Jack played a 1950's Gibson EB in the Cream reunion, one he purchased from Dan Armstrong, according to Jack. It is very similar to Felix's reissue EB-1, with the biggest difference being the pickup. The 1950s EB uses a large single coil pickup and the 1960's reissue uses a mudbucker. Very very different tones. I have one of the 1950's single coil Gibson EB pickups in my modded Epi EB-1. The sound is incredible, IMO. You can tell the difference by the brown phenolic cover and the pole screws are on the bridge side of the pickup, not centered as with the mudbucker.
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Felix Pappalardi / Sunn help
- Thread starter eb3
- Start date
Interesting. I never got fuzzed anything from my Gibson EB0F and EB2 basses. It's not the bass, it's the lack of adequate bass amps back in the day.
Paul
You are totally wrong my friend. Were do you get such knowledge about Felix? Felix Pappalardi used spectrum 2 prototype heads up until 1970. In 1970 Mountain got all of Jimi Hendrixs amps from road manager Ron Terry. Leslie West told me this personally. Felix Pappalardi did use 2000s heads. Ive owned many of Felixs actual amps. I still own his Sunn 2000s head. The amps you may have seen were Sunn Spectrum 2 prototypes. But the Sunn 2000s was available in 1968. One look at the grill cloth on the 2000s heads tells that story. Felix Pappalardi had a 1500s also heads and other Sunn heads all which all were modified by Tom Lyle. No doubt the Sunn 2000s heads were used by Felix in 1974 and before than. Go look at the Sunn catalogs they are plain to see in the 1968 catalog. That was false statement you made saying a 2000s didnt exist in 1970. Ive owned alot of Felixs belongings. Including His Gibson Eb-1, His Gibson Thunderbird, Stahl acoustic, Sunn amps, Mellotron and other items. But I do appreciate you liking Felix. But your a bit off track with your absurd statements regarding the 2000s head. Al Romano
The 30th anniversary of Felix Pappalardi's death is in 3 days. Felix used a variety of Sunn amps. In the beginning he used Spectrum 2 Prototype heads which were really 2000s heads in a small box. He also used Big Sunn Cabinets. Always with JBL- D140-f speakers. Later in 1970 Felix switched to The 2000s exclusively through 200s cabinets. Many of the 2000s heads came from Noel Redding which Mountain purchased from Ron Terry- Jimi Hendrix's road manager. Ive owned many of Felix Pappalardi's Sunn amps. 200s, 1500s, Spectrum 2 prototype and the 2000s head which I still own today. Felix's amps had no special modifications as originally thought. Ritchie Blackmore's tech Dawk and I recently went through Felix's 2000s head with Mountain stenciled on it. Its all stock according to Dawk. There were also no capacitors added in Felix's bass guitars. That is a myth. I own Felix's EB-1 bass. After Felix was murdered, I purchased Felix's instruments from his estate. All the instruments were stock. Ill be happy to answer anybody's questions regarding Felix's gear which I own. Felix Pappalardi was the greatest bassist producer of our time. 30 years after his death. I still think he was the greatest. Felix is my hero till the end. Albert
gregbackstrom
These aren't stock curves--things move around!
Beautiful song! I loved Jack Bruce's solo albums! Jack's voice was--maybe is--heavenly, and Pete Brown's lyrics were so powerful!
I've placed one of those two diode devices in basses before. With a vintage Mudbucker you can get a balls out fuzz tone from two diodes.
Not saying that's what Felix Pappalardi did, but it definitely works, I've done it.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I don't know, I love listening to Felix's flowing and melodic playing style. Like the tone or not, I don't know if it would've worked out the way it did without those cranked up Sunns, the balls out distortion really sustained his sound in a way that made the lines he wrote really flow. I wish I'd the opportunity to see him live, I can only imagine that sheer power behind his unique playing style would have been breathtaking.
I saw him a few times, I don't remember the distortion being any pedals, just overdriven amps, they played loud. He was a producer before being a bassist, I seem to remember him picking up bass just to help Leslie West with his first solo album. I loved his playing and writing!
