Hello everyone. I admit I haven't listened to that song for years, so I can't confirm. Can you please confirm me whether John used a 5-string bass there?
Thanks
Well, I think it was Dropped D tuned four-string bass, because:
1) D is the lowest note in the bass line.
2) I have compared basslines in BEADG and DADG tunings and found the second one easier to play.
3)John was so loyal to his PB's, that I can't imagine him playing a 5-string. BTW, he had already used DADG tuning in The Prophet's Song.
I think that was either The Opposition or Phillip Nothaft (or were they one and the same?).
I also seem to remember that one of the Off The Record score-books (Innuendo,GHII or Classic Queen) has John as playing a 5-string, though I may well be wrong on that. I know that the tab in Innuendo was different to either or both of the other ones at least. If one of them did denote a 5-string on IGSM, it may have contributed to to the 'myth'.
I haven't really studied it, but my gut-instinct is that it's more likely to be a regular bass in drop-D.
eedodededededea wrote:
3)John was so loyal to his PB's(...)
Not really... /inc/instruments/photos/1971_early/1971_rickenbacker.jpg
John's main bass in the early days was a Rickenbacker. /inc/instruments/photos/1977_adatr/1977_bass.jpg
Music Man Stingray. He used that for most of the A Day At The Races tour. Later on he moved back to his Fender Precision, but he still used that one sometimes (Another One Bites The Dust, Sheer Heart Attack). /inc/instruments/photos/1980_game/1981_spare.jpg
Kramer Custom (the first one). It was his spare.
http://sebastian.queenconcerts.com/g-bass.htm
And here, as you can see, there are another 2 basses John used (the one made by Giffin, and the Warwick Buzzard, that he used in Prince's Trust Concert - you can also see it in the Montreux'86 festival video).
I'm not saying you're wrong about John not using a 5-string bass... I'm just pointing out that he wasn't totally "loyal" to his Fender-P, he did use a few other bass guitars. Both in the studio and on stage. ;)
I'm not sure about slightly mad, but the Off The Record books definatly specifc a five string bass for Headlong. I'll have to check about 'Mad' when I am home this evening
I know for an absolute fact that John played a detuned 6-string acoustic guitar on Slightly Mad. It does make sence if you think about it; just look at the song title.
