Monk Montgomery

[Dave W]

Nice video

[westen44]

Very interesting. 

[gearHed289]

Wow, thanks Dave. Up until now, I knew zero about Monk Montgomery. Changing that now...

[ilan]

Thanks Dave. I shared it on a local bass forum. Very interesting. He's like the Charlie Christian of bass, #0000001.

[Dave W]

One nit to pick: the part just past the 2:30 mark where it says he created a felt plectrum because the thumb was technically limiting. I don't believe this is true. In a book or magazine I read years ago, Monk said that one day his thumb went numb, it just wouldn't work, so he developed a thumb pick which he called Monk's Bionic Thumb, and he switched to that. IIRC at one time he may have even offered these for sale.

The story seems to have gotten confused because I've found reference online to Monk's Bionic Thumb being a felt plectrum. That makes no sense. Some interviewer must have misunderstood.

If you have the patience to look for glimpses of him in this video, you can see that he's playing a J with a thumb pick. More obvious in the second song (Windy), after the 5 minute mark. Windy was released in 1967, this was recorded in January 1968, and Wes died in June 1968.

[gearHed289]

I actually started out with a felt pick as suggested by the Mel Bay Electric Bass Vol. 1 book that the guy I got my first bass from gave me. I remember going to the music store with my mom to find some. The guy asked if I played the ukulele. I said no, bass, and he sort of looked at me funny.  Switched to celluloid not long after.

[Pilgrim]

I've played around with a felt pick. I liked it OK, just determined that I'm as bad with it as I am with any pick. More practice needed.

[amptech]

I tried one years ago, but it never felt right

[morrow]

I still have a felt pick in my gig bag , only take it out if a guitar player asks me for a pick ...

[Dave W]

I never understood the people who claim to use a felt pick to emulate a fingerstyle sound. It doesn't, and besides, if that's the tone you want, why not just play fingerstyle?

[uwe]

I too played with a felt pick initially - it wasn't nearly loud enough! 

Never heard of Monk before, indeed an unsung hero, thanks!

[Rob]

He was apparently a good guy.  A drummer that I used to play with as a teenager would jam with a lot of the old jazz guys from time to time.
Probably the only good thing in Indianapolis at the time.

[Dave W]

I tried one years ago, but it never felt right

[Highlander]

Nice info, Dave...
I tend to play up at the neck on the RD if I want a softer sound, just above the joint with the body... the only pic I use these days is as a thumb rest tucked into the pup... lol

[ilan]

For pick playing that sounds like fingerstyle Bernard Edwards used his RH index finger pressed against his thumb and played like a pick. Go to 3:00