What bass is Meshell playing here?

[Altitude]

Here’s a video from waaay back in 1994, Meshell playing “If That’s Your Boyfriend He Wasn’t Last Night.” Check out how young Jon Stewart looks!

I’d post this just because it’s badass and fun to watch, the band is very tight here. But Meshell has an interesting bass, a Les Paul body shape with dual humbuckers and a very modern, almost Mark King tone. She plays it when she wants to feature the bass; there’s another guy playing the recorded part on an J. Anyone know what Meshell’s bass is?

I find it interesting because even at that point she was mainly playing vintage looking Fenders with flats or dead rounds, this bass is a departure from her pattern both visually and audibly. Sure sounds good though.

 

[Gorn]

Gibson Les Paul bass?

 

[ThudThudThud]

It's a 1990's Gibson Les Paul Bass by the look of it.

 

[Altitude]

It's a 1990's Gibson Les Paul Bass by the look of it.

I played a couple of those in music stores back in the day and I don’t remember them sounding like this. But who knows what she might have done to it.

 

[who]

 

[Altitude]

View attachment 5488294

Nice, now I want one.

 

[Killing Floor]

Gibson Les Paul bass?

^^^
Can’t read the logo but that sure looks like one of the LP Deluxe basses. That is my first guess.
Stole a good pic off the webs.

 

[ThudThudThud]

I played a couple of those in music stores back in the day and I don’t remember them sounding like this. But who knows what she might have done to it.

The deluxe version had Barts and a preamp. Maybe you played the passive version?

 

[Lava]

If I'm not mistaken she played that same bass on the John Mellencamp video for the song Wild Night. Killer bass line

 

[hamertek98]

View attachment 5488294

Then she picked Modulus...
Then Reverend....
Good player and good taste!

 

[Gorn]

I played a couple of those in music stores back in the day and I don’t remember them sounding like this. But who knows what she might have done to it.

I know nothing about live music production and effects and amps and all that, but her bass could sound like anything with professional stage equipment and sound guys, right?

 

[FullumMusic]

If I'm not mistaken she played that same bass on the John Mellencamp video for the song Wild Night. Killer bass line

Yup. Was gonna say, same as the video for the tune she did with Mellencamp.

Of course, what's in a music video has nothing to do with what we hear on the actual song. But the second i saw the bass in the OP i recognized it from this video and was pretty sure it was a Gibson from my fuzzy memory of it 30 years ago.

 

[jerry]

David Fiuczynski, Gene Lake, Yossi Fine + Me'Shell, simply badassness of the highest order.

 

[TyBo]

I remember buying that Plantation Lullabies album when it came out. I wasn't really a fan of rap, but the way Meshell did it was very appealing to me. So much musicality there. She's great no matter what she plays.

Jon Stewart almost looks like a teenager there.

 

[T748]

I don't think I've ever heard of a band with two bass players before. Interesting -Tom.

 

[Altitude]

I don't think I've ever heard of a band with two bass players before. Interesting -Tom.

I think that in terms of role Meshell is a soloist there, not the bass player.

 

[bass12]

She played the same Gibson on her Arsenio Hall appearance. Her Gibson deal certainly didn’t last long.

 

[bass12]

I don't think I've ever heard of a band with two bass players before. Interesting -Tom.

Meshell wasn’t able to sing/rap that material while playing, hence the other bassist.

 

[jerry]

Meshell wasn’t able to sing/rap that material while playing, hence the other bassist.

One of my favorite Me'shell albums is The Spirit Music Jamia, and she hardly plays any bass on the album, she had Matthew Garrison doing the bass parts.

 

[brianrost]

She endorsed Modulus for a while and more recently Reverend.

The three times I've seen her she was just playing an old J bass.

One of my favorite Me'shell albums is The Spirit Music Jamia, and she hardly plays any bass on the album, she had Matthew Garrison doing the bass parts.

I saw her touring for that album and she played all the bass, on a J.