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Jamerson using wireless?

Jim Nazium

Jim Nazium

Jun 19, 2007
2,622
3,892
Loudoun County VA (DC area)
#1
I found a British bass magazine at my local bookstore with an article on Jamerson. There's a picture of him standing to the drummer's right with an Ampeg Portaflex to the drummer's left, no cord visible, and it looks like there's a soapbar-size box plugged into his bass. Was that an early wireless unit? The pic looks like it's from 1970 or earlier.
 
#8
I've seen that photo before. I think it's on the cover of a Bass Player mag issue. But I don't recall seeing that little box. Photoshop comes to mind, why I don't know. I'll have to check the photo when I get home. I'm thinking it may be some kinda early preamp or buffer. Very interesting.
 
#9
Page 28 in 'Standing in the shadows of motown' a similar picture has the caption:

"The small box plugged into the input of Jamerson's bass is an early wireless hookup. The box with the antenna on top of the piano is the receiver."
 
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#11
JackANSI said:
Page 28 in 'Standing in the shadows of motown' a similar picture has the caption:

"The small box plugged into the input of Jamerson's bass is an early wireless hookup. The box with the antenna on top of the piano is the receiver."
Click to expand...

We've had this thread many times, and the Shadows of Motown caption is the best info anyone has come up with. It is a wireless unit. If it wasn't a wireless unit, you'd see a cable coming out of the box.
 
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#12
Why do you think I refered to shadows? If anyone knew the make and model, I would have posted that.

Only difference is I didn't get all righteous about it.


PS: and I doubt it was ever part of his recorded sound so it really shouldn't matter anyway.
 
#13
robkphoto said:
That pic looks really early, definitely early 60's. Have no idea what that box could be.
Click to expand...

I think the date of the picture is probably Summer or Fall of 1964--might be a year later. I draw that conclusion due to the evidence in the photo. The men's fashions (shark skin suits, narrow ties, high tie tacks, snap tabs, short hair) are pure 1964, and the large fan on stage suggests it is not Winter or Spring. :smug:

Ps. I wonder who they are watching.
 
#14
It is probably a Dan Armstrong compressor box -

Link Removed

These have been around a long time.

Notice how the box extends past the tail end of the body. This is because the old Armstrong color boxes had the output jacks on the rear panel, along with the captive input plug. This also explains why you cannot see the guitar cable. No way is that a wireless transmitter.
 
#16
Nah, not an Orange Squeezer. The lay out is all wrong, and it predates the Dan Armstrong stuff. I'm going with the information in "Standing In The Shadows of Motown" book, it's an early wireless transmitter.

C'mon, a wireless is just a radio. How hard would it be for some bright person to come up with the idea of adapting a walkie-talkie circuit in 1964 to accept an instrument level signal isntead of the crappy mic/speaker generally used? Makes more sense than anything else advanced.

jte
 
#17
C'mon, those Dan Armstrong color boxes were in wide use among studio musicians back in the day, and how likely is it that any 60's or 70's battery powered walkie talkie, no matter how modified, could be anywhere nearly good enough for use by this man, or small enough to fit in that box? How desirable would James have found a wireless? My guess is zero, especially if the sound sucked.
 
#19
JackANSI said:
Ok Bongomania, I see your frustration... Peace dude... Words never taste good...
Click to expand...

Right, I was not getting righteous at you at all, I was supporting what you were saying. I should have typed it in differently to make that more clear.

To others:
It is not a Dan Armstrong pedal because if it was, you'd see a cable coming out of the front of it.

Radio has been in use since way before the '60s, and there is no point in guessing whether Jamerson would have been satisfied with it. For one thing, you just don't know. For another, he played with action and technique that most people would get ridiculed for on this forum, so he had his own idea of what works and sounds good.

Besides, maybe he was experimenting with it that week and later decided he didn't like it. Who knows?
 

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