• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Felix Pappalardi anyone?

#101
ajkula66 said:
Yep. He also had a small circuit - a couple of diodes I believe - added so he could overdrive the amp at lower power. But any EB will get you in that ballpark, especially with a vintage amp.
Click to expand...
That's a cool, heavy duty sound. I love listening to Crossroads-Live. His sound is so heavy and his playing is amazing. I've listened to it a million times and never get sick of it. I used to play Crossroads in that trio band I was in for 15 years, but I never tried to do Jack's bass lines. No way! I played it more like the Lynyrd Skynrd version. I just played the main riff and ad-libbed my own stuff in between. Playing that is like trying to play Eddie VanHalen's stuff. Forget it. Too Hard. I'm not ashamed to say... I'll never be as good as Jack! Cream was kinda like Rush. Power trio with monster sized talent!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 6stringtheorist
#103
All right all - if you want to hear Mountain live at their peak treat yourself and buy the Flowers of Evil album. One side is studio and kinda meh. The other side is live at the Fillmore. Leslie was in his prime (as was Steve Knight and Corky Laing) and Felix was just quintessential. That signature killer creamy bass tone through his Sunns, first rate playing throughout. No pedals, no effects, just amps driven to the gills - bright red tubes and speakers at their limit.
My favorite is Dreams of Milk and Honey which just destroys the studio cut, as does finale, Mississipi Queen.

There was a guy on ebay not long ago that had duplicated (read acquired) all the equipment they used. He even took some lessons from Leslie. Leslie actually used Sunn PA heads to drive his sound. The seller provided videos of both the "Felix" rig with an EB-1 and the "Leslie" rig with an LP Jr (1 P-90) doing Mountain tunes. It was an incredible duplication of the tone(s)!!!

The gear was not cheap but it was all period correct. My guitar player (who has been a Mountain fan since JHS) nearly went for it, but couldn't get it into his apt, never mind drag to a gig.....

OP - Brilliant!! That is a great job restoring it. I have had an EB-1 on my bucket list forever but I kinda hanker for the brown or black pickup cover years. Still, if I wasnt overloaded with gear I would pursue one.
I won't afford it soon, but I still lust for it.

P.S. as teen I had bought a brand new 1970 Tele bass, and several years down the line I joined the multitudes in the "let's fix this" army, and somewhere in the late 70's, I bought a brand new Gibson Mudbucker, and with a hammer and chisel (no router nonsense back then) hacked a home for it in the Tele (a la Sheehan and many others). I still have that pickup in storage and just might have to revisit it in a short scale Warmoth.

Love that bass! Great work!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rezdog, johnk_10 and woodyng2
#104
Bass V said:
thx for introducing yourself as family, pretty cool being linked to true Rock royalty and I've been obsessed with everything about such a very interesting young man, there was a lot going on in his life during the wild '60s and tragically just like Mountain there is way too little to soak up. the guy really has been overlooked for his life's story and I doubt a movie today could even do him justice, maybe you could be the one to do him right. didn't Felix grow up in the Bronx? is the family still based there?
urban legend is that Sr. quickly went to Felix's home / musical library to confiscate everything to ensure nothing would be ''sold off'' and it all, minus instruments etc., was burned. is there any possibility that his treasure trove of paperwork still exists?
if you aren't already, you should hook up with Al Romano, he's had Felix's violin bass and likely still has one of his Sunn amps / cabs and at one point put up a great video of him gloriously putting those pieces thru their paces at volume. it too has been taken down, by him... maybe you could get the real deal!
any idea where his Mellotron is?
Click to expand...

My immediate family is still in The Bronx, but that's it. Felix did grow up nearby. I had pretty much just started playing when my Grandfather died. I'm a lot younger (at least 10 years) than all of my cousins, so while they grew up with him, I didn't. My Grandparents moved to Florida before I was born, and I rarely saw or spoke to them. I never had the chance to ask him anything about Felix.

My Grandma sent me some DVDs that should still be somewhere around here. She never mentioned having anything else of Felix's. She died a few years ago, so I wouldn't even be able to ask her. I'll see if my Mom know anything. It sounds entirely possible that it happened that way.

I saw Al's video on YouTube years ago. It's back up now, and I posted a comment on it. I'll let you know if he gets back to me.


