I was wondering if anybody knows the type of bass that Steve Swallow plays.Thanks,

It's a Citron semi acoustic. He strings it with a high C and uses a copper pick.    
http://www.citron-guitars.com/swallowdescription.html
Austin

Didn't he play an original parker fly 5 with a high C for a while?

I don't know about the parker. I remember reading in BP a few years back that he's been developing his current bass with Harvey Citron for years, and has been playing different incarnations of it along the way.

Swallow with John Scofield.

He did play an unfinished Parker. One of the first I believe. I remember an album cover of his which was a shot of him playing that Parker live.

I thought this thread, Steve Swallows Bass, was going to be like the story that came out last year about the python in the Everglades that swallowed the alligator!  (The alligator then tore through the python's side and they both died).  Ahh, the importance of the apostrophe!  hehehehe
 
Bill, tgo

Hee hee!

I'd like to see Steve swallow a bass...Lol..

For a long time he played a Gibson EB-2 - there was a great Gary Burton clip on YouTube for a while from the '70s that included a great bass solo - distorted tone, really inventive playing. His bass had two humbuckers, not as muddy as a regular Gibson mudbucker, maybe DiMarzio replacements...

Eats, leaves and shoots?
 
--- uh, that should have read:
 
Eats, shoots and leaves.
 
(Message edited by adriaan on January 18, 2008)

Nut screws washers and bolts.

EB-2 - didn't Stanley play one before he was introduced to Alembic?
 
Mudbuckers - I remember an article on updating the electronics on a Gibson semi-acoustic with the single large humbucker, where just removing a capacitor (or some other small component) made it sound much more useful.
 
(Message edited by adriaan on January 18, 2008)

Stanley Clarke used an EB2.
 
Steve Swallow has used these:
 
EB2
Froc Fillipetti
F bass
Parker Custom
 
and now plays a Citron. He uses a copper pick I think which is odd given the tone you hear that he gets.

The Citron bass is lovely, but his playing is what's so special.  Check out his Nite Glo album with Carla Bley - some of the most lyrical and melodic bass playing ever.