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Topic: Some Smooth Jazz on my BASS STEEL GUITAR! |
Zane King
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 7 Oct 2014 8:47 am |
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Actually, we are calling this a Slide Bass and not a Bass Steel Guitar, but hey I had to get your attention somehow. 
Here is a pretty good example of this Slide Bass with a good bit of use on the 4 pedals. Clearly, this instrument is a category of its own. No way does this replace the Bass Guitarist. Honestly, I think it has a unique application that stands alone. Perhaps, in a jazz fusion type band or unique rock/pop type band this could play a significant role. Hey, it's just cool and fun to play. Check out what I'm doing with it and let me know what yuns think. 
"Gliding On The Slide" LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_2KSmfd6w
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Zane King
Email: zaneking@me.com |
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Douglas Schuch
From:
Valencia, Philippines
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Posted 7 Oct 2014 8:55 am
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No doubt Jaco is smiling up there in heaven. Cool stuff, as always, Zane. I love your jazz/funk pieces!
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Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental! |
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 7 Oct 2014 1:46 pm Wicked
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| Zane, wow that's just insane. Too cool for words. |
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Zane King
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 8 Oct 2014 12:59 pm
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Douglas - I first was introduced to the music of Jaco while I attended Berklee in the 80s. It is interesting how this Slide Bass closely associates with Jaco's style. I definitely feel that as I play it. Thanks for your comment.
Larry - Thanks man! It is a bit insane.
I know this is a not a Bass Steel Guitar Forum. LOL. I get that it isn't the most interesting thing here and that's okay. Still, it's a cool instrument that is very closely associated to Pedal Steel Guitar. I think there is an application for it that is neither bass guitar nor steel guitar.
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Zane King
Email: zaneking@me.com |
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Tony Dingus
From:
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 8 Oct 2014 4:09 pm
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Sounds great Zane. Do you have it tunes like a bass ?
Tony |
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Rex Thomas
From:
Thompson's Station, TN
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Posted 8 Oct 2014 8:28 pm
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 9 Oct 2014 4:29 am Re: Some Smooth Jazz on my BASS STEEL GUITAR!
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| Zane King wrote: |
| Actually, we are calling this a Slide Bass and not a Bass Steel Guitar.... No way does this replace the Bass Guitarist. |
No matter what you call it, it's wonderful.
Makes me rethink my next guitar....
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Lee Barber
From:
Sweeny, TX, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2014 5:35 am
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I would think it qualifies as a steel, just 4 deeper tone and 4 instead of 6, 8, 10 or ? Strings.
This is cool and may be the instrument to get more youth into the steel family.
Thanks for posting.
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Zum D10 |
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 10 Oct 2014 7:52 am
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Loving it brother, get down.
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Flamma Reverb, Planet Wave cables, Quilter 202 Toneblock, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 13 Oct 2014 8:46 pm
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zane, you really make that thing sound good. i'm impressed with the tone.
the jacksons are fortunate to have you to demo their new instruments! |
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Rich Peterson
From:
Moorhead, MN
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 10:45 am
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| Fun to listen to, and obviously fun to play. |
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Zane King
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 4:31 pm
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This DEMO version of this video is blowing up a bit today on social media because it was featured on the BASS GEAR ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE. It's exposure like that will bring in talented folks that likely have never even considered steel guitar that much. Hope so anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r5fCNrvFDg
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Zane King
Email: zaneking@me.com |
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Lee Barber
From:
Sweeny, TX, USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 6:15 pm
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Way to go Zane!
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Zum D10 |
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Keith Murrow
From:
Wichita, KS
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Posted 14 Oct 2014 7:52 pm
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| Zane King wrote: |
| I get that it isn't the most interesting thing here and that's okay. |
Actually, it's extremely interesting, Zane! Cool new instruments need visionary players to begin exploring the possibilities and help other players see the potential. You are doing just that.
I was mesmerized listening to this track. As a bass player myself, I am just astounded at the tone and musical possibilities this brings up. It may not *replace* a bass player on a traditional bandstand, but my mind is reeling with possibilities of combining steel playing and bass playing into the same instrument on at least a few songs!
