SHARAY REED-VERY SICK GROOVE!!!!!!!

[DWBass]

Some Sharay Reed info. Dude is only 33 and his recording career started in 1995! He was 19 in 1995!!

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=SHARAY|REED&sql=11:3vftxq9gldje~T3
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=SHARAY|REED&sql=11:3vftxq9gldje~T4

 

[DougD]

While this is true, in way too many cases the instrument isn't what's keeping the player from doing something they can do on another bass... because they can't do it on any bass.

Good point

This thread on Sharay Reed has been inspiring at a number of levels. First, it really shows how we live in a new media era. Sharay is a Chicago bassist playing in a local church, yet his performances are seen worldwide, and he has a CD we can purchase.

Second, he is a great reminder of how much study and practice matter when it comes to greatness. Unlike the latest slap lick, you just can't do what he does without some serious study time.

Third, the fact that he apparently is using pretty non-descript, off the shelf gear (I saw a well worn Jazz like his for $534 at a GC about a year ago), should remind all of us that there is a lot of potential in our instruments, but we as players have to be prepared to do the work to get that potential out to the world.

Well said

 

[capnsandwich]

While this is true, in way too many cases the instrument isn't what's keeping the player from doing something they can do on another bass... because they can't do it on any bass.

Oh I agree with that. It's just that there are so many people saying that you can get just about any tone in the world just by getting an SX and a 100 watt amp. IME and IMO that's just not the truth.

The point I was trying to make was, for example, when I was just starting out I had a $150 Ibanez that was passive and had a PJ configuration. The action was crazy high and I wrestled with it but I didn't know any better so I just thought that was the way basses were. I was young and ignorant and my influences were hard core bands that no one has ever heard of unless you listened to hard core. I played through an older Peavey TNT amp that had a 15" woofer no tweeter.

Then I was asked to join a band that played a lot of odd time signature stuff and required me to learn different techniques like fingerstyle and slap. I was strictly a pick player at the time. The drummer started letting me borrow CD's like Dave Weckl and The Dixie Dregs. I listened to them over and over again wondering how in the world they made their bass sound like that. I would go to band rehearsal and try my best to get the Tom Kennedy tone and the Dave LaRue tone but I was getting frustrated to the point of wanting to quit bass and go back to guitar. Then one day I went to GC and saw a $2000 Pedulla Thunderbass hanging on the wall. I took it down, plugged it into a GK 700 rbII and started playing. Boom, instant gratification!!! I finally found the tone I wanted. It was easy to play and I realized that the cheesy Ibanez beginner bass was not what my ear required. I couldn't afford the $2000 Pedulla but I could afford a $1200 Warwick so I got that and it met my needs for several years. I quickly learned how to slap better and my fingerstyle technique almost came naturally. I could get the action really close so that it wasn't such a beast to play. I actually fell in love with the bass all over again.


OK, I'm done.

 

[DWBass]

Oh I agree with that. It's just that there are so many people saying that you can get just about any tone in the world just by getting an SX and a 100 watt amp. IME and IMO that's just not the truth.

The point I was trying to make was, for example, when I was just starting out I had a $150 Ibanez that was passive and had a PJ configuration. The action was crazy high and I wrestled with it but I didn't know any better so I just thought that was the way basses were. I was young and ignorant and my influences were hard core bands that no one has ever heard of unless you listened to hard core. I played through an older Peavey TNT amp that had a 15" woofer no tweeter.

Then I was asked to join a band that played a lot of odd time signature stuff and required me to learn different techniques like fingerstyle and slap. I was strictly a pick player at the time. The drummer started letting me borrow CD's like Dave Weckl and The Dixie Dregs. I listened to them over and over again wondering how in the world they made their bass sound like that. I would go to band rehearsal and try my best to get the Tom Kennedy tone and the Dave LaRue tone but I was getting frustrated to the point of wanting to quit bass and go back to guitar. Then one day I went to GC and saw a $2000 Pedulla Thunderbass hanging on the wall. I took it down, plugged it into a GK 700 rbII and started playing. Boom, instant gratification!!! I finally found the tone I wanted. It was easy to play and I realized that the cheesy Ibanez beginner bass was not what my ear required. I couldn't afford the $2000 Pedulla but I could afford a $1200 Warwick so I got that and it met my needs for several years. I quickly learned how to slap better and my fingerstyle technique almost came naturally. I could get the action really close so that it wasn't such a beast to play. I actually fell in love with the bass all over again.


