FLEA

[88persuader]

On the thread about the Live Earth concert a few people mentioned how impressed with Flea they were. Well I have to be honest ... I've never been blown away by Flea and the work he's done with the Chili Peppers. I always thought he was hyped up because compaired to a lot of straight rock bass players he's a real stand out. But the other night I saw a video ... Stanley Clark and Friends. (Yes Stanley was playing his signature series II bass) The last tune was School Daze and Stanley had ... about 8 other bass players with him. ALL monsters!! And FLEA was one of them ... he did an AWESOME Job! He held his own with bass players like Stanley, Bunny Burrel, Marcus Miller and a many others. So ... after THAT performance I have to admit I'm now a FLEA believer! His abilities go far beyond what I've heard him play with the Chili Peppers.  
 
BTW ... he plays Modulus ... my 2nd favorite bass and someone asked what the bass player for Dave Matthews was playing. I didn't see their performance however Stefhan Lessard (Please forgive my poor spelling) plays Modulus also so that's probably what he was playing.

[keavin]

I saw the night school video also & after watching & listening to it made me glad I own an alembic, did you knotice how the alembic sounded like it was a living/breathing instrument compared to the other basses?

[georgie_boy]

I'd love to see this video---any ideas where I can see it??

[keavin]

i saw it on pay-per view but you can also get more info on it here http://www.stanleyclarke.com/magazine/current_edition.htm
 
(Message edited by keavin on July 09, 2007)

[alembic_doctor]

Between you, me and the fence post;  I wish I could jump like that and still play all the right notes.

[Bradley Young]

Ha!
 
I can't talk while I'm playing.  Forget jumping.

[rami]

Flea Has a video out called Adventures in spontaneous jamming and techniques  It's in the same format as Jaco's Modern Electric Bass video.  He's interviewed by River Phoenix, where he discusses his influences, technique, and so on.  He also plays up a storm.  I highly recommend it for it's instructional as well as entertainment value.  He's one heck of a Bass player - and for a guy who admits to being musically illiterate, he's really impressive.
 
Definitely worth a look.
 
Rami

[88persuader]

Hey i never said I thought Flea was a hack! :-) I just thought he was a very good funk player who DIDN'T stand out among other FUNK/JAZZ players and gained a lot of extra respect because the Chili Peppers are marketed as a rock band more then a funk band. But again he surprised me holding his own amoung all those heavy hitter bass players and definitely made me eat crow! He IS an outstanding bass player!
 
In regard to finding the video ... I found it on my TV cable provider under FREE pay for view concerts. Just lucked into it.  
 
In regard to Keavin's reference about the Alembic bass sounds standing out ... I agree. However honestly I though ALL the players had great sounds ...even Marcus with his old Fender Jazz bass. I'm an Alembic player but also love many other brands. I'm a big fan of Modulus basses ... they sound great and are the most SOLID basses I've ever owned ... and i think bang for the buck you can't touch Carvin basses. A friend of mine just got a Carvin 5 string with all the options and case NEW factory direct to his specifications for under $1400. When i saw and played it I drooled!!!! For the money it's VERY Impressive, can't be touched. If I didn't currently hold some debt for a Chapman Stick I bought a few months ago I'd definitely order a Carvin 6 string bass to add to my collection. And I WILL order one once my debt is cleared up. It's a BIG world out there and there are some amazing basses to be had. My Alembic is the bass I'm most proud of owning but I love many other brands too. Of course if I were RICH I'd own one of every Alembic model bass and guitar available ... just because! :-) They ARE after all the Rolls Royce of guitars!

[bigbadbill]

I also love other basses, but I have to say I agree about the Alembics on that dvd. I think Stanley and Jimmy sound waaay better than anyone else. Jimmy's solo is the standout for me. Stanley maks a bit of a hash of it for a change, but I think I can let him off.  But Flea, I agree. Despite being a huge Chilis fan - I'd go so far as to say they're possibly my favourite band - I always rather underrated him. Then I saw them live at the Leeds festival some years back and he was great, one of the best bassists I've seen live. Plus I love him to death, he seems the humblest, warmest, most open-minded human being.

[dfung60]

Flea does a have a very powerful, independent style - he merged traditional rock, slap, and punk styles into something that's very common today but was pretty unique in the early days of the Chilis.  And he was commercially successful enough that this mix got heard and influenced a whole new generation.  He's not my favorite player, but I would definitely put him in my top 10 list of most influential bassists...
 
It's well known and has been discussed here in the past that Flea was also an Alembic user.  Somebody will follow up with the specifics, but he was the cover guest of an issue of Bass Player during the Chili's peak days and in his interview, he mentioned that he used an Alembic in the studio on at least one of their huge album hits (I think it was either Mother's Milk or Blood Sugar Sex Magik).  He was very visible onstage and in ads at that time with Musicman, probably their most high-profile endorser, but in the studio he choose a solidbody Alembic (I think an Epic, but I'm not sure).  His change to endorsing Modulus didn't happen until a few years later (that must have been around 1994 or so), so I'm not quite sure what happened.  
 
You definitely can hear different sorts of bass sounds on the Chili's records, some very distinctively the Stingray, some definitely not although I wouldn't have picked Alembic as those alternate sounds.
 
David Fung

[lbpesq]

I believe Flea also blazed the trail on an innovative approach to the problem of buckle rash on the back of an instrument.  hehehehe
 
Bill, tgo

[dannobasso]

The story goes, he wanted an endorsement of about a 1/2 dozen instruments. Alembic don't play dat. So he went elsewhere.  
I admire his ability to make a considerable income playing his music.

[rami]

I never thought I'd do it, but I found this Carvin LB76P that I couldn't resist.
 
Solid Flame Koa body, 5 piece Maple & Walnut neck, Birdseye Maple fingerboard with stainless steel frets, Piezo electronics upgrade with 18 volt battery supply.  It can also play in passive mode.  Just an awesome Bass.  $1500.  
 
 

 
 
I was always curious about Carvin Basses, and I must say that I was not disappointed.

[tbrannon]

Nice bass Rami- what's your opinion of the electronics?  The only negative I've heard about Carvin basses in the past 5 years has been from guys saying that they ended up swapping out the pups and throwing some barts or emg's in them.  What do you think so far?
 
I've owned several Carvin bass amps and have been totally happy.  I'm currently trying to decide whether to buy one of their B1500 amps or to pick up a Carvin power amp and then go preamp shopping.  
 
Toby

[rami]

It sounds great Toby.  As a long time Alembic lover and player, I wish that I could just totally trash everything else.  But I can't.  I can't think of a single thing to complain about it.  It has a beautiful rich and full sound.  It's controls allow unlimited tone shaping.  It's crisp and clear with tons of sustain.  It's construction and fit and finish are superb.  The action is super low and the frets are perfectly manicured.  I found it on Carvin's Guitars in Stock page.  For $1500, it's a give away.
Just magnificent.
 
I also recently bought a B1500 monoblock head.  It blows my Eden rig away.  It actually drives my Eden 410XLT cabinet BETTER than my Eden amp.  It cost $699!!!!!  I have a BRX10.4 cabinet on order.
 
I think Carvin gear should serve as a wakeup to the industry.