The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: uwe on March 20, 2023, 09:21:02 PM

Title: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 20, 2023, 09:21:02 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bviPA1Cm4Y&t=235s
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 21, 2023, 07:42:52 AM
I saw this last week and immediately thought, "Of all the instruments you own, you chose THAT atrocity?"
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 21, 2023, 04:13:59 PM
Well, it looks cool with that shape and fin and all. But a short scale bass with those limp Ripper pups wouldn't be my first choice if I otherwise play an active long scale Warwick. But the bass signal on the new Metallica album is most likely so heavily processed, he might as well play a rubber band over a shoe box and it would still sound suitably menacing.

Not a Metallica fan, but, yeah, a couple of seconds into the intro and you know it's them.

And what the hell happened to that Gene Simmons Flying V bass so grandly announced a while back?
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: ilan on March 22, 2023, 09:23:48 AM
Hetfield with alternate picking?!
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 22, 2023, 03:26:22 PM
It's called arthritis and gets us all.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 23, 2023, 09:30:02 AM
Well, it looks cool with that shape and fin and all. But a short scale bass with those limp Ripper pups wouldn't be my first choice if I otherwise play an active long scale Warwick.

I bought a black one new in 1981. It sounded like ass in the store, but I was smitten with the look. I was convinced it would sound better when I ran it through my Ampegs. It didn't. I traded it a year later, even up for a new Kramer Pioneer Bass.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 10:00:14 AM
A smart choice with the Kramer, let me tell you.

Those things were (and are) awful. The worst sounding off the rack Gibson bass ever (and that includes the SB series). Close runner-up: the SG-Z.

https://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/2000gibsonSGZ.php
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: doombass on March 23, 2023, 10:16:47 AM
A smart choice with the Kramer, let me tell you.

Those things were (and are) awful. The worst sounding off the rack Gibson bass ever (and that includes the SB series). Close runner-up: the SG-Z.

https://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/2000gibsonSGZ.php

Put those humbucker coils in series, then wire up a push pull switch allowing for an additional both pickups in series  (the only choice not provided using the mini switches) and it actually sounds really good, not as beefy as TB Plus pickups but beefy enough. I did that on my SG-Z.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 12:15:22 PM
Yeah, it's solely a pup wiring issue, I know. They were obsessed with the cliche that Gibson basses "always sound too dark and boomy" and fell into the other extreme.

I of course went the other way and implanted an extra mudbucker!  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 23, 2023, 01:58:49 PM
And what the hell happened to that Gene Simmons Flying V bass so grandly announced a while back?

You mean the one on his signature Thunderbird's pickguard?  He also mentioned left-handed versions.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 02:26:35 PM
No, IIRC they had announced that an actual Flying V bass was scheduled too. Hopefully, it will be long scale.

A long scale Flying V is even longer than an Explorer Bass or a TBird from wing end to headstock end, hence the tendency to give them less than long scale necks. Unfortunately though, the inherent drawbacks of the Flying V body shape (greatest mass of body wood in too much distance from the pups) don't take kindly to loss of neck mass. That is why my Dean Dime Razorback V is the best sounding Flying V in my flight school of six Flying V basses (two Gibson shorties, two Dean long + extra-long scale, one Ibanez long scale & one Kramer Flying Broom XKB-10 medium scale), it even has an extra-long scale neck (35"). Make no mistake: size matters.

(https://media.guitarcenter.com/is/image/MMGS7/514309000705000-00-720x720.jpg)

Assless leather chaps to go with it were case candy.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 23, 2023, 05:59:47 PM
...my flight school of six Flying V basses (two Gibson shorties, two Dean long + extra-long scale, one Ibanez long scale & one Kramer Flying Broom XKB-10 medium scale), it even has an extra-long scale neck (35"). Make no mistake: size matters.

Which Ibanez do you have? Is it one of the 70s "Rocket Roll" basses?
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: TBird1958 on March 23, 2023, 08:35:54 PM

Assless leather chaps to go with it were case candy.


