Go Back   TalkBass Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Miscellaneous [BG]
Register Rules/FAQ/CUP Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Miscellaneous [BG] Music-related discussion, not specific to the bass or any other forum


Supporting Membership
Thank You

Latest Supporting Member
Donate to Upgrade Today

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old 08-31-2010, 02:39 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Washington, DC
common old school myths and legends

Sign in to disble this ad
what are some of the old school myths about basses, strings, etc from back in the day? what was in in the 70s? what was the go to bass and strings and what did people think about them?
  #2  
Old 08-31-2010, 02:56 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
It was pretty much Fender bass and Fender flats (or LaBella) or Rotosound rounds.
The "Flats" guys would hate it when they broke a string...they would have to take the new string outside and roll it around in the dirt so it would match the old ones!
  #3  
Old 08-31-2010, 02:57 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Washington, DC
thats funny.
  #4  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:02 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Quote:
Originally Posted by jnevi9nr View Post
thats funny.
Its actually pretty much true...that makes it even funnier
  #5  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:04 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: D'Shaw
Having been there, pretty much everything was a myth.

A lot like today. Nothing much has changed, myths abound.
__________________
"It's a Crapshoot." The timbre is in the timber. It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools.
  #6  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:05 PM
ODDBALL's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Pleasanton, CA
Supporting Member
Being a young bass player this would be an interesting topic if we could keep it going. I could learn a lot from the old dogs on these forums. ( Just kidding Old Dogs )


Shaun
__________________
California Bassists Club #33
Opinions are like A**holes, Everyone has one!
  #7  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:06 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Quote:
Originally Posted by ODDBALL View Post
Being a young bass player this would be an interesting topic if we could keep it going. I could learn a lot from the old dogs on these forums. ( Just kidding Old Dogs )


Shaun
I just don't have enough "brain-cells" left from back in the day to remember much!
  #8  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:12 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Like they always say..."IF YOU CAN REMEMBER IT...YOU WEREN'T THERE!"
  #9  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:16 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Here's another one...When I was 11 years old I was over 6 feet tall...The tall guy always got the bass back then!
  #10  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:19 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
The early days

Fender Jazz and Precision Basses were the norm, along with Gibson's EBO. Ampeg B-15 had the most sound and boom.
Most other bass amps were a little weak. Years later Acoustic came out with the folded horn design that took us all by storm - Finally bass players could have a big voice.

There was no internet, no blogs, no knock-offs yet because design copyrights were still in effect for Fender. You're instrument was more a tool than a collectable. Nobody took their guitars apart (except guys like me) and nobody was building their own from parts.

You could buy a new bass for a couple hundred bucks and flatwound strings were the norm. Roundwound LaBellas and Rotosounds came out but most balked because of the noise when sliding on the strings. We soon got over that.

Nobody ever thought of our "axes" in terms of collectability and increasing value. these were our Hammer and saw - just tools - painted lumber, pretty much.

We left the chrome on the Jazz & Precision and used the thumb rest. Bass was a background instrument with very little opportunity for soloing. Slap was non-existent unless you made a mistake and caught one of the strings and it banged on the fingerboard. And that was an "oops, excuse me".

Playing with a pick was for losers back them (you weren't a bass player unless you used your fingers to pluck.) Two and three note bass parts were most common with an occasional walk between chord changes.

It was the same planet, but totally different worlds.
Hope this gives you a taste of the good-old-days-when-times-were-bad! hahaha! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
  #11  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:24 PM
lunarpollen's Avatar
Evil Alien
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sacramento, CA
Send a message via Yahoo to lunarpollen
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Wentzien View Post
It was pretty much Fender bass and Fender flats (or LaBella) or Rotosound rounds.
The "Flats" guys would hate it when they broke a string...they would have to take the new string outside and roll it around in the dirt so it would match the old ones!
Unless you were someone busy like Carol Kaye, in which case you would just buy another bass from the shop with all 4 strings already matched in sound, and then arrive on time for your next scheduled session...
__________________
Hollowbody Bass Club #121, Hondo Club #002, Official Short Scale Bass Club #018, Short-Scale Six-String Bass Club #001, Epiphone Club #010, can't recall what other clubs I'm a member of here...
  #12  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:24 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Quote:
Originally Posted by THORRR View Post
Fender Jazz and Precision Basses were the norm, along with Gibson's EBO. Ampeg B-15 had the most sound and boom.
Most other bass amps were a little weak. Years later Acoustic came out with the folded horn design that took us all by storm - Finally bass players could have a big voice.

There was no internet, no blogs, no knock-offs yet because design copyrights were still in effect for Fender. You're instrument was more a tool than a collectable. Nobody took their guitars apart (except guys like me) and nobody was building their own from parts.

You could buy a new bass for a couple hundred bucks and flatwound strings were the norm. Roundwound LaBellas and Rotosounds came out but most balked because of the noise when sliding on the strings. We soon got over that.

Nobody ever thought of our "axes" in terms of collectability and increasing value. these were our Hammer and saw - just tools - painted lumber, pretty much.

