Brian's Bass Tone

[Niko]

To me, one of the most distinctive characteristics of Brian's 'Pet Sounds' productions are his use of the bass - specifically their playing in the upper register. I love the tone very muchly, and I've tried to replicate it a few times messing around with some tones and overdubbing at home, but never with any real determination. The closest I've come to the sound was using a Hofner with flatwounds playing the lower part, and a Fender Strat to double the bass notes, playing in the Strat's  lower/mid-range.

Brian's setup was as I understand, a double bass playing on the bottom, a Fender bass playing the middle, and a Danelectro bass playing the higher parts.

What kind of Dano bass(es) did Brian employ? Longhorn's have a great sound, but I can't recall ever seeing one in a BB session photograph. Did he use just a normal 56-SC/59-DC bass with flatwounds, playing the same notes as the other basses but in the upper range? That's what it has always sounded like to me.

Any information would be much appreciated!

[puni puni]

You're forgetting the masking tape

[Niko]

You're forgetting the masking tape

sh*t! That's the secret ingredient isn't it? 

I'll try it though...or some kind other kind of mute. I hear styrofoam works pretty well too~

[guitarfool2002]

You're thinking of the wrong Danelectro bass - That one element in between acoustic and electric (Fender P-Bass, either Ray Pohlman or Carole) was a Danelectro Baritone, also called a "six string bass" or "Tic-Tac Bass" back in the day. The option was to either get a baritone string set tuned usually A-to-A or B-to-B as I have mine, or to get a set of strings tuned an octave lower than guitar E-to-E. Played with a pick, it gave that tic-tac sound that was all over records from the late 50's into the mid-60's, everything from Nashville to Hollywood to Lawrence Welk. Signature sound, you can't duplicate it authentically without some version of the tic-tac bass and a pick doubling the bass line.

An example of one playing the lead melody is "The Lonely Surfer" by Jack Nitzsche.

Another key to that PS 4-string bass sound is adding effects - slap echo/delay and some reverb too. Besides playing with a pick which cuts through the mix, those effects made it stand out even more, and adding those kinds of effects to bass isn't usually done in "modern" recording but it was a key to that sound Brian's productions had.

The muting, whether by masking tape or by palm/muting, gave the tone an extra percussive "snap" with the pick instead of fingers that triggered the delay and echo even more prominently, just like a vocalist deliberately popping hard consonants triggered tape delay on a vocal track (think Gene Vincent and Be Bop A Lula).

Here is an ad when the Danelectro baritone/six-string bass was "new":

[guitarfool2002]

Just for show-and-tell, here is my Danelectro Baritone, notice the long neck to accommodate the tuning, and also the modernized body style versus the classic 60's models. I have the baritone strings on it, again either A-to-A or B-to-B depending on the song. It gives a really nice sound for low open chords that the "six string bass" option doesn't really offer as much, yet you can still get those nice retro low notes.

Another feature is the bridge, they fixed the problem with the older Danelectro wooden bridges which I've heard a lot of pro players would replace so the intonation would be more accurate by adding a metal bridge with saddles where you could adjust each string.

And for those who have never played a Danelectro, you can't tell but the body is hollow.

[Niko]

Thanks for the info! I own a 59-DC Dano guitar, which I love, and I have always been tempted to get Dano bass. Are those 6 strings the same ones Brian would use? Next time I have a few hundred dollars to blow, I may have to get one...

[guitarfool2002]

Thanks for the info! I own a 59-DC Dano guitar, which I love, and I have always been tempted to get Dano bass. Are those 6 strings the same ones Brian would use? Next time I have a few hundred dollars to blow, I may have to get one...

More or less, yes they are. If you get a Danelectro baritone, you're getting the same basic model that was used in the 50's and 60's, although as I said there will be updated features, more modern touches, it really depends on the model. But basically, if you get a Danelectro baritone model from the past 15 years or so, it will give you that sound.

The key feature, though, to look out for is if you find one new, or even used, they'll probably have the "baritone" strings. If you want the six-string bass E-to-E set, you'll probably need to buy that set and perhaps have the nut modified a bit as well to accommodate the heavier gauge. Most of these guitars will have the strings that I have on mine as a general rule, there is more of a demand for that sound.

If you check around the web you'll find a lot of good info to consider before buying one, including the string setup issues I mentioned. Great instrument no matter what setup!


EDIT: forgot the photo...if this remote link works, it's that famous Smile-era shot of Bill Pittman playing a Danelectro next to Carl at Western.