This. Don't overthink any gear that works And feels good. If you haven't learned already, learn some basic CHORD theory and figure out why things work and sing/hum what you play. Get the music IN you before you can outplay your ear.
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Rick Danko
- Thread starter Devon Bustard
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This. Don't overthink any gear that works And feels good. If you haven't learned already, learn some basic CHORD theory and figure out why things work and sing/hum what you play. Get the music IN you before you can outplay your ear.
P bass with flats through a TH500 with one or two Ampeg SVT-210AV cabs. Might be hard to get all that with $1k but you could get close.
Great choice, if you are patient you can find a decent MIM P Bass for $3-400. It'll do you fine for a good while. FWIW, I have an original 59 P and a MIM P and I usually take the MIM to gigs and its just fine. My strings of choice are Pyramid Flats, but I also like La Bella Flats and black nylon tapewounds.
Don't feel bound by the comments about playing with a pick - do so if you like but in my opinion its a matter of preference. I can get just about any sound out of my fingerstyle playing - its about location, type of string attack, and eq. Do wehat you like and have fun learning!
i
It's fun to talk to the shadow people. When they start to talk back it's time for sleepy.
I'm always interested in sharing good information.
An internet acquaintance of mine with significant stash of fantastic live recordings recently posted a huge number of them via Youtube.
These can easily be converted to mp3 using several online websites that do that process and if you have the free audacity program, you can even cut them into tracks. I feel no need to possess any of this and since it's on youtube I just go there - but here, for your musical pleasure, edification and research purposes is a butt load of incredibly cool shows featuring Rick Danko:
Rick Danko December 15, 1977 My Father's Place Roslyn, L I , NY
Rick Danko December 21, 1977 Lone Star Cafe NYC
Rick Danko & Paul Butterfield 1979 New Haven, CT
Rick Danko & Richard Mauel April 12, 1980 U Of Penn
Rick Danko & Levon Helm January 23, 1983
Danko, Manuel & Butterfield 9 19 84
Danko Manuel Hudson January 2, 1985 Lonestar Cafe NYC
&
Jorma Kaukonen & Rick Danko - March 25, 1989 - Uncle Willy's - Kingston, N.Y.
This one has Live Video and is not from my friend:
Rick Danko & Paul Butterfield at Boulder's Blue Note
~Enjoy!
An internet acquaintance of mine with significant stash of fantastic live recordings recently posted a huge number of them via Youtube.
These can easily be converted to mp3 using several online websites that do that process and if you have the free audacity program, you can even cut them into tracks. I feel no need to possess any of this and since it's on youtube I just go there - but here, for your musical pleasure, edification and research purposes is a butt load of incredibly cool shows featuring Rick Danko:
Rick Danko December 15, 1977 My Father's Place Roslyn, L I , NY
Rick Danko December 21, 1977 Lone Star Cafe NYC
Rick Danko & Paul Butterfield 1979 New Haven, CT
Rick Danko & Richard Mauel April 12, 1980 U Of Penn
Rick Danko & Levon Helm January 23, 1983
Danko, Manuel & Butterfield 9 19 84
Danko Manuel Hudson January 2, 1985 Lonestar Cafe NYC
&
Jorma Kaukonen & Rick Danko - March 25, 1989 - Uncle Willy's - Kingston, N.Y.
This one has Live Video and is not from my friend:
Rick Danko & Paul Butterfield at Boulder's Blue Note
~Enjoy!
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How big of an amp would I need if I'm not going to play in shows? If I do get a band together then I'd get a good amp for shows but for practice what would you recommend? The Fender Rumble comes in a 40 watt for a decent price but I also see an Ampeg too
i
It's fun to talk to the shadow people. When they start to talk back it's time for sleepy.
The hallucination does get weird, the thing I hate is how hard math gets.
A good used MIM PBass with flats will do the job. You then will have enough to get a nice amp. A used 200-500 watt combo in good condition will give you easy portability with good sound. 
Get a Made in Mexico Fender Jazz bass. I know that you said before that you weren't hot on them, but the neck is a little thinner and you will get around on it easily. You don't like the slap and thwak sound, so don't learn that technique. Learn to emulate Danko's sound while you play along. That gets you started. As others stated here, your equipment matters less than your technique - how you fret, how your right hand works the strings to get your tone is not as sexy as buying gear, but it's really where you are at right now. Forget about other gear issues for now, except do put on a set of flat wounds. I use Rotosound Jazz Bass77s on my MIM Jazz Bass. Spend time with this and you WILL get sexy because you will be a bass player!
But what if I show up to play country with some friends? Do I have to buy a precision sticker to put over the Jazz
I'm a fan of Rick Danko and the Band as well and old enough to remember their emergence and timeless musical creations. As someone else pointed out, I suggest a Fender Precision bass possibly with Fender Original ('62) pickup installed.
40 watts will work for at-home practice, but it definitely ain't gonna cut it for gigs except in the smallest of venues. Don't buy twice if you can avoid it.
This is really where you want to be. Ideal for practice and many gigs.
Real Rick D was basically a Ripper and an SVT.
I do a bunch of Band tunes, and after digging into his style, would recommend, as a budget solution, a Epi Jack Casady (used around $500) and a GK 400RB (used around $250), leaving you around $250 for a cab. Maybe you get lucky and find someone unloading an Ampeg 410 they can't lift anymore...
I do a bunch of Band tunes, and after digging into his style, would recommend, as a budget solution, a Epi Jack Casady (used around $500) and a GK 400RB (used around $250), leaving you around $250 for a cab. Maybe you get lucky and find someone unloading an Ampeg 410 they can't lift anymore...
I'd describe his playing as emphasizing the syncopation more than the root on the 1 for the most part. He left a lot of space, like Phil Lesh but heavier on the right hand attack and with a thicker EQ. Palm mute position with the pick, doesn't matter the bass.
If you want it to sound like Danko, though, you have to dance like Danko. That's the only way...
If you want it to sound like Danko, though, you have to dance like Danko. That's the only way...
I would get either a Gibson SG or a Fender Precision bass, either with flatwounds (you can't go wrong with a P bass) and an Ampeg amp, and Danko played roots much more than Phil Lesh did or does actually. Slapping is a kind of a specialty style regardless of what people who slap will tell you, was big in the 80's, it's probably here to stay but has become a niche style, there are some very tasteful pro slappers out there but there are a lot more obnoxious ones
. Country players love P bass, flatwounds and Ampeg.
. Country players love P bass, flatwounds and Ampeg.
So being new to the whole cabs and heads, how big of a cab do I need? Say I buy a ampeg 200watt head and a 1x12 cab, would that be loud enough for a small gig?
So doing some research, I think I like the tone capabilities that the Rumble gives me, so I'm looking at that head (200watt). Now all I need is to decide on a cabinet. Should I match the cabinet wattage to the head? I'm very confused on this part (I'm a combo amp newbie).
Greetings from the North,
Dance like Danko and think Tuba ;-)
Rezdog
Dance like Danko and think Tuba ;-)
Rezdog
