Question for Big Poppa and Co.

[Mr Light]

Hi Gang,

I am a big fan of Level 42, and according to the Level 42 website, bassist Mark King "left the factory" with a Stingray 4 and 5-String in March 1990. There is one picture of him playing his SR5 and one of his 4-String in the archives photos (www.level42.com). I was wondering if anyone would care to share details of the visit.

Thanks!

 

[Big Poppa]

I met mark in Frankfurt. we had a great time...he was talking about how he wanted to be a art of the team....blah blah blah we gave him some basses and he was playing something else. He could have been to the factory but i think it is drama....

Great Player Nice man but obviously we didnt click long term.

 

[prickly_pete]

I have always heard that MK wanted to be free to play whatever he wanted. He has a collection of rainforest basses. I believe if you go to the bass pictures section of the website, you will see the Rays, and you will read that he played a Ray on the Forever Now album. I also remember an old bass player article with MK in which he gushed over the SR5.

I believe MK is one of the greatest bass players I've ever heard: tremendous talent, effortless funk, and he sings, chews gum, and dances at the same time I'm a huge fan. If you don't have them, you should check out some of the Level 42 DVDs available for purchase.

 

[Colin]

bassist Mark King "left the factory" with a Stingray 4 and 5-String in March 1990.

From what I can see it says the Bass left the factory, implying it's shipping date. Not Mark left the factory. He wears his bass nearly as high as Jack does

Colin

 

[AnthonyD]

From what I can see it says the Bass left the factory, implying it's shipping date. Not Mark left the factory. He wears his bass nearly as high as Jack does

+1

Same interpretation - and observation - here!

 

[Mr Light]

Right On!

I have always heard that MK wanted to be free to play whatever he wanted. He has a collection of rainforest basses. I believe if you go to the bass pictures section of the website, you will see the Rays, and you will read that he played a Ray on the Forever Now album. I also remember an old bass player article with MK in which he gushed over the SR5.

I believe MK is one of the greatest bass players I've ever heard: tremendous tallent, effortless funk, and he sings, chews gum, and dances at the same time I'm a huge fan. If you don't have them, you should check out some of the Level 42 DVDs available for purchase.

Yeah, I hear ya! I have two of his DVDs: The one you may be speaking of, "Live in Reading," and his performance on "Ohne Filter," the German show. I still need to order the "Live In Wembley" DVD... Maybe it'll be my New Years' gift...

Mark's awesome. He's one of my top four influences, along with Louis Johnson (first), Bernard Edwards of Chic (second), and Paul S. Denman of Sade (third). Three of the four, I might add, are religious MusicMan users.

On the other side, I must say that I am disappointed with Mark's current sound. He sounds thinner and thinner as the years go by. His tone in the eighties was much better regardless of the light gauge strings he uses.

It would be really interesting to hear him with a MusicMan...
...In fact, it would probably be freakin' awesome!

 

[prickly_pete]

Yeah, I hear ya! I have two of his DVDs: The one you may be speaking of, "Live in Reading," and his performance on "Ohne Filter," the German show. I still need to order the "Live In Wembley" DVD... Maybe it'll be my New Years' gift...

Mark's awesome. He's one of my top four influences, along with Louis Johnson (first), Bernard Edwards of Chic (second), and Paul S. Denman of Sade (third). Three of the four, I might add, are religious MusicMan users.

On the other side, I must say that I am disappointed with Mark's current sound. He sounds thinner and thinner as the years go by. His tone in the eighties was much better regardless of the light gauge strings he uses.

It would be really interesting to hear him with a MusicMan...
...In fact, it would probably be freakin' awesome!

Agreed. I actually like his tone best when he was using the Jay Dees in the 80s.

 

[Mr Light]

Swag

I met mark in Frankfurt. we had a great time...he was talking about how he wanted to be a art of the team....blah blah blah we gave him some basses and he was playing something else. He could have been to the factory but i think it is drama....

Great Player Nice man but obviously we didnt click long term.

...It seems like you weren't buying the "part of the team" speech!

Maybe that was just his way of asking for free basses! (LOL!)

 

[Mr Light]

JDs

Agreed. I actually like his tone best when he was using the Jay Dees in the 80s.

Yeah, the JayDees. Those were HIS axes!

 

[Randracula]

Here's my Mark King story. At a show I played earlier this year the soundman tells me that he's a bass player,cool.He then proceeds to tell me that he used to be part of the Level 42 road crew So im' like great, this guy used to watch Mark King every night and now he has to watch me play After the gig he says that he loved the way my bass(Stingray5!)sounded and that I was solid. Thanks BP for making the Stingray 5 one of the best basses available at any price point

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

Mark King turned me onto John East's J-Retro preamps..the rest is history.

 

[Mr Light]

Roadies

Here's my Mark King story. At a show I played earlier this year the soundman tells me that he's a bass player,cool.He then proceeds to tell me that he used to be part of the Level 42 road crew So im' like great, this guy used to watch Mark King every night and now he has to watch me play After the gig he says that he loved the way my bass(Stingray5!)sounded and that I was solid. Thanks BP for making the Stingray 5 one of the best basses available at any price point

...Man, it's amazing how far roadies travel (off-tour, that is). I'm curious as to what brought him to California. Mr. King is still very big in Europe and constantly touring.

 

[prickly_pete]

...Man, it's amazing how far roadies travel (off-tour, that is). I'm curious as to what brought him to California. Mr. King is still very big in Europe and constantly touring.

Golf and Mark King are the two reasons I want to take a European vacation.

 

[Randracula]

...Man, it's amazing how far roadies travel (off-tour, that is). I'm curious as to what brought him to California. Mr. King is still very big in Europe and constantly touring.

The sound guy was a native of England but met his wife in the U.S. while touring with Level 42 and ended up staying. Really nice guy as well..........

 

[Mr Light]

Que Romantico!

The sound guy was a native of England but met his wife in the U.S. while touring with Level 42 and ended up staying. Really nice guy as well..........

...Well, of course he's a nice guy---he's British!

8 hours of time difference all in the name of love.