No clue about the Mellotron, but his Rhodes ended up with one of my Aunt's acquaintances. It was apparently given away with the understanding that it would be returned at some point, but my Mother reached out a few years ago to try and get it (since my Father, Brother, and I are the only musicians in the family) and she says she doesn't have it anymore.

I often wonder why he and Mountain don't get much attention. I'm always impressed when I throw their stuff on. I also really love Felix's voice. It's a great contrast to Leslie's over the top approach.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6stringtheorist, Rezdog, SturmUndDrang and 4 others
#105
bluesblaster said:
Anyone have any experience with the EB-4L model ? how does it sound compared to an EB3 or EBO ? I know it has some kind of coil switch, and that moving the pickup back a ways probably takes some of the mud out.
Click to expand...
Hello there, I owned the Gibson EB-4L bass back in the day it was a long-scale bass hence the letter 'L' I had high hopes that it would my 'forever' bass but the longer neck combined with its huge headstock made it nosedive as soon as you strap it on. My EB-3 on the other hand was a '75 model with the same headstock and the chrome humbucker and the balance was perfect! The EB-4L also had a 3-position slider tone switch. Like an early bass, mid and treble control :thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: bluesblaster, ajkula66 and johnk_10
#106
johnk_10 said:
i've owned this bass since 1986 and when i got it as a partial payment for recording a band in my studio, although it had a poorly, home-job refinish, it did have 90% of it's original parts on it (missing it's original volume pot and telescoping heel strap button). i took it apart in 1987 intending to reshoot it with a proper nitro finish but never got around to it until a couple of weeks ago that i finally gave it a proper nitro finish and reassembled it yesterday. (it only took me 33 years to get around to it!). it plays and sounds really good (like a vintage EBO) and i'm just glad that i finally stopped neglecting it. anyway, here's a couple of pics of it as she is now.

View attachment 3805961

View attachment 3805962
Click to expand...

That is completely not my thing, but it is one good looking bass! Congrats on a cool piece of history and a dandy refinish on your part!:thumbsup:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6stringtheorist, ajkula66 and johnk_10
#108
primussucks9126 said:
My immediate family is still in The Bronx, but that's it. Felix did grow up nearby. I had pretty much just started playing when my Grandfather died. I'm a lot younger (at least 10 years) than all of my cousins, so while they grew up with him, I didn't. My Grandparents moved to Florida before I was born, and I rarely saw or spoke to them. I never had the chance to ask him anything about Felix.

My Grandma sent me some DVDs that should still be somewhere around here. She never mentioned having anything else of Felix's. She died a few years ago, so I wouldn't even be able to ask her. I'll see if my Mom know anything. It sounds entirely possible that it happened that way.

I saw Al's video on YouTube years ago. It's back up now, and I posted a comment on it. I'll let you know if he gets back to me.


No clue about the Mellotron, but his Rhodes ended up with one of my Aunt's acquaintances. It was apparently given away with the understanding that it would be returned at some point, but my Mother reached out a few years ago to try and get it (since my Father, Brother, and I are the only musicians in the family) and she says she doesn't have it anymore.

I often wonder why he and Mountain don't get much attention. I'm always impressed when I throw their stuff on. I also really love Felix's voice. It's a great contrast to Leslie's over the top approach.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the video. I saw Felix and Mountain 5 times. That overdrive tone was the stuff!
Please check around the amp to see if 20% of the hearing I lost is nearby.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bholder, Rezdog and woodyng2
#109
primussucks9126 said:
My immediate family is still in The Bronx, but that's it. Felix did grow up nearby. I had pretty much just started playing when my Grandfather died. I'm a lot younger (at least 10 years) than all of my cousins, so while they grew up with him, I didn't. My Grandparents moved to Florida before I was born, and I rarely saw or spoke to them. I never had the chance to ask him anything about Felix.

My Grandma sent me some DVDs that should still be somewhere around here. She never mentioned having anything else of Felix's. She died a few years ago, so I wouldn't even be able to ask her. I'll see if my Mom know anything. It sounds entirely possible that it happened that way.

I saw Al's video on YouTube years ago. It's back up now, and I posted a comment on it. I'll let you know if he gets back to me.


No clue about the Mellotron, but his Rhodes ended up with one of my Aunt's acquaintances. It was apparently given away with the understanding that it would be returned at some point, but my Mother reached out a few years ago to try and get it (since my Father, Brother, and I are the only musicians in the family) and she says she doesn't have it anymore.

