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He used a Fender Jazz with an EB-0 pickup in place of the neck pickup
He used a P bass later on too after the Jazz. I've seen photos of him with the original Jazz with the Gibson pickup at concerts.
Yes, but in 1969 he used the jazz with the original pickups in the gigs, but the sound in the first Grand Funk records is also the mudbucker (Gibson big humbucker for bass), that he'd taken from a Gibson EB-0, so in that albums he almost certainly used the EB-0, and from Closer To Home to E Pluribus used the Fender Jazz with the mudbucker.
No, he used P-Bass until 1973, when they recorded We Are an American Band, in the Terry Knight era, he used a jazz bass, firstly used without any modification and later he added the mudbucker, but i'm pretty sure that he used a the Gibson EB-0 (which he taken the pickup for his jazz) in the studio, because the modification that he made was until 1970, but the sound on the On Time and Grand Funk albums are absolutely mudbucker, so it's probable that he used the Gibson while recording and the Fender just for gigs.That clip up above is from 1969 and it had the humbucker in it. He never used an EB-0, only used the EB-0 pickup in his Jazz, he went to P basses for Closer To Home and stuck with them for at least several more albums.
No, he used P-Bass until 1973, when they recorded We Are an American Band, in the Terry Knight era, he used a jazz bass, firstly used without any modification and later he added the mudbucker, but i'm pretty sure that he used a the Gibson EB-0 (which he taken the pickup for his jazz) in the studio, because the modification that he made was until 1970, but the sound on the On Time and Grand Funk albums are absolutely mudbucker, so it's probable that he used the Gibson while recording and the Fender just for gigs.
Also, the clip is from early 1970, NOT 1969.
Yes, but in 1969 he used the jazz with the original pickups in the gigs, but the sound in the first Grand Funk records is also the mudbucker (Gibson big humbucker for bass), that he'd taken from a Gibson EB-0, so in that albums he almost certainly used the EB-0, and from Closer To Home to E Pluribus used the Fender Jazz with the mudbucker.
The On Time Album was released in August of 1969, he used his Jazz with the humbucker and didn't crank his amp like on the next album., his Jazz had the humbucker in 1969 which is in that Nov 1969 video I posted for you from WITF TV. Look closely at the Fender in that Nov 1969 clip, the humbucker is already in it.
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - Inside Looking Out 1969
Jam Date: November 1, 1969
Featuring: Grand Funk Railroad
Venue: WITF-TV
Songs: Inside Looking Out
Classic Cut: Watch Grand Funk Railroad Lay Down a Blazing "Inside Looking Out" in 1969 - Jam Buzz
I can't find any record of him using an EB-0, if you have anything I'd like to see it, putting an EB-0 pickup in Fenders was a common mod back then, I had a 68 P bass with one that someone had put in. Hey, me and my wife were in Mexico city in March, we loved your city, would love to move there, how's the gig situation? Maybe we can argue in person?![]()
Mel was "the" reason I started playing bass.
Actually that was recorded in May 1970, by that time he quit the pickup cover from his bass, in late 1969 still had it as the pic that i posted up there shows it, it had the mudbucker as you stated but with the original pickup cover that had all the Fender Jazz basses from the 50's to (i think) early 70's.
You can check here the date for that TV Recording, it dates May 15th, 1970.
What Mel doing here to get this great overdriven tone? His West amps? Something else?
I think today's drummers have too big a kit, in many respects. Both Don, and John Sferra (Glass Harp) do/did a lot with such simple drum sets.The competent drumwork of Don Brewer?
You kids don't know Grand Funk? The wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner? The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher? The competent drumwork of Don Brewer?
A while back I was chatting with Bill Lordan (drummer for Robin Trower) and mentioned that Grand Funk Railroad had been my earliest influence, and was definitely why I play bass. I asked him what he thought of Don Brewer, and he said, "he's a competent drummer"Thank You for finishing the quote.![]()