OK, I'm done.

I can agree as well. My first bass was a Univox short scale pencil neck POS but I was able to make it work for me until I needed to play styles other than finger style. A friend had a Fender Jazz and he let me play it on a gig once and I couldn't believe the difference in playability and in the way I played. The slap sound was the most apparant clue! I immediately banished that Univox forever! Gear plays a good part in ones development.

Sharay seems to favor Fender Jazz basses and I'm a jazz bass lover as well. But the tone he gets is definitely NOT vintage at all! I'd love to hear him on a Sadowsky!

 

[vision]

My take on the is it the gear or is it the player argument is that it is definitely both. The tone and playability of the gear will allow a player a level of comfort which may determine to what extent he is able to use his skill. In other words, if I was to pick up a $75 Wal-Mart bass with bad action and weak tone, I could do a gig on it no problem, but I probably wouldn't be comfortable enough on it to use certain techniques that I would on another bass. I might stay away from any upper register licks because the intonation is poor. I may not slap like I would on another bass because the G string is too high off the board. I might not play any chords at all because the tone is too muddy. But 99% of the people at that gig wouldn't know or wouldn't care.

However, after a certain point, the gear stops mattering because it's good enough for you to feel comfortable on it. That point is different for everyone. Sharay is OBVIOUSLY very comfortable on a regular Fender Jazz. For someone else, maybe they are comfortable on a $150 SX. For another guy, maybe it's gotta be somehting in the $1000-1500 for them to feel comfortable. It's not just about the cost of the gear, it could be the type of gear. I'm not comfortable on ANY four strings because I've always played fives. So I don't care if it's a $10,000 Fodera Yin-Yang 4 or if it's a Fender Squire 4, I'm not gonna be comfortable on it. For another guy, it could be scale length, or the weight of the bass, or if the strings are flats, or if its active. Either way, once you reach that level of comfort, it's all on the player because at that point the instrument is not limiting their ability to express themselves musically.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

My take on the is it the gear or is it the player argument is that it is definitely both. The tone and playability of the gear will allow a player a level of comfort which may determine to what extent he is able to use his skill. In other words, if I was to pick up a $75 Wal-Mart bass with bad action and weak tone, I could do a gig on it no problem, but I probably wouldn't be comfortable enough on it to use certain techniques that I would on another bass. I might stay away from any upper register licks because the intonation is poor. I may not slap like I would on another bass because the G string is too high off the board. I might not play any chords at all because the tone is too muddy. But 99% of the people at that gig wouldn't know or wouldn't care.

However, after a certain point, the gear stops mattering because it's good enough for you to feel comfortable on it. That point is different for everyone. Sharay is OBVIOUSLY very comfortable on a regular Fender Jazz. For someone else, maybe they are comfortable on a $150 SX. For another guy, maybe it's gotta be somehting in the $1000-1500 for them to feel comfortable. It's not just about the cost of the gear, it could be the type of gear. I'm not comfortable on ANY four strings because I've always played fives. So I don't care if it's a $10,000 Fodera Yin-Yang 4 or if it's a Fender Squire 4, I'm not gonna be comfortable on it. For another guy, it could be scale length, or the weight of the bass, or if the strings are flats, or if its active. Either way, once you reach that level of comfort, it's all on the player because at that point the instrument is not limiting their ability to express themselves musically.

+100 except for one point. New, that Fender Jazz Deluxe V would have been a $1,000-$1,500 bass. It's not boutique, but it ain't cheap either.

 

[Ubersheist]

It is also so fun to check out his fan section react to him. I was checking out the guy holding what I think is a Marcus Miller V. I wonder if he got to play? I know if I followed Sharay, I would really keep it pretty simple because I cannot begin to get all of the chord connections he can.

I saw those two guys, too. I just thought "Walk away, guys, just walk away, you ain't gonna look good going on after him.." Tough act to follow, that Mr. Reed.

