Also, I am doing the drums with a set of Earth Works... i was thinking of throwing a kick pad on the bass also to add a harder hit, but I'm afraid it would make the bass track to heavy... Let me know on that too.

if the sound is like horton heat, then there will be a lot of bass slaps from the stings which are an important part of the music, so you will need something like a pencil condesor aimed around the 12th fret(well where it looks like it should be) and are you sure it's acoustic, because most rockabilly upright bases, have 1 to 3 pickups on them.

Sounds like fun. This might sound very stupid but it would be good to listen to a bunch of top selling rockabilly this week. There are certain trademark sounds people expect, i.e. that little slapback on the guitar, etc. I wouldn't go too hard on the kick, a lot of the top rockabilly drummers used very minimal kits and were very snare oriented. That crisp open snare sound is important though for sure. Just my opinion anyhow. 8-)

Are you micing the upright live or isolated? Does he have a pickup on his bass? Many do... I know that many folks like U87s on uprights or a U87 and pickup combo. I've noticed a lot of upright bassists record by placing a large diaphragm condensor mic right in front of the f-hole (on the g string side). I think that's a safe bet if the guy isn't moving around too much. You can always point a second mic at the finger board if you need more finger noise. Two cents anyhow... 8-)

Wrapping a towel around a dynamic mic (I have used a 421, an AT825, and even a '58 ) and stuffing it behind the bridge works very well for that genre, especially if the bass has no pick-up..
BTW, I have recorded a couple of rockabilly acts, and the ONE thing that they all had in common was.....the (upright) bass player moved A LOT! Those dudes like to spin that puppy around! That's why they do the towel thing and/or a pick-up...so that they can dance while they play!

I do kind of alot of r-billy, and have had good luck like this:

RCA 44 ribbon 1 foot in front - right hand level pointed slightly down-
a little vintage compression to tape. along w/ pick up split to di (for click) and amp (for meat/distortion)

This is how we did the last Stray Cats stuff. For a more vintage feel (like Setzer's new Sun record) RCA 44 all by it's self2 or three inches from the
bottom of the finger board - 6 inches out (of course mnoving the mic around 'till it sounds good is always a good idea)

good luck/have fun - davedarling

Wow, you recorded the Stray cats last album? Excellent. That must have been muy fun, those guys are *seriously* rock solid. :cool:

Did Lee Rocker use pickup only for their live stuff?

An RE-20 is a fairly classic choice as well.

dwoz

hey Calgary -

Runaway boys is a great record, but I didn't produce it. I produced Mystery Train on "live at Brixton.

We used the pick up/amp /ribbon on Lee's bass.
On "Rockabilly Riot" we used one RCA-44 on Mark Winchester's bass
with everyone in the same room. (Castle studios-Nashville)
and Dwoz is right about the RE-20 (or a d-12) both good choices.

dave darling

Runaway boys is a great record, but I didn't produce it. I produced Mystery Train on "live at Brixton.

Nice. I think you mean "Rumble In Brixton". If I weren't boycotting big label products I'd go pick it up actually. I heard some tracks off it on University radio when it first came out and I thought it rocked. I remember being pleasantly surprised with the quality and performance.

my bad - it was originaly called "live at Brixton academy" - and it's not exactly a major label release...it's on Surfdog Records - 8 people in Encinitas who surf. you should buy it...I could use the 13 cents.

peace - dave darling