Yes Jamerson did record direct into a consul but he has also he recorded with his amp. Also he did play upright and that was miked on some tracks. The tracks you are referring to I don't know. Who knows 100% how each song was recorded? The point really being can you reproduce the Jamerson sound in a pedal? The bass, the player etc.???
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james jamerson overdrive
- Thread starter uglycustard
- Start date
The Flipster does that? Because it's a very specific type of clipping he got. The attack would slam the input and go all overmodulated, but past the initial attack, it was dead clear. I wouldn't call it distortion per se. Obviously it's clipping, but in a very specific way.
I've been trying to get that sound for a while (the hard way, without having a P-bass strung with .110" LaBellas). I have the SansAmp VT Bass, and I am very pleased with it. It really helps me come close to the sound in those isolated Jamerson tracks, closer than I thought was possible using a Fender Jazz strung with lighter strings. However, the trick is to first get the instrument to put out a tone that's going in the right direction, which means the right strings, otherwise any pedal will hurt more than it will help.
I'm using GHS Precision stainless steel flatwounds on a MIM Jazz (stock except for Fralin pickups). I've tried several different flatwounds, and finally gave these a try, and I am glad I did, as these were finally a step in the right direction. The first couple notes I played with these strings gave me goosebumps, as that intangible "something" in the sound I was looking for was right there. Neck pickup volume full, bridge pickup volume set around 1/4 gives the best growl with my particular setup. Plucking the strings harder than normal is a big part to getting that "whomp" in Jamerson's attack.
I'm using GHS Precision stainless steel flatwounds on a MIM Jazz (stock except for Fralin pickups). I've tried several different flatwounds, and finally gave these a try, and I am glad I did, as these were finally a step in the right direction. The first couple notes I played with these strings gave me goosebumps, as that intangible "something" in the sound I was looking for was right there. Neck pickup volume full, bridge pickup volume set around 1/4 gives the best growl with my particular setup. Plucking the strings harder than normal is a big part to getting that "whomp" in Jamerson's attack.
You are right, i was at the Motown house and in the garage is where the studio is , the amp was a tube amp that he and all the guitar players played out of . I could not find the name brand on it and i could not see how many speakers it had . The guy at the house told me that info.
Check out the video at the bottom of this page:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It is a tour of Motown's studio A (aka Snake Pit), including some close-up shots of the console Jamerson used to plug into, pretty cool stuff...
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
It is a tour of Motown's studio A (aka Snake Pit), including some close-up shots of the console Jamerson used to plug into, pretty cool stuff...
Besides that clipping on the attack part of each note, his tone was actually quite dirty, which weirdly seems much cleaner in the mix but is actually distorted quite a bit. It's an incredible sound, each note having so much weight and shape.
Live he got a very dirty tone, too, but without that initial overload like on the recordings, judging from the few clips I've heard. There are many similar tones on '70s reggae recordings that I've never heard recreated live, either, like this (really clear at at around 2:40):
My vote, too, goes to the Cream Pie... Most drive pedals I've used (albeit few by Talkbass effects forum standards) have too much gain available... So while it's not impossible to get that sound, necessarily, the range of travel of the gain knob is very small... so hard to make adjustments/nail it down. But the low gain dirty boost design of the Cream Pie gives you a lot more room to work play with trying to find that sound you want and lets you make fine adjustments. Not to mention it sounds just great... 
Brian
Brian
Clearly someone needs to turn this into a pedal and problem solved:
I just wish I could hear what that sounded like in the studio.
I don't really hear it that way, at least not on the "What's Goin' On" clip Pedro posted. Just the initial saturation, then to my ears it cleans up greatly. I guess maybe we have different definitions of clean and dirty, but mine doesn't involve solid state
I don't really hear it that way, at least not on the "What's Goin' On" clip Pedro posted. Just the initial saturation, then to my ears it cleans up greatly. I guess maybe we have different definitions of clean and dirty, but mine doesn't involve solid state
I get you. What people often call clean tube tone is actually nicely dirty, not enough to break up but certainly far from clean. I'm not a big fan of clean SS tones either.
I don't really hear it that way, at least not on the "What's Goin' On" clip Pedro posted. Just the initial saturation, then to my ears it cleans up greatly. I guess maybe we have different definitions of clean and dirty, but mine doesn't involve solid state
FWIW I hear it like you.
Interesting that at the Rick website where the solo'd bass tracks are there are some interviews in which Jamerson discusses using his B15 live and in the studio. He says (para-phrasing) that live he 'plugs the B15 into the PA'. I wonder what era he was referring to.
The interview took place in 1979, and it's clear he is referring to that time:
"What kind of amplifier do you use?
I have an Ampeg B-15 for sessions-- I use it on gigs, too. On the road now I plug the B-15 direct into the PA."
without isolating the tracks, you really cant tell his bass was clipping like that. what i would do is just get any good drive pedal, and forget about the clipping. a sansamp would be good enough for this, anything with a big bottom and capable of low gain tubeyness
Chasing anyone's sound to make it your own never works. We're simply not that person, and we're never going to sound like them exactly, so why bother? Blaze your own trail.
