Lazyass question

Sorry, I should do a search etc. But quickly, what bass and amp would Jack Casady have been using on the "At the Family Dog Ballroom" dated September 1969. The same as the video? Not sure on the amp from there. Or specifics.

As far as I found he played his second one (the sunburst one, see picture below) at "At night at the Family dog" in Feb 1970.



Great bass solo from minute 37:15 to 40:00!

http://youtu.be/5sNEAIEHYDw?t=37m15s

I didn't find anything about the amp used.

And I also found they actually played a gig at "The Family Dog Ballroom" on Sep 6, 1969, so I don't know what bass and amp was used on that date, sorry.

Ralf

September 1969 would have been the sunburst starfire, based on the timeline that exists in my head. As for amps, things are a bit more hazy... I feel like I recall there being McIntosh tube power amps in the live gigging rig around that time... I wonder if the Versatone would have been in the beginning of the amplification signal chain

mellowgerman said:

I feel like I recall there being McIntosh tube power amps in the live gigging rig around that time... I wonder if the Versatone would have been in the beginning of the amplification signal chain

Click to expand...

Well, in this interview the timeline is not so clear. Yes he talks about the MacIntosh as one of his rigs: "I'd take the Macintosh's as a power amp and use a Fender showman top as a pre-amp so you get that grit with the Fender but you get the power coming out of the Macintosh."
Ralf

Concur on the (pictured) sunburst Starfire.

Macintoshs powered Woodstock so the word was out back then but all anyone [sic] ever mentions is the Versatone.

Thanks everyone. I wonder how you'd use a Showman as a preamp without having it power at least one cab. There must have been some custom wiring. I suppose you could achieve something similar using one of those Alembic preamps that are supposed to be based on the Fender tonestack?

2nd Starfire, Showman preamps into Mac 3500, though the sound on his solo is mostly the Versatone.

mgod said:

2nd Starfire, Showman preamps into Mac 3500, though the sound on his solo is mostly the Versatone.

Click to expand...

Spoken with authority. I was wondering when you'd notice this thread

I hope this isn't a dumb question. I recall especially "After Bathing at Baxters" (when I bought it new in 1967) some of the cool bass breaks that Mr Cassiday was doing. Were there any other bass players anywhere that were doing such things, and who?

idealassets said:

I hope this isn't a dumb question. I recall especially "After Bathing at Baxters" (when I bought it new in 1967) some of the cool bass breaks that Mr Cassiday was doing. Were there any other bass players anywhere that were doing such things, and who?

Click to expand...

You hit me where I live since that was an extremely influential album on me, in the top 5 of my life for sure, and I remember asking MGod a couple of years back, what Jack used when recording it. Apparently he was actually still using a Fender (we saw pics of him with it at Monterey Pop, "IIRC", just can't recall if it was a Jazz or a P-bass.)
As for anybody else doing anything like it, or similar?
At the time?
Maybe John Entwhistle of the Who? Thinking of how he played "leads" on his bass: "Magic Bus", "My Generation". Can't recall any extended solos though.
I can see a little bit of tone similarity to Jack's intro riff on "Won't You Try", and maybe the distortion of the solo in "You and Me and Pooneil".
But that woody, woody tone on "Spare Chaynge"?
I can't think of anybody else doing anything like that unless it was a jazz player on an upright.
Maybe some of Jimmy Garrison's work on "A Love Supreme", where you can hear the strings rattling on the fretboard?(Always loved that sound)
And Jack said at the time that he admired Scotty LaFaro, a jazz player.
Oh, another one just hit me:
David Freiberg in Qucksilver Messenger Service, "Who Do You Love" on Happy Trails. Probably Freiberg's most inventive work. Otherwise I'm not a particularly big fan of his.

mgod said:

2nd Starfire, Showman preamps into Mac 3500, though the sound on his solo is mostly the Versatone.

Click to expand...

Thanks Simian One. But, of course, we all know it's in the hands, not the guitar or amps. So that's why you cannot tempt me with one of your Versatones.........


not!

Happy Face said:

Thanks Simian One. But, of course, we all know it's in the hands, not the guitar or amps. So that's why you cannot tempt me with one of your Versatones.........not!

Click to expand...