 Did they fit? Inquiring minds and all, you know  :o
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 08:43:28 PM
This one:

(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/ibanez-v-copy-jpg.848377/)


This precedes the Rocket Roll ones by a few years, it existed as early as 1973, Jim Lea would sometimes use it for TV miming, but I'm not sure whether he ever used his live or to record. It sounds nothing like Jim Lea's regular bass sound at the time, especially noticeable in the second vid which is a re-recording of the studio track for TV (Brit Musicians' Union rules required this back then) with an especially boisterous upfront bass mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322upW8mHvc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v13fERYn_Rw

The Rocket Roll basses looked different (and likely sounded better with their P/J pup combo), I believe they are also rarer because they were only produced for a short time:

(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--I-2o25r2--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1510414277/xkd0jvfc82z8suputrqv.jpg)

That earlier 1973 model was in essence an EB-3L with wings and none of the kalamazoomph, a docile-sounding cult object, nothing more. I bought mine because I drooled for one as a teenager, but honestly the Ric 4001 Ibanez bolt-on Ho I played at the time sounded better. Gorgeous to look at though.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 08:45:12 PM


 Did they fit? Inquiring minds and all, you know  :o

Didn't I say the bass came XL?! Tends to be kinda cold though. Or sticky if you sit for a longer time.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 23, 2023, 09:15:22 PM
This one:

(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/ibanez-v-copy-jpg.848377/)


This precedes the Rocket Roll ones by a few years, it existed as early as 1973, Jim Lea would sometimes use it for TV miming, but I'm not sure whether he ever used his live or to record. It sounds nothing like Jim Lea's regular bass sound at the time, especially noticeable in the second vid which is a re-recording of the studio track for TV (Brit Musicians' Union rules required this back then) with an especially boisterous upfront bass mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322upW8mHvc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v13fERYn_Rw

The Rocket Roll basses looked different (and likely sounded better with their P/J pup combo), I believe they are also rarer because they were only produced for a short time:

(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--I-2o25r2--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1510414277/xkd0jvfc82z8suputrqv.jpg)

That earlier 1973 model was in essence an EB-3L with wings and none of the kalamazoomph, a docile-sounding cult object, nothing more. I bought mine because I drooled for one as a teenager, but honestly the Ric 4001 Ibanez bolt-on Ho I played at the time sounded better. Gorgeous to look at though.

I had one of those as well. My cousin was killing time one day in the music store where his wife worked, so he bolted a maple 70s P-Bass neck to an orphaned Ibanez body and they put it out on the sales floor. Of course, I showed up a few days later and bought it on the spot. I played it as it was for awhile and then modded it with a Model One (filling the bridge pickup hole with Bondo) and sprayed it bright red. I actually managed to get credit for it as an art project in college. Wound up selling it to a female bassist who needed something with more image than her natural finish Precision.
There was a local bassist who used one of the Rocket Roll basses with his band - I have a pic of him with it somewhere...
Here's my Ibby V, post surgery along with its roommates at the time.
(https://i.imgur.com/iqdSRXX.jpg)
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 23, 2023, 11:00:40 PM
Whaaaaat, you turned a Flying V into a Flying F?!  Or at the very least disseminated the heinous atrocity!!!

Tell me, is there still a death penalty in your State by any chance?

Ok, given your commendably adolescent taste for outlandish basses and throwing rock star shapes,


(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/billyrockys1-jpg.1310627/)


we can perhaps commute it to a life sentence.  8)


Did it even intonate correctly? Looks like you had the bridge almost falling off ... :mrgreen:

PS: What happened to the cutting edge lamé polo shirt, cutie?  :-*
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 24, 2023, 06:26:15 AM
No, IIRC they had announced that an actual Flying V bass was scheduled too. Hopefully, it will be long scale.

Just realized I said headstock, when I meant pickguard.  The Gene model Thunderbird has one on it.  I wonder if they're not selling as well as Gene's ego promised.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 24, 2023, 06:48:15 AM
If Gibson thought they'd sell well, you can't help them, none of their artist signature basses ever has, the Epiphone JC Sig excepted, but that filled a void in the market for an affordable, vintagy long scale hollow body bass.

