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Eric Avery P Bass

fragernackyl

fragernackyl

Nov 17, 2011
184
51
www.mokieband.com
#1
Eric Avery of Jane's Addiction was my first ever 'favorite bass player' and he remains one of my favorites to this day. His work on Janes' albums, particularly Nothing Shocking and Ritual de lo Habitual is fantastic. Simple at times, understated, melodic, driving, funky, trippy....man, the dude had it all! If I had to pick favorites, I'd say his work on 'Three Days' and 'Then She Did' is amazing. I still remember hearing that haunting intro on 'Three Days', man, I was hooked! I must've played along with that song 1,000 times.

Anyway, I'd love it Fender released and Eric A model P Bass. His original with all the stickers and such. I'm sure I could re-create is myself and get pics made, but it just seems like something Fender would do and I would snatch one up right quick!

What do you all think? Any Eric A fans out there?
 

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#4
Mountain Song. Killer bass line.

I read that Eric wrote a lot of the music on the band's early albums and he wrote most of it on bass. That's why the bass riffs are such a prominent part of their songs. From Wikipedia:

Eric Avery wrote several songs, including "Mountain Song", "Had a Dad", "Jane Says", and "Summertime Rolls" (the latter two of which he also created the guitar parts for). With his songs, Avery came up with conceptual ideas for lyrics that Perry Farrell would then create the actual lyrics for; for example, "Had a Dad" dealt with Avery discovering he had a different biological father.
 
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#6
Yup, big hero of mine too, Jigsawjaybus. He also had the first tone I tried to emulate. That clicky but smooth p bass tone. I also really dug his use of the neck. It seems many rock players just pound away in first position, but Eric A was all over the place. Growly down low, melodic up top. Also his stage presence. Stomping around, wearing the bass real low, young, tan, surfer dude. Jane's had me totally infatuated with early 90's LA rock.

Also, while I love Jane's, I think Eric Avery's work on the Deconstruction album is also brilliant!

BTW, nice to see another Michigander on here, Jig, I'm from GR myself.
 
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#7
Avery is definitely in my top 5 favorite bassists. He's an underrated player that deserves much more attention, and he deserves a signature P bass as much as anyone else on their roster. I'd love to see a Custom Shop creation that replicates his P down to the last detail. Not sure I'd buy it, but it'd be a great collector piece.
 
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#8
fragernackyl said:
Yup, big hero of mine too, Jigsawjaybus. He also had the first tone I tried to emulate. That clicky but smooth p bass tone. I also really dug his use of the neck. It seems many rock players just pound away in first position, but Eric A was all over the place. Growly down low, melodic up top. Also his stage presence. Stomping around, wearing the bass real low, young, tan, surfer dude. Jane's had me totally infatuated with early 90's LA rock.

Also, while I love Jane's, I think Eric Avery's work on the Deconstruction album is also brilliant!

BTW, nice to see another Michigander on here, Jig, I'm from GR myself.
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Nice! Its funny because I've been all over the country and I will meet G.Rappers wherever I go. Fine town, good grub, good brews and it houses the nearest GC. Eric Avery was the first guy's bass parts I felt really cool when I learned them. I figured out how to play 3 days and mountain song and I was on cloud 9. I guess one of the appeals to his stuff too is that its so inventive and yet not so over the map that a newer player is outmatched. You learn some interesting technique when you chase him around the fret board.
 
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#9
I'm another fan of Eric Avery. "Mountain Song" was one of the first songs I ever learned how to play when I started playing back in the late 80's. I remember someone I knew when in high school told me about that band when that album came out, that's how I heard about them. I did see them live at the first Lollapalooza festival in 1991 in Florida. He was pretty influential musician for me back then. I hate to say I haven't really been into Jane's Addiction since he's been out of the band. I don't think they are bad or anything, but it's just not the same to me without him. He really added something to their sound with his style and tonality.
 
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#10
I agree with you there Paul LF. I thought strays was a good album, and the stuff Jane's has put out isn't bad-its just a different band without him. Some bands are very much a sum of their parts and despite influence by one member or the other, you get something very different minus and ingredient.
 