 

[Ubersheist]

However, after a certain point, the gear stops mattering because it's good enough for you to feel comfortable on it. That point is different for everyone. Sharay is OBVIOUSLY very comfortable on a regular Fender Jazz. For someone else, maybe they are comfortable on a $150 SX. For another guy, maybe it's gotta be somehting in the $1000-1500 for them to feel comfortable. It's not just about the cost of the gear, it could be the type of gear. I'm not comfortable on ANY four strings because I've always played fives. So I don't care if it's a $10,000 Fodera Yin-Yang 4 or if it's a Fender Squire 4, I'm not gonna be comfortable on it. For another guy, it could be scale length, or the weight of the bass, or if the strings are flats, or if its active. Either way, once you reach that level of comfort, it's all on the player because at that point the instrument is not limiting their ability to express themselves musically.

Well, of course you have to feel comfortable on your bass, and that you're almost certainly not going to feel comfortable playing at Mr. Reed's level on anything less than a $400 or $500 bass. That doesn't need to be stated.

NOBODy other then a handful of musicians are going to be turned off by what he's playing because of the tone of the bass, or even notice. The technique sticks out so much more then the tone in this instance. No one playing with him in his bands are going to make any fuss if he used a $150 bass, because all of what makes it sound so good, funky and groovy comes down to how he plays, not what he's playing on. Even if he picked up a fretless, the whole gist of what he's playing wouldn't change - the groove would be the same, only other musicians would go "wow - he's playing a fretless."

With other genres - metal, alternative, and sometimes in rock, equipment really can matter. For example, that intro to The Breeder's "Cannon Ball" will never get quite the same tone and feel unless it's played on some sort of P-bass. Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" will never quite sound right without playing a Ric with an overdriven tube amp. However, for R+B, soul and funk, the tone generally doesn't color the overall sound or vibe of a song, but the playing and technique does.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Well, of course you have to feel comfortable on your bass, and that you're almost certainly not going to feel comfortable playing at Mr. Reed's level on anything less than a $400 or $500 bass. That doesn't need to be stated.

NOBODy other then a handful of musicians are going to be turned off by what he's playing because of the tone of the bass, or even notice. The technique sticks out so much more then the tone in this instance. No one playing with him in his bands are going to make any fuss if he used a $150 bass, because all of what makes it sound so good, funky and groovy comes down to how he plays, not what he's playing on. Even if he picked up a fretless, the whole gist of what he's playing wouldn't change - the groove would be the same, only other musicians would go "wow - he's playing a fretless."

With other genres - metal, alternative, and sometimes in rock, equipment really can matter. For example, that intro to The Breeder's "Cannon Ball" will never get quite the same tone and feel unless it's played on some sort of P-bass. Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" will never quite sound right without playing a Ric with an overdriven tube amp. However, for R+B, soul and funk, the tone generally doesn't color the overall sound or vibe of a song, but the playing and technique does.

I really have to disagree. I know when I heard Anthony Jackson back in the eighties, his bright, roundwound tone really blew me away. The sizzle of Mark Adams tone moved me too. Similarly, the smooth roundness of Bernard Edwards was an inspiration. In Gospel, the active tones of Fred Hammond and Andrew Gouche have influenced two generations of bassists. Tone matters in r&b/funk, and Gospel too.

 

[Ubersheist]

Oh yeah.. it reminds me of Meshell N'Degiocello. While I think her mainstays have been old Jazz basses, and P-basses, she used to pull out a mediocre short scale Epiphone Les Paul Bass a whole lot. While she did probably have it hot-rodded out, that thing, by it's very nature doesn't pull out a great tone, but she made it sing.

Tone of the bass in this genre doesn't change the feel of the song, so long as the bass player's comfortable. And while the bass player surely wouldn't be comfortable on a POS, the gear really has very little to do with how the song sounds, feels and grooves.

 

[jeremyr]

I saw those two guys, too. I just thought "Walk away, guys, just walk away, you ain't gonna look good going on after him.." Tough act to follow, that Mr. Reed.

Those 2 guys are BJ and Rodney Jones who are of the same caliber.