Likewise, none of the bass models associated with Gene have ever done well. How many guys do you know that actually play a Gene Simmons Axe or a Punisher (I have one, it's actually a very good and well thought out instrument)? Most of them probably hang at the living room walls of diehard KISS fans. And it has nothing to do with Gene as a person or a bassist (I've written it before: he's actually an above par and not below par hard rock bassist with lots of lovable old school influences), signature stuff generally doesn't do well, it just enhances the brand with a few exceptions (Epi JC or Yamaha Billy Sheehan - another well thought out instrument).

A Flying V bass will never sell well. Done properly, it will be hugely expensive and come with a giant case that will raise issues transporting it in a smaller car. The shape is divisive and has a heavy metal "not really for a serious musician" image. How many middle age to senior citizen bassists with deep pockets will want to be seen with that thing? I know exactly one: myself!  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 24, 2023, 06:50:43 AM
I'm just interested in seeing the also-mentioned left-handed Thunderbird.  I'm guessing we'll never see anything except for the current model.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 24, 2023, 06:59:58 AM
I'm truly hoping for your lefty, you walking talking minority, fingers crossed ... I mean index and pinkie stretched out!

(https://img.thedailybeast.com/image/upload/c_crop,d_placeholder_euli9k,h_281,w_500,x_0,y_0/dpr_1.5/c_limit,w_690/fl_lossy,q_auto/giphy-7_z94qrk)
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 24, 2023, 07:01:07 AM
Niche is my middle name.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 24, 2023, 07:58:30 AM
Whaaaaat, you turned a Flying V into a Flying F?!  Or at the very least disseminated the heinous atrocity!!!

Tell me, is there still a death penalty in your State by any chance?

Ok, given your commendably adolescent taste for outlandish basses and throwing rock star shapes,


(https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/billyrockys1-jpg.1310627/)


we can perhaps commute it to a life sentence.  8)


Did it even intonate correctly? Looks like you had the bridge almost falling off ... :mrgreen:

PS: What happened to the cutting edge lamé polo shirt, cutie?  :-*

When my cousin (also a bassist... a dyed-in-the-wool Fender man to this day - and DESPISES Gibson basses) heard that I bought it, he commented that his effort was not intended to be taken and played as a serious instrument - "Only YOU would do that."
Did it intonate? Who knows? The neck was held on with only two screws and no neck plate - not sure why. Every once it a while it would shift and I would have to smack it back into position and snug up the screws. Off I went, into the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer"...
Of the three basses in the pic, only the Thunderbird remains here with me. The Destroyer was traded even up at Rudy's in NYC for a '72 EB-3, which is also here today - but only after a long and circuitous journey involving JB weld, truss rod nuts and dubious storage environments. Story for another thread. Suffice it to say that the EB was initially sold off to finance the purchase of... a Gibson Flying V Bass.
The shirt eventually deteriorated, peeling like a cheap rubber t-shirt transfer.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 24, 2023, 08:11:15 AM
Did it intonate? Who knows?

 :rimshot:
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: godofthunder on March 25, 2023, 05:41:20 AM
A smart choice with the Kramer, let me tell you.

Those things were (and are) awful. The worst sounding off the rack Gibson bass ever (and that includes the SB series). Close runner-up: the SG-Z.

