Eddie hazel’s gear notes

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I noticed some people asking about Eddie Hazel’s gear in the Ron B post. These are some notes I’ve collected. These are not my notes or thoughts. I just saved the information for reference. I’ve also included a link to an article on multiple P-Funk player’s gear. Hope they are helpful.

‘Good To Your Earhole’ has Eddie first using his most famous era sound. This is a Music Man HD-130 reverb head into a Music Man cabinet with 12 inch speakers. Eddie used a strat almost exclusively at this point. That particular track (‘Good To your Earhole’) sounds like Eddie was using a Maestro phaser.

The next big recording ‘session’ that Eddie was involved in was a jam with Buddy Miles (of Hendrix fame) on drums and Cordell ‘Boogie’ Mosson on bass. It was released in '94 and was titled ‘Jams From The Heart’. Here is Eddie really playing at his peak. Music Man HD-130, echoplex and an MXR phase 90 along with a strat was used.

Funny thing is that Eddie ‘SOUNDED’ like he was using a fuzz box, and he did, early on ('69-'74), but he wasnt. The Music Man HD-130’s have a Master Volume, which allows you to get the distortion out of the amp. In the Music Man HD-130 (I mess with amp circuits, and could go into greater detail, but this is getting to be a LONG post) this circuit sounds sort of like a really good fuzz box (sort of like the sound of a fuzz face and Distortion + mixed). Eddie would crank this master volume up all the way, and use his guitars volume knob to control the various shades of clean and dirty.

‘Hardcore Jollies’ contains the ‘prize’ of this afforementioned Jam, which is ‘Comin Round The Mountain’. That track was STRAIGHT from this jam, and shows you the spread of sound Eddie could get with turning his guitars volume up or down. The phase 90 and echoplex are also used to a great extent on this track.

The Music Man HD-130 amp was/is a very cool amp that has about as much headroom (SIZE of the sound) as any amp ever. It gets a very good clean ‘Funk’ tone, that a Marshall simply cannot, it is also capable of a bigger, brighter clean tone than any Fender. I alway’s enjoyed how Eddie could get very ‘authentic’ Funk type tones, as well as getting very distorted and heavy. The other Funkadelic guy’s (like Shider, and Hampton) were not able to do this.

Eddie pretty much used this same set up for his '77 solo album, though it sounded like he was using a Electro Harmonix small stone phaser.

Eddie’s was also using this set up (along with the strat that Glenn Goins used to use) on the '79 Houston show with P-Funk.

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Great post thanks.

With regards to the solo album - it has it pictured with a Les Paul. Is that what he played on the album, along with the rest of the setup you have mentioned, or is the picture misleading?

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They left Bernies Wurlitzer off the list ?

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Great stuff! Thanks. Welcome to the forum @FuturisticWorkshop!

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Wasn’t too sure where to put this - whether to start a new topic but I bottled it. Given Boogie’s comments on Eddie it seems apposite to put it here, plus I’m a lazy arse…

Lovely interview with Boogie. We talk of un-sung heroes…

‘ Playing live was another matter. The name on the marquee was Parliament/ Funkadelic, and I’d play bass on all of it. Bootsy did play live with Parliament/ Funkadelic at one point, but if Bootsy was on the road, his Rubber Band would usually open the show. Then we’d go out and play, and he would come back out for the encores, which we’d all play together. I would stand back, play solid funk bass like I’d normally play, and let him go, because he’s Bootsy, the star bass player with all the gadgets who has to be out front. When I was the only bassist, I wouldn’t try to play exactly like Bootsy, because by the time I wasted that energy, I’d lose the band. Instead I put my thing on what he did. I know how to slap and pop, but I really don’t like it. I can beat you up with my fingers, and I do play with a pick sometimes if I want to get a more flamboyant sound, play faster, or pick while muting with the edge of my right hand. Honestly, I’m not a very forward person, but I’ve got your back. I play bass the way Eddie Hazel played guitar: fluent, funky, and slick. My style is much more relaxed and laid back in the pocket—but I’ll be back there hurtin’ you.’

Word.

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I know Bernie played Wurlitzer EPs on some of his post 80’s output, but I don’t really think of it as one of his signature keyboards. I think he probably played more Fender Rhodes on the classic P-Funk records (though during that era hard to know what was him vs. Junie or someone else). Just out of curiosity, what recordings would you cite to make your case that it should have been included?

What they really DID miss on their list of Bernie gear was the ARP Pro Soloist which was a staple during the “Mothership Connection” years. He even took it on the road with him with the “WOO Warriors” since it was such a core element to the sound of those classic hits.

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