John Paul Jones ROUND tone

[chief redcok]

magic in his hands

This is also very true about his tone in those day!

 

[esa372]

I have a bass mag here where he says he used the jazz with flats (yes Rotos I believe) with Led Zep, but he didn't like the valve amps of the day and prefered the Acoustic transistor amp for it's fast response.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f28/john-paul-jones-flatwounds-809513/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/john-paul-jones-flatwounds-250713/

...and this:
http://musicandculture.blogspot.com/2008/03/led-zeppelins-john-paul-jones.html

Did you prefer flatwounds or roundwounds on your 4-string basses?
Everybody used to think I used flatwounds, but I stopped using flatwounds back in the session days because they just didn’t give me the sustain I wanted.

Hmmmm...

 

[chief redcok]

Thats very strange.. Could be true, but just from listening to LZII its hard to believe he didn't use flats.. Guess it might be true..

 

[paparoof]

Crappy as the quality is, this video is a great example of his percussive attack on the strings. Playing unamplified as he is, you can really get a feel for the way he pounds the hell outta the strings.

I threw down in my basement the other day. The bass is a Squier CV J with Geddy pups and moderately worn-out rounds. But to me what makes the tone is a huge bump right at 200 hz. Almost sounds like a P with flats. You may disagree, but to me it's very reminiscent of JPJ.

 

[miles'tone]

Wow all interesting stuff! Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. He seems to have given info in different interviews that contradicts, so maybe he used both here and there. ( I do feel that Immigrant song, heartbreaker and Bron-y-aur stomp are with rounds for example, so I've never thought he did'nt use rounds occasionally. I've always thought the main Big and Brown Sound (which the OP was talking about) was with flats. I get there with flats, you get there however suits you. All good.

Hey if JPJ did use Roto rounds all the way, then chief redcok's question about how he dialled in that tone with his amp settings is all the more vital.

Loving all the Zep footage by the way!

Miles.

 

[miles'tone]

Crappy as the quality is, this video is a great example of his percussive attack on the strings. Playing unamplified as he is, you can really get a feel for the way he pounds the hell outta the strings.



This is solid gold! Can't believe I haven't found this myself!
(defo rounds there too)

Nice recording with the Classic Vibe by the way, that's a cool tone you have there.

 

[paparoof]

Nice recording with the Classic Vibe by the way, that's a cool tone you have there.

Thanks!

 

[Tom Howland]

Actually JPJ says he stopped using flats pre Zeppelin.

This is true JPJ never recored with flats with Zepplin.

 

[geddeeee]

JPJ used Rotosound roundwound while in Zep. He used the Rotosound PSD strings too later on after LZ.

Not a flatwound in sight!!!!

 

[Tom Howland]

I believe All Rounds too.
JPJ Amp had a lot to do with his tone to.

 

[Roy Vogt]

Those recordings are Fender Jazz Bass with Rotosounds (JPJ only used flats early on in his session days pre-Zep) through various bass amps. That should be really easy to emulate these days. Some is pick and some finger. If you're using an amp modeler either an Acoustic 360 or flip top Ampeg simulation with a little grit will get you there. The most constant amp of choice was a couple of Acoustic 360s. Their folded horn design takes some of the zing and high end off the roundwounds (much like Jaco's sound a few years later-Jaco also used Rotosound Swing Bass rounds).

 

[Rockin Mike]

I doubt if anybody has solid info on how he set his amp, but if I were going for that tone I would:
1) use rotosound swing bass 66 in nickel
2) roll off the treble at the instrument
3) bump the eq at around 150 - 200 Hz
4) turn up the gain til it just started to overdrive, and get that natural compression.
Folks say he used an American Standard Jazz bass, so I'm sure that's a huge part of it too.

 

[PhR]

There's an interview in Guitar Player in 1977 where he says he used flats in his Jazz Bass and even tried them for his Alembic but they didn't suit that bass at all. He also says he used rounds in his '52 Precision Bass and if you think about songs he played with it (Black Dog for example) it sure sound like roundwound strings, unlike the Jazz.

Look at "The Song Remains The Same" which has the Jazz bass all the time. They even look like flatwound strings.

 

[Korladis]

Dazed and Confused sure sounds like flats to me....

Sounds like tone knob rolled almost all the way back to me. I'm not sure it particularly matters with that kind of tone.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I am amazed at how many people actually thought he was using flats on LZ records, he most definitely used rounds. His heavy mid range tone comes from the Acoustic 360, it is voiced mid heavy.

 

[hennessybass]

Do we know that he was recording with the Acoustic 360 in the studio. I would guess that early on (Z1 & Z2) he may not have had that rig yet.

Check out this pic from 1969 in Denmark. Looks to me like he still has the string mutes on his jazz bass... and look where his right hand is...

Also in the video that got posted earlier - - check out his bass at the 0:35 mark. He has a bunch of foam stuffed under the strings at the bridge.

 

[Demon_Hunter]

Listen to the isolated bass track to heartbreaker

 

[Calebmundy]

It doesn't sound like flats to me.

 

[HOOLIGAN]

I'd swear I'd eat my hat if these weren't flats on this clip-



But to tell the truth, I really can't tell-but this clip should
decide it, though really good speakers (which mine aint!)

 

[Rockin Mike]

I'd swear I'd eat my hat if these weren't flats on this clip-



But to tell the truth, I really can't tell-but this clip should
decide it, though really good speakers (which mine aint!)

Sounds like rounds with foam mutes to me.

His playing is so tasteful and tight it's awe-inspiring.