bass tone on rapper's delight

[cporro]

hi, i'm looking for insight from people experienced in getting a good
bass tone. i consider rapper's delight by the sugarhill gang to be a
good tone.

on my last album i just couldn't get the punchy bass i wanted. instead
it ended up muddy and punchless, not what i was going for.

now i have read quite a bit about bass recording. i've tried going
direct, compressing, and eq.

now i'm wondering if its the intrament (i have a fender jazz bass, it
cost about 400. i don't know if that means it was made in the US or
mexico). or how i play it. or where i play it. or the string age (they
look good, low milage, but are old). do i need to go through a DI, or a
good amp?

much thanks

[Edwin Hurwitz]

Post by cporro
hi, i'm looking for insight from people experienced in getting a good
bass tone. i consider rapper's delight by the sugarhill gang to be a
good tone.
on my last album i just couldn't get the punchy bass i wanted. instead
it ended up muddy and punchless, not what i was going for.
now i have read quite a bit about bass recording. i've tried going
direct, compressing, and eq.
now i'm wondering if its the intrament (i have a fender jazz bass, it
cost about 400. i don't know if that means it was made in the US or
mexico). or how i play it. or where i play it. or the string age (they
look good, low milage, but are old). do i need to go through a DI, or a
good amp?
much thanks

Maybe you could find Doug Wimbish on myspace or something like that and
ask him how it was recorded. He did all those Sugarhill recordings.


In the early 90s, I also met the drummer, but sadly he was living on the
streets of Hartford Ct and offering to help us load our gear out of a
club on a rainy night at 2AM. I gave him $10 and told him to just kick
back. I guess he hadn't managed his income that well.

Edwin

[Richard Smol]

Post by Edwin Hurwitz

Post by cporro
hi, i'm looking for insight from people experienced in getting a good
bass tone. i consider rapper's delight by the sugarhill gang to be a
good tone.
on my last album i just couldn't get the punchy bass i wanted. instead
it ended up muddy and punchless, not what i was going for.
now i have read quite a bit about bass recording. i've tried going
direct, compressing, and eq.
now i'm wondering if its the intrament (i have a fender jazz bass, it
cost about 400. i don't know if that means it was made in the US or
mexico). or how i play it. or where i play it. or the string age (they
look good, low milage, but are old). do i need to go through a DI, or a
good amp?
much thanks

Maybe you could find Doug Wimbish on myspace or something like that and
ask him how it was recorded. He did all those Sugarhill recordings.

Except that this has been recorded by Bernard Edwards, the bass player
of Chic. It's their track "Good Times" that has been used on that Sugar
Hill track. Both players had totally different styles anyway... and
they used different gear. Doug Wimbish was way into Spector basses,
whereas Edwards used either Fender Jazz Basses or occasionally the
Gibson Grabber. I can get the "Good Times" sound on my Gibson G3 with
ease.

RS

[Edwin Hurwitz]

Post by Richard Smol

Post by Edwin Hurwitz

Post by cporro
hi, i'm looking for insight from people experienced in getting a good
bass tone. i consider rapper's delight by the sugarhill gang to be a
good tone.
on my last album i just couldn't get the punchy bass i wanted. instead
it ended up muddy and punchless, not what i was going for.
now i have read quite a bit about bass recording. i've tried going
direct, compressing, and eq.
now i'm wondering if its the intrament (i have a fender jazz bass, it
cost about 400. i don't know if that means it was made in the US or
mexico). or how i play it. or where i play it. or the string age (they
look good, low milage, but are old). do i need to go through a DI, or a
good amp?
much thanks

Maybe you could find Doug Wimbish on myspace or something like that and
ask him how it was recorded. He did all those Sugarhill recordings.

Except that this has been recorded by Bernard Edwards, the bass player
of Chic. It's their track "Good Times" that has been used on that Sugar
Hill track. Both players had totally different styles anyway... and
they used different gear. Doug Wimbish was way into Spector basses,
whereas Edwards used either Fender Jazz Basses or occasionally the
Gibson Grabber. I can get the "Good Times" sound on my Gibson G3 with
ease.
RS

Actually, I did some research and it's neither. Apparently it was
recorded with a different rhythm section. I think the bass line was
copied but not sampled, so someone else played on it.




Edwin

[r***@yahoo.com]

T'was a Precision.

From Marcus Miller's site

http://www.marcusmiller.com/faq.html?category=5&faqid=105&color=20

"Yeah, Bernard was a friend of mine. We would run into each other in
studios, in the street. He would give me advice about a lot of things.
He told me not to move to LA (I didn't listen :-)
I remember, around 1978, I saw Bernard on a Chic album cover with a BC
Rich bass. It was white with this unusally shaped body. Anyway, the
song "Good Times" was on this album and I thought it sounded so good, I
ran out and bought a white BC Rich.
I got it home and started playing Good Times...I'm saying to myself,
"This don't sound like the record........."

I met Bernard shortly after and told him I bought the BC Rich but
couldn't get that cool sound. He said, "Man I didn't play a BC Rich on
that album. I played my Fender Precision!" I said, "But you have the BC
Rich on the album cover." He said, "Yeah, well the BC Rich looks good,
so I take pictures with it!"
God rest his soul...... "