Jesus would return, and before the Apocolypse began, he'd jam with Geddy Lee and the Pope. (Wouldn't that be interesting? I guess that'd prove Geddy that He exists.
)
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Has anyone here seen KONG?
- Thread starter esa372
- Start date
Jesus would return, and before the Apocolypse began, he'd jam with Geddy Lee and the Pope. (Wouldn't that be interesting? I guess that'd prove Geddy that He exists.
)
If I had the almighty "Kong" with all its knobs and switches, I would probably have to sit and jam on it for two days without sleep. The tonal possibilities are endless. I would definitley have to try out every setting/ pickup combination and go back for seconds. Actually two days and nights may not be enough time........... And behold, on the 8th day God created Kong, and it was awesome..........
The day of creation missing from the scroll of Genesis!So that's what happened!
Yes, The ancient biblical scribes removed that section to keep the tonal awesomeness of Kong a secret.........
Just to be clear, I mean absolutely no blasphame. I am a Christian, I just think that an appropriate amount of joking is really fun and hysterical.
Between 1987 and 1990, I was making and playing a custom beater bass I called "Kong".
The thing was ridiculous.
I sold Kong in 1990 in Los Angeles to help pay for an Alembic that was being made for me. I was just wondering if any TBers had ever come across The Mighty Kong; I've often wondered what his fate may have been.
Here is a screen-cap from a show in October of 1990:
He was made of a natural finish, one-piece body (ash or alder; I never really knew), with a Fender P neck, that had a rosewood fingerboard and a brass nut. The string-retainer on the headstock was raised with a plastic spacer about 1/4", and there was a HipShot Detuner installed for the E-string. The bridge was a Bad Ass-I, actually routed and sunk into the body wood.
The pick-ups were all DiMarzio. There were two Jazz-types side-by-side at the bridge position, a P-type in the center, and an EB0-type at the neck.
The electronics were passive and active. The passive controls were all on the black panel on front. There were five switches along the top of the panel; from left-to-right, they were:
a three-way switch for the two J pups - selecting front, back, or both;
one on/off switch for each of the "three" pups (the dual J being considered as one pup);
one active/passive switch
The passive control knobs, left-to-right, were:
master tone; master volume (top row)
three individual volumes, one for each pup (bottom row)
Once the active switch was engaged, all of those controls were de-activated, and the three black control knobs under the P and EB0 pups were activated. The active electronics in Kong were from a Warwick Buzzard, and worked in the same way. Left-to-right, the knobs were:
two-tier stack pot for bass (bottom) and treble (top) boost or cut;
a balance control between the P and EB0 pups (I think the J pups were shut off when the active switch was engaged, but I may be wrong.);
one master volume.
Kong was sold with a black hard-shell case that has stickers and pictures all over it.
Also, Kong was very heavy; 15 lbs, or more.
Kong was a great and versatile bass; though, as I said, utterly ridiculous. If anyone here has ever seen him, please let me know... of course, he may have been completely taken apart for someone else's project.
Thanks!
~esa
Was this a Billy Sheehan "wife" inspired bass? I would sign up to a gym just to play that for 3 sets a night!!!
Thanks. The b/w pics I've posted are cropped to just show the bass; not me or the other band members. They're are some great shots during that era. We had a photographer that would come to almost every show and shoot many rolls of film, develop and print the images - for free!
Now that's a fine idea! Who's the luthier?
Of course, I would love to have The Mighty Kong come home, but I know that's unrealistic. If he hasn't been disassembled for parts (and I think he has), he might just be somebody's prize possession. I just hope he's not rotting away in some attic, somewhere. He loves the stage!
Very true!
I spent weeks going over the different blending options, and I probably never explored all the possibilities. I got to the point, though, where I could flip switches and spin knobs on-the-fly and make drastic tonal changes in a fraction of a second. It was a lot of fun.
The active circuit in Kong was devastating - especially since I played him through four 15s! When I'd switch from passive to active, it was like a torrent of harmonic rainbows blowing out of my cabs - but MEAN! Really aggressive and biting, with a thunderous bottom end. It was fantastic.
Good call, but not entirely. The EB0 was added after I read an interview with Sheehan talking about how he loved Paul Samwell-Smith's tone in the Yardbirds, which is why he had put one in "The Wife". I checked out Samwell-Smith's recordings, checked out what Sheehan was doing with his, and took the plunge.
Of course, the active circuit, being from Warwick's Buzzard, was a direct cop from Entwistle. I had a Buzzard at the time, too, and just had a thought one day: "What if I put those electronics into this bass?" (I've got lots of pre-active pics of Kong, too; before the Warwick preamp was installed.) I didn't strip the electronics out of my Buzzard, though; I contacted Warwick and had them send me just the pre-amp and controls.
It's really great to see The Mighty Kong getting so much love.
This is a great forum.~esa
I need to say this. There's been a lot of talk about the Mothman, but frankly, I think it's all hype. If the Mothman was all it's been rumoured to be, I believe it would have resurrected someone like Jaco, Entwistle, or Jamerson to play it. Instead I only see it in the hands of a slightly inebriated young lady, who is no doubt the little sister of (and I get the uncomfortable notion also the love interest of) the anonymous photographer. Thus, when I think of the Funk Machine, the Bass of Doom, and the Tractor, I do not think of the Mothman. When I think of Jack Cassidy's Guild Starfire-Alembic bass (and Phil Lesh's, too), I do not think of the Mothman. When I think of Billy Sheehan's 'Wife', or Entwistle's Fenderbird, I will not think of the Mothman.
But, I will think of the Mighty Kong.
But, I will think of the Mighty Kong.
Dude, what you just said made absolutely no sense. I doubt that even Yes would understand your cryptic words. You're either deeper than the Mariana Trench, or dumber than Barney on Acid, Roller Skating through the streets of Manhattan. I think it's the first, but one can't be too sure...
Mothman playing Kong is best. A peaceful coexistance, and ultimate power. For the power of a bass is in it's sound. Mothman would need Kong's power, and Kong would need the Mothman's many fingers to produce it's incredible tonal power.
you know, I figure this bass could be replicated with Warmoth without too much trouble...
