed more pronounced on the Vista Sonic than what Malley was using.

It’s funny, because he manages to maintain the same tone as with his 70s P. I’m glad there’s more AM fans on the forum. As you can tell, I did a fair bit of reading prior to the new album. Wondering if he’s still using the Ashdown/Ampeg stack.

 

[JIO]

Who?

Jim Burns was the Leo Fender of the UK.

 

[Hillbillypolack]

Jim Burns was the Leo Fender of the UK.

No, I meant Nick O’Malley & Arctic Monkeys.

 

[JIO]

No, I meant Nick O’Malley & Arctic Monkeys.

That would be like asking who is Arcade Fire or Animal Collective...

 

[ProttaBass]

Great research guys! Thanks so much for the input! It is indeed a Burns Sonic Bass now that I googled it.

 

[SirMjac28]

I love that group great basslines and a great bass player.

 

[JIO]

I love that group great basslines and a great bass player.

Only seconded by Radiohead and Colin Greenwood -

 

[SirMjac28]

Only seconded by Radiohead and Colin Greenwood -

Hey brother yeah I love Radiohead.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Who?

You should listen to their new record. It will give you an education on who he is and how to write amazing rock basslines.

 

[farace]

I done a thread a few days ago asking the same question. Thought it was a Burns but wasn’t sure. I knew that Alex Turner recorded some of the basslines with a, quote “painstakingly sourced Burns Vista Sonic Bass” uniquote, but the tuners seemed more pronounced on the Vista Sonic than what Malley was using.

It’s funny, because he manages to maintain the same tone as with his 70s P. I’m glad there’s more AM fans on the forum. As you can tell, I did a fair bit of reading prior to the new album. Wondering if he’s still using the Ashdown/Ampeg stack.

The Vista Sonic is a different animal. The bass pictured on the left below is a 1963 Ampeg-branded Burns Vista Sonic Bass. (Burns made instruments for Ampeg until Burns was bought by Baldwin in 1965.) As you can see, it's rather different from the Sonic.

 

[TheDialog]

I done a thread a few days ago asking the same question. Thought it was a Burns but wasn’t sure. I knew that Alex Turner recorded some of the basslines with a, quote “painstakingly sourced Burns Vista Sonic Bass” uniquote, but the tuners seemed more pronounced on the Vista Sonic than what Malley was using.

It’s funny, because he manages to maintain the same tone as with his 70s P. I’m glad there’s more AM fans on the forum. As you can tell, I did a fair bit of reading prior to the new album. Wondering if he’s still using the Ashdown/Ampeg stack.

Link us to some solid readings on this new album please.

 

[JIO]

Great research guys! Thanks so much for the input! It is indeed a Burns Sonic Bass now that I googled it.

welcome to tb!

 

[JIO]

For all those who are newly smitten by these wonderful instruments - I highly recommend the book "Pearls and Crazy Diamonds" Fifty years of Burns guitars 1952-2002. I have a copy which was hand signed by the author nearly a year ago. A great and valuable resource book on Burns guitars/basses.

 

[farace]

Jim Burns was the Leo Fender of the UK.

I always tell people that isn't a fair statement to either of them. They were both inventive, but in different ways. Burns did some nutty things. A gearbox truss rod adjuster for one, turned by a key inserted from behind the heel of the neck. Circuitry was low-impedance, with transformers inside. The guitar's whammy was kind of amazing, with the bridge baseplate riding on roller bearings--the strings didn't slide across the saddles, the whole unit moved, helping to improve return to proper pitch. Sometimes he was infuriating, though; the pickups had each half wired separately, so with three pickups I once counted at least a couple dozen potential combinations. But only four combinations were provided with the rotary switch, one being the almost useless "Wild Dog" setting.

The Vista Sonic shown is probably also the heaviest bass I own. I don't have an accurate scale, but I think it's close to twelve pounds of solid sycamore.

Ampeg didn't sell many of these. Due to import duties, the prices made them an unattractive purchase compared to domestically built instruments.