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Mel Schacher's (Grand Funk Railroad) Setup

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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.
 
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.

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.
 
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.
 
I have found this pic in a group from Facebook, this dates from May 1969, when they were recording On Time, and it shows that behind the pickup cover clearly shows the mudbucker installed, so in all the albums from 1969 to 1971 he used the gibsonized jazz bass. So you are right, he didn't used this bass un-modified, he had it modified even more he was in Grand Funk in early '69.
 

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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.

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
 
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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.

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?:laugh:
 
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


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.
 
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?:laugh:

Well, i'm not manager, but i can tell you that the situation is quite bad in rock and roll, there's lots of bogus managers that steal musicians, especially new musicians, that offers you an apparently good gigs but they'll not pay you well, that's one of the main things that makes our scene very fractured and lacking opportunities, excepting if you play crappy pop, and it's really sad, because in this country we have real excellent musicians in blues, jazz and rock, but since early 70's, when the (then) president Luis Echeverría banned everything related to rock music and youth culture after the Avándaro festival (known as the "mexican woodstock"), now we have slightly better spaces than the funky holes of 70's to mid 80's, but not enough publicity and we have to be careful as musicians when we see frauds by organizers and enterprises.
 
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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.

Well it's possible they played twice because this video is from The Show and the guy also has it dated Nov 1969, so who knows. Too bad about your rock scene, how could a president ban s rock scene? I just read about that festival, too bad that was the result.
 
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