Jone Paul Jones Played an EB-1

[Barklessdog]

Stealing the God of Thunder's Thunder - In the New February issue of Bass Player Mag they have an interview from John Paul Jones from 1977 saying he used a EB-1 on Led Zeppelin III , but did not like it's Rubbery sound.

He said he had the one that went through Little Richard's Band. No talk about if he still has it.

[Dave W]

He said he had the one that went through Little Richard's Band. No talk about if he still has it.

Bob Daisley owns that one: http://www.gibsonbass.com/bobdaisley2.php

[gweimer]

That's another bass that Gibson should RI, rather than go through the Epiphone line.  I'm guessing the reason that the Epi version was dropped was lack of sales.  Too bad.  They're fun basses.  I've got another one, and just grabbed an old Gibson pickup off Ebay.  It's off to Jason Lollar for some alchemy.

[EvilLordJuju]

theres a pic of him holding one one an album cover somewhere (amongst a collage as I recall). Is it LZ3? i'll have to dig it out and scan it..

[Barklessdog]

In the old interview he states "he prefers to stay in the low end of the bass rather playing "bobbity bobbity bop all over the neck, you should stay around the bottom and provide that end for the group" which I think is a stab at Entwistle perhaps?

[eb2]

Yep - you spin the wheel on the LZIII jacket and there is the EB.  In some interviews he likes it.  Sometimes he raves about Univox and Rickenbacker amps, and sometimes he raves about Alembics and the looney expensive Fender tube rig they built for about 3 weeks in 1993.  Good player.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

I know that photo well. =]
Got it somewhere in one of my many photo storage places....

Rubbery. hahaa

[Dave W]

I'd say rubbery is a good description. And I mean that in a good way.

[Barklessdog]

Welcome R&B

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Thank you dog. Great to be here!
Still lookin' for that JPJ EB pic....

[uwe]

"Good player."

He certainly is, but I never really listened to him back then or listen to him now when I listen to Led Zep (which I don't do very often). His bass just never stood out. And I'm not talking about playing complicated stuff loud - even something simple can stand out beautifully without added volume: Think of Glover's simplistic E-F-F#-G upward chromatic run on Smoke on the Water ... the bass rumbles in and is THERE. I miss that on many Zep recordings. Sonically he was always dwarfed by Plant's wailing, Page's dominant rhythm guitar and Bonham's - dare I say: heavy-handed -drumming.

Funnily enough, I always thought that his keyboard playing stood out quite well with Zep, Page's guitar then automatically taking a backseat.

And I credit him with coming up with that strange Black Dog riff which he credited to listening to old blues records where the players had an odd understanding of time and meter.

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

but I never really listened to him back then or listen to him now

My biggest problem was they were played to death, by my friends, on the radio, at school, by bands, at guitar stores. I have heard two life times of Led Zepplin

I had to disslike them.

[ReidH]

Yeah,

My father picked up Led Zep III when it was released.  It was a fun record for a seven or eight year old with that rotating dial in the sleeve.  Didn't take long to wear the rivet out.  I was interested in that wierd bass and it took 25 years before I found one from my first experience seeing one on that record cover.  Still have the original record and the EB-1 is a prized possession that sounds and plays way beyond what you would expect an early fifties bass should. 

Reid

[uwe]

No doubt about that: The EB-1 is not just a vintage novelty, but a real instrument you can rock out with. And actually not so much muddish, as middish-roary.

[gweimer]

If it was good enough for Felix Pappalardi, it's good enough for me.