Well then you came to the right thread!
What is with Talkbass and guys tactlessly pissing all over a thread? "Hey that thread is about a bassist that I don't like. I better show the fellers in there what I think about the bassist. Wait, they all like him? I better make sure they know I don't!!!!".
And then I see y'all posting about being on your third wife over in personal threads....
I was so enthralled with Mountain..and a bass player you could actually HEAR as well as feel.
After a MOUNTAIN concert in 1971, My brother and I went out the side exit at the old Atlanta Municipal Auditorium..mainly used for live rasslin and Atlanta Symphony..LOL.. AWFUL ACOUSTICS..I digress.. and we stood by the limos until Mountain came out.
West got into front seat of limo and ignored me until he returned my peace sign..I was 17.. Good enough for me...
Laing and Knight came out and got into next limo..Girls swarmed Laing as I awaited FELIX.
When Felix finally came out, I didn't want to seem too forward, so we streched our arms out over the trunk of a high finned Caddy limo and shook hands.....LOL..
After the usual fan chatter, which he thanked me for, I asked him about Mountain's sound.. that I could feel the sound of the keys but they were not distinct. He said it was intentional; that keys in Mountain were more to fill space. I believe he was explaining to me in laymans terms about the 'wall of sound' theory.
Next I told him I was a bass player and entrigued with his sound. I asked him about his tone. I asked specifically if he used a fuzz box..all I knew at the time...
His voice was quite hoarse and raspy as I recall. He replied No, that he used ' super charged' amplifiers......That was his exact statement..nothing more..
I thanked him for his patience with me. As he was leaving, I asked him to take care of Leslie, as we had just lost Jimi the Fall before.. He sighed; acknowledging the loss..assured me he would as he entered the limo....
A few months later, I was deeply entrenched into prog: Yes, E L P..my new musical associates disdained Mountain in general and Papalardi specifically as a joke, as the ' proper bass tone' was a Rick, a pick and roto sound rounds. Well they were guitarists and didn't know diddly about BASS.. So I had to keep my admiration of Pappalardi to myself...Although by that time I owned a Rick..pick..Rotos..That much I generally agree with, in most cases.LOL..
Meanwhile, I channelled my version of Pappalrdi as we jammed improvised and generally wasted our youth in basements losing some of our hearing..
My trusty Kustom 200 copped Bruce/ Pappalrdi tone PERFECTLY..lol.., as my guitar buddies ALL USED MARSHALL STACKS..I was cranked and still could not be heard. At least we never roamed the streets and got arrested.. I digress..
At that time he was the first rock star I had met and he treated me with patience and kindness and repect as a fellow bass player, than just another fan.
Again, Felix Pappalrdi was kind and patient to me.. a mere 17 year old hippie.. That's my memory of Mountain.
After a MOUNTAIN concert in 1971, My brother and I went out the side exit at the old Atlanta Municipal Auditorium..mainly used for live rasslin and Atlanta Symphony..LOL.. AWFUL ACOUSTICS..I digress.. and we stood by the limos until Mountain came out.
West got into front seat of limo and ignored me until he returned my peace sign..I was 17.. Good enough for me...
Laing and Knight came out and got into next limo..Girls swarmed Laing as I awaited FELIX.
When Felix finally came out, I didn't want to seem too forward, so we streched our arms out over the trunk of a high finned Caddy limo and shook hands.....LOL..
After the usual fan chatter, which he thanked me for, I asked him about Mountain's sound.. that I could feel the sound of the keys but they were not distinct. He said it was intentional; that keys in Mountain were more to fill space. I believe he was explaining to me in laymans terms about the 'wall of sound' theory.
Next I told him I was a bass player and entrigued with his sound. I asked him about his tone. I asked specifically if he used a fuzz box..all I knew at the time...
His voice was quite hoarse and raspy as I recall. He replied No, that he used ' super charged' amplifiers......That was his exact statement..nothing more..
