Orange Crush (REM) bass sound

[AnthonyW]

I was listening to Australia give England a hiding in the cricket on the radio and REM's Orange Crush came on as a segway from the drinks break. I happened to have the radio running through a decent system and I noticed how awesome that thumping bass line sounds. I quite like the REM song I know, but I've never paid a great deal of attention to them. Can any proper fans enlighten me on what the bassist is using?

 

[shoulderpet]

Fairly sure it is a p bass with nickel rounds, throughout their career I've only seen him use 2 different basses, a rickenbacker and a p bass, it doesn't sound like a rickenbacker to me and fairly sure he stopped using the the rickenbacker fairly early on in their career

 

[jallenbass]

Fairly sure it is a p bass with nickel rounds

And played with a pick fairly close to the bridge.

 

[10cc]

I can't make out what bass this is?

 

[10cc]

This one is definitely a P

 

[AnthonyW]

Thanks for the reply, I think you're right re the P picked close to the bridge. I think it's a wonderful example of how you don't have to play a lot of notes to really enhance a song. That song would hold up just fine with a dead straight bass line, but that lurching rhythm makes it for me.

 

[Dave W]

This one is definitely a P

This is so badly lip synced and mimed.

 

[shoulderpet]

This is so badly lip synced and mimed.

Good old Top of the pops tv show, they very rarely let anyone play live on that programme