Jimmy "Flim" Johnson

[jakebass]

Hi Jimmy, Overly-excited bass fills (you're allowed in my book... and some)
I'm sure it was an exciting time and rightly so, I regard Allan as one of the foremost contemporary music writers. I guess it's a taste thing but the reason I like Allan in particular is that he retains a very real sense of melody despite being at the cutting edge of harmonic and rhythmic possibility, whereas some writers abandon palatability in favour of displaying chops.
There is a lot of music out there at the moment that is about the player (especially recently on bass) I think the real art lies in never abandoning the support role but having an interesting enough voice in that register to make it valid.  
Only a life long challenge... he he.  
It's why I love it.
Jake

[uswjtfan]

Hi JJ,
 
Had to go do day-gig business in Albuquerque this week, so my response is delayed.  I have one photo, right off the bat, in digital format already, of the bass that you mention.  Unfortunately, you were playing it at the time, so I cropped it so you will not have to avert your eyes (chuckle).  It is not high quality as I expect of my photos these days.  Back then, I was focused on recording the WJT music.  I only brought my camera out for snapshots a few times.  Photography was on the back burner for me.  I was working 84 hours a week 100 miles south of you back in 1982, so I do not have as many photographs as you would expect. I do have some slides from years ago that I have not looked at in years.  Many slides that I took got lost because I lived in a house that caught on fire in Burbank.  Maybe I do have some photos of the stolen bass in what slides are remaining, so I will look, when I have time.  
 
Here is the photo that I have found today.  
 

 
 
 
Ray
 
(Message edited by uswjtfan on March 13, 2009)

[uswjtfan]

JJ,
 
I have some audio recordings that will not make you have to avert your eyes, while you listen.  I have restored digital renditions of Arrowhead and EPP that may be the best available.  Drummer BB provided the EPP recording for the restoration of that one.  Arrowhead came from something that I did directly from the master tape, when it was in the Jon Clarke homestead.
Ray
 
(Message edited by uswjtfan on March 12, 2009)
 
(Message edited by uswjtfan on March 13, 2009)

[David Houck]

Ray; great video!  Thanks for posting!

[thomas53]

Hi Jimmy,
I'm a hardcore Flim and the BB's fan. I love your bass playing, the music, all of it. What are the chances that you, Billy, Bill and Dick will get together and do another project?
 
Tom

[JimmyJ]

Hey Tom,
 
Thanks for that, always nice to hear from BB's fans.  We had fun making those records and I think you can hear it in the music.  Even the Warner Bros. experience was ... interesting and educational.  It was not really a normal kind of band, we only got together when projects were presented to us.  Consequently, when WB passed on our 3rd record option we let it go.  
 
So, no plans at this time to do any more together.  But one never knows...
 
Thanks for asking.
 
Jimmy J

[jos]

HI Jimmy!
 
I have been a fan of yours for a long time. I am really impressed by your sound and how you chose your notes on the instrument, always the right ones and in the right place and always some nice surprises. I truly love your playing.
As a bass player myself I am curious about your current equipment and what are you using today, besides of Alembic basses of course?  
I did stay close to Baked Potato last January when you did perform there with Allan Holdsworth but unfortunately it was sold out (both concerts)

[JimmyJ]

Hey Jan-Olof,
 
Thanks for the very kind words. Sorry we missed you at the Potato but, another time...
 
Gear talk?   Of course, that's why we're in here!
 
I'm still playing the same 5-string Series Alembics - a 1980 graphite fretless is the oldest, an '87 fretted is the main studio bass, two more '89 fretted basses are road bass and road backup/practice bass, and one more graphite fretless from '82 which I don't think I've ever played in public.  That's my collection, no other electric basses in this house.
 
I like the sound these basses direct, full range.  I never really got into bass amps as part of my sound - if you know what I mean.  So for the studio I just bring the '80 and '87, a power supply, a tuner and a DI box (lately I've been carrying an A-Design's REDDI).  I will only mic an amp if the Artist or engineer insists...
 
When I play live I still don't often carry an amp.  For a local club or playing in somebody's garage I'll bring a Walter Woods head and one or two EV-12 speakers in Thiel boxes.  BUT even in the tiny Baked Potato I also plug into the PA system.  
 