I often wonder why he and Mountain don't get much attention. I'm always impressed when I throw their stuff on. I also really love Felix's voice. It's a great contrast to Leslie's over the top approach.
Click to expand...


Al has got to have the biggest collection of Sunn gear anywhere. He better be careful or there will be some cracked foundations when he gets them going with the EB-1 like that.

Any chance you have any info on Felix's Ampeg AMUB-1 fretless scroll bass primussucks9126?
the case of Felix Pappalardi's missing Ampeg fretless - 25K reward
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bass V
#110
In 1968 my guitarist had that early Gibson bass that was 3/4 special shaped. It had the rear facing tuners and the black plastic cover on the pickguard. I got to play it non stop but found at “Levin’s” a used EBO with regular tuners and the black pickup cover. I played it until I went ‘57 P. That EBO was $125.
Having played many the winding or possibly the plastic cover gave it a mellow clearer tone. Last live gig with it was at Emergency in Georgetown through two Kustom 2x15 with Kustom 200 head and sideways on the top an Ampeg B-25 2x15 powered by a Traynor YBA-1A.

Some influence of Mountain. :)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 6stringtheorist, DavidEdenAria and ajkula66
#114
bassclef112 said:
All right all - if you want to hear Mountain live at their peak treat yourself and buy the Flowers of Evil album. One side is studio and kinda meh. The other side is live at the Fillmore. Leslie was in his prime (as was Steve Knight and Corky Laing) and Felix was just quintessential. That signature killer creamy bass tone through his Sunns, first rate playing throughout. No pedals, no effects, just amps driven to the gills - bright red tubes and speakers at their limit.
My favorite is Dreams of Milk and Honey which just destroys the studio cut, as does finale, Mississipi Queen.

There was a guy on ebay not long ago that had duplicated (read acquired) all the equipment they used. He even took some lessons from Leslie. Leslie actually used Sunn PA heads to drive his sound. The seller provided videos of both the "Felix" rig with an EB-1 and the "Leslie" rig with an LP Jr (1 P-90) doing Mountain tunes. It was an incredible duplication of the tone(s)!!!

The gear was not cheap but it was all period correct. My guitar player (who has been a Mountain fan since JHS) nearly went for it, but couldn't get it into his apt, never mind drag to a gig.....

OP - Brilliant!! That is a great job restoring it. I have had an EB-1 on my bucket list forever but I kinda hanker for the brown or black pickup cover years. Still, if I wasnt overloaded with gear I would pursue one.
I won't afford it soon, but I still lust for it.

P.S. as teen I had bought a brand new 1970 Tele bass, and several years down the line I joined the multitudes in the "let's fix this" army, and somewhere in the late 70's, I bought a brand new Gibson Mudbucker, and with a hammer and chisel (no router nonsense back then) hacked a home for it in the Tele (a la Sheehan and many others). I still have that pickup in storage and just might have to revisit it in a short scale Warmoth.

Love that bass! Great work!!!
Click to expand...
I remember buying the 'Flowers of Evil' album and there was a small message inside the LP that stated that Side 2 being over 29 minutes long had a lower volume level because of the smaller grooves in order to fit all of it and yes their 'Live at the Fillmore' music is incredible! Mountain transcended rock n' roll that night and really were venturing into the realm of jazz improvisation at the highest level - sheer power, dynamics and just a perfect flow from song to song! This may have been recorded on the final night of the Fillmore East where Bill Graham personally chose Mountain and the Allman Brothers to close out one of the most famous venues in rock history!
 
  • Like
Reactions: woodyng2
#117
Acoop said:
There you go and it only shows how little I cared for that instrument or Gibsons in general. ...
Click to expand...
Supro Basses DID have the pad on the back and a “different“ feeling sort of neck, so based on the details you can remember it’s more likely the part you’re misremembering is that it was Gibson in any way.
vlc1qh9ivljwvnl8cgig.jpg


Heck maybe you actually love Gibson Basses :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Acoop
#118
Heck maybe you actually love Gibson Basses :)[/QUOTE said:
I do remember picking up a used Gibson Grabber(?), it had a sliding pickup? ... That felt pretty good and maybe it tweek'd an old memory of my brother's old Supro, and why I thought Gibson made then both. ... But the body was huge and weighed a ton and I set it back down. So, ended any thought of owning a Gibson bass.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rabidhamster

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back