I thanked him for his patience with me. As he was leaving, I asked him to take care of Leslie, as we had just lost Jimi the Fall before.. He sighed; acknowledging the loss..assured me he would as he entered the limo....
A few months later, I was deeply entrenched into prog: Yes, E L P..my new musical associates disdained Mountain in general and Papalardi specifically as a joke, as the ' proper bass tone' was a Rick, a pick and roto sound rounds. Well they were guitarists and didn't know diddly about BASS.. So I had to keep my admiration of Pappalardi to myself...Although by that time I owned a Rick..pick..Rotos..That much I generally agree with, in most cases.LOL..
Meanwhile, I channelled my version of Pappalrdi as we jammed improvised and generally wasted our youth in basements losing some of our hearing..
My trusty Kustom 200 copped Bruce/ Pappalrdi tone PERFECTLY..lol.., as my guitar buddies ALL USED MARSHALL STACKS..I was cranked and still could not be heard. At least we never roamed the streets and got arrested.. I digress..
At that time he was the first rock star I had met and he treated me with patience and kindness and repect as a fellow bass player, than just another fan.
Again, Felix Pappalrdi was kind and patient to me.. a mere 17 year old hippie.. That's my memory of Mountain.
Subjective: That distortion was another step up from Bruce's through the Marshalls.
Not subjective:
I walked all around the stage and viewed Leslie West's and Felix's rigs then stood right next to Felix for two nights. One at American Univ and the next at George Washington.
West had two Sunn 100s heads. The third was a modified PA head that controlled the other two.
There were there 100s cabs in a bay window config. the heads on top with three more cabs each stacked on each head wheels dangling down.
Felix's rig was identical in setup with PA head and two 200s heads. Cabs were 200s.
Those nights Felix switched between a red or brown EBO with the chrome Humbucker.
I cannot dispute what other gear they had or used. I do know what I saw at those two gigs. I was playing bass when this gear wasn't vintage but new.
I've have owned 200s and 2000s and only the nonobservant couldn't tell the difference in the width.
Not subjective:
I walked all around the stage and viewed Leslie West's and Felix's rigs then stood right next to Felix for two nights. One at American Univ and the next at George Washington.
West had two Sunn 100s heads. The third was a modified PA head that controlled the other two.
There were there 100s cabs in a bay window config. the heads on top with three more cabs each stacked on each head wheels dangling down.
Felix's rig was identical in setup with PA head and two 200s heads. Cabs were 200s.
Those nights Felix switched between a red or brown EBO with the chrome Humbucker.
I cannot dispute what other gear they had or used. I do know what I saw at those two gigs. I was playing bass when this gear wasn't vintage but new.
I've have owned 200s and 2000s and only the nonobservant couldn't tell the difference in the width.
- Oct 7, 2000
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I just got asked to do some fill in gigs with this band:
It's a Mountain tribute (K2) with guys who I'm pretty sure all played with either Mountain, or Leslie at one time or another. Was also asked to get down Felix's parts note for note as much as possible. I'm psyched, though it's a challenge to hear what that dude was playing. Never disliked Mountain, but I'm not as familiar with their material as some other bands I grew up with. Time to learn all I can about that guy Felix now, what better place to start....
It's a Mountain tribute (K2) with guys who I'm pretty sure all played with either Mountain, or Leslie at one time or another. Was also asked to get down Felix's parts note for note as much as possible. I'm psyched, though it's a challenge to hear what that dude was playing
. Never disliked Mountain, but I'm not as familiar with their material as some other bands I grew up with. Time to learn all I can about that guy Felix now, what better place to start....
I just got asked to do some fill in gigs with this band:
It's a Mountain tribute (K2) with guys who I'm pretty sure all played with either Mountain, or Leslie at one time or another. Was also asked to get down Felix's parts note for note as much as possible. I'm psyched, though it's a challenge to hear what that dude was playing
I believe I have some of his parts tabbed/notated out quite accurately in Guitar Pro 6, if you want the PDF or GP6 files. It took some serious time to sit there and listen to what he was playing, but worth it, he has some cool lines.
