UPDATE I took my flatwound strung Fender Precision to band practice last night and ....drum roll....it sounded great ! ! ! For practice I use a little Ampeg comdo and the flats made the amp sound huge. First song was "Payin The Cost To Be The Boss" in the key of B and it sounded great ! After a few more standard blues numbers came the test,"Why Does Love Got To Be So Bad" and it sounded great with the flats ! The guitar player was praising my tone and said he wants me to use that bass all the time. I can't wait to play it through my "real rig" Thanks Guys
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Carl Radle
- Thread starter p-bass
- Start date
Willie Weeks sounds great with Clapton, especially on the D&D tunes. One place to hear some of those is the Crossroads Chicago DVD (where you can also see Tal Wilkenfeld).
I have often tried to cop Radle's tone, since we play a lot of D&D and early Clapton stuff (we did "Tell the Truth" this past weekend). I use either a P or a J and Fender stainless Flats. You never see Fender flats touted here, but they sound good on fender basses and they sound really nice in the mix.
I have often tried to cop Radle's tone, since we play a lot of D&D and early Clapton stuff (we did "Tell the Truth" this past weekend). I use either a P or a J and Fender stainless Flats. You never see Fender flats touted here, but they sound good on fender basses and they sound really nice in the mix.
Now that's what I am talking bout! +1
I usually keep Nickel Rounds or Half Rounds on my 2nd P-Bass.
Wow, just saw this thread! Carl was from my hometown....Tulsa, OK. I actually went to the estate sale they had when he died. LOTS of old GK stuff. Some of those amps are still floating around these parts. Carl was a great player and a real inspiration for me. I didn't know he lived here when I started learning some of his lines with Leon and Clapton. Go to carlradle.com for more info.
Man, I knew that Radle had passed on, from some hard-living, but I had no idea it was at age 37! That is a damn shame.
I'm working on a project right now doing very "period-correct" sounding 60's rock, and all along in the back of my head I'm thinking of Radle's kind of bass playing, hoping to channel a little of that, using my Glaub with Labella flats to try cop that vibe. He was a truly classic type of bassist.
I'm working on a project right now doing very "period-correct" sounding 60's rock, and all along in the back of my head I'm thinking of Radle's kind of bass playing, hoping to channel a little of that, using my Glaub with Labella flats to try cop that vibe. He was a truly classic type of bassist.
Carl Radle is one of my main influences. I must have played along to the D & D in concert LP over 1000 times when I was first learning. Somebody said he overplayed but didn't let you know he was overplaying. I always heard him the other way. I hear him as implying his bass lines. To me he seemed to being playing less notes than you think you're hearing. When you sit down to learn his lines you'll see. One of the greatest bassists in terms of always putting the right note exactly where it belongs. Tony Levin's the same way. If I had the choice of being able to two-hand tap Beethoven's Ninth on an 11 string bass or being able to always know right where to put the right note, I'd choose the latter.
Man, I NEVER would think to put CR in the "overplaying" category!
And I'm big into solid, no-nonsense pocket players, like McVie, Conrad Lozano, Glaub, etc. etc. I need to go back and listen to some of Radle's work again and see just where he was being "busy"
And I'm big into solid, no-nonsense pocket players, like McVie, Conrad Lozano, Glaub, etc. etc. I need to go back and listen to some of Radle's work again and see just where he was being "busy"
I recently started looking at the Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen videos on YouTube (there are about 5 from that tour) and have been totally digging CR's playing. That was an album my older siblings had, so I grew up with it. Now as an adult, I've rediscovered it and it is great. Carl Radle on bass, Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon and drums- what a foundation.. In the videos I've seen from that tour, he was using a Fender precision with a jazz pickup added. It had a maple neck. Excellent tone and just the best rock playing.
+1
Check out his line from "Cocaine". Awesome for what he doesn't play. I know guitarists that think the bass mimics the guitar part.
Not to unnecessarily resurrect an old thread, but I happened upon it, and thought I'd chime in. Radle's bass looks to me like a Telecaster Bass with a Precision pickup added. What do you think from these photos? Check out the bridge mute!
I had a single coil Telecaster Bass for years, got it for less than $100.00. I stupidly traded it away in a guitar deal. The best bass I've ever had; how dumb was I?
No dummer than probably 90% of the older players on TB. It was easy to get basses in the 70's and even 80's than are seriously killer vintage pieces now (and easier to get rid of them). BTW, nice catch on CR's bass.. That does indeed looks like a tele bass with an added p-bass pickup. Killer!
Hello Folks,
Carl Radle was from my hometown of Tulsa. My bass instructor, who has been playing for 49 years knew him well. Said he was a great guy. I guess the road life back then was very eventful but could be destructive, too. There is a place called Speakerworks at 47th and Mingo here in Tulsa that actual has Carl's Platinum Record for "Layla" hanging on the wall as well as his Gold Record for "E.C. Was Here."
I have seen photos of Carl, like someone else mentioned, of him with a vintage P-Bass with a classic Jazz bass rosewood neck. I've also seen a video on YouTube of Carl's 1975 Alembic bass with the Clapton road case.
Also, there is a super video on YouTube of the night Carl Radle was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. The beautiful lady that was the MC of that event, and I mean beautiful, was the local Tulsa CBS anchorwoman named Lori Fullbright. It was a very high-class event and there was a Carl Radle Tribute Band that played with many of his old Clapton bandmates.
He is buried on the very west end of the Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 51st & Memorial in Tulsa.
As for his strings, I'll ask around.
Great stuff!
Carl Radle was from my hometown of Tulsa. My bass instructor, who has been playing for 49 years knew him well. Said he was a great guy. I guess the road life back then was very eventful but could be destructive, too. There is a place called Speakerworks at 47th and Mingo here in Tulsa that actual has Carl's Platinum Record for "Layla" hanging on the wall as well as his Gold Record for "E.C. Was Here."
I have seen photos of Carl, like someone else mentioned, of him with a vintage P-Bass with a classic Jazz bass rosewood neck. I've also seen a video on YouTube of Carl's 1975 Alembic bass with the Clapton road case.
Also, there is a super video on YouTube of the night Carl Radle was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. The beautiful lady that was the MC of that event, and I mean beautiful, was the local Tulsa CBS anchorwoman named Lori Fullbright. It was a very high-class event and there was a Carl Radle Tribute Band that played with many of his old Clapton bandmates.
He is buried on the very west end of the Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 51st & Memorial in Tulsa.
As for his strings, I'll ask around.
Great stuff!
Cool website. The photo gallery has some nice pics, including one of CR playing a Stingray! Another one looks to be a P-Bass with a bound and blocked neck.
