What bass?

[horseguards]

I've just started learning the bass so this question may reflect my ignorance.

Is it possible to determine type of bass,strings, effects, how a sound is achieved by just listening to a music track?

The specific track is "It Wasn't My Idea To Dance" (1971) by The Move. On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl7ljxy_j38

The bass really starts at c. 0:48. The clarity is excellent.

Grant.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What bass?

Some times it is.

In the case of 1971-era Move, it would first be necessary to ascertain who is playing bass guitar on the track. Photographs exist of Roy Wood using a modified Fender Jazz Bass on which two strings are sensed by one pickup and the other two by a second pickup. The separate signals are sent to individual output sockets. Numerous possibilities for signal dividing, processing and recombining present themselves.

Remembering Wood's penchant for studio wizardry (pun intended!), it is highly probable that the bass guitar part would have been double tracked with different sounds or a mono bass track on tape re-amped and/or distorted after the fact.

If I were asked to reproduce that tone in a single pass, I would probably use a Rickenbacker 4001 and run both output sockets.

 

[horseguards]

Re: What bass?

I reckon you're spot on. According to Rickenbacker's Wikipeadia page the 4001 was "Known for their distinctive jangle and chime." A rough approximation of the sound can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pRXbUWeL74

I'll do some more research on this.

Thanks for your help.