JPJ Tone

[Osztertag2112]

Hey

Ive been listening to Zeppelin II for the past few weeks and Jones' tones are just amazing. I know he uses a jazz with flats through an acoustic amp (fairly easy tone to replicate) but in all the live videos I see he's playing with his right hand right over the end of the neck. Any time I play like this in a band or a recording I seem to get lost in the mix? How does he play there and still het enough clarity to be heard???

 

[fretno]

He's got a little grit on that tone

 

[Atshen]

It's a common misconception that he used flats, and it certainly sounds like he does, but he said a few years ago in BP that he actually used Rotosound rounds.

 

[jd56hawk]

Damn, same place my hand naturally goes to.

 

[Dave W]

It's a common misconception that he used flats, and it certainly sounds like he does, but he said a few years ago in BP that he actually used Rotosound rounds.

A few years ago BP also interviewed Justin Chancellor and showed his entire signal chain, which was completely wrong.

I'm not saying the strings are right or wrong, just to take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Osztertag2112]

Damn, same place my hand naturally goes to.

Mine does to if Im playing by myself but in a band I cant cut through. How do you make it work??

 

[Papazita]

It's a common misconception that he used flats, and it certainly sounds like he does, but he said a few years ago in BP that he actually used Rotosound rounds.

I believe he's also said that he used flats. I don't think he really remembers, to be honest!

 

[2saddleslab]

Damn, same place my hand naturally goes to.

Same w/ me, creates more boom. Over the pickup for more bang.

 

[ROOTSnFIFTHS]

He absolutely used flats on at least some of those recordings. I agree with Papazita, I really think he does not remember.

 

[digmeout]

In the videos I've watched he plays in the area that most compliments the song dynamics,
and the tone he's looking for. For instance in Dazed & Confused he starts the song just behind
the neck and as the song progresses he's just in front of the bridge for more definition and bite.
He seems to work the whole string length from just behind the neck to the bridge to get the
sound he needs at the moment. Dynamics seem to play a large part in his technique.

 

[MarkoYYZ]

He has said he uses all sorts of setups... flats and rounds, pick and no pick, tone rolled off when needed... you can't take any quote about a particular setup and apply it across the board for all their music, as he was very good at generating a multitude of sounds with varying techniques.

 

[mpdd]

the bassist from sleep plays his ric at the end of the neck throughout their entire show and he doesn't get lost at all

 

[jd56hawk]

Mine does to if Im playing by myself but in a band I cant cut through. How do you make it work??

One of these.

I won't go out the door without one. Hard rubber...it lasts forever and doesn't damage my flatwounds or tapewounds...and even though it's supposed to sound as close to using your fingers as possible, I can get very aggressive with it, too.

 

[Tom Howland]

I believe JPJ used both flats and rounds. And that these string were left on for long periods of time.
The mind set back then was not to change strings daily, or weekly. Unlike today.

 

[cableguy]

I believe JPJ used both flats and rounds. And that these string were left on for long periods of time.
The mind set back then was not to change strings daily, or weekly. Unlike today.

You're supposed to change strings?............

 

[Jaco Taco]

Mine does to if Im playing by myself but in a band I cant cut through. How do you make it work??

Whenever I hear a bassist say that they cant cut through, I immediately think they are rolling off too much of their mids. A common problem.
Mids are the cutting through frequency.

 

[JimmyM]

It's a common misconception that he used flats, and it certainly sounds like he does, but he said a few years ago in BP that he actually used Rotosound rounds.

I think he's got selective memory If those aren't flats on the first 2 albums, then they are the deadest sounding rounds I've ever heard in my life.

 

[Chrisk-K]

JPJ has said numerous times that he used Roto rounds. Just read some of his interviews. Where is the source showing he used flats? Anyway, JPJ's tone is nothing special in early Zep records.

 

[Rayjay]

Most (maybe all) of LZII was recorded with the jazz with flats and a foam mute. The tone is unmistakable. There's a BBC (I think) clip of Dazed and Confused and How Many More Times live, with the same unmistakable tone.

Live and in the studio he switched over to rounds not long after that, and ditched the mute. Almost all live footage that's not black and white is with roundwounds (he was known to try out different equipment, I'm sure he did the same with strings but usually Rotosounds)

He was all over with right hand technique, and used the full range of available tones, including picks.

 

[physics]

The songs that I've heard on LZ I & II sure sounded like flats to me, especially when I heard some of the isolated bass tracks. I've been listening closely to some of the session work that he did pre LZ, like on Donovan's songs, and that too sounded like flats on the bass. I've really developed a strong liking for his tone.