Your Favorite Examples of Bass Lines with a Pick

[doc540]

I've been messin' around a little with a pick lately.

Then I remembered an Allman Brothers tune, but couldn't remember the exact name. So, tonight, I unearthed my prize ABB album collection and still couldn't find the dang'ed song!

Ahhhhh.....it's on my "Decade of Hits" cd compilation:

JESSICA!

Anyone remember Berry's bass line on that?

I've tried to play it with my fingers, but only a pick captures that rollin'-drivin' groove!

Oh, how sweet it is.

"Dickey started out by trying to create a melody that could be played with only 2 fingers (a la Django Reinhardt) and as he was fiddling about with a couple of the happier sounding lines he found, he got caught up in watching his daughter (Jessica) playing, and presto - inspiration and song."

[Telebluesfan]

Originally posted by doc540
Your Favorite Examples of Bass Lines with a Pick

Egads! Hows about anything McCahtney did?

Weird though - we do at least a half dozen Beatles songs in our band and I don't use a pick on any of them. I use a pick on exactly two covers - and the originals probably didn't use a pick on them......

Memphis, TN

and

Little Sister

[Cogs]

I don't know if Entwistle used a pick or not, but the little bass-break in "My Generation" sounds pretty percussive.

[Dave W]

My favorite examples would be anything by Bill Wyman. I also love a lot of Rick Danko's work, as well as Chas Chandler with the Animals.

Entwistle did use the pick a lot, especially on the early Who stuff. Same with JPJ on early Zep.

[chuckocaster]

green day dookie album. gibson ripper, pick, and an svt. killer tone. i don't think paul mccartney used a pick that much, maybe in the studio, but all of the footage i've seen of them live he's using his fingers.

[Telebluesfan]

Originally posted by chuckocaster
but all of the footage i've seen of them live he's using his fingers.

I don't know if you saw that fairly recent Moscow show that was making the rounds on TV awhile back - but he played with a pick pretty much all night long in that show. On both the Hof and the Ric - though he played the Hof much, much more.

[doc540]

Ironic you should mention the Ox because "The Kids Are Alright" aired on IFC today. I watched most of it.

They showed live footage of "My Generation" and I think the Ox was using his fingers, but his big Rotosound tone through a wall of Sunn cabs was indeed percussive!

They did show footage of him playing with a pick though.

[Dave W]

Macca almost always uses/used a pick.

[chuckocaster]

i have old videos from back in 64-65 era. he might have changed to pics. i still love his tone either way.

[Dave W]

He didn't change, he was always primarily a pick player.

[Williams]

Stupid question, but gonna ask anyway...
How can you tell the bassist is using a pick by just hearing it?? I've seen some players use their fingers in a pretty percussive manner before...

On that note I'm not sure if he's using a pick or not, but JP Jones on Lemon Song off of Led Zep's second album...

BTW I feel that JP Jones is one of the most underrated bass players out there...just because he was Led Zep's bassist...

-Kevin

[chuckocaster]

hearin ya on the jpj bein underrated. overshadowed by the "personas" of the others. i guess it sucks to be the quiet one.

[Williams]

Yeah Chuckocaster...mind you that on alot of those recordings he was playing eight string bass...fancy that

-Kevin

[chuckocaster]

well he's plaing a twelve string now. but to answer your question about the pick. sometimes what sounds like a pick can be fingers. but usually it is a safe bet that if you hear a really articulate bass tone with some huge high-mid growl, then it is a pick.

[Williams]

sometimes what sounds like a pick can be fingers. but usually it is a safe bet that if you hear a really articulate bass tone with some huge high-mid growl, then it is a pick.

I guess my ears aren't atunned enough to distern the difference...yet...

-Kevin

[chuckocaster]

you will, it all takes time. but the "clankyness" of a bass tone is usually a dead give away. try playing your bass with a pick, and then your fingers. you'll hear what i mean. but like i said, it just takes time. it is tone recognizition.

