| Author | Message | ||
| glocke
Member Username: glocke Post Number: 96 Registered: 9-2002 |
Does anyone know what (if any) effects phil may have used...? I was just listening to the grateful dead movie soundtrack, and on disc 2 on the wierdness jam, and on the otehr one jam, it sounds like he has some type of effect on his bass.... | ||
| spacebass
Junior Username: spacebass Post Number: 11 Registered: 4-2005 |
gloke: I know that Phil uses a Mutron envelop filter. I forget all the other contraptions. Google it. | ||
| kmh364
Senior Member Username: kmh364 Post Number: 1726 Registered: 9-2003 |
Lately, he claims he uses nothing but his Eden Preamp | ||
| glocke
Member Username: glocke Post Number: 97 Registered: 9-2002 |
Thanks....Ive done a little bit of a search but havent come up with much... On the album I mentioned it sounds like he is using maybe some reverb or a mild distortion. | ||
| rockbassist
Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 61 Registered: 8-2005 |
Maybe it's just me but I do not get the excitement over Phil Lesh. I have never been a Grateful Dead fan and never will be. I have friends who are huge Dead fans and we have argued about the importance of the Dead. Don't get me wrong, I will never say that a particular artist sucks, I just think that if someone can play every song note for note as well as (name your favorite player) then they must be just as good as (again insert your favorite bass player) are. The only difference is (again insert your favorite artist) created the part and noone else did. I have friends who think that Bob Dylan is the greatest song writer of all time. Personally, I don't like him and take a lot of crap for it. I have a friend who graduated from Berklee, with Abe Laboriel Jr. who is Paul McCartney's drummer. He has told me that I am the best "in the pocket" bass player he has ever played with. We disagree in our opinions as to who the best is but respect each others opinion. Even though I do not care for Phil Lesh's bass playing, I will still listen to him because I realize that he could influence me and I may come up with something based on his playing that I may not have come up with otherwise. This is why I listen to everyone regardless of their style or who they play with. | ||
| crgaston
Member Username: crgaston Post Number: 73 Registered: 11-2005 |
Kevin, that's a cool attitude to have, recognizing that even if something isn't your cup of tea, that doesn't diminish it's potential significance as an influence to you. While Phil is probably my favorite bass player, I have never spent much time trying to exactly learn his parts. With the vast library of recorded material available, how could I? The stuff he may have played on a particular song on a particular night was influenced directly by what the other players were doing at that moment, and might not fit with whatever group I am playing with when I play those songs. I am influenced by his approach, however, and when appropriate, try to apply the blend of support and counterpoint that he usually does so well. (Of course this is oversimplifying his style, but if you listen to him then you don't need my "personal take" on his playing.) The Dead (and other jam bands, as well as jazz) are interesting in that it's more like watching your favorite baseball team than listening to the average band. While there are basic structures and signature phrases (9 innings, offense and defense, fastballs, curveballs, etc.), there are major portions of the music that are different each time it is played. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it isn't. People don't stop watching just because their team doesn't go undefeated, however, and the home runs are that much sweeter when they happen precisely because they don't happen all the time. The analogy fails, however, when it comes to the idea of "best". While we can say that so-and-so was the best pitcher of all time based on of our reliance on fixed performance criteria, music is largely a subjective art. Certainly, there are degrees of technical competence, but is it on technique alone that we base our conception of good music? I have had the priviledge of seeing Oteil Burbridge both in a 300 person club with Col. Bruce and the ARU in the early '90's, where I was probably 10 feet from him and getting my mind blown wide open by his technical prowess, and then seeing him in the late '90's from the fourth row at a 1000 seat theater in Macon, GA, when the Alman Brothers played a memorial show for one of their road crew, Joe Dan Petty (our wives worked together), who died in a plane crash. Instead of his 6-string Modulus, Oteil was playing a Jazz bass, and while he didn't wow me with flash, there was a purity and reverence in his and the rest of the band's playing that literally brought me to sobs of both sorrow and joy. While he may have been technically "better" in the first example, the second was by far my favorite, and a much more gratifying experience, both musically and spiritually. Kevin, just to make sure you know, I am not disagreeing with anything you wrote, just adding my opinion. This is a topic that I have debated many times with friends, but had never bothered to write down before; now seemed like a good time. Have a safe and peaceful weekend, Charles | ||
| edwin
Intermediate Member Username: edwin Post Number: 128 Registered: 5-2002 |
I went back and listened to the track in question. All I can hear is a Superfilter with a high resonance. It sounds like it is on the verge of oscillating at some points and it also sounds like it's distorting something further down the line. I can also hear speaker exceeding their excursion here and there. I don't think that Phil has used effects beyond the MIDI stuff in the later Dead years. As far as the discussion just above, I don't think that there really is any way to resolve anything or really any reason to do so. If friends of mine mention that they aren't into the Dead, I just don't even bring it up. In fact, I used to think that if I had just kept my mouth shut back in the mid 70s, they wouldn't have gotten so popular! Edwin | ||
| edwin
Intermediate Member Username: edwin Post Number: 129 Registered: 5-2002 |
I went back and listened to the track in question. All I can hear is a Superfilter with a high resonance. It sounds like it is on the verge of oscillating at some points and it also sounds like it's distorting something further down the line. I can also hear speaker exceeding their excursion here and there. There are some great, great bass tones on that CD! I don't think that Phil has used effects beyond the MIDI stuff in the later Dead years. As far as the discussion just above, I don't think that there really is any way to resolve anything or really any reason to do so. If friends of mine mention that they aren't into the Dead, I just don't even bring it up. In fact, I used to think that if I had just kept my mouth shut back in the mid 70s, they wouldn't have gotten so popular! Edwin | ||
| glocke
Member Username: glocke Post Number: 98 Registered: 9-2002 |
Thanks Edwin...I kind of thought that was the case (that there really weren't any effects).....Phil sure knows how to get some cool tones. Saw him last night at the Beacon, and he got some really cool feedback using big brown. As to the other discussion in the thread,there isn't anything to resolve...Just different strokes for different folks...I don't really get the really technical players like Jaco, victor wooten, and some others...but if thats what works for ya, thats great! | ||
| rockbassist
Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 62 Registered: 8-2005 |
Charles, Thanks for the feedback. By the way, my favorite bass players are John Entwistle, Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, John Deacon and Marcus Miller. I love Miller's tone. One of the things I like about this forum is that people can express their opinion without being attacked when they disagree. That's what makes this board interesting. I respect the opinions of everyone who has played and posted on this site. You never know what or who will influence you next. I have never been a fan of jam bands like "The Dead or Phish, but I have listened to them and have learned some things. I can remember the first time I heard Phish's version of "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and thinking "wow that was interesting". Take Care All |