https://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/2000gibsonSGZ.php
   I'm in complete agreement with you Uwe. N.O.S. Flying V basses sat for years at the House of Guitars,  we couldn't give them away a universally acknowledged dog. There are far better ways to spend 5k.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: godofthunder on March 25, 2023, 07:39:52 AM
  My only Flying V bass though I would love a '75 Ibanez like Jim Lea's.  This will do in the interim.
 https://youtu.be/qIvSo0C4ElQ
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: godofthunder on March 25, 2023, 08:40:33 AM
I had one of those as well. My cousin was killing time one day in the music store where his wife worked, so he bolted a maple 70s P-Bass neck to an orphaned Ibanez body and they put it out on the sales floor. Of course, I showed up a few days later and bought it on the spot. I played it as it was for awhile and then modded it with a Model One (filling the bridge pickup hole with Bondo) and sprayed it bright red. I actually managed to get credit for it as an art project in college. Wound up selling it to a female bassist who needed something with more image than her natural finish Precision.
There was a local bassist who used one of the Rocket Roll basses with his band - I have a pic of him with it somewhere...
Here's my Ibby V, post surgery along with its roommates at the time.
(https://i.imgur.com/iqdSRXX.jpg)
   I spy a Ibanez Destroyer and a Bicentennial Thunderbird combo. I had the same basses in '76 frankly the Ibanez got much more playing time than the Thunderbird.  The 76 bird had michrophnic pickups and the action couget low enough, the Ibanez on the other hand played and sounded great. The Destroyer underwent a number of mods through the years but it's been in it's present form since around 1986.Image Url = https://i.imgur.com/BrwBn1b.jpg
This Image was Uploaded by - http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=imgur_upload.upload_image_to_imgur
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Alanko on March 25, 2023, 10:49:09 AM
It's called arthritis and gets us all.

Creak and Destroy.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 25, 2023, 12:12:10 PM
   I spy a Ibanez Destroyer and a Bicentennial Thunderbird combo. I had the same basses in '76 frankly the Ibanez got much more playing time than the Thunderbird.  The 76 bird had michrophnic pickups and the action couget low enough, the Ibanez on the other hand played and sounded great. The Destroyer underwent a number of mods through the years but it's been in it's present form since around 1986.Image Url = https://i.imgur.com/BrwBn1b.jpg
This Image was Uploaded by - http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=imgur_upload.upload_image_to_imgur

The Destroyer was ridiculously cool, but I never bonded with it. I bought it pretty cheap, too. I was always looking for something as a backup to the Thunderbird but nothing I came across at the time did it justice. Whoever owned the Bicentennial originally had the bridge saddles re-grooved so that the strings sat further down in the slots. It played nicely but had very low output, which I compensated for by turning the amp up more. Always got compliments on the tone, though. It has been re-fretted twice - the second time because the first job was botched a bit. Also replaced the badge and saddles around the same time.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 26, 2023, 03:01:42 PM
  My only Flying V bass though I would love a '75 Ibanez like Jim Lea's.  This will do in the interim.
 https://youtu.be/qIvSo0C4ElQ

They didn't really capture the elegance of the V shape - or weren't allowed to for legal reasons.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: godofthunder on March 28, 2023, 10:07:54 AM
  The tips of the V seem a bit short,  maybe they were trying to keep the overall length of the instrument to a manageable size. The Flying V shape doesn't really lend itself to  bass, keeping them to short or medium scale yields better results. The kit is long scale and that is inviting trouble with this format. The build was a fun zero pressure option for a Flying V bass but it does have it's shortcomings.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 28, 2023, 11:50:44 PM
(https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/brooks-thundervee-full-1500_orig.jpg)

Long scale Flying V bass I built a while ago.
Neck through. Korina.
With EY Parts sixties repro humbuckers

Initially I made some artist impressions of a short scale V.
(https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/brooks-thunder-v_orig.jpg)

But then someone commissioned me to build a long scale version.
I had to come up with a solution to make the bridge fit, without making it a ridiculously long bass.
So I made a change to the body shape.
The mahogany stained part is the original outline shape of the Flying V. The darker stained part is the extra inch that I needed to make the bridge fit properly.

(https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/brooks-thundervee-body-diagonal-1500_orig.jpg)

Here's a pic taken during the build process
(https://www.enkoo.nl/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/body-routed_orig.jpg)

The overall length is 126 cm.
Only a bit longer than a "normal" bass.
Here is is alongside another hybrid (the Grabbird) I built.

(https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/brooks-thundervee-grabbird-2-1500_orig.jpg)


It sounds like thunder ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8_fZFAjihE


Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 28, 2023, 11:53:14 PM
  The tips of the V seem a bit short,  maybe they were trying to keep the overall length of the instrument to a manageable size. The Flying V shape doesn't really lend itself to  bass, keeping them to short or medium scale yields better results. The kit is long scale and that is inviting trouble with this format. The build was a fun zero pressure option for a Flying V bass but it does have it's shortcomings.