[davey]

While there's a place for that "smooth and round" sound of fingers on flatwounds, I really like that percussive 'thwack' of a pick on roundwounds. I've played with a pick since the beginning, I like that sound, and I'm comfortable with my style, I see no reason to change. McCartney's bass sounds from around 1968 are the cat's pajamas. Stuff like Glass Onion, While My Guitar..., Lady Madonna. I would assume that's the Rick thru the silver face Bassman and 2x15, but there was a Jazz Bass used on some of the White Album stuff but I have a hard time figuring out what's what.

Off that topic (kinda) Did McCartney use the Hofner on the Sgt Pepper album? Listening to 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite' and the beginnings on Anthology, that doesn't sound like a Rick, or any Fender bass. Anyone else?

[Telebluesfan]

I don't know that he used the Hof at all on Pepper. It was my understanding that he was experiencing a lot of neck problems with that bass almost from the beginning and once he went with the Ric - he didn't really re-visit the Hof until the around 1990 when he had some major luthier work done on the Hof. I think the "Tripping the Live Fantastic" tour of around '92/93 was the first time he went back to the Hof in decades.

Not sure if I have the timeline exactly correct - but I'm pretty certain that was the jist of it......

[davey]

He had started using both Hofners in mid-late 68. He had his first one refinished and had a mount made to hold the pickups in place- you can see it pretty clearly in the 'Revolution' film clip. He also had a piece of foam after the bridge to mute the tone. I guess that was stolen shortly after. Then for the Get Back/Let It Be project he was using the 63 Hofner for that. It seems at that point he switched back to the Rick for the solo stuff and Wings, then to Yamaha, then the Rick, then Wal, then back to the Hofner. I saw him on the 2002 tour (best damn concert I've ever seen!!!) and he was using the Hofner, and at the end of the show he just casually TOSSED IT clear across the stage for his tech to catch. I would imagine that would be one of, if not THE most important instruments of the rock era and he's tossing it around like Korean made knockoff. (for all I know it may have been, but...)

[Dave W]

I wouldn't necessarily call it growl, but there's a very focused upper mid attack that fingerstyle doesn't have. You can't always tell on a recording, of course, especially older ones that were poorly mixed.

JPJ did use a pick on Led Zep I and II. He used Hercoflex gray .75mm picks, same as Jimmy Page. They are still made, but not many places carry them.

Mel Schacher of Grand Funk RR is another excellent pick player. And let's not forget Phil Lesh.

[davey]

Originally posted by Dave W


JPJ did use a pick on Led Zep I and II. He used Hercoflex gray .75mm picks, same as Jimmy Page. They are still made, but not many places carry them.

Hey, those are the picks I use for guitar and bass!!! The Herco 75s are about the same as the Jim Dunlop 1mm black Nylon picks in terms of rigidity. The .88mm have much more give than the Herco 75s. But what makes them super kick ass is the raised lettering and patterning that makes the "kung fu grip" action. The only picks that I've found that are "grippier" are the "Cat's Tongue" picks made by Brain, but those are pricier than the Hercos!

[Bolero]

I always liked JPJ's bass sounds on the Zeppelin stuff, that guy put down some amazing basslines!! him & Bonzo kicked butt together.


also Chris Squire has a killer bass sound too, and AFAIK he always used a pick?


Roger Waters has always been a pick guy, and all the old Pink Floyd albums have killer bass sound as well IMO



I'll have to try those herco picks out, I use 1mm picks myself, but have to melt little craters into them with a soldering iron so I can keep hold of the damn things!!

[lure555]

"Mystery Achievement" by The Pretenders

That line makes me want to get in a bar fight...even though I'd be killed if that bar was populated by anyone other than 6 year old girls. :tw59

[Williams]

I'll have to try those herco picks out, I use 1mm picks myself, but have to melt little craters into them with a soldering iron so I can keep hold of the damn things!!

Do they still make them?? Would Guitar Center carry them??

-Kevin

[Dave W]

Originally posted by Williams
Do they still make them?? Would Guitar Center carry them??

