So I bought a Gibson bass again

[uwe]

I'm not surprised.

Mel could have told you, Ilan! We're an American mud.



I'm surprised Fender never did a signature model of his Jazz - just because it was a Gibson product replacement pup? As Dave once rightfully said, his bass playing and that "Mazz" (mud & Jazz) sound drove all those early Grand Funk Railroad recordings.

GF(R) aren't even in the RRHF, right? That is a crime. They were among the truest of American bands - and not just because of a song title. Hugely underrated outfit.

[ilan]

If it had a bridge pickup I'd never replace the mud. I really like the bass, I just need a sound I can use. If the Retrovibe doesn't do it for me, I'll go back to the Ric toaster under the big cover. It sounded excellent, and in a sense, only poetic justice after all those 70s Rics violated with mudbuckers :-)

[uwe]

Add a bridge pup and you're all set. EB-0Ls won't turn into 50ies Les Paul Goldtops anytime soon.

Which Judas Priest song had the subliminal message "Do it! Do it! Do it!" again? Ah, this one here ...



Listen to it backwards, Ilan. Again and again. Concentrate on Robbie's backward breathing ...

[Granny Gremlin]

Not a notch - 2nd order ( 12 db per octave) high pass filter. I once calculated the corner freq but don't remember now.

editted to add: the Ripper (using the same inductor coil - diff part number but same value) does have a notch filter IIRC, so that may be the cause of the confusion (and fixed the above; high pass not low pass)

[westen44]

Mel could have told you, Ilan! We're an American mud.



I'm surprised Fender never did a signature model of his Jazz - just because it was a Gibson product replacement pup? As Dave once rightfully said, his bass playing and that "Mazz" (mud & Jazz) sound drove all those early Grand Funk Railroad recordings.

GF(R) aren't even in the RRHF, right? That is a crime. They were among the truest of American bands - and not just because of a song title. Hugely underrated outfit.

I loved the Mel Schacher bass sound.  But the critics were always harsh on GFR.  Especially critical of Mark Farner's guitar playing.  Yet I'd gladly wager that not a single one of them would be capable of playing and singing like he did.  His voice was a big factor in their sound.  And better than the voices of more than a fair number of people in the RRHOF, IMO. 

[slinkp]

Not a notch - 2nd order ( 12 db per octave) low pass filter. I once calculated to corner freq but dont remember not.

LOWpass? On a mudbucker?
Does that even do anything?

I've never owned a bass with a varitone, always been curious what the various sounds are.

[doombass]

Not a notch - 2nd order ( 12 db per octave) low pass filter. I once calculated to corner freq but dont remember not.

Are talking about the same choke varitone position here Jake? I thought Ilan meant when the choke coil is engaged, on my '69 EB-3 that means in pos 3 and 4.

[Granny Gremlin]

Are talking about the same choke varitone position here Jake? I thought Ilan meant when the choke coil is engaged, on my '69 EB-3 that means in pos 3 and 4.

LOWpass? On a mudbucker?
Does that even do anything?

I've never owned a bass with a varitone, always been curious what the various sounds are.

Sorry, meant high pass.  Point is it's not a notch but a shelf.  Corrected above.

[Dave W]

By the time Fender got around to offering signature basses, Mel had moved on to Zon.

[uwe]

"Especially critical of Mark Farner's guitar playing."

He sounded self-tutored, so what? If that rules out his musicianship, then you have to discard all the blues greats too. 

This might be inviting double entendres, but there was something very throbbing and organic about GFR, clinical they weren't. And they had more groove than a lot of heavy bands of the time. Coming from Flint, Michigan, was good for something.

[westen44]

I just happened to run across this the other day in which Mark Farner comments on each of their albums. 

https://web.musicaficionado.com/main.html#!/article/mark_farner_relives_grand_funk_album_by_album_by_joebosso

[Rob]

"Especially critical of Mark Farner's guitar playing."

He sounded self-tutored, so what? If that rules out his musicianship, then you have to discard all the blues greats too. 

This might be inviting double entendres, but there was something very throbbing and organic about GFR, clinical they weren't. And they had more groove than a lot of heavy bands of the time. Coming from Flint, Michigan, was good for something.

I saw those guys at a fairly small venue just before they truly exploded.  They were powerhouses!

[westen44]

I saw those guys at a fairly small venue just before they truly exploded.  They were powerhouses!

I never had the pleasure of seeing Grand Funk, but I did catch ZZ Top sometime in between "Rio Grande Mud" and "Tres Hombres."  I would also describe that as a powerhouse performance. 

[ilan]

I think that everybody should try to split their muds before buying anything, it's very easy to do and it is reversable.

I took your advice and had a tech split the mud (I was too afraid to do it myself). That is exactly the sound I wanted. I'm very happy with the way the bass sounds now. Fat but with definition, and a slight mid notch or hollowness that is a bit Ric-ish but still retains the character of the EB.

[clankenstein]

Great! I'm not sure if you have wired it as a coil tap(single coil) but if so and it gets a little noisy wiring it as both coils in parallel gets rid of the hum and does not change the tone all that much.You should still retain enough lows to demolish small buildings.Enjoy!