The tips are not shorter on the kit you bought. But the shape of the V is not as deep as the original Gibson shape. They did this for the same reason as I did on my build: to make the bridge fit onto te body without having to place the neck too far forward.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 29, 2023, 06:36:59 AM
I've said it before, but it deserves constant repetition: Your Brooks ThunderVee is the most beautiful Flying Arrow bass ever, period. And that dark-stained body wood extension is an effing brilliant design feature, I bow to you though you apparently largely listen to live albums recorded in the studio!

Did it sell or did you keep it?

Would you build another one? One that is perhaps called U-Vee?

And that ThunderGrabber is cool too.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 29, 2023, 07:17:10 AM
Thank you.

It was built on commission for a Dutch bass player. So I no longer have it.

I'd love to build another one. And we could even call it U-vee.  8)

The Grabbird is still here. But it's for sale.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 29, 2023, 08:09:45 AM
Proceed then. Das ist ein Befehl, but there is no urgency - at your own time. Send your price estimate.

PS: Is a full double octave neck doable? I have long arms.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 29, 2023, 08:30:37 AM
Proceed then. Das ist ein Befehl, but there is no urgency - at your own time. Send your price estimate.

PS: Is a full double octave neck doable? I have long arms.

Jawohl Herrn Gibsonobergruppenführer!  :toast:

I guess adding the extra fret can be done.
I'll send a PM.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: slinkp on March 29, 2023, 09:08:15 AM
Jawohl Herrn Gibsonobergruppenführer!  :toast:

I guess adding the extra fret can be done.
I'll send a PM.

 :popcorn:
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 29, 2023, 09:22:42 AM
I want to die with a proper Flying V in my hands for once.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 29, 2023, 10:38:44 AM
How many times do you plan on dying?  :o
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 29, 2023, 12:53:43 PM
None of my current Vees would be a coffin bass.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: doombass on March 29, 2023, 03:36:01 PM
I've said it before, but it deserves constant repetition: Your Brooks ThunderVee is the most beautiful Flying Arrow bass ever, period. And that dark-stained body wood extension is an effing brilliant design feature, I bow to you though you apparently largely listen to live albums recorded in the studio!

Did it sell or did you keep it?

Would you build another one? One that is perhaps called U-Vee?

And that ThunderGrabber is cool too.

Coincidentally The GrabBird is playing an excerpt from an album with such a Bad Reputation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t98NAXLGCxM
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 29, 2023, 04:05:10 PM
... it's caught me in its spotlight ... it's alright ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1tQwF410qw
(Looks like Phil had another one of his more physical altercations and his opponent good aim ...)

'Bad Reputation' (the album) was the first Lizzy album I owned, always liked that song with its strip tease/burlesque style bass line! You should have taken your clothes off while playing it though, Rob! Perhaps with some of those nipple tassels too?   :gay:

But it needs a pick sound, Lynott's style is all about pick playing. And more cowbell phaser please!!!

That Thundergrab sounds great.

And it was wrong for Phil to let Brian go/drive him out - the beginning of the miserable end. He should have butted testosterone-fueled heads with him longer for the sake of the band. You can see in that TOTP clip that something was wrong, Lynott looks worse for wear (and not just the black eye), doesn't sing quite in key (this is not the original studio track, but one pre-recorded solely for TOTP due to UK musicians' union rules) and Robertson is relegated to the back like some session musician (which at this point he was, the liner credits and the just-three-guys-cover of 'Bad Reputation' made no secret of that). That's the Supertramp sax player by the way, a relative of Scott Gorham, who had initially auditioned with Supertramp, coming from sunny California to rainy UK for that. And then staying and stumbling into Phil ...
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 30, 2023, 09:20:11 AM
'Bad Reputation' (the album) was the first Lizzy album I owned, always liked that song with its strip tease/burlesque style bass line! You should have taken your clothes off while playing it though, Rob! Perhaps with some of those nipple tassels too?   :gay:

But it needs a pick sound, Lynott's style is all about pick playing. And more cowbell phaser please!!!