Happy, you may want to take a look at the interview I just started a thread about:
http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/jackCasadyIntro.php
:wink:

idealassets said:

I hope this isn't a dumb question. I recall especially "After Bathing at Baxters" (when I bought it new in 1967) some of the cool bass breaks that Mr Cassiday was doing. Were there any other bass players anywhere that were doing such things, and who?

Click to expand...

Adorski,
I was about the only one in town who bought After Bathing At Baxters, as nearly everyone else was still buying top 40 45 rpm's at the time.

Here is a band that I saw live in the 70's, and I marveled that every lead part was played by the bass or keyboard. I really would have liked to have that job of just strumming guitar chords in front of huge crowds. I hope that you all like it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV8uvKqlcQY Note the bass lead parts at about 3:00 in the song.

Craig

idealassets said:

Adorski,
I was about the only one in town who bought After Bathing At Baxters, as nearly everyone else was still buying top 40 45 rpm's at the time.

Here is a band that I saw live in the 70's, and I marveled that every lead part was played by the bass or keyboard. I really would liked to have that job of just strumming chords in front of huge crowds. I hope that you all like it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV8uvKqlcQY Note the bass lead parts at about 3:00 in the song.

Craig

Click to expand...

I was and still am a major Renaissance fan. Loved the sound of the Rick with flats on the first album and the complexity of the songs in general. My wife has long been sick of me playing their Cds and vids over and over.

Happy Face said:

I was and still am a major Renaissance fan. Loved the sound of the Rick with flats on the first album and the complexity of the songs in general. My wife has long been sick of me playing their Cds and vids over and over.

Click to expand...

I much prefer the first iteration of Renaissance (first 2 albums, IIRC, core ex-Yardbirds).

adorshki said:

You hit me where I live since that was an extremely influential album on me, in the top 5 of my life for sure,

Click to expand...

Baxters - in my "Top One" of all time...

Jack Casady is a super nasty bass player. same for Jorma on guitar. i've never heard a Hot Tuna song that didn't completely blow my mind. those guys are on another level. have seen them a few times and i'm not sure if Jack ever used his Guild. looked like his Epiphone at least the last few times that I have even known to look. not sure of the amps. it's always sounded incredible though (seen them maybe 10 times in the last 20 years or so).

Happy Face said:

I was and still am a major Renaissance fan. Loved the sound of the Rick with flats on the first album and the complexity of the songs in general. My wife has long been sick of me playing their Cds and vids over and over.

Click to expand...

Sorry that she doesn't care for them. Do tell her that you came across one other fanatical enthusiast (me). I saw them live at Pine Knob Amphitheater in Pontiac, MI; and was really quite impressed, especially that it was a good changeup from all the heavy rock going on at the time. I didn't own any of their albums yet, but did get a few of them after that concert. I was wondering throughout the concert if the guitar player was ever going to do much, but soon forgot about it because they were so good in every song.

mavuser said:

Jack ever used his Guild.

Click to expand...

My recollection is that Jack used Starfires until the Alembic, circa 1972 or so and then had the Quan Flying V with Guild neck and Bisonics on stage in the late 70's. After that the only Guild sighting I recall is a B50 that I think dates to the 90's.

I think he owned three original Starfires. One was stolen, the next is now in the R&R Hall of Fame and the third is basically unmodified and still in his possession. There is a pic floating around of him with a fourth Starfire but I think he was posing with store stock and not one of his instruments.

Based upon interviews and the history of the Jack Casady Signature I wouldn't expect him to show up with a Starfire unless it was a special occasion.

I fully expect mellowgerman and mgod to chime in and add to the above or correct me. They are good at that and I often need it

I'm no mgod, but IIRC, in the early 80s, when Jack and Jorma reunited after their "hiatus", Jack picked up a B50 or B30. Then he found the Les Paul HB Sig that inspired the Casady Sig. I haven't seen him play anything but his sig since it was issued by Epi .

When I saw him with Tuna Acoustic (dozens of shows), he usually had a SWR Baby Blue II, until the last few years, when he seems to use an Alessandro Basset Hound into an Aguilar Casady cab.
Electric he often used that huge Aguilar tube amp (DB 728/DB680) into big Aguilar cabs. Even saw him with a bass pod!

I have a vague recollection of seeing him with a SWR Interstellar Overdrive preamp,IIRC, when he played with Kantner's JS Acoustic Explorer in the late 90s or so. But I could be wrong.