The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Freuds_Cat on August 11, 2008, 05:57:04 PM

Title: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 11, 2008, 05:57:04 PM
In this vid I was surprised to see a close up of the headstock of Woodys EB-3 and noticed that the truss cover had Gibson on it. Then I looked over the clip a little more closely and is it just me or is that an Epi he is playing?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-NP-LdLu3g&feature=related
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: hollowbody on August 11, 2008, 06:26:19 PM
That's definitely an Epi.  Look at the long neck on it.  He played a lot of Epiphone basses live.  I've seen clips of him playing the reissue Rivoli and a non reverse Thinderbird. 

It goes to show that Woody could play the hell out of anything he put his hands on!
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 11, 2008, 07:09:58 PM
I made a compilation CD of Thorazine Shuffle to listen to in my car when I decided to learn the Mule version of the song and on a couple of the live takes you can hear Woody adjusting his playing (not the dials on the bass or amp) in the the first minute or so to compensate for the different basses he played. They all sounded fairly different but you could hear him enhance the good aspects of that sound and repress the sounds that were less pleasurable to the ear on each bass. For eg he made the T-bird sound more T-bird and less EB and visa versa.
Kinda playing to the bass rather than the song if that makes any sense.

Great player.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Dave W on August 11, 2008, 07:13:59 PM
IIRC when Vintage Guitar magazine interviewed him, he said he had over 200 basses.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 11, 2008, 07:20:58 PM
The Irony is that in the pics with him sitting in front of his collection there are no noticeable EB's or Thunderbirds which were the ones he most commonly played.

(http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p43/PeterBankBand/woody8x.jpg)


(http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/images/documentaries/Rising-Low_Allen-Woody.jpg)
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Rhythm N. Bliss on August 11, 2008, 10:12:39 PM
The Irony is that in the pics with him sitting in front of his collection there are no noticeable EB's or Thunderbirds which were the ones he most commonly played.

(http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p43/PeterBankBand/woody8x.jpg)


(http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/images/documentaries/Rising-Low_Allen-Woody.jpg)

Hot damn!!!!  :o

Epis are gooood....I love my Epi V !
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Chris P. on August 12, 2008, 04:37:57 AM
Nice pics!

Well, it sure is an Epi:

- Epiphones have 'Gibson' on the truss rod cover
- Gibsons don't!

yeah, strange...
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: shadowcastaz on August 13, 2008, 08:33:04 AM
I love that pic!!! The double necks he has with the mandolin are awesome because he started as a mandolin player, I believe.
He could have played a cardboard box with rubber bands on it and rocked the house.Thanx for the pics.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Blazer on August 13, 2008, 03:43:57 PM
The Irony is that in the pics with him sitting in front of his collection there are no noticeable EB's or Thunderbirds which were the ones he most commonly played.

Look a little closer: behind his sunburst Double neck and his Les Paul Triumph, there's at least seven T-birds and to his left shoulder there's an EB1 standing and behind the sunburst violin bass there are two SG shaped basses (I can't tell if they're EB3's or EB0's.) And on the top row next to the Ripper there are at least five Eb2's (or Rivoli's, I can't say for sure) Because this picture is so small you can hardly tell that they're there but they are.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on August 13, 2008, 06:00:40 PM
Hehe  ;D thanks Blazer, I did say "Noticeable" 
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Chris P. on August 14, 2008, 12:36:20 AM
Well, than we baptize you Eagle Eye Blazer.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: uwe on August 19, 2008, 03:26:10 AM
Blazer Gazer.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: barend on October 05, 2008, 11:32:46 AM
I also came across this same cool clip and was going to post it, but I saw it was already posted here.

That sure is an Epiphone EB3. I had one for two months or so and I really liked the sound of it. It is a good bass and it plays very smooth as well  but unfortunately it has terrible neckdive. But it is amazing what you can buy for less than 300 bucks. It had to go because I bought an '68 EB3.

Did anyone try his Epiphone Rumblecat?
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: shadowcastaz on October 05, 2008, 11:54:42 AM
I had one early on and sold it . I wish I had kept it because it was  fun to play. I think Dr Bassman had/has one with TV jones pups in it. Im sure when I get done with my projects Ill start lookin for another  Woody bass
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on October 05, 2008, 09:54:24 PM
Yep, I've got one and love it.  It feels great and sounded excellent until a month ago then it wen all um.... Blaty on me. I cant work out why. It still sounds excellent without being plugged in ie no dead notes or differences in sustain but when it plugged in and you play even slightly hard it starts to sound like the bass dissapears  and it distorts slightly.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: barend on October 10, 2008, 10:45:59 AM
Does anyone has an idea what bassguitar(s) he is playing at the Live at Roseland ballroom album?

His bass sounds very good an upfront in the mix on this album (and most other albums too of course).
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: hollowbody on October 10, 2008, 04:56:21 PM
I read an interview with Warren about this recording.  Apparently they were very impressed with the bass sound on the record when they first started mixing, but when Allen would sing backup vocals the bass disappeared!  They realized that the line in and the bass amp mic both failed and the only bass they recorded was through Allen's vocal mic!

It sure sounds amazing.  I bought this disc the first time I saw the Mule back in 1997 and talked shop with him for a while.  I have him to blame for my Gibson addictions...
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: barend on October 11, 2008, 04:56:55 AM
great story! it is hard to imagine that you can get such a good and loud sound with only the vocal mic. His on stage sound must be really loud then. If they only used the vocal mic it is strange is that his vocals are not too loud on this album. Still wonder what basses he is playing on this album.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: hollowbody on October 11, 2008, 07:13:50 PM
Here's the interview on the ex-gibsonbass.com: http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/allenwoody3.php (http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/allenwoody3.php)
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: barend on October 12, 2008, 03:53:49 AM
thanks for the link, great interview! also the rest of the interview.
Title: Re: Is woody playing an Epi?
Post by: Freuds_Cat on October 12, 2008, 04:51:30 AM
Thanks Hollowbody  :)