Music videos that feature EB0 to EB4 and SG variant basses...

[4stringer77]

   Sorry if that seems fantastical to me but I thought Felix only had the one EB that was stolen. Wasn't the reason he approached Gibson to make the reissue was because he couldn't find another replacement? How did you end up with this bass and how do you know it came from Pappalardi? Is the push pull a coil tap? Wouldn't that only cut power from the pickup instead of adding it?

[uwe]

When that unfortunate gun accident happened, Felix had a couple of EBs, his "wife" (referring to the bass, not Gail), now gathering French fries grease in a Hard Rock Cafe (Toronto?), the one I have (his "second" or "spare") and at least one other - which might have been an RI.  They went on sale from his estate - with a lifelong Pappalardi/Mountain fan, who knew him personally, taking care of the sales. I didn't buy it at the time for the Pappalardi connection (I knew very little outside of Mississippi Queen at that time), but because it was affordable since it was a refin (allegedly done by Gibson), I think it cost me US-$ 5.000 or something. It either had no serial number to begin with or that was overpainted (as was the f hole), but it's a fifties model alright, banjo tuners ((which are a drag), single coil pup etc.

I never use that coil tap thingy, but, yeah, it might be one, doesn't cut power, but midrange frequencies, the sound becomes scooped. The only thing I have changed on it is replace the bar bridge against that Schaller monstrosity that Jack Bruce had on his RAH reunion shwos EB too.

[4stringer77]

Cool 

[Granny Gremlin]

When that unfortunate gun accident happened, Felix had a couple of EBs, his "wife" (referring to the bass, not Gail), now gathering French fries grease in a Hard Rock Cafe (Toronto?)

I don't remember seeing it, but I've only been in there once and was in a hurry to leave.  Don't remember why I was there - a friend was playing a show or something I guess.

I never use that coil tap thingy, but, yeah, it might be one, doesn't cut power, but midrange frequencies, the sound becomes scooped. The only thing I have changed on it is replace the bar bridge against that Schaller monstrosity that Jack Bruce had on his RAH reunion shwos EB too.

Can't be a coil tap if it's a single coil and it wasn't rewound to make a tap 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down the coil like on LoZ pups.  Most likely some sort of filter, since you say it cuts some mids either a low pass or a bandpass/wide notch.

[uwe]

Yeah, filter sounds like it.

I have a faint recollection of being in the (now closed) Toronto Hard Rock Cafe in 2006 or so and seeing Felix' EB-1 immediately after the entrance to the right - that was actually when we met you guys, but  Martina and I went there alone with the kids.

I've dug up an old email (2004) from Mark Discordia (yes, the Nintendo/Super Mario guy, he was/is also a diehard mountain fan) who sold the bass to me, I'm just citing the email and make no declarations to how much of its content is true or not. As I've said, the Felix connection played no role for me, the bass is structurally sound, has a great deep refin and sounds different to any regular mudbucker bass I have, my single coil banjo tuner EB-2 excepted:

"I am glad that you like it and I know it will have a nice new home. I got this bass along with his 1955 the one I sold to The Hard Rock Cafe his 55 is the one he used at Woodstock the one you have he really didn't use it that much so he had Gibson refin it in SG Cherry Red. I had to put most of it together cause when I got it ,  all the parts were in a box and the bass was in a case that just about fell apart. Anyway I guy in New York that knew Felix's father did some work at his father's house and he took the basses and some cash as payment for the work . This guy was going through a bad divorce and he and sent the basses over to his Mom's for safe keeping . I got word that he was selling , no his Mother was selling them that way there his wife couldn't get 1/2 of the money . Both basses had auction tags on them from Cristes East I told her to send everything along with the letters of authenticy. That's about it I sold the 55 for $20,000.00 and yours for $5,000.00  I was told that your bass was a 53 but without the ser # who's knows and at this point who's cares . take care and keep in touch Mark"

[Dave W]

"unfortunate gun accident" I never understood how she was only convicted of criminally negligent homicide. No doubt in my mind it was murder. I didn't mourn her passing.

[uwe]

 You weren't there and there was a history of alcohol and domestic violence plus he wanted to leave her - mental note: Don't try to leave your significant other if there are guns lying around. File under tragic. We all know that - statistically speaking - your spouse is the most likely person to kill you in anger. Through all ages.

It's easy to say "that was murder!" if you just know the simple outward appearance facts; once you get closer though everything becomes a lot less clear. The determining circumstances for murder as opposed to manslaughter as opposed to lethal assault can sometimes only be split seconds.

Gail was his lifelong partner, contributed to Mountain's success (even Mountain fans admit to that) etc. I don't know whether she ever felt any deep remorse, but I wouldn't measure her just on what happened that fateful day.

I'm listening to a lot of Mountain albums right now (previously I only had a double CD compilation of theirs, now I've brought their first five albums in a budget box). It strikes me how good the production sound is, how varied they were and how similar Felix' voice is to Jack Bruce's or is it the other way around?  He sings a bit smoother than Bruce and his bass playing is more immediately melodically and rhythmically accessible than Bruce's.

