Black Velvet bassist?

[DWBass]

Anyone know who the bassist is that plays on Allanah Myles' Black Velvet?? I'm just curious. The bass sounds like it's a fretless with a touch of chorus/flange on it.

 

[Phalex]

I always thought it sounded like a keyboard.

 

[James Hart]

Steve Webster. He's credited on Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" disc too.

 

[DWBass]

Steve Webster. He's credited on Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" disc too.

Thanks. Was it a fretless he played?

 

[5not4]

Not 100% sure but I don't think it's a fretless.

BTW, that riff that is so cool and oh-so hard to cop is actually a reversed recording. I don't recall where I heard/read that but it definitely eased my mind a bit when I found out.

Very cool song - with the right singer.

 

[bigbajo60]

I was under the impression that a fretless Warwick Thumb was what was used on that recording.

 

[neptoon]

in the video he's playing a warwick streamer and a p/j bass of some sort...they also both appear to be fretted basses, so who knows...i thought the backwards bass thing was the solo that bakithi kumalao played on paul simon's 'call me al'

 

[James Hart]

i thought the backwards bass thing was the solo that bakithi kumalao played on paul simon's 'call me al'

Agreed... nothing backwards in Black Velvet. Just (probably) Warwick fretless Mwah.

 

[James Hart]

The bass sounds like it's a fretless with a touch of chorus/flange on it.

I think it's dry... *maybe* a touch of verb on the break

 

[DWBass]

I think it's dry... *maybe* a touch of verb on the break

Hmmm.......maybe double tracked then? That little riff just before the verse works so well! A little history...........My band which mainly plays R&B & Motown type stuff just added a female vocalist who comes from a 'rockish' background so of course we're adding her tunes and when I heard this old ditty, I was blown away! I come from a strick funk background but this song is cool and groovin'! Love that blues rock pulsing drone bass!

 

[jerry]

I'll go against the grain, if I remember correctly it was a keyboard.

 

[MistaMarko]

I know for a fact it's a 5-string fretless, but I'm not sure about the brand.

 

[The Mighty 'V']

After the song's release, I heard from several people (bassists, too) that it's a synth bass. I couldn't believe it!

 

[73jbass]

I know for a fact it's a 5-string fretless, but I'm not sure about the brand.

Can you back that up? I don't think synths were that accurate at reproducing electric bass in that time period.It has to be a fretless bass. I seem to remember him playing a Spector in a couple of the videos. Most likely lined fretless.

 

[MistaMarko]

Uhh..I'm confused...you asked me to back my last statement up and then you re-stated exactly what I said...did you quote the wrong person? =/

 

[The Mock Turtle Regulator]

it sounds to me like sampled fretless bass.

the transition between pitches sounds like the bass on Def Leppard (Hysteria, Adrenalize) and Frankie goes to Hollywood records- which were done using sampled bass notes.

 

[neptoon]

Can you back that up? I don't think synths were that accurate at reproducing electric bass in that time period.It has to be a fretless bass. I seem to remember him playing a Spector in a couple of the videos. Most likely lined fretless.

warwick streamer...i thought maybe it was a spector, too, until i saw the headstock...also i didn't see any 5 strings...and i believe that i'm seeing speedbumps on his fingerboard...it may have been recorded with a ftretless, but he seems to have played a fretted live

 

[DWBass]

If it is a live bass, either it was a detuned 4 string or a 5 string as the tune is in Eb.

 

[5not4]

Okay, I have to retract my statement and request the kind forgiveness from all on the forum.

It's not a reverse recording, can't really say how or why I was thinking that. I don't think that I was getting it confused with You Can Call Me Al, at least I'm pretty sure I wasn't.

Anyway, when Jerry mentioned keyboard something clicked. Even though a bit of my integrity has been tarnished I'm changing my first comment to a sampled bass-keyboard part, just the riff part. The rest of the song is straight bass.

I tried searching for info but I haven't come across anything yet. Will post if I ever find something about it.

 

[DWBass]

Anyway, when Jerry mentioned keyboard something clicked. Even though a bit of my integrity has been tarnished I'm changing my first comment to a sampled bass-keyboard part, just the riff part. The rest of the song is straight bass.

You are referring to the that short riff preceding each verse, right? It's highly possible it could be a sample. In 1989, I owned a Roland D-20 and a Casio VZ-8 and they both had decent finger bass and fretless bass sounds so a sampler surely would have had a much better sound even back then. That is a well produced song!