BJ is playing for Lionel Ritchie. Notice he's a lefty with a flipped upsidedown roscoe beck.

 

[Brad Johnson]

+100 except for one point. New, that Fender Jazz Deluxe V would have been a $1,000-$1,500 bass. It's not boutique, but it ain't cheap either.

The MIA JD5s used to be ~$700 new. They had the big single pole piece pickups. I picked a couple of them for $500 used several years ago. Now they go for more than they cost when new.

 

[Ubersheist]

I really have to disagree. I know when I heard Anthony Jackson back in the eighties, his bright, roundwound tone really blew me away. The sizzle of Mark Adams tone moved me too. Similarly, the smooth roundness of Bernard Edwards was an inspiration. In Gospel, the active tones of Fred Hammond and Andrew Gouche have influenced two generations of bassists. Tone matters in r&b/funk, and Gospel too.

Yeah - it blew you away as a bass player, but I'm betting that everyone else didn't think twice about. Sure there's certain specific examples that the tone does matter, but generally it doesn't.

Let's look at either of those church videos. In the crowd, everyone's goin' crazy and groovin' on the bass. Let's suppose something. Imagine that some half-******** sound engineer accidentally cut off a bunch of Sharay's highs on his bass so that the audience all heard a bass guitar with a kit of the highs rolled off.

Do you think for a second that people would start thinking "Oh, this isn't very funky anymore for some reason," and stop dancing? Most might notice a change in the bass's tone, never give it another thought, and then they'd go right on dancing.

So long as the bass can be heard clearly and it's not muddy, Sharay could have picked almost any tone and almost any bass he wanted, and everyone would still be gettin' their groove on. The vibe of the song wouldn't hardly change at all. In this case, and for most in this genre, the equipment really doesn't matter much.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Oh I agree with that. It's just that there are so many people saying that you can get just about any tone in the world just by getting an SX and a 100 watt amp. IME and IMO that's just not the truth.

You know, I see people saying that others have said that... I just can't seem to remember others actually saying words to that effect.

I know Ken sometimes likes to preface his posts on this subject with "I know a good player can make any bass work" and even that isn't what people are saying.

This has never been about being able to get any tone with any bass... some basses lend themselves more to some tones than others. But some people tend to believe that the bass makes far more of a determination of what you'll end up with tonally than the player's skill or lack thereof.

The point I was trying to make was, for example, when I was just starting out I had a $150 Ibanez that was passive and had a PJ configuration. The action was crazy high and I wrestled with it but I didn't know any better so I just thought that was the way basses were. I was young and ignorant and my influences were hard core bands that no one has ever heard of unless you listened to hard core. I played through an older Peavey TNT amp that had a 15" woofer no tweeter.

Then I was asked to join a band that played a lot of odd time signature stuff and required me to learn different techniques like fingerstyle and slap. I was strictly a pick player at the time. The drummer started letting me borrow CD's like Dave Weckl and The Dixie Dregs. I listened to them over and over again wondering how in the world they made their bass sound like that. I would go to band rehearsal and try my best to get the Tom Kennedy tone and the Dave LaRue tone but I was getting frustrated to the point of wanting to quit bass and go back to guitar. Then one day I went to GC and saw a $2000 Pedulla Thunderbass hanging on the wall. I took it down, plugged it into a GK 700 rbII and started playing. Boom, instant gratification!!! I finally found the tone I wanted. It was easy to play and I realized that the cheesy Ibanez beginner bass was not what my ear required. I couldn't afford the $2000 Pedulla but I could afford a $1200 Warwick so I got that and it met my needs for several years. I quickly learned how to slap better and my fingerstyle technique almost came naturally. I could get the action really close so that it wasn't such a beast to play. I actually fell in love with the bass all over again.


OK, I'm done.

I highlighted what I'd consider the really important part of your post that most tend to miss or dismiss. You didn't know what you were doing and the bass had a setup that you had to fight to play. I'd be willing to bet that if you took the $2000 bass and had the same setup, you'd have had the same issues. It would be just about as hard to play as any bass with a setup you disliked.

So in essence it wasn't the bass... it was you. Right?

