Jimmy "Flim" Johnson

[JimmyJ]

Hey friends,
 
As usual, you guys know more about this than I do (perhaps it's time I subscribe to that newsletter)....  As far as I know I WILL be on that tour although I'm not sure who else will be in the band.  It's usually fun though and I'm looking forward to it.  
 
It would be nice to connect with you and yours over there again, time and schedules permitting.  Let's see what happens.
 
Cheers,
Jimmy J

[jakebass]

Just found out my gigs are daytime and are 40 mins from the O2, so London for me :0)
Jake

[jos]

Hi Guys! It looks like I have to consider a trip to Glasgow in July! Jimmy rules brothers!  
 
All The Best,
J-O-S

[jacko]

You'd be welcome to stay with us if you do decide to come for the gig jan-olof.
 
Graeme

[jacko]

hey Jimmy.  it would be really great to get together again. However, if that's not possible you could always give us a wave - I got in early for tickets so should be somewhere near the front :-)
 
Graeme

[jacko]

Just had the email from JT giving me my seat allocation for Glasgow. Third row Centre stage. Woo Hoo. Can't wait. Give me a wave :-)    
 
Graeme

[dadabass2001]

Lucky man, Graeme. Enjoy!
Mike

[white_cloud]

This is a bit off topic Jimmy but a friend (big Holdsworth fan) recently asked me why Jeff Berlin never played with Allan Holdsworth after the Road Games recording - I replied that I didnt know, but I knew a man that might!!!  
 
Did it come down to musical differences or simply because he found an outstanding replacement? :-)

[JimmyJ]

John,
Thanks for the compliment but I really don't have an answer to that question.  Jeff and Allan are still both playing great so ... it could still happen...  I've enjoyed coming and going with Allan for many years but he is free to call anybody he might want to record or play with.  Sometimes the people he calls simply have other commitments but we all appreciate his unique music and want to join in when we are able.  There may be some surprise guests on the record he is currently working on....
Jimmy J

[white_cloud]

Thanks for the reply Jimmy, you are a gentleman. I also liked the tease about the surprise guests! Cant wait to hear the new recordings :-)

[bigredbass]

Jimmy:
 
Hope this finds you well and the book full !
 
Have a question:  Though you've played five-string for so long now, when you do dates where you are 'replaying' tunes that were originally cut on 4-string, do you play the things that were obviously first-posititon on the recording that way, or do you come up the neck and play, say, things in E from the E on your B-string?
 
I'm constantly torn between one or the other, and have not figured out a good plan to stick with one or the other . . . how do you approach that situation?  I transitioned from 4 to 5 in the early 80's, and still remember a lot of simple tunes I played from open E or A, and I tend to go right back there, though somehow I guiltily feel I should be playing from the B-string.
 
All the Best,
 
J o e y

[JimmyJ]

Hey J o e y,
 
Nice question.  I'm sure your low B string won't feel neglected if you don't use it.  HA!  If you feel like playing a tune in E all based on the 5th fret then why not?  As long as you like the sound of it there then stick with it (plus, it's an easier reach).
 
Two things pop to mind on this subject; one is that you can often tell when a the bass player has just gotten his first 5-string because every opportunity to play below E puts him right down there.  It's hard to resist the option at first but it's not always the right choice, in my opinion.  Sometimes it's a little distracting.
 
The second thing is, I used to run into engineers and sometimes Artists that were so used to hearing low-E as the limit that they were spooked by anything lower and didn't want me to play those notes.  Now days we're used to it more and some of the metal bands are tuned way down there all the time.
 
I think in the end I use it sparingly.  Really the low-B only in passing or maybe for the last note of a tune but rarely as part of any pattern unless it's some heavy prog music doubling synths  (don't ask).
 
Furthermore, the B string is such a thick gauge that I don't think it sounds very nice as you get higher up the neck.  The overtones are pretty whacked just due to the physics.  So in the studio if the song is in E-flat I'll often tune the whole bass down so I can play the longer string for a truer sounding open E-flat...
 
The opposite of that is, if you want to play an open-D but want it to sound real thick then playing it way up on 10th fret on the E-string might be just the ticket.  And I do use the B-string up high if I need to play some fast line that I can't otherwise reach.  The fundamental is there but I don't linger...
 
Excuse my long-winded reply!
Jimmy J

[bigredbass]

You're excused.
 
I ran into that 'what was THAT' with some guys regarding the 'extra' low notes.  Interestingly, they didn't seem to hear D or D# as 'too low', but C's really seemed to get them.  I too only use the very lowest for pedal point whole notes or the end of a song.  
 
I do see the 'OhBoy, new five-string, dig this' low notes everywhere syndrome.  I'd be less than candid if I did not admit to a slight case of it myself at first.  I was very flattered when a guitar player I really respect told me I DIDN'T sound like I was playing a five-string:  He'd obviously spent some time with the afflicted . . .
 
But I've always felt adding a 'whole 'nother string' just to pick up from E-flat to low B is wwwaaaaayyyy too much work.  I always approach it from the idea of playing across the fingerboard rather than up and down the neck.  My keyboard background drummed into my head all the notes should appear in a linear order, and with two octaves across five frets, well the little light bulb came on.
 
Thanks, Jimmy.
 
J o e y

[JuancarlinBass]

Oh, coincidence, I am currently rehearsing with a band where I am doing some heavy prog music doubling synths.  We' re in the middle of negotiations to be the opening local act for one of the big ones (not so much according to a few) in about a month.  
 
Seems like a nice moment to try the 5th on my Epic. But now you' ve got me curious, Jimmy. Difficult not to ask. Not that I will, but anyway, hahaha!

[richbass939]

Jimmy,  
Interesting timing for this conversation about use of the low B.  The May 2011 issue of Bass Player mag has a reprint of an interview you did with them in 1992. I will have to paraphrase it since it is a copyrighted piece.
Jimmy Johnson  - unsung heroes of bass evolution.
JJ- pioneer of the low B.
The 5 string Alembic was unique in the mid 70s.
When someone just gets a 5, you hear only low notes.  You don't have to stay on the low B all the time.  Play the 4 strings and go to the B when you need to.
JJ was probably the first to play a bass with the low B.  He wanted to have an extended E string, but couldn't find a manufacturer who would make the extra long string.  Instead, he got an Alembic 5 string (made for a high C) and adapted it for a low B, put a .120 string on it and in 1976 he had an BEADG 5 string.
 
Jimmy, I'm sorry that my paraphrasing sounds so lame.  I hate rewriting what you said in the interview.  I respect their copyrighted material but wanted to share that BP is talking about you again.  It seems that in the last few years they have finally started giving you a little bit of the recognition that is so long overdue.  I say it's 'bout dang time.
Rich