I'd say he was a very good bass player that also had incredible guitar chops, particularly on acoustic...almost as if he took the gig with ELP to be the needed bass player. Many good guitar players end up playing bass, whether out of necessity or opportunity. I ended up on that path also.
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Greg Lake's bass sound
- Thread starter skygzr
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- bass sound sound
I'd say he was a very good bass player that also had incredible guitar chops, particularly on acoustic...almost as if he took the gig with ELP to be the needed bass player. Many good guitar players end up playing bass, whether out of necessity or opportunity. I ended up on that path also.
Greg Lake never intended on being a bassist. He only did it because he was offered a gig as the singer in King Crimson 1.0 and they also needed a bass player.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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it is amazing how much he improvises and departs from the melody and yet completely locks in with the beat
I think I can agree with most all of that. Lake was striving for that ultra-clean, springy sounding bottom end that big wattage Crown Hi-Fi amps and HiWatt cabinets supplied, not to mention fresh Roto-Sounds probably every time he picked the bass up for a concert. I don't think Squire was necessarily striving for that ultra-clean tone the way Lake was. Lake was also a very accomplished acoustic player, so he gets the nod for multi-instruments. : )
- Dec 21, 2007
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It’s well-documented that Greg Lake used a black Gibson Ripper with a maple fingerboard on the Brain Salad Surgery tour in 1974. The Ripper was never available in black with a maple board, and so some have speculated that Lake had received one of the early prototypes and then had it painted black.
Here’s a some pics I just found on Facebook that were taken at one of the Madison Square Garden shows in NYC on December 17 or 18, 1973. If you look closely, lake is holding a natural finish maple Ripper. Wonder if that’s the Brain Salad Surgery bass before it was painted?
Here’s a some pics I just found on Facebook that were taken at one of the Madison Square Garden shows in NYC on December 17 or 18, 1973. If you look closely, lake is holding a natural finish maple Ripper. Wonder if that’s the Brain Salad Surgery bass before it was painted?
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Help Needed – Looking for Unpublished Greg Lake Photographs (1985–1986)
Hello everyone,
I'm researching the history of a 1985 Kramer-era Spector NS-2 bass (Serial No. 864) that I purchased from The Bass Centre, London, in 1990. At the time of purchase, The Bass Centre told me that it had previously belonged to Greg Lake. Since then I've spent many months researching its history.
I am not asking anyone to authenticate the instrument.
Instead, I'm hoping to locate photographs, negatives, slides, rehearsal images, backstage photographs or personal snapshots from the 1985–1986 Emerson, Lake & Powell era.
I'm particularly interested in photographs that clearly show:
Several experienced Spector historians have already helped me with production records and period information, and I'm now trying to establish the instrument's history as accurately as possible.
If you photographed Greg during this period, know someone who did, worked on the tour, or have old photo albums or negatives that might contain his basses, I'd be incredibly grateful to hear from you.
Even if the photographs don't show this specific instrument, they may help build a more complete historical record.
Please feel free to message me privately.
Thank you so much for reading.
Matt Le Mare
Nottingham, UK
Hello everyone,
I'm researching the history of a 1985 Kramer-era Spector NS-2 bass (Serial No. 864) that I purchased from The Bass Centre, London, in 1990. At the time of purchase, The Bass Centre told me that it had previously belonged to Greg Lake. Since then I've spent many months researching its history.
I am not asking anyone to authenticate the instrument.
Instead, I'm hoping to locate photographs, negatives, slides, rehearsal images, backstage photographs or personal snapshots from the 1985–1986 Emerson, Lake & Powell era.
I'm particularly interested in photographs that clearly show:
- Greg's Spector basses.
- Rehearsals.
- Dressing rooms.
- Backstage equipment.
- Guitar racks.
- Flight cases.
- Studio sessions.
- Tour preparation.
- Soundchecks.
Several experienced Spector historians have already helped me with production records and period information, and I'm now trying to establish the instrument's history as accurately as possible.
If you photographed Greg during this period, know someone who did, worked on the tour, or have old photo albums or negatives that might contain his basses, I'd be incredibly grateful to hear from you.
Even if the photographs don't show this specific instrument, they may help build a more complete historical record.
Please feel free to message me privately.
Thank you so much for reading.
Matt Le Mare
Nottingham, UK
Help Needed – Looking for Unpublished Greg Lake Photographs (1985–1986)
Hello everyone,
I'm researching the history of a 1985 Kramer-era Spector NS-2 bass (Serial No. 864) that I purchased from The Bass Centre, London, in 1990. At the time of purchase, The Bass Centre told me that it had previously belonged to Greg Lake. Since then I've spent many months researching its history.
I am not asking anyone to authenticate the instrument.
Instead, I'm hoping to locate photographs, negatives, slides, rehearsal images, backstage photographs or personal snapshots from the 1985–1986 Emerson, Lake & Powell era.
I'm particularly interested in photographs that clearly show:
Several experienced Spector historians have already helped me with production records and period information, and I'm now trying to establish the instrument's history as accurately as possible.
If you photographed Greg during this period, know someone who did, worked on the tour, or have old photo albums or negatives that might contain his basses, I'd be incredibly grateful to hear from you.
Even if the photographs don't show this specific instrument, they may help build a more complete historical record.
Please feel free to message me privately.
Thank you so much for reading.
Matt Le Mare
Nottingham, UK
Hello everyone,
I'm researching the history of a 1985 Kramer-era Spector NS-2 bass (Serial No. 864) that I purchased from The Bass Centre, London, in 1990. At the time of purchase, The Bass Centre told me that it had previously belonged to Greg Lake. Since then I've spent many months researching its history.
I am not asking anyone to authenticate the instrument.
Instead, I'm hoping to locate photographs, negatives, slides, rehearsal images, backstage photographs or personal snapshots from the 1985–1986 Emerson, Lake & Powell era.
I'm particularly interested in photographs that clearly show:
- Greg's Spector basses.
- Rehearsals.
- Dressing rooms.
- Backstage equipment.
- Guitar racks.
- Flight cases.
- Studio sessions.
- Tour preparation.
- Soundchecks.
Several experienced Spector historians have already helped me with production records and period information, and I'm now trying to establish the instrument's history as accurately as possible.
If you photographed Greg during this period, know someone who did, worked on the tour, or have old photo albums or negatives that might contain his basses, I'd be incredibly grateful to hear from you.
Even if the photographs don't show this specific instrument, they may help build a more complete historical record.
Please feel free to message me privately.
Thank you so much for reading.
Matt Le Mare
Nottingham, UK