I've gotten many sub $400 basses to setup low and play extremely easily. If I didn't know what I was doing I couldn't do that and probably wouldn't have a clue as to why it might be better for me.

 

[JAUQO III-X]

Oh yeah.. it reminds me of Meshell N'Degiocello. While I think her mainstays have been old Jazz basses, and P-basses, she used to pull out a mediocre short scale Epiphone Les Paul Bass a whole lot. While she did probably have it hot-rodded out, that thing, by it's very nature doesn't pull out a great tone, but she made it sing.

Tone of the bass in this genre doesn't change the feel of the song, so long as the bass player's comfortable. And while the bass player surely wouldn't be comfortable on a POS, the gear really has very little to do with how the song sounds, feels and grooves.

I would have to respectfully disagree(the bass Meshell was playing during that period was in fact a stock Gibson LP bass,not an Epiphone).


There was a young lady who played bass in one of my bands a few years ago who played a Gibson(same model Meshell played) and the tone was killin in every way imaginable. It really contributed to how the band sounded overall.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

The MIA JD5s used to be ~$700 new. They had the big single pole piece pickups. I picked a couple of them for $500 used several years ago. Now they go for more than they cost when new.

I guess you are just a better wheeler dealer than I am because I bought a new four pole piece four string Deluxe for about $800 back in 1996, if I remember correctly.

Sharay's bass has double pole pieces but Gotoh tuners. I think that was a transitional model, maybe a 1998 or something.

 

[Steelpulz]

+1

 

[capnsandwich]

Youknow, I see people saying that others have said that... I just can't seemt o remember others aftually saying words to that effect.

I know Ken sometimes likes to preface his posts on this subject with "I know a good player can make any bass work" and even that isn't what people are saying.

This has never been about being able to get any tone with any bass... some basses lend themselves more to some tones than others. But some people tend to believe that the bass makes far more of a determination of what you'll end up with tonally than the player's skill or lack thereof.


I highlighted what I'd consider the really important part of your post that most tend to miss or dismiss. You didn't know what you were doing and the bass had a setup that you had to fight to play. I'd be willing to bet that if you took the $2000 bass and had the same setup, you'd have had the same issues. It would be just about as hard to play as any bass with a setup you disliked.

So in essence it wasn't the bass... it was you. Right?

I've gotten many sub $400 basses to setup low and play extremely easily. If I didn't know what I was doing I couldn't do that and probably wouldn't have a clue as to why it might be better for me.

The problem with that particular bass was that, even if it was set up, you couldn't get the action any lower without the E string bottoming out on the 3rd or 4th fret. That was just one example though. Each bass is different. You can get a decent $200 SX and love it, then again you can get a really nice Fender Jazz and hate it because you have nothing but fret sprout and warped neck.

I guess it's all in the mind of the player isn't it?

 

[Ubersheist]

I would have to respectfully disagree(the bass Meshell was playing during that period was in fact a stock Gibson LP bass,not an Epiphone).


There was a young lady who played bass in one of my bands a few years ago who played a Gibson(same model Meshell played) and the tone was killin in every way imaginable. It really contributed to how the band sounded overall.

Huh.. is that so? Oh well... I always thought it was an Epiphone. Well, that probably makes more sense.

Then again, I personally am not a fan of the tone of her basses in general. Fender bass tones generally = 'blah' to me. Bland, and not sweet enough for my taste. However, I'm a HUGE fan of her songs and her playing. Big fan, and her 'bad tones,' IMHO, don't change how great the song sounds to me.

 

[Brad Johnson]

The problem with that particular bass was that, even if it was set up, you couldn't get the action any lower without the E string bottoming out on the 3rd or 4th fret. That was just one example though. Each bass is different. You can get a decent $200 SX and love it, then again you can get a really nice Fender Jazz and hate it because you have nothing but fret sprout and warped neck.

I guess it's all in the mind of the player isn't it?

But you didn't know about action back then, nor about addressing fret issues. Someone who knows what they're doing can make basses many think are crap quite playable.

And I've never hated a bass over fret sprouts... it's way too simple an issue to address to get worked up over. I do know that many people don't look at it the same way... even though they probably should.