-Kevin

Yes, they still make them, Dunlop has owned the brand for years, but you're more likely to find Herco thumbpicks at most stores than the flatpicks. I've never seen them at Guitar Center.

http://www.jimdunlop.com/herco/guitar.html

I bought a handful at Henning's Heart of Texas Music in Austin a couple of months ago, my guess is that you're more likely to find them at an acoustic-oriented shop than a place like GC.

[Winston]

For pick tone I dig Jane’s Addiction’s Mountain Song or 3 Days and Tool’s 46&2 or Schism.

[davey]

Originally posted by Williams
I'll have to try those herco picks out, I use 1mm picks myself, but have to melt little craters into them with a soldering iron so I can keep hold of the damn things!!

Do they still make them?? Would Guitar Center carry them??

-Kevin

This is where I get them. I generally order them by the gross, but they have them in stock. I think they get most things from the Harris-Teller catalogue.

Edit:

I did forget the link, didn't I?

http://www.rockhaus.com/

[davey]

Originally posted by Winston
For pick tone I dig Jane’s Addiction’s Mountain Song or 3 Days and Tool’s 46&2 or Schism.

Hey Winston!

[Winston]

What's up Davey? :nelson

[davey]

Word.

Check your Email!

[Power_13]

How about the cool bass bit in Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain"? I'm near certain that John McVie used a pick for that.

[Cheapstrat]

When I was playing bass previouslyu, I used those big triangular Fender picks on Doobie Brothers things like China Grove, Takin' it to the Streets and a few Beatle tunes we did. My brother's old band did a few Yes covers...when he played bass he used a Rick 4001, Ampeg SVT head with that darn 8x10 cabinet...I will say that rig rattled every window in the biggest places thay played.

Our drummer turned me on to the Fender trangle picks...they worked very well.

[Kap'n]

"Mystery Achievement" by The Pretenders

My band does that...

http://www.bigoband.com/wma/MAedit.wma

Oddly enough, the tune I always think of for pick bass is the theme to Hogan's Heroes.

[Kap'n]

When I was playing bass previouslyu, I used those big triangular Fender picks on Doobie Brothers things like China Grove, Takin' it to the Streets and a few Beatle tunes we did.

Maybe my ears suck, but I always thought Takin' it to the Streets was fingers. Tiran always got some snappin' sounds going on. He made the band, as far as I was concerned. The last great tune they did.

[itbepopples]

the guns n roses guy playing the bass on sweet child o mine. doesnt sound right if its played with fingers. another for dookie having some sweet bass tone. i dont care how many people trash green day i grew up with that album and will always love it to death.

[doc540]

Dave Ranson gets a HUGE pick tone thru his old Precision and Ampeg rig. He can be heard with both John Hiatt and Sonny Landreth.

[fezz parka]

Tiran always got some snappin' sounds going on. He made the band, as far as I was concerned.

Tiran Porter was BADASS!:yay

[mgade]

Our drummer turned me on to the Fender trangle picks...they worked very well.

Still uses them. For guitar! (Got hands the size of swan-wings. Actually wrapped them all around a automatic gun (Heckler & Koch M 75) once, to have the fingertips warmed by the hot action where the empty .. ehm.. bullets? leave.) :toobad

[Thunder]

Walk this way, great bass line IMO.

They showed live footage of "My Generation" and I think the Ox was using his fingers

Saw the movie Rising Low on IFC a few months ago, they interviewed the Ox about his technique. He said his experience playing french horn led him to pick with three fingers. Good movie, if you can stand the guy from Phish.

[bignote]

I believe that by far it has to be Macca for that other side of the ocean. Sting is another englishter that has some grate picked bass lines. As far as some American players go I would have to say Berry Oakley, and of course, Allen Woody. Also another overlooked pick player is the guy that always wore all the funny hats in Skynyrd. I can't recall his name but he was always coming up with great lines.......Leon Wilkerson I think was his name.