On the road when traveling light it's a power supply with a modified Simon Systems DI box and I rely on the PA monitor wedges to hear myself on stage.  When I can bring the trunk I have a 3-space rack with a power supply, tuner, REDDI DI box and a small headphone amp to drive my in-ear monitors.
 
There you go, more than you ever wanted to know!  Special mention to the great audio engineers I've had the chance to work with who make these basses sound extra good!
 
Jimmy J

[jos]

HI Jimmy!
 
Many thanks for the answer! The answer was actually something I was expecting from you. The Alembic basses really are on another level when the instrument is properly used and understood.  
Most of the bass systems on the market today are not really on the same level with Alembic basses. Bass players do endorsement deals most because of practical reasons.
 
Manufactures usually use the cheapest speakers and components to keep the cost down. I used to use a PA speaker system in the early days for my basses with EV speakers to get them sound full range.
In studio I did experiment with Millennia, Avalon and some more but Alembic preamp and Radial works too. Better studios always have good stuff anyway. Do you record the bass in two channels or one? I discovered that the Series bass sounds soooo good when recorded in two channels, its big like a house.
For live sound I will just use different stuff Ampeg SVT for dirt and Rock & Roll similar stuff like you for Jazz just because the clubs are small??. and quite much Alembic preamp with Power amp and with two or four 12\speakers. I think 10\are too tight for 5 string bass sometimes ?..but of course depending on the speakers.  
What kind of strings are you using? I have tied all kind of strings but did find that GHS Boomers sounds good with Alembic because of the midrange they have (or Elixire same string with coating) but Dean Markley Blue Steel if you like some more squeak. I also noticed how much bigger 45-130 sounds than 40-125 even if 40 feels good to play and sounds bigger then other strings when they are Boomers.  
But question for you is because your sound is sooooo good what are you using? It must definitely be the right thing!!!! I will check out what you are using?you have to remember that you are GOD!!!

[jacko]

Hey Jan-Olof, remember me? I was one of the three Alembic players you chatted with in Manchester at Bass day Uk a few years ago. I really loved your playing at that session and we're still waiting for you to come back for more or maybe even to do some JOS band gigs in Scotland ;-)  
 
edit - on the subject of 10 speakers, I back my EBS NEO 4x10 up with a NEO 2x12 and get superb coverage for all 5 strings. Mike Pisanek (who was also at manchester) uses a pair of Eden 210XST cabinets and they have an unbelievably low thump but I don't think they voice the upper register very well.  
 
Graeme
 
(Message edited by jacko on April 13, 2009)

[jos]

Hi Graeme!
 
Of course I remember you! How can you forget an Alembic user? Alembic rules Brother!
Yes you are right EBS NEO 410 is one of the best products they have produced so far. My son (who is also a bass player) has two EBS 410 NEOS and loves them. They have more low end than most 4X10 speakers. I use most of the time two EBS NEO 2X12 or then the same speaker combination you have. But for my Alembic Series One 5-String I did find the 2X12 more suitable. But things change all the time depending on the bass that I use and so on?.
Yes the Eden speaker is also one of the good ones?. it has strong EQ in the mid range and that is a part of the Eden sound.  
Other good useful stuff I did find is the new TC Rebel Head bass system. It?s actually the best D class amp so far.  
It would be nice to come to Scotland one day and hopefully to Manchester Bass Day again. I have a new instructional book/DVD coming out in September and there supposed to be three different versions of it: Finnish, English and German. But with the economical crises I do not know the schedule of the English and German versions yet.  
I was happy to find Jimmy J here, one of my all time favourite bass players, and now you!!! GREAT!!!

[JimmyJ]

Jan-Olof, (hey Graeme),
 
First of all, you'd better drop that God sh** right now, I'm just a bass player like most everybody else in here.
 
You guys all know more about current gear than I do because I have been using the same stuff for years.  What can I say, it works for me and I tend to stick with what works.  Unlike a lot of players, I am not on the continuous gear quest.  I pretty much do just one thing, two if you count the fretless, and I don't even play any thumb (an area that I think Jan-Olof is fully licensed...)  
 
Most people I play with know what sound they will get if they call me.  And while I have been lucky to fit into a bunch of different musical situations, I know my sound is not for everybody.  The big as a house thing sometimes takes up too much space in a track where a narrower bandwidth sound like a Fender might be a better fit.  In that case I'm not the guy to call.  To me the wide open natural sound of these instruments is more acoustic than electric - It goes great with acoustic piano and acoustic guitar, for instance.  And that extra top end available is nice for you funk-meisters.
 