I recently bought myself a cheap phaser just to play this - and "Stranglehold"...
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 30, 2023, 09:30:50 AM
Yeah, that is another one!  :mrgreen:

And the new state of the art phasers don't really provide that hissy, wet  vintage sound either. I have a Boss state of the art phaser and it sounds nowhere as phaser'ish good as my old piece of shit Ibanez stomper (that mechanial click it had ...  ;D ) did. It's way too dry and clinical - I have meanwhile bequeathed it onto our guitarist who likes it for Stones'y stuff.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 30, 2023, 10:01:25 AM
Yeah, that is another one!  :mrgreen:

And the new state of the art phasers don't really provide that hissy, wet  vintage sound either. I have a Boss state of the art phaser and it sounds nowhere as phaser'ish good as my old piece of shit Ibanez stomper (that mechanial click it had ...  ;D ) did. It's way too dry and clinical - I have meanwhile bequeathed it onto our guitarist who likes it for Stones'y stuff.

I bought an Azor mini Phaser off Amazon for like $25. It would be nice if the slowest speed was a little more so, but otherwise it's great. I also bought a Flamma FC-05, which is a multi-modulation pedal. Very nice, but the Azor sounds better with bass. Tried a TC Electronics Blood Moon as well, but it was way too noisy and I sent it back.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Basvarken on March 30, 2023, 12:27:29 PM
in the Lizzy recordings (L&D, BBC) I think the phaser was added by the producer/engineer. Live he didn't use one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JQTUgLh6mc
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 30, 2023, 01:01:50 PM
Yeah, in a live setting with louder, more forceful music, phasers - to this day - can be tricky as they have you sacrifice a lot of punch. You're better off with a flanger or a chorus though the effect isn't quite the same.

For the same reason, Jon Lord gave up using Leslie Cabs when DP's music got louder with In Rock and amped his Hammond through Marshall guitar amps which gave him that direct roaring sound - the "Gorgan" as he would jokingly call how his Hammond and Blackmore's Strat sounded together.

(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7f/73/63/7f7363600bd80339e4373a306eca126d.gif)

In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head were all recorded with that Gorgan sound, he only reverted back to Leslie Cabs with Who Do We Think We Are and later on in the Mk III era because he felt his sonic role in the band had changed and the multiple riffing in Purple's music was no longer as prominent.

If you listen to anything from Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue mid-70ies, the whole band is absolutely drenched in phasing effects.  :mrgreen: Even Rob Stoner, the bassist, let that stomp box run all the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12rUOLtbQDk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqmTfkf7GRg
(Wow, that's Mick Ronson in that vid, I knew he played with Dylan on some legs of the Rolling Thunder Revue, but I've never seen footage.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E4ytUW8g_0

I guess the mid-70ies were just the era of the phaser. I got mine around that time too - bought it used off my Jazz Rock/Weather Report-adoring bass teacher. Poor Lothar always gulped when I told him that my bass heroes were Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover, Alan Lancaster, Jim Lea, Martin Turner and Gene Simmons (all pick players - which he hated!). He tried to acquaint me with Jaco, my young ignorant self remained utterly unimpressed. I believe I was his most disappointing pupil ever. :mrgreen: He did teach me the circle of fifths and lots of scales though, I'm eternally thankful for that.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: ilan on March 31, 2023, 12:52:10 AM
(https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/brooks-thundervee-full-1500_orig.jpg)

The best looking V bass. And FINALLY somene moves the strap button to where it should be.

With the neck pickup solo'ed it sounds almost exactly like my slot headstock EB-0L with the OBL pickup hidden under the mud cover.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 31, 2023, 04:55:18 AM
Yes, considering a Dutchman did it, it's very tasteful.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: gearHed289 on March 31, 2023, 06:58:12 AM
I recently bought myself a cheap phaser just to play this - and "Stranglehold"...