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#12
Jigsawjaybus said:
I agree with you there Paul LF. I thought strays was a good album, and the stuff Jane's has put out isn't bad-its just a different band without him. Some bands are very much a sum of their parts and despite influence by one member or the other, you get something very different minus and ingredient.
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It is a different band without Eric. He was so instrumental (no pun, intended) in writing the songs on those early albums. Not having him around leaves a big hole in Jane's Addiction.

Another band that fell prey to the same thing is Queens of the Stone Age. It's always been Josh's band but when he kicked out Nick Oliveri, QOTSA lost their second singer and second songwriter. To me, their albums after Songs for the Deaf are lacking something.
 
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#13
This thread has put me on a Jane's Addiction binge. Pigs in Zen showcases the best of the band. Great bass line and drumming (Avery and Perkins were a hell of a rhythm section), great solo and jam, breaking the song down then building it back up. They were on their game during this era.

I haven't listened to this song in a long, long time. I can definitely hear where Rage Against The Machine copped some of their sound.
 
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#15
Paul LF said:
Now I'm having flashbacks of having the sides of my head shaved in some Rivethead fashion. Ah, youth! :wacky: I was actually talking to my girlfriend about that earlier today.
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Me, too. I was a senior in high school when Nothing's Shocking came out and it was very influential on me during that era. I'm listening to this album again for the first time in about ten years. All of these songs are still etched in my brain after all of this time.
 
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#17
Two words: "Summertime Rolls."

One of the great all time songs. Period. The end. Up there with Dylan. Yeah I just wrote that, and the internet is etched in stone. Biz natch.

Verse, chorus, and ending are all the same chords. A testament to the power of what lyrics, melody, conviction and nuance combined can create in the context of even the simplest song structures. Also see "Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls, though "Iris" is not even the red-headed step-child of "Summertime Rolls."

Oh, and SR has great bass tone (and playing) too!
 
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#18
Eric Avery has had as much, if not more, influence on me than any other bass player aside from Jamerson. I play one of his bass lines every day to warm up, which might be Three Days or Ted, Just Admit it or Had a Dad or Then She Did or...you get the idea. Today it was Ain't No Right.

I agree with roger- one of the greats, and I really mean that. His playing wasn't as complex as, say, JPJ or Entwhistle's, but he was able to say more with fewer notes than those guys in general. The original "alternative" rock bassist. Funky, groove based melodic playing. Perfect in that band.

As for his bass and tone, I've spent a good bit of time trying to get it. I've read where he didn't like how he sounds on the albums, but I think it's great. Dead flat wound strings on a P bass with a mystery pickup. Very low mid centered grunt. His bass is the coolest looking P bass on the planet. So cool that I actually would not buy a replica, because it's just too iconic to me. I love his music and his bass, but the only way I'd want one that looked like it would be to actually have the original. Anything else would seem to be anathema to what the man stands for. I'd feel like I was feeding a corporate whore if I bought a replica.

I would be very interested to see how they recorded him on the albums, though. Again, pretty sure it's very old round wounds, but what pickup/amp was used (I suspect a Trace Elliot, but could be wrong), what cab. Did he go straight into the board? Maybe, but again I'd like to know. How did they EQ it, exactly? It's just such a perfect rock bass tone that it's worth trying to replicate.

By the way, Three Days is just about the best bass line of all time.
 
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#19
Jigsawjaybus said:
I agree with you there Paul LF. I thought strays was a good album, and the stuff Jane's has put out isn't bad-its just a different band without him. Some bands are very much a sum of their parts and despite influence by one member or the other, you get something very different minus and ingredient.
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Strays has it's moments, but it's just different. I think JA was a band like Zeppelin or the Beatles- take one part away, and it's just not the same.
 
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#20
Agreed! Been on an Eric A kick big time lately. I watched a live Jane's show from 2010 with the original lineup and it just had that tightness and energy that they just didn't have with flea or Chris Chaney.

I would like to make my own Eric A P bass. Like have stickers made and try to replicate it. The kick would be giggin it and seeing if anybody makes the connection.
 

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