The bass used on Led Zeppelin 1

[Alanko]

Hello all,

I've noticed a few discussions about JPJ's tone online, and analysis of his tone doesn't really ever get beyond his use of rounds and flats on various cuts. The general consensus is that he used a Jazz bass in the early-to-mid era, then swapped that out for the Becvar and Alembic basses we see from 1977 onwards. He also used a fretless CBS-era Precision bass, a stripped finish Tele bass and some sort of electric upright bass live, and that is that!

However I've listened to the intro to Dazed and Confused a lot over the years, and I cannot hear a Jazz bass in that tone at all. To my ears it sounds like an EB0/EB1/EB2 with flatwounds, played with a pick and hitting an oldschool studio compressor quite hard. The notes are pillowy, but the attach is percussive with a bit of a 'click' present.

My fan theory is that Jimmy Page picked up his more experimental studio chops in the latter days of the Yardbirds, and when he knew he had to record tracks quickly and economically for LZ1 he remembered how easily the Rivoli went onto tape on the Yardies tunes. That sort of bass wouldn't really fug up the middle frequencies like a Fender bass would, so he could separate the instruments out quite easily and quickly creating a (relatively) clear, expansive mix on a tight budget and time constraint.

JPJ is pictured holding an EB1 on the rotating disk thingy for LZ III but it doesn't mean he played it on that, or any, album.

[Pekka]

I think it's a Jazz Bass. He definitely used flats and only used rounds on his '52 Precision (the stripped Tele) and Alembics despite of what he remembers now.

On very early Zep live pics he had both ashtrays on so maybe the mute was on too?

My fav JPJ tone is the '52 Precision with the Acoustic 360/361. "Houses Of The Holy" or "Black Dog" or "The Ocean" or "The Wanton Song" for example.

And while we're at it: can anybody find a pic of him playing the Hagström 8-string?

[Alanko]

The best I can do.

[Pekka]

The best I can do.

Thanks, though that's the one I have seen before. Should have mentioned it, sorry.

Scotland late '72 or early '73? I bet there's a bootleg of it.

[Alanko]

Aberystwyth, Wales, January 1973.

Look for January '73 boots with Celebration Day on them. Then see if there is an 8 string on it!



I don't think a Jazz bass can get that deep, mushy tone like you hear on Dazed and Confused. 

By contrast, this is clearly a Jazz with flats:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7pOpokFYgk&list=PL93E8111846B6E16F&index=6

[nofi]

sure a jazz can get that low  tone you speak of. certainly through those acoustic 360 cabinets with an 18" speaker. does not sound mushy to me, though

[Alanko]

I don't think he was using an Acoustic 360 during the LZ 1 sessions though. He was possibly using some sort of Dallas amp, or even a DI or similar.

[nofi]

listen to some reggae bands to see how really deep a jazz can go.

[Alanko]

I dunno mang. I've owned a Jazz bass, strung it with flats, messed around with EQ... The bass on the intro to Dazed and Confused sounds like a shortscale Gibson into a tube compressor. 

[dadagoboi]

I dunno mang. I've owned a Jazz bass, strung it with flats, messed around with EQ... The bass on the intro to Dazed and Confused sounds like a shortscale Gibson into a tube compressor. 

Great, now find some proof.

[Dave W]

I dunno mang. I've owned a Jazz bass, strung it with flats, messed around with EQ... The bass on the intro to Dazed and Confused sounds like a shortscale Gibson into a tube compressor. 

To my ears, nothing about that tone suggests a short scale Gibson. A Jazz is certainly capable of getting that tone, not that I've ever researched what he may have used.

[Alanko]

Great, now find some proof.

Yeah, you hit the main problem with my theory. Zero evidence! The nearest thing to evidence that I can dredge up is:

1) The bass tone on the intro to Dazed and Confused sounds nothing like the isolated bass tracks I've heard for LZ II (available on Youtube). Those are quite clearly a Jazz bass with flats, just DI'd, amp'd or re-amp'd to taste.

2) Jimmy Page experimented with amps and guitars a lot, even on the debut album. There is no reason to simply believe JPJ is using his live rig (plus, he didn't have the Acoustic rig at that point).

3) Jimmy Page had to get the album together very quickly, so he potentially copied the workflow from Yardbirds recording sessions. He *might* have figured it was easier to get solid one-take bass/rhythm tracks by simply tracking bass parts with a Gibson bass (ala Tom Scholz).

Pure conjecture on my part, based purely on how I hear the some of the bass parts on LZ I. If nothing else it brings up the fact that people are happy to talk about Page's exotic guitar + amp combinations, but assume that JPJ always used the same gear.

[Pilgrim]

Reading this is a bit like reading comments of craft beer aficionados and comparing them with my perceptions:

Them:
"Cherry overtones, with strong coffee notes and a hint of bitterness in the finish."

Me:
"Dark, tastes good."

   

[nofi]

really. i posted a couple things for fun. but now i don't give a crap about what bass was used on one song 48 years ago.

[Pilgrim]

really. i posted a couple things for fun. but now i don't give a crap about what bass was used on one song 48 years ago.

Amen.  Use the bass(es) you have, crank the EQ till it sounds good, then play it.