Entwistle's 8 String Rickenbacker, circa 1979

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 6:34 am

Give this time to load- at 4:22 or so, He is rehearsing with the 8 string. And, hey, Sister Disco is a great song- he's playing the Alembic Exploiter in it, and gets great tone out of it!

The whole shpeel is like a Spinal Tap behind the scenes video. I like how the roadie looks at 4:45

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KyCEyBY7sKU

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:37 am

That was cool - when he's playing the 8-string the stage manager guy looks like he's holding the old sytle Alembic F-2B preamp too. Too bad no front view of the Ric!

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 7:42 am

On second look, at the beginning in the Roger closeups, you can see the 8 string in the stand, in the background. MMMMMMM

stts64 · Post by **stts64** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:34 am

I love Entwistle's playing style. So unique. His tone preference is one of a kind too. Seems likehe likes the big trebly tone with the treble wide open on the bass and the amp with bass shut off completely. Too bad he was really into Alembics and Warwicks. Ric would give him this sound a bit easier and more natural. Oh well, whatever John played, he was the best at his craft anyway.

cwk · Post by **cwk** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:00 am

Nice clip.I also watched Who are you(not complete).
Johns expressions while singing were pretty funny.
Well I guess I'm gonna sit on youtube for awhile.
Thanks,
Bill
Hopefully we might find a nice video of John playing
the 8 !

wints · Post by **wints** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:00 pm

The headstock on that must have been extremely stressed with the tension from 8 strings.
I know that Squire's 8 stringer is unplayable due to that problem, although his bass was far more extensively used than Entwistle's.

bob_atherton · Post by **bob_atherton** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:01 pm

I was working in a studio a couple of months ago very near Entwistles old home, in the same village in fact. The studio had a valve bass combo that Entwistle had lent the owner about a month before he died. The tone controls had marker settings on it to show John his usual set up.

The treble was at max (no surprise there) the bass was at about 6/10 and the mid at about 4/10 giving a slightly scooped but very bright sound. If I hadn't taken my Ashdown rig to the studio I would have used the Entwistle amp. I think our sax player took a photograph of me with the amp and I will see if I can get it up on the forum.

The amp was in the control room and rest of the band kept wondering why I spent so much time nattering to the producer...!

seyesbass · Post by **seyesbass** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:12 am

The clips are from 30 Years Maximum R+B.
The VHS version came out at the same time as the box set Cds. It should be on DVD by now.
Check out The Kids Are Alright DVD for some more great live Who stuff.
There were a couple of John Entwistle "tuition" VHS tapes on the market in the early 90s but I havent seen any DVD versions.
Thats Bob Pridden the Who sound man for many years thats talking to John about the preamp.
I can also highly recommend the book Bass Culture..The John Entwistle Bass Collection.
Published by Sanctuary ISBN 1-86074-593-8.
Its not cheap but the plates are fantastic and theres a full page shot of #MH2553 the 8 string in question as well as many other Rick guitars.The quotes and comments on the guitars are all by John Entwistle and the foreword is by Rick Nielson and Roger Daltrey.John Entwistle was incredible with the Who and he is sadly missed.

seyesbass · Post by **seyesbass** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:16 am

Oh almost forgot,
The quote by the 8 string says "one of two early Rickenbacker prototypes.Chris Squire bought the other one"
So now you know.

flatwound · Post by **flatwound** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:34 am

Bob-what was that amp that JE left behind?

green_us90 · Post by **green_us90** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:58 am

Yup, I have all that stuff- great stuff!

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:42 pm

I don't know about the headstock being overly stressed by 8 strings but I'd heard that the headstock on Squire's 4008 was broken off and traded for a Marshall amp to someone here in So.Cal. I've never heard of what became of it afterward. I know that by '79, he was playing the Rainey 8-string.