So to answer your questions Jan-O...  Yes, I have recorded in stereo - slightly split pickup panning - but only on the Flim & the BB's projects and the Holdsworth records.  It is a great sound when there is room for all that tone.  I've played ghs boomers on my fretted basses since my first 5-string in 1976.  Right now it's their standard 5M-DYB medium gauge set - 45, 65, 85, 105, 130.  I change them often.
 
One other thing:  Gear talk is great but everybody has their own sound and it mostly comes from your hands.  If we sat with each other and swapped rigs I would sound like Jimmy on your bass and you would sound like Jan-Olof on mine.  You know what I mean?  Changes that you make with your gear can seem huge to you but outside of your own head it's often hard for anybody else to notice.  
 
Cheers,
Jimmy J

[dannobasso]

Well then how bout' exceptional, tasteful, wonderful chops coupled with a musical economy that plays for the composition and not the ego, fluid and extremely humble. But if you were a different sort, imagine the merch possibilities. Fan club fezzes! Or the buffalo hats from The Honeymooners! Shirts, caps, T's, mouse pads, shoe horns for the older set, golf club covers, key fobs, ringtones. The possibilities are endless. Travel Network show Cookin' with Flim as you tour the globe.Picture a segment traveling the Pubs of Ireland and the UK with AH to find the best bubble and squeek, bangers and mash, Welsh Rarebit, and assorted puddings. I'd watch it. I'd make time to watch it. I'd even go to Sam Ash and promote it. Especially if you did a China segment.
 
Jimmy Flim Johnson, not a god but a damn fine bassist and human being.  
 
Sincerely,
A Fan

[jos]

Hi Jimmy!
 
Thanks again. What I respect in a Bass Player (or actually any musicians) is the sound one gets and the feel that is put into the music. I do not care about how many notes are played or if it?s played with thumb, pick, fingers or something else as long as it sounds good?.
The first time I did hear you play was at Pori Jazz Festival in 1985 with Lee Ritenour. I did not know what to expect?a thumb player like Louis Johnson or someone like Nathan East maybe? But when you did hit the first note I was so impressed by your playing the sound was sooooo good and the things you did play was so musical. You were actually the first bass player after Jaco that really did touch me, by sound and overall performance. After that I did look for every record I could find with your name on it.  
I also think that all great players stick with their sound (and the equipment) when they find it. It becomes a trademark by nature. I think the main thing is to know what you want and then find the tools for that.  
Great instruments make the journey easier and more fun but are not the whole thing. There are so many great African players with poor instruments but still making great music.  
It?s just nice to know what great players like you are using, but of course, it?s always the man behind the instrument in the end that makes the noise?? and the same instrument really sounds different in different peoples hands. In that way these questions are nonsense? But still nice to know as some kind of sharing thoughts and ideas.    
I really love your playing, you are a great musician?. Thank you for the answers.

[JimmyJ]

Danno, that is some funny stuff!  I think my tv show would be more about the glamourous lifestyle of touring.  Episodes like Doing Laundry In Your Room or How To Sleep In A Van...  Thanks for your support.
 
Jan-Olof, that's amazing that you were there in Pori, thank you for that story.  I am continually amazed at the power of music.  Every gig we play is meaningful to somebody listening.  This is a great thing!!  
 
I'm cool with gear talk too.  There is always something to learn from the experience and recommendations of others.  I'm just saying, take it all with a grain of salt and then find what's right for you.
 
I have a lot of respect for bass players who have many different sounds in their palette and are continually discovering more.  I know some studio guys who have trunks full of instruments.  They usually end up playing the same one or two on everything ... but if they run into a situation that calls for an unusual sound they can whip it right out.  That's pretty cool.  My only experience along these lines was when some pals called me to play on some 60's & 70's library music.  They started asking me about what basses and amps I could bring and I offered to play whatever instruments THEY brought.  I ended up playing a few tracks on a beat up Hofner through an Ampeg B-15.  Hilarious!  Sure glad that's not my everyday axe though...
 
Thanks again for all the kind words fellas.
Jimmy J