Hey, James here…
So as you guys know I’m not just some ‘online bass guy’.
I’m out there making music happen and have been earning a living from the crazy game for a couple of decades.
Even in the madness of the last few months I’ve managed to ‘keep my hand’ in… which I’m truly grateful for.
Last week I was working in a fantastic studio owned by a mighty fine producer / engineer called Luke Oldfied.
(Luke is Mike Oldfied's son and has been restoring his studio from the 80s with all this incredible vintage gear… but that’s a story for another day)
Anyway I was in the ‘live room ‘and I picked up this beautiful looking P-bass with flat wound strings which just played and sounded awesome.
Turns out it’s a 1963… a proper piece of history.
I knew at that moment I just had to find a 60s vibe P-bass and of course get it strung up with flats.
I’m not yet ready to spend the big bucks because I'm reasonably sure I can lay my hands on something that I can turn into a ‘gigging instrument’ when I’m not too worried about damaging it.
But where do I start? There are reissues, JV fenders from the 80s, custom shops, Moollons...
The bottom line is I’ve just got to play a bunch and see what speaks to me.
So asking around on Facebook my friend Kevin said borrow mine… it’s made in Japan and only 10 years old but I think you’ll be surprised 😉
Anyway I’ve been loving this bass so much it’s inspired me to make a James Jamerson style lesson where I share a ‘hack’ which will enable you to start getting to grips with his legendary style… super quickly.
Unquestionably a P-bass with flatwound strings is the Motown sound.
Let me know in the comments if you think I should get this bass 😉
Also… don’t forget to grab the FREE pdf so you can see the lesson content written out in standard notation and tab.
Keep groovin’ hard,
James
