What's Dusty Hill really playing?

[bass_lord_mutha]

I'd say that the backing track is mostly playing 8th notes and Dusty is playing whatever :-P

[BuffaloBass]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

If he were playing,.

indeed, to emulate the emulated bass, try double thumbing or picking it. Keeping good time though.... while your muscles are filing with lactic acid is truly a trick!

In all respect to Dusty, in some of the simplest of his bass lines I have trouble keeping precise time. Think of "I heard it on the X" or the even slower ... ah the name escapes me.... " if it can happen to me, it can happen to you..."

[fraublugher]

I'm not hearing enough of the bass track , maybe someone who has this on vinyl should chime in.

[bolophonic]

Dude is barely phoning it in.

[bass_lord_mutha]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBass

Think of "I heard it on the X" or the even slower ... ah the name escapes me.... " if it can happen to me, it can happen to you..."

I think that's Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings.

[Wookieonbass]

We do that song and oddly enough it gets 'em on the dance floor. I think he's playing 8ths with that synth track. That's what it sounds like to me on the studio version. I myself play 8ths but I accent the 2 an 4 to keep it pumping.
As far as live I've seen a few YouTube videos where he does what he feels like at that particular time. Hammer-ons, passing tones, octaves, whatever. Hey it's a 3 piece band and with a backing track he can do what he wants!

I've read where he used to use (not sure if he still does) Marshall guitar amps thru 4x10 cabs. His tone always seemed really muddy to me and he has descirbed his tone himself as sounding like a Rhino farting into a garbage can.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by king_biscuit

Look at :46-:48 seconds. I don't think dusty is even turned on in that video, clearly they are playing along with backing tracks.

Yep ... that is what I was thinking ... all that fur on the guitar and bass would mute the strings as well ...

[bumperbass]

I've noticed a LOT of ZZ Top stuff has muddy 'I can't figure out exactly what notes he's hitting' songs. Why would they want it this way? Dusty can have (afford) anything he wants. To me, his function is mostly to add some boom so that Beard and Gibbons can do their thing. I don't understand. What is it with some rock tunes? AC/DC put out a lot of muddy sounding bass crap, too. When I listen to some of this stuff I say to myself, "He's hardly playing anything on this song and yet I can't tell what it is!"

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by bolophonic

Dude is barely phoning it in.

Really^ Why ZZ Top why? Go back to the basic blues rock that got you there this is pure crap!