Haha! That brings back high school memories of borrowing a phaser from whoever when we had a gig so we could play Stranglehold.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: gearHed289 on March 31, 2023, 07:14:38 AM
in the Lizzy recordings (L&D, BBC) I think the phaser was added by the producer/engineer. Live he didn't use one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JQTUgLh6mc

He used an MXR Phase 90. He said something along the lines of "It's the only effect I'll allow myself." I read it in a magazine over 40 years ago, so please don't ask what my source for this is.  ;D And I find it funny that some people argue it was a flanger when it is so obviously a phaser on Moonlight.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: lowend1 on March 31, 2023, 07:33:46 AM
He used an MXR Phase 90. He said something along the lines of "It's the only effect I'll allow myself." I read it in a magazine over 40 years ago, so please don't ask what my source for this is.  ;D And I find it funny that some people argue it was a flanger when it is so obviously a phaser on Moonlight.

I just ran across - on Reverb - a previously unpublished interview Phil did with Tony Bacon in 1981 where he discusses his gear. In the midst of raving about his new Dynacord amp, he mentions, "And sometimes I used a flanger. I've gone off using it now, but I used to use a flanger on the bass, just to give it that bit of top without it being clacky."
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 31, 2023, 08:48:13 AM
Flanger, Phaser & Chorus - the Holy Trinity of drippy effects.

(https://media2.giphy.com/media/fo84ixgUWpf9K3vcHe/200w.gif?cid=6c09b9524e321c1i5wki6wppiixkzv6xopnilexre0990ugm&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)

May I out myself? These days, my favorite stomper is, indeed, this here ...

(https://images.musicstore.de/images/0960/boss-dd-8-digital-delay_1_GIT0051369-000.jpg)

In the SHIM position, yes, of all pansy positions and using the tap tempo foot switch. :gay: What a douchebag I am, I know. Other people have manly overdrives and distortion (which most of the time I can't really stand), but Uwe plays naive little melodies with a fairey sprinkle dust effect. Go to 09:00 here if you are relaxed with your more feminine side ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db0Cnyje9Hc

Whenever I use it, I'm the band's laughing stock. The drummer despairs and says "What is this, you're a B-A-S-S-I-S-T, try to sound like one!"  And then mimics a slap bass attack. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 31, 2023, 09:09:39 AM
Flanger, Phaser & Chorus - the Holy Trinity of drippy effects.

(https://media2.giphy.com/media/fo84ixgUWpf9K3vcHe/200w.gif?cid=6c09b9524e321c1i5wki6wppiixkzv6xopnilexre0990ugm&rid=200w.gif&ct=g)

May I out myself? These days, my favorite stomper is this here ...

(https://images.musicstore.de/images/0960/boss-dd-8-digital-delay_1_GIT0051369-000.jpg)

In the SHIM position, yes, of all pansy positions and using the tap tempo foot switch. :gay: What a douchebag I am, I know. Other people have manly overdrives and distortion (which most of the time I can't really stand), but Uwe plays naive little melodies with a fairey sprinkle dust effect. Go to 09:00 here if you are relaxed with your more feminine side ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db0Cnyje9Hc

Whenever I use it, I'm the band's laughing stock. The drummer despairs and says "What is this, you're a B-A-S-S-I-S-T, try to sound like one!"  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Of course we'll need a Thunderbird demo of it from you.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: uwe on March 31, 2023, 09:28:22 AM
The neck-thru TBird cello effect I'm always raving about actually goes very well with this. It's not as impressive/dreamy/enchanting with a snappy bass like a Precision or a Stingray at all.

Now you know why I can never underwrite that prevalent statement here "sustain on bass is overrated". If you like me play a lot of slowish melodic lines with lots of thirds, sixths and sevenths and only play root notes as sort of a last resort it is rather key.
Title: Re: Herr Trujillo with an 81 Gibson Flying V Bass ...
Post by: Ken on March 31, 2023, 10:04:06 AM
Seriously, though, pedal demos rarely apply to Thunderbirds.  And you often can't demo them without buying them.