Thanks for sharing! |
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Zane King
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 17 Oct 2014 12:30 pm
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Keith - thanks so much for posting. I'm really a bit surprised that the steel guitar community doesn't seem a bit more stoked about this. Of course, I do admit I'm not sure what I'm expecting. I guess I just think more interest for what can be done here should be out there. I can tell you everyone though that the bass guitar community has responded overwhelmingly in favor of this. Now, that surprises me. Just think we week my latest video on the Slide Bass has been featured in both Best Bass Gear and No Treble. The response has simply been incredible. Personally, I think that should encourage us. I will add that many great accomplished bass players had so many high compliments for the musicianship of steel guitar players. I know sometimes we think we get boxed out a bit overall but I'm telling you there is more out there than we realize sometimes. Just saying.
Come on steel picker friends....let's talk this Pedal Bass Slide up a bit. Even bring on the criticism. Just keep it friendly.
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Zane King
Email: zaneking@me.com |
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Adrienne Clasky
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2014 2:26 pm
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| Wow. You are soooooo good! And the bass sounds amazing. Thanks for posting this. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 18 Oct 2014 4:42 am
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It may be as a bass player that I'm impressed with what you do, but I'm much more a bassist than a steel guitarist. I think Jaco Pastorius would have loved to play around on slide bass; he played a lot of horn lines like the Jackson can.
Bass is something of a stand-up job, and you stand to do it, but still it breaks with tradition. Who's on bass? they'll say; it doesn't look the same. Doesn't sound the same, maybe too funky--there are a lot of words that can separate the instrument musically, when you're blending two instruments into one. A certain amount of bravery is required to do something different, and it takes a while to catch on.
Somebody was going to do it.
Seriously, the thing makes me want to pursue my next instrument, the bass Theramin. Keep right on kicking, Zane.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 18 Oct 2014 7:24 am
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Well, I guess it's left to me, AGAIN, to do the contrary crank thing, AGAIN, instead of just blowing the happysmoke.... There's actually a number of people here, a large number, measured in percent cause it's too high to count - hundreds - who are playing steel guitar at least partially because our darling regular guitars, basses etc. have eaten up our tendons, ligaments, again us Carpie Tunnelers here number by the percent here - 15%? 25%? Not dozens, but hundreds. Fess up... Arms just plain start to wear out in 30-35 years if you use them on stringed things, the classical music world and NASHVILLE are littered with the walking dead who just had the bad luck to NOT win the gene pool sweepstakes that lets the occasional string guy blow out till 80. Lotsa old violinists, some old guitarists - NO 80-year-old bassists, that's for sure. There are a very few of the old 60's guitarists who are playing at a very high level - Beck & McLaughlin - but they're both vegetarians, yoga-type guys who are acutely aware of what they have to do. The norm is more like... B.B. King and Chuck Berry.
| Quote: |
| the jacksons are fortunate to have you to demo their new instruments! |
I'm not entirely sure, becuase you're demo'ing it as some fuzak speedfreaky Stanley Clarkitis toy - yes there are a million people who play like that - in their living room. A tape audition like that would get you booted out of the running for a BASS PLAYING job, one where PLAYING BASS PARTS was sort of the idea, so fast it'd spin your head... While what you've actually got there is a fantastic breakthrough in career-saving ergonomics, and it'd be nice to get somebody who can demo it for what it could do in playing perfectly ordinary, slow, regular bass parts that are easy as pie - when you, and your arms/hands/back are 20 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old....
I know Tommy Huff had a carpal operation, which is unusual - not to have one, but just to have let anyone actually know about it in that world! I'm not there, you is - and if you were to get Paul Franklin & Brent Mason to come up with a list of bass players they recorded with a lot when they were pingponging sessions back in the '80's and 90's, there's just bound to be some names on there of bassists - ex-bassists - who still live in Nashville, probably still even like music (ya think?) but, hmmmm, they're not doing sessions anymore? A couple of THOSE GUYS are who you want demo'ing that thing, and explaining exactly WHY.
