Berry Oakley's rig?

[bobyoung53]

Yes indeed, Berry was the man. Saw him numerous times. If you want to learn about timing and minor bass scales he is 'da man'. Find a copy of midnite rider with just him and an acoustic and you'll be amazed...not the full band version. And listen hard to the live at the filmore version of "might be your man" and how coming out of the jam he comes back in on the 4 instead of the 1 but then slides right back in. I still can't figure out he does it. You go wait a minute - what just happened-----wow.

He comes in one beat early but the whole band turns it around within about two bars, incredible playing, it wasn't him it was the whole band probably initiated by one or both of the drummers.

 

[billysbassplace]

Here's the link for the recent edition to fit a jazz bass. I'm going to add a pair to a Lakland Joe Osborn 44-60

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Rick James]

He stays one beat early, the whole band turns it around within about two bars, incredible playing.

I've seen it said that the timing problem there was because they used two takes, recorded on different nights, and that's where they spliced them.

 

[Milo Spleen]

Berry was using those vertically striped black and silver grillcloth cabinets

Sunn Orions were like you described. I had one for 40 years (just sold it last year).

 

[Milo Spleen]

Those 2x15 cabinets with vertical silver stripes on black cloth were made by Sunn (they used that cloth for a time in 69 and 70 or thereabouts) and they were loaded with JBL D140s.

Sunn Orions. Mine had the chrome cap CTS speakers.

 

[Milo Spleen]

her are two pics not good one's the cabs really need to be removed from the basement and cleaned up[/QUO
Definitely Sunns.

 

[KPJ]

I've seen it said that the timing problem there was because they used two takes, recorded on different nights, and that's where they spliced them.

It's pretty obvious that he comes in wrong and then finally get it all together at the end. I have other recordings from different shows where he also comes in wrong.

 

[zon6c-f]

I just started listening to the Allman Bros. (despite my bass that is a modern version of The Tractor). I take it Berry was using an SVT an 8x10? He's got a pretty unique tone.

I was 15 when I saw Allmans in Piedmont Park Atlanta. I was very ignorant but knew of some brands

At that show it was all mix-n-match
Kustom On Fender Marshall on Fender and on

At Byron I stationed myself in front of Berry when they played one morning( they played every day of the Fest)
And Berry was using a Marshall stack that day. I have heard he used various rigs through his short time with Allmans

 

[bobyoung53]

I've seen it said that the timing problem there was because they used two takes, recorded on different nights, and that's where they spliced them.

But that doesn't explain why only Berry was one beat early with the rest of the band having to turn the beat around to play with him. If they had sliced off one beat with a bad splice the whole band would have been one beat early.

 

[jerry]

If I remember correctly, One Way Out was from the Fillmore closing shows in June not the shows from March of '71 that made up the Fillmore live album and there wasn't a splice.

 

[KPJ]

But that doesn't explain why only Berry was one beat early with the rest of the band having to turn the beat around to play with him. If they had sliced off one beat with a bad splice the whole band would have been one beat early.

Exactly - Berry just goofed!

 

[bobyoung53]

Exactly - Berry just goofed!

I've had a few drummers show me what they do when the beat gets turned around, they just hit the snare twice in a row on successive beats and go from there, pretty cool actually.

 

[kpc]

I've seen pictures of him using Sunn equipment.

Jim

I believe your correct. Remember they combined around that time as well. The Sunn looked a lot like the Fender.

 

[kpc]

I'm pretty sure the striped cabs are Sunns.
Here's some old ads;

View attachment 1908554

The problematic, decidedly unsuccessful, and very short lived Sunn Orion series.

View attachment 1908555

They were an at the time advanced thinking "modular concept" transistor rigs; the head was a preamp and the power amps were built into the speaker cabs.

Maybe a little too advanced for their era; Acoustic had more success when they revitalized the concept with their 360/361 rigs.

I don’t think the Orions were ever offered with JBL’s as OEM though.

I believe they were Sunn's. I actually owned one when I was on tour back in the 70's. It looked very similar.

 

[bobyoung53]

I believe your correct. Remember they combined around that time as well. The Sun looked a lot like the Fender.

I used to play with a drummer who saw them a lot and said he also used to use SVT heads with big 15" cabs with no names on them, a lot of sound people used to make their own cabs back then, probably double 15" cabs, course he WAS a drummer

 

[Muziekschuur]

Guild launched a neck pickup version of the DS-1. Wich one was put in by Berry. The bridge or neck bisonic?

 

[chris_b]

Surely, the "Tractor" was an attempt to overcome some of the limitations they had in bass gear at the time?

I understand the pull of nostalgia, but with the fantastic gear around these days, Oakley wouldn't have to build a "Tractor" to get his sound. He'd just swap a couple of pickups or use a different Pre amp.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Surely, the "Tractor" was an attempt to overcome some of the limitations they had in bass gear at the time?

I understand the pull of nostalgia, but with the fantastic gear around these days, Oakley wouldn't have to build a "Tractor" to get his sound. He'd just swap a couple of pickups or use a different Pre amp.

He had a vision which included a double J at the bridge and a Darkstar at the neck.
He also used a thumb pick. You're not going to duplicate that sound with modern amps and pickups.

 

[Lowendtech]

I'll throw this into the mix...
http://www.blackstrat.net/Allman-Audubon/Allman-Audubon.htm
The striped grill cloth cabs are indeed Sunn 'Orion' boxes; as Edbass stated the full rig was solid state with the power amp section in the speaker cab, and the 'head' merely a preamp. The Who were furnished with some briefly on a '68 US tour....
View attachment 2399610


but the model was a miserable failure, the power amps kept blowing up. I'm going to speculate that when these rigs were returned to the factory, the power sections were pulled from the speaker cabinets, and those cabs were sold off cheaply. In the pix contained in the Allmans' gig link, you can see that the ABB used them for PA,(with added high frequency horns)in tandem with some Kustom columns, as well as musical instrument cabs, there's so many that they must have gotten a bulk deal. There is a 120 watt Sunn guitar head mixed among the Marshalls behind Gregg and Duane(there's no account of what it was used for, as far as I have found), but in the third pic down(shot from behind Gregg, and across the band's backline)you can see, over by Berry's spot, a pile of three Fender Showman heads.

I’ve re-visited this thread a few times over the years. Anybody else notice what looks like “The Floyd” members off to the right of The Who in this pic? Roger, Nick and looking a lot like either Syd or Rick with the hair in the face.

Love me some B.O.III. Had to put some Live Filmore on while reading.

 

[bobyoung53]

Surely, the "Tractor" was an attempt to overcome some of the limitations they had in bass gear at the time?

I understand the pull of nostalgia, but with the fantastic gear around these days, Oakley wouldn't have to build a "Tractor" to get his sound. He'd just swap a couple of pickups or use a different Pre amp.

Supposedly he loved the sound of his Guild Starfire and took the pickup out of it (or bought one, forget) and put it in the Jazz, the guy who wrote this (was a roadie I believe) said they gave him a lot of krap for doing that but you can't argue with the results. I think it sounds great, perfect for his pick style. I still don't think anyone makes pickups like that except for the Dark Star and those aren't being made anymore. I have a Jazz that I don't really play much and have thought of throwing one of those in it as the sound of it is not thick enough for me.