Stanley Clarke Playing Sadowsky

[Dr. Cheese]

The greats may only need four strings but they're not the ones saying that. That usually comes from fanboys and hacks.

On top of that, this thread includes a video of Stanley Clarke playing a five.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I guess it is Stanley Clarke Radio this weekend on Sirius #67. On the way to church, it was featuring acoustic tracks and Christian McBride was hosting it.

 

[ardgedee]

The greats only need 4 strings

The greats play the number of strings they want to play. Sometimes it's 4. Sometimes it's more. Sometimes it's 4 plus a variety of gadgets to extend the range beyond EADG.

And since they were doing things their way in the process of becoming great, it's pretty easy to conclude that while your choice of tools should be informed by what people better than you choose, ultimately you should make your own choices in order to stake your own achievements.

I mean, there was a time in living memory when nobody played electric bass professionally. Then a few people took the radical step of not doing things the greats before them had done.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I am sure that Sadowsky sounds nice, but I don’t think it will have that special honky Alembic sound that I associate with Stanley Clarke. That’s so ingrained in his playing that it’s hard to imagine him with something new.

I for one would love to hear Stanley playing without that "special honky" sound. Doesn't even have to be a different bass, I know his Alembic Series I instruments are capable of it. In fact, when I saw him with Return To Forever during their 2008 reunion tour I remember thinking he was getting a great bass tone...until he'd step up for a solo, and then he'd quickly grab a couple filter knobs on his bass, and suddenly there's that thin, twangy honk, no warmth or deep low end to speak of. It would be so nice to hear him play bass with an instrument that sounds like a bass, rather than one that sounds like an enormous banjo.

 

[Les Fret]

It would be so nice to hear him play bass with an instrument that sounds like a bass, rather than one that sounds like an enormous banjo.

haha…an enormous banjo! I always like his sound. In fact he is the reason that I GAS for an Alembic, although I think they are way too expensive. If you play like Stanley (fast runs, chords and busy parts) you don’t want all that low end, you need a more soloistic tone.

 

[adje]

haha…an enormous banjo! I always like his sound. In fact he is the reason that I GAS for an Alembic, although I think they are way too expensive. If you play like Stanley (fast runs, chords and busy parts) you don’t want all that low end, you need a more soloistic tone.

Live on stage, he seems to use an octaver a lot to compensate for the tenor tuning (ADGC) and it gets loud through an Ampeg fridge cab. Not the most refined sound, if you ask me. And not at all what he sounds like in the studio either.

 

[Sadowsky]

I wish he would’ve visited Roger for an NYC.
What happened with Stanley’s Spellcaster Bass?

He did visit last year and I worked on his Spellcaster as well.

 

[Geri O]

The greats only need 4 strings

You knew there was gonna be one….

 

[bluesblaster]

It aint about how many strings, its about what you do with the strings you got. I saw a photo of Stanely with a crap load of Yamaha BB basses back in the 70's, never saw him play one live though

 

[bluesblaster]

I much prefer to hear him play his upright to the electric anyway