What kind of bass does les claypool play

Les Claypool is not an average bass player by any means. Claypool applies very unusual and very humerous playing with lots of chords, minor scales, incredibly difficult techniques, and much more complex slapping. He best known as the bass player and lead vocalist of the band Primus.

According to the information available, J. Not much is known about the bass equipment, but it is obvious that John had it sorted with great complexity for instance, it was set up by the acclaimed Pete Cornish. He even had a short-scale fretless made recently and Carl put piccolo strings on it, but Les wanted standard strings instead. It will help give your sound more punch and keep the volume of your strings even.

He maintains that all his basses are one-of-a-kind. In , she was given the non-performer Ahmet Ertegun Award for her songwriting contributions, along wither her ex-husband and onetime creative partner Gerry Goffin. Does Les Claypool play a 5 string bass? Does Les Claypool have a brother? Is Les Claypool Buckethead? I just feel it. Did you find it more difficult or liberating to work under the constraints of a concept album?

At first I was a little concerned about the music, because it was all, [ sings ] Dun de dun, de dee de dee —very Dungeons-and-Dragonsy. When we first auditioned Herb many years ago, what did we do? We played Rush tunes.

Whereas when we sat down with Jayski, we were playing Isley Brothers tunes or Prince or whatever. Do you find yourself changing your approach when you go from one drummer to another, or does it just happen? I imagine I think about it, but not terribly. I always go back to that conversation metaphor with music.

But your playing just naturally changes when playing with different people, the way a conversation would change if I was talking to you versus my dad. What does it require to learn an album of complex material for an upcoming tour? I just have to go through and figure out what I did. Yeah, I like the old one.

The newer version confuses me. I did. I do use a lot of outboard gear, like Mercury compressors, which are unbelievable replicas of old Fairchild compressors. I use them on vocals and bass. With all of your production experience, do you go back and listen to old recordings and say, 'Oh my God'?

For sure. Like, for the Brown Album [, Interscope], we used the tape machine and we hit it way too hard, and the tones are all farty—but it has this certain quality. The record industry is a whole new ballgame now; records have become almost promotional items so you can sell concert tickets and T-shirts.

If I did only Primus all the time, I would dry up. But I get to do all of these other things, which is phenomenal. It comes as no wonder that the sound follows his eccentric look. He has been known to use a variety of basses. Claypool has also been known to own and play other eccentric bass guitar models including his own designed Pachyderm maple bass, a fair share of upright Kay Basses, and others.

See the full list below. Reportedly this was the first bass he wielded for his early tenure with Primus, it was regularly rotated with his Ibanez as he got around the tweaks and specs on this CT bass. Nevertheless, it took the spotlight as Primus grew in popularity in the San Francisco Bay area, soon enough Claypool would become a trademark player for this cult instrument line.

As for the specs on this 4-string Piccolo, it only features a single EMG soap bar pickup and the rest is history. This one was drastically different from his Walnut 4 string.

First of all, it had six strings. The bass was made with a beautiful all-wood bridge assembly with wooden saddles to keep that natural tone Les was so famous for. After you plug the bass in you can hear the amazing tone. Having the pretty matching colored fret lines inlaid in the ebony fretboard makes it easy to play. The strings are threaded through the back of the rear extension — near where the strap pin is.

The basic part of the neck is made of quarter-sawn hard rock maple. Rumor has it that Les recently may have bought another 6 string bass to retire the original Rainbow Bass. This is one of my favorite Les Claypool Bass guitars of all time. This particular bass has been used by Les for some time.

A little bit of Rickenbacker, Fender Jazz, and Precision, and last but never least, some of his signature Carl Thompson features. Claypool worked with luthier and longtime friend Dan Maloney to form the company and create his idea of the ultimate bass. This bass is a fog cutter of an instrument with its forward punch and growly finish. With its birds-eye patterned maple and dark chocolate marbled cocobolo wood pickguard.

This maple bass has a very forward attack and it is a punchy bastard. The bass is incredibly lightweight and zingy, with perfect balance. It has one knob for volume and a switch for the fingerboard side markers. The bottom end is solid yet has a knocking hollowness to it when the low E is struck with the thumb.

The upper pluck is bright and when playing pizzicato the notes leap off the fretboard. Other features include raised LED fret markers with a dimmer, a Kahler Whammy bridge, and a bronze Pachyderm medallion. What is unarguable, however, is the number of bass legends that have used one to great effect. Les Claypool is one of them. The list does go on and on! The bass guitar is an iconic bass in visual terms — and this example in Midnight Blue is no exception. The deep, rich coloring sits very well alongside the white scratchplate, truss rod cover, and white outer edge binding.

The almost orange hue of the fret gloss-coated rosewood fingerboard adds a natural element to the visuals, while the Sharktooth mother-of-pearl position inlays add a vintage vibe.

However, certain elements seem a little fragile, particularly in the hardware department, although this is a minor concern. The NXT Series Double Bass opens up a new horizon for the serious bassist looking to play a great instrument on a limited budget. Les is no exception. It exemplifies flawless workmanship.