We left the chrome on the Jazz & Precision and used the thumb rest. Bass was a background instrument with very little opportunity for soloing. Slap was non-existent unless you made a mistake and caught one of the strings and it banged on the fingerboard. And that was an "oops, excuse me".

Playing with a pick was for losers back them (you weren't a bass player unless you used your fingers to pluck.) Two and three note bass parts were most common with an occasional walk between chord changes.

It was the same planet, but totally different worlds.
Hope this gives you a taste of the good-old-days-when-times-were-bad! hahaha! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
I shall call it "The not-so-good-old-BAD-days"

Last edited by John Wentzien : 08-31-2010 at 03:28 PM.
  #13  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:24 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Quote:
Originally Posted by THORRR View Post
Fender Jazz and Precision Basses were the norm, along with Gibson's EBO. Ampeg B-15 had the most sound and boom.
Most other bass amps were a little weak. Years later Acoustic came out with the folded horn design that took us all by storm - Finally bass players could have a big voice.

There was no internet, no blogs, no knock-offs yet because design copyrights were still in effect for Fender. You're instrument was more a tool than a collectable. Nobody took their guitars apart (except guys like me) and nobody was building their own from parts.

You could buy a new bass for a couple hundred bucks and flatwound strings were the norm. Roundwound LaBellas and Rotosounds came out but most balked because of the noise when sliding on the strings. We soon got over that.

Nobody ever thought of our "axes" in terms of collectability and increasing value. these were our Hammer and saw - just tools - painted lumber, pretty much.

We left the chrome on the Jazz & Precision and used the thumb rest. Bass was a background instrument with very little opportunity for soloing. Slap was non-existent unless you made a mistake and caught one of the strings and it banged on the fingerboard. And that was an "oops, excuse me".

Playing with a pick was for losers back them (you weren't a bass player unless you used your fingers to pluck.) Two and three note bass parts were most common with an occasional walk between chord changes.

It was the same planet, but totally different worlds.
Hope this gives you a taste of the good-old-days-when-times-were-bad! hahaha! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
Very Good.
__________________
Tony
  #14  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:25 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bronx, New York
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Wentzien View Post
Like they always say..."IF YOU CAN REMEMBER IT...YOU WEREN'T THERE!"
Hilarious, I never heard that one before.
  #15  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:26 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
You might see an occasional "Ric"...not too often.
  #16  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:26 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Boulder Suburbia, Colorado
Not old school, but the myth that you can mod an SX and it'll be just as good as a Fender.
__________________
Straighten the Crooked
  #17  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:30 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
Quote:
Originally Posted by zachoff View Post
Not old school, but the myth that you can mod an SX and it'll be just as good as a Fender.
All we had were Japanese Fender copies...until you could afford a real Fender!
And they sucked WAY more than SX!
  #18  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:31 PM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Quote:
Originally Posted by THORRR View Post
Fender Jazz and Precision Basses were the norm, along with Gibson's EBO. Ampeg B-15 had the most sound and boom.
Most other bass amps were a little weak. Years later Acoustic came out with the folded horn design that took us all by storm - Finally bass players could have a big voice.

There was no internet, no blogs, no knock-offs yet because design copyrights were still in effect for Fender. You're instrument was more a tool than a collectable. Nobody took their guitars apart (except guys like me) and nobody was building their own from parts.

You could buy a new bass for a couple hundred bucks and flatwound strings were the norm. Roundwound LaBellas and Rotosounds came out but most balked because of the noise when sliding on the strings. We soon got over that.

Nobody ever thought of our "axes" in terms of collectability and increasing value. these were our Hammer and saw - just tools - painted lumber, pretty much.

We left the chrome on the Jazz & Precision and used the thumb rest. Bass was a background instrument with very little opportunity for soloing. Slap was non-existent unless you made a mistake and caught one of the strings and it banged on the fingerboard. And that was an "oops, excuse me".

Playing with a pick was for losers back them (you weren't a bass player unless you used your fingers to pluck.) Two and three note bass parts were most common with an occasional walk between chord changes.

It was the same planet, but totally different worlds.
Hope this gives you a taste of the good-old-days-when-times-were-bad! hahaha! I wouldn't trade it for the world!
For some reason, I think I might've enjoyed being a bass player back then!
__________________
call me mr fickle
  #19  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:32 PM
Registered User

Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Fort Madison, IA
And we walked 5 miles to the gig...up-hill both ways!
  #20  
Old 08-31-2010, 03:32 PM
ElMon's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by lunarpollen View Post
Unless you were someone busy like Carol Kaye, in which case you would just buy another bass from the shop with all 4 strings already matched in sound, and then arrive on time for your next scheduled session...
Not to derail an already-hilarious thread, but I always thought this story of hers was complete an utter bull-squeeze. Just sayin...
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Follow TalkBass on Twitter   Visit TalkBass on Facebook  

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:58 PM.




Copyright 2011 Talk Music Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Play guitar? Visit our new sister site TalkGuitar.com [beta]
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.12
Copyright ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.