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Steely Dan's "Gaslighting Abbie" bass tone
- Thread starter jg42
- Start date
That would be Tom Barney playing on that track. I think when Bass Player reviewed the album they said he used an ESP, but his main bass is a Celinder, and the track kinda sounds like that bass (long story, but I've actually gotten to hear what that bass sounds like going direct with him playing it - the answer is "absolutely astounding").
So, in answer to your question of how to get that exact tone - hire Tom Barney to go into a studio and record.
So, in answer to your question of how to get that exact tone - hire Tom Barney to go into a studio and record.
Love that tune and that bass line. I've got a live dvd where Tom Barney plays almost everything on a fancy ESP jazz 5 string except for Gaslighting Abbie. He used a MusicMan Stingray 5 on that.
Here's Gaslighting Abbie live:
Here's Gaslighting Abbie live:
Ive seen him play that song a few times live using the ESP but he also uses a Music Man 5 (Black n Maple) and i think thats what he used for the recordings.
On Gaslighting Abbie, I'm pretty certain Tom played a Stingray 5. It also sounds like on Negative girl he did too— or another bass with that full close-coils-in-the-sweet-spot midrange snap and growl. The slide when Donald sings "A doctor friend uptown" is very much the Stingray bass "snarl" signature.
Delicious stuff.
Delicious stuff.
The remaining songs, aside from Abbie and Negative, have that scooped midrange cancellation that says "Jazz bass"… with the exception of Two Against Nature, which sounds like the neck pickup "uhh" signature.
Wow, Zombie thread alert. I to am a fan of Tom Barney. His work on Alive in America is so sublime, especially on Aja. I seem to remember that Barney and Becker shared bass duties on Two against nature, I am correct? I would like to know, anybody?
Looks like it! At least on tracks 2, 7 as listed… sounds like it too. Walter's bass work on the EMG album was nice too. Very relaxed with the pickup notes and fluid feel.
The bassist on that SD track is excellent. To emphasize a point already mentioned, what you hear from back then was also studio magic.
Here, not as much:
Here, not as much:
I am as certain as the sun is gonna rise tomorrow, that the sound on this song is a stingray. It's the most distinctive sound in all of the domain of bassdom. And it sounds very very good on this one in particular.