They also sound thankfully not like Led Zep at all and I'm not surprised that the Purple guys were always fond of them.

[Stjofön Big]

The very first time I ever read the name Felix Pappalardi was when I bought the album Little wheel spin and spin, by Buffy Saint-Marie in -66. F P had arranged and was conducting the instrumental ensemble on one of the songs:
Really nice tune, I thought by then. Still do.

Next time I saw the name was in quite other circumstances. Cream. Disraeli gears. Strange brew. He wrote that song with his wife Gail Collins, and Clapton.

Those tunes are not worlds apart, but it was a different world anyhow, when Disreali geared. Right?

[Dave W]

You weren't there and there was a history of alcohol and domestic violence plus he wanted to leave her - mental note: Don't try to leave your significant other if there are guns lying around. File under tragic. We all know that - statistically speaking - your spouse is the most likely person to kill you in anger. Through all ages.

It's easy to say "that was murder!" if you just know the simple outward appearance facts; once you get closer though everything becomes a lot less clear. The determining circumstances for murder as opposed to manslaughter as opposed to lethal assault can sometimes only be split seconds.

Gail was his lifelong partner, contributed to Mountain's success (even Mountain fans admit to that) etc. I don't know whether she ever felt any deep remorse, but I wouldn't measure her just on what happened that fateful day.

I'm listening to a lot of Mountain albums right now (previously I only had a double CD compilation of theirs, now I've brought their first five albums in a budget box). It strikes me how good the production sound is, how varied they were and how similar Felix' voice is to Jack Bruce's or is it the other way around?  He sings a bit smoother than Bruce and his bass playing is more immediately melodically and rhythmically accessible than Bruce's.

They also sound thankfully not like Led Zep at all and I'm not surprised that the Purple guys were always fond of them.

She was charged with second degree murder, not manslaughter. The jury saw it differently, we have to accept that. But she didn't just accidentally shoot him. IMHO the only unknowable question is whether or not it was premeditated.

[Dave W]

The very first time I ever read the name Felix Pappalardi was when I bought the album Little wheel spin and spin, by Buffy Saint-Marie in -66. F P had arranged and was conducting the instrumental ensemble on one of the songs:
Really nice tune, I thought by then. Still do.

Next time I saw the name was in quite other circumstances. Cream. Disraeli gears. Strange brew. He wrote that song with his wife Gail Collins, and Clapton.

Those tunes are not worlds apart, but it was a different world anyhow, when Disreali geared. Right?

I never had any idea that Felix was behind that song. You learn something new every day.

[Grog]

Yeah, filter sounds like it.

I have a faint recollection of being in the (now closed) Toronto Hard Rock Cafe in 2006 or so and seeing Felix' EB-1 immediately after the entrance to the right - that was actually when we met you guys, but  Martina and I went there alone with the kids.

I've dug up an old email (2004) from Mark Discordia (yes, the Nintendo/Super Mario guy, he was/is also a diehard mountain fan) who sold the bass to me, I'm just citing the email and make no declarations to how much of its content is true or not. As I've said, the Felix connection played no role for me, the bass is structurally sound, has a great deep refin and sounds different to any regular mudbucker bass I have, my single coil banjo tuner EB-2 excepted:

"I am glad that you like it and I know it will have a nice new home. I got this bass along with his 1955 the one I sold to The Hard Rock Cafe his 55 is the one he used at Woodstock the one you have he really didn't use it that much so he had Gibson refin it in SG Cherry Red. I had to put most of it together cause when I got it ,  all the parts were in a box and the bass was in a case that just about fell apart. Anyway I guy in New York that knew Felix's father did some work at his father's house and he took the basses and some cash as payment for the work . This guy was going through a bad divorce and he and sent the basses over to his Mom's for safe keeping . I got word that he was selling , no his Mother was selling them that way there his wife couldn't get 1/2 of the money . Both basses had auction tags on them from Cristes East I told her to send everything along with the letters of authenticy. That's about it I sold the 55 for $20,000.00 and yours for $5,000.00  I was told that your bass was a 53 but without the ser # who's knows and at this point who's cares . take care and keep in touch Mark"

Great story! I was unaware that you had one of Felix's EB-1s. Way cool! Didn't Jack Bruce play one of them also during the short Cream Reunion?

[Dave W]

Great story! I was unaware that you had one of Felix's EB-1s. Way cool! Didn't Jack Bruce play one of them also during the short Cream Reunion?

[uwe]

I never heard that Jack's RAH reunion EB-1 was preowned by Felix, was it?

[westen44]

2005 was a while back.  All I know is that there were a lot of rumors that Jack was playing Felix's bass.  But then I heard even more rumors that the bass was actually Jack's own EB-1.  But I don't know for sure what the accurate version of the story is.  Personally, I lean toward the version of it being Jack's bass. 

[Grog]

As documented in the "Gibson Bass Book" I had heard that Felix's bass was stolen & he had Gibson produce the reissue in 1969. That being said, (unless his bass was returned) he had at least three 50's EBs.