Tame Impala Lonerism bass strings

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Solsterg123

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Apr 9, 2016
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#1
I purchased a 500/1 CT hofner bass a few months back and have bought some D'Addario ECB81M Chromes Bass flats to try and replicate the slide-sound and tone of 'Lonerism' but I think they lose the muted tone I liked with strings that came with the bass originally.

Does anyone know the strings Kevin used when he recorded Lonerism? Or any that give a similar tone? Thanks, from very much a bass noob!
 
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#4
Tame Impala just copied the Beatles sound. So as Mc Cartney once said regarding strings, "long shiny ones".

It's a deep rabbit hole to chase someone else's tone. Usually the original artist can't even reproduce their recorded tone on stage.

But if you insist, try some roto 88s or pyramid flats. You will also need heavy compression and at least some kind of tube emulating pedal to cop that vibe.
 
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#9
Freightshaker said:
Tame Impala just copied the Beatles sound. So as Mc Cartney once said regarding strings, "long shiny ones".
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+1. I think an awful lot of professionals out there (especially older ones) are not gearheads like we are here. Many talk as though they just picked up an instrument and started playing with it and eventually the got discovered and someone made them famous. They may have been influenced by other musicians, but they never cared much to copy their exact tone or worry about the quality of their tort like we do here.

But times are different now, and we have instant access to huge amounts of media and data. So who knows what McCartney might have thought about his strings if the internet came around before his time.
 
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#11
bolophonic said:
I personally don't feel like it is completely out of line to expect someone to do a tiny bit of their own leg work when they are asking people to help them out with something.
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Thanks for this post. This is exactly the point I was trying to make earlier.

If I'm the one asking a question, the least I should do is to make sure my question is presented in a way people understand it without having to rely on Google.
 
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#13
bolophonic said:
I personally don't feel like it is completely out of line to expect someone to do a tiny bit of their own leg work when they are asking people to help them out with something.
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To be honest I didn't understand the question that he was asking. When I read the title I thought he was talking about a type of bass strings I never heard of.
 
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#14
Ok I gave them a listen. Kind of reminds me of a Oasis/ Beatles mix. As far as strings I don't have a clue. As far as your Chromes go, how long have you had them. They take a couple months to break in. If you want a more muted tone than that see if rotosound tapewounds come in the scale length you need or Labella flats but give them time to break in.
 
#18
Solsterg123 said:
I purchased a 500/1 CT hofner bass a few months back and have bought some D'Addario ECB81M Chromes Bass flats to try and replicate the slide-sound and tone of 'Lonerism' but I think they lose the muted tone I liked with strings that came with the bass originally.

Does anyone know the strings Kevin used when he recorded Lonerism? Or any that give a similar tone? Thanks, from very much a bass noob!
Click to expand...
Welcome to Talk Bass I hope you stick around I use Pyramid flats they are pricey but they last a long time. I would like to know what type of amp you're using? Cam also plays a Jazz bass and I'm not sure what he played on that album but I've played their songs with a Jazz and Hofner. I found some links to some other threads for you good luck in your search. Cam Avery from Tame Impala Bass Effects on Tame Impala? Bass Effects on Tame Impala?
 
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#19
SirMjac28 said:
Welcome to Talk Bass I hope you stick around I use Pyramid flats they are pricey but they last a long time. I would like to know what type of amp you're using? Cam also plays a Jazz bass and I'm not sure what he played on that album but I've played their songs with a Jazz and Hofner. I found some links to some other threads for you good luck in your search. Cam Avery from Tame Impala Bass Effects on Tame Impala? Bass Effects on Tame Impala?
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Kevin records every instrument himself. The touring members are all current/former members of the Aussie psych band Pond. He uses a Hofner and previous touring bassists Dom and Nick did as well. It very well could have been the same one. Nick used to use a Big Muff and some sort of Boss digital delay. Current touring bassist Cam Avery plays an AVRI Jazz with D'addario chromes through an Aguilar Tonehammer 500. Not sure what pedals he uses. The tone is close enough live. I know that for some songs Kevin runs the bass through some of his guitar pedals. They are the reverb, vibrato, & compressor I believe. Sorry this doesn't actually answer your question OP but figured I'd share what I knew.
 
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#20
joker820 said:
Kevin records every instrument himself. The touring members are all current/former members of the Aussie psych band Pond. He uses a Hofner and previous touring bassists Dom and Nick did as well. It very well could have been the same one. Nick used to use a Big Muff and some sort of Boss digital delay. Current touring bassist Cam Avery plays an AVRI Jazz with D'addario chromes through an Aguilar Tonehammer 500. Not sure what pedals he uses. The tone is close enough live. I know that for some songs Kevin runs the bass through some of his guitar pedals. They are the reverb, vibrato, & compressor I believe. Sorry this doesn't actually answer your question OP but figured I'd share what I knew.
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Very cool info thanks and I think it more than helps the Op. I love that band I made up a patch on my Zoom B3 it sounds good enough and it also shows how versatile Hofner basses are.
 
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