Touring band musicians, I can't really see too much, because those now are always gonna be young guys jumping around some - but at the same time, you don't want the bass player off in the corner doing something so weird nobody's watching the singer! The main sales market may actually be people who want a studio equipped well enough to be able to play whatever kinds of parts are needed. But for that to happen for sure SOMEBODY has to demo it being used to play actual BASS PARTS! The Yellowjackets aren't hiring... Trying to sell it as being just easier to play than a regular bass in general probably just isn't true for somebody who doesn't have some table-guitar experience. But there are definately people who could use one, they're just not in the Yellowjackets! And as much as the market for musicians are trending older, I guess I should be surprised that the magazines aren't doing a much better job of covering ergonomics - but such a large part of the whole schtick revolves around denying age entirely! |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 6:58 am
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHOGW5MDsz8
I include this link demonstrating Theramin on walking bass. She not only demonstrates that some musicians are so lazy that they'll do anything to keep from playing with their hands, but that there is an energy about us.
The energy that Zane uses in approaching the instrument is the excitement for me--a new adaptation to an old instrument. Zane seems to think that the instrument might evolve into a place of its own, that each contribution in design can create new adaptations.
The Theramin video gives me clues to what is done to produce bass tones (I'm one of those who would like to simply play electronically with my mind, so yeah, I'm lazy). The Jackson will bring somebody else to an idea.
| David Mason wrote: |
| ... but such a large part of the whole schtick revolves around denying age entirely! |
I'm sorry, I didn't get that at all, might be posting inappropriately. Certainly, there's a lot of youthful energy in Zane's playing of the Jackson, Robert Randolph would be wanting that. I'd forgotten the Yellowjackets.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Wally Taylor
From:
Hardin, Kentucky, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 10:56 am
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Yeah, what David said! Or, exactly what did David say??  |
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Zane King
From:
Nashville, TN
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 12:42 pm
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Charlie - thanks for your last post. WOW! That is my first introduction to the Theremin. I don't know quite what to make of that. Sort of blows my mind. I looked it up on Wikipedia and noticed that the invention actually was Russian and goes back to the 1920s. What is the reason it never caught on? Or I'm guessing it never has because I know a lot about music and I have not heard of this. Am I just by myself on that? Who else here on the SGF has heard of this Theremin? And can you make it sound like a steel?
Wally - thanks for asking David that. I have read his post a couple of times there. Basically, I think he feels that my Slide Bass can't make pretty music. Oh how he is wrong about that. Wait until you hear me play this 5 string version with 5 pedals. I'm going to do like Autumn Leaves with full fat chords. Then the slides you can do within most any music are just absolutely fascinating. Oh it has purpose.
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Zane King
Email: zaneking@me.com |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2014 2:05 pm
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| I have not heard of this |
Actually Lev Termen's instruments are pretty well known and have been used in lots of records and films. Termen's life story is very interesting. Most of us thought that he had been forcibly kidnapped by the KGB from his New York apartment in the 1930s but some think that he returned voluntarily and naively to Stalin's police state. He did spend years in prison and rehabilitated himself by inventing electronic spy gear for the KGB. Keyboard magazine covered his reunion with Clara Rockmore in the 1990s but only today I learned that she had secretly re-united with him in Moscow in 1962. Wikipedia says that his later career as a music professor ended when his boss said "electricity is not good for music; electricity is to be used for electrocution". |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 5:32 am
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| Zane King wrote: |
And can you make it sound like a steel?
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Nothing can make the sound of steel guitar, even my brain.
It and other virtual instrumentation lack the tactile sense your energy brings to the sound.
I understand Termen wasn't a musician, but he was drawn to music through his experiments; I think we all are (but then I think we're all musicians by nature).
It takes an experienced musician to bring music into the instrument (like Rockmore, perhaps--perhaps it was love of music, love for her.... I like to think they'll always have Moscow).
The new energy you bring to the bass steel is contagious.
It's steel! It's bass!
Jackson Steelbass?
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 3:02 pm
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| dave mason, so what are you trying to say? you use so many words it's hard to know. old bass players with bad shoulders should get one? |
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Tom T Taylor
From:
Western Australia
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 10:41 pm
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What a buzz !
Can I get mine in sunburst ?
Great to see something new.
Regular weight bar?
Raise and/or lower ?
What a buzz !
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'78 LDG.Peavey Classic 50, Laney 250BC ,Fender basses |
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