Identifying instruments on television/movies

[Aaron Saunders]

Any of you guys ever try and ID the basses you see on television? Especially in cartoons?
I was just watching the episode of the Simpsons with Whacking Day and Barry White. When Barry starts singing "I Can't Get Enough of Your Love", Lisa's playing what would very much appear to be a pink 1951 Fender P with the bridge and pickup covers. The attention to detail Mr. Groening puts into instruments on his show has always impressed me (rock star camp episode, anyone?), and it's still apparently very present even in the early seasons. Also, at the beginning of Star Trek: Nemesis during Diana and Will's wedding, it looks like the bassist in the band is playing an NS, and there's an episode of Star Trek: Voyager with "Harry Kim and the Kimtones" where Harry's playing...what, an oboe? I'm not sure, it's been a while, but there's also a drummer and a bassist. The bassist looked to be using an NS EUB and the drummer was playing an electric kit (Roland?).

[Wrong Robot]

It's always a fun little distraction to take a moment from a band's performance on conan or leno(usually don't watch leno, but I quite regularly catch the musical guest since it usually cuts into conan's time) And try and figure out what the bassist is playing. it seems like I've seen a lot of sadowskys. Also, it always seems like the bass player has the most interesting gear, With the exception of guitar players effects, like, nice looking basses compared to rather ordinary looking guitars.

[JimK]

I always laffed when the Happy Days boyz played '70s Fender instruments in a show set in the late '50s/early '60s.

[charles21o7]

Conans band is the best late night band around, they are just amazing. That trumpet player plays like the two highest notes known to man and nothing else, its brilliant.

[Benjamin Strange]

Duncan Idaho plays a Chapman Stick in Dune.

[JimK]

...wasn't that Patrick Stewart's character(Halleck?)

[JimK]

Originally Posted by charles21o7

That trumpet player plays like the two highest notes known to man and nothing else, its brilliant.

How can you tell?
...does your dog start howling?

[dudemeister]

Yup, I always try to identify basses I see on tv or in movies and when I recognise what bass it is I feel kind of nerdy. Especially when I recognise the brand just by looking at the headstock...

[charles21o7]

Originally Posted by JimK

How can you tell?
...does your dog start howling?

No but I run outside and start howling at the moon till he finishes the note and then i go feast on a sheep or unsuspecting bystander not lucky enough to carrying a silver bullet loaded gun.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by dudemeister

Yup, I always try to identify basses I see on tv or in movies and when I recognise what bass it is I feel kind of nerdy. Especially when I recognise the brand just by looking at the headstock...

I'd feel like more of a dork if I recognized it by the bodyshape .

EDIT: Or more for the bridge/pickups. I can always ID a lakland by the bridge, and it really weirded out one of my friends when I did that while watching TV.

[By-Tor]

It's a natural reaction when your a bassist.
But what I really dislike is that, the bassist usually gets very little camera action. I wait till I can see the bassist way in the background.

I watched a show where Keanu Reeves was playing with his band. I was thinking cool, I'm sure they have a few good close-ups so I can check out the bass. But no deal. Not even Keanu Reeves gets a good camera shot when he's the bass player.

Anybody else ever notice this?

[dudemeister]

Yes, I've noticed this too. Even when I saw Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Roskilde Festival a couple of years ago, the big screens almost only showed the guitarist and singer. Flea was on the screen in short clips occasionally and I think he was the most fun to watch, even for none bassists (mugglers?). Exceptions, of course, must be bands such as primus and Motörhead where the bass player also is the lead singer. But they probably think it's a guitar anyway...

Originally Posted by Govithoy

I'd feel like more of a dork if I recognized it by the bodyshape .

EDIT: Or more for the bridge/pickups. I can always ID a lakland by the bridge, and it really weirded out one of my friends when I did that while watching TV.

Hehe, yes, I do this too...

[Osama_Spears]

Originally Posted by charles21o7

No but I run outside and start howling at the moon till he finishes the note and then i go feast on a sheep or unsuspecting bystander not lucky enough to carrying a silver bullet loaded gun.

what the f...

The guy from Conan plays a Sadowsky,I'm pretty sure. It's in this hot-cherry red. Wow,that thing is nice looking. Plus it sounds good. I want a Sado...

[Bard2dbone]

I think that's a Mike Lull.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by JimK

How can you tell?
...does your dog start howling?

What's the dog got to do with it? He said notes known to man

It really ticks me off that on late night shows, they'll show the drummer for 5 seconds, the singer for thrty seconds and you hardly get to see the bassist.

And when you do, they always seem to cut the shot at the headstock...

[Woodchuck]

My fave is a bassist in the "Bird" movie playing a sunburst 'Ray and the guitarist was playing an Ibanez. This was in the '50's, BTW!

I've also seen live performances where the bassist would be doing a kickarse solo, and the camera would be focused in the keyboards or percussionist!

[Sheep Man]

Originally Posted by Bard2dbone

I think that's a Mike Lull.

Yes, it is. Although he also owns a Sadowsky.

Ummm...yeah.
I always try to find out what bass the bass player is using, and whenever it's a nice one, I tend to make comments like, "Wooooaaaahhh..." or "niiiiiiiice..." which often leads to my friends asking me what's so "wooooooaaaaaahhh..." or so "niiiiiiiiiice..."
When I tell them that the bass player has a nice bass, they tell me I'm insane.

[Joey3313]

Originally Posted by Govithoy

Any of you guys ever try and ID the basses you see on television? Especially in cartoons?
I was just watching the episode of the Simpsons with Whacking Day and Barry White. When Barry starts singing "I Can't Get Enough of Your Love", Lisa's playing what would very much appear to be a pink 1951 Fender P with the bridge and pickup covers. The attention to detail Mr. Groening puts into instruments on his show has always impressed me (rock star camp episode, anyone?), and it's still apparently very present even in the early seasons.

And yet Groening can never get the drumset right. Sure, just throw the hi-hats in any random place, it's not like a foot is needed to use them , and have the snare where the tom should be, that works great.

[Sheep Man]

Originally Posted by Joey3313

And yet Groening can never get the drumset right. Sure, just throw the hi-hats in any random place, it's not like a foot is needed to use them , and have the snare where the tom should be, that works great.

Yes, but you don't hear the drummers complaining, now do you?

[Pause]

I notice these things too... last thing I can really remember is that Hillary Duff's bassist plays a Bongo... right?