Michael Rhodes with Robben Ford

[lowfreqgeek]

I was just getting back on a Jazz bass kick and then I found this:



His tone is so brutish and nasty, and yet so completely nuanced at the same time. The lows are DEEP, the mids are forward, the highs are present when he goes there. The attack sounds like flats, but some of his solos sound almost like broken in rounds.

I've got Ps with rounds and flats, several drives, compression, more than enough eq, and I can *sort* of approximate it, but not really. It's tasty!

 

[jerry]

Excellent, two of my favorites in one video!

 

[Joshua]

Outstanding!

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I don't use this word often. Or ever, really, but this whole performance from all parties is sublime.

 

[jerry]

I was just getting back on a Jazz bass kick and then I found this:



His tone is so brutish and nasty, and yet so completely nuanced at the same time. The lows are DEEP, the mids are forward, the highs are present when he goes there. The attack sounds like flats, but some of his solos sound almost like broken in rounds.

I've got Ps with rounds and flats, several drives, compression, more than enough eq, and I can *sort* of approximate it, but not really. It's tasty!

There are a bunch a videos of Rhodes with Joe Bonamassa out there, just a flat out badass and tasty player. Here he is going for Ronnie Woods Truth era p bass grind.

 

[mindwell]

Big P Ballz. Lotta tones in that instrument and he's pulling on all of 'em.

 

[punchdrunk]

M.R. is one of those guys that can do the thing on a higher level. He sounds equally great on every instrument he touches.

 

[Mastermold]

Cool stuff. Been a fan of Robben for a long time. Michael Rhoads is a tasty player too. Merry Christmas listening!

 

[jimmydean]

All there is to say is MR is pretty...pretty....pretty good .

 

[Johnny Crab]

Been a MR fan since he was on Brooks & Dunn's "Only In America" album. He is almost immediately identifiable in whatever genre he performs in. His sound and style made me buy that album just to learn what he'd played. Couple of examples from that.
Reverb on a growly bass at the open to raw growly bass

More growl.

Bassline that fits the song, producers seem to have pulled him out of the mix in the "almost solo guitar" part and then blend him back in during a climb-down.
Band currently covers this one....yay!

 

[smeet]

The P in the OP is fretless, right?

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Been a MR fan since he was on Brooks & Dunn's "Only In America" album. He is almost immediately identifiable in whatever genre he performs in. His sound and style made me buy that album just to learn what he'd played. Couple of examples from that.
Reverb on a growly bass at the open to raw growly bass

More growl.

Bassline that fits the song, producers seem to have pulled him out of the mix in the "almost solo guitar" part and then blend him back in during a climb-down.
Band currently covers this one....yay!

He definitely puts a lot of his personality into his playing. His lines are always so well thought out, but never boring. No wasted or haphazard notes. I've tried to model my own approach to studio bass lines in a similar way, with varying degrees of success, but always something to aim for!

 

[lowfreqgeek]

The P in the OP is fretless, right?

Nope! That would be cool, but it's definitely fretted.

 

[jamro217]

Michael Rhodes was great on Randall Bramblett's "No More Mr. Lucky" CD. He did work with Larry Carlton, too.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

One of my favorite guitarists of all time!
Always has incredible musicians with him.

 

[MrLenny1]

Robben is one of the few guitarist that I do not get tired of.
Loved his playing since Yellow Jackets Imperial Strut.
Michael Rhoads is a guy who can spin magic into a tune.

 

[jerry]

Michael Rhodes was great on Randall Bramblett's "No More Mr. Lucky" CD. He did work with Larry Carlton, too.

The Bramblett stuff is killer, also some tasty use of effects on some of it.

 

[two fingers]

I was just getting back on a Jazz bass kick and then I found this:



His tone is so brutish and nasty, and yet so completely nuanced at the same time. The lows are DEEP, the mids are forward, the highs are present when he goes there. The attack sounds like flats, but some of his solos sound almost like broken in rounds.

I've got Ps with rounds and flats, several drives, compression, more than enough eq, and I can *sort* of approximate it, but not really. It's tasty!

Yeah I'm still searching for a pedal that will make me sound like Michael Rhodes too.

Seriously, he is simply on of the best.... ever.

Awesome video. Thanks for posting.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Yeah I'm still searching for a pedal that will make me sound like Michael Rhodes too.

Seriously, he is simply on of the best.... ever.

Awesome video. Thanks for posting.

There's obviously *something* going on with some drive and whatever else, but the magic is most definitely in his touch! Not gonna find that in the gear.

 

[Mastermold]

There's obviously *something* going on with some drive and whatever else, but the magic is most definitely in his touch! Not gonna find that in the gear.

Especially when you consider he's getting essentially the same tone both live with Joe and in the studio with Robben.