When did the bass guitar moved into the spot light?

[Plookie]

I can remember when the bass guitar, as normal and boring looking as it was back when, was just that, normal and boring. Today NO one can say that about the bass guitar. The bass guitar to me has excelled all expectations. The bass guitars is NOW the main front runner of the guitar....[i]does anyone dis-agree? [i][i]You have sound + looks + 4 to unlimited strings + expensive to in-expensive + designs + luthiers everywhere = MORE EXCITEMENT THEN A LEAD GUITAR.....ANY DAY!

My question:
When did the bass guitar, in your opinion surpassed the regular lead guitars, and became the most dominate instrument in mordern music?
-Please excuse me if I offended anyone when I say "The most dominatesinstrument in modern music"
Plookie

[Rakie]

I don't think many people will agree with you... Even a lot of bassists wouldn't agree.

There are very fancy custom guitars as well.

[Plookie]

Originally Posted by Rakie

I don't think many people will agree with you... Even a lot of bassists wouldn't agree.

There are very fancy custom guitars as well.

Thats why I posed the question "In your opinion", and you shot a straight answer back.

[danomite64]

I don't think there's ever been a time where every bass was "boring looking", even though there are boring looking basses. I also don't think the bass ever supplanted the role of the gutar, though there are bass players who have done that in their respective bands. If everything you theorized was absolutely dead on, I think music nowadays would sound a lot different than it does. No, I think a more accurate view of the electric bass is that it has defined it's role in music over the years, as something different than a guitar, and different than an upright bass.

[Barkless Dog]

Easy- for me


The Who's My Generation, Then Cream, then School Days

[jomahu]

you may have to ask non-bass players this question, since for most of us, bass has always been in the spotlight.
even for those of us who started off playing other instruments.

[lefty007]

Hallucinations. . .

[xifr]

Originally Posted by Plookie

My question:
When did the bass guitar, in your opinion surpassed the regular lead guitars, and became the most dominate instrument in mordern music?

It hasn't.

[superbassman2000]

Originally Posted by Plookie

[i][i][b]Today NO one can say that about the bass guitar. The bass guitar to me has excelled all expectations. The bass guitars is NOW the main front runner of the guitar....[i]does anyone dis-agree?

I can say that

I don't think that bass is a "front-runner" of the guitar...you don't have to have a super fancy bass--there are probably more p and j players than there are anything else, and those are both simple bass designs.

and i would like to know what music you are listening to that you think the bass is dominant to the guitar...

[Larry99]

not sure if bass has or will ever take the spotlight from upfront melodic instruments like voice or guitar, but I have one word for you:

JACO

[azzyrazzy]

Originally Posted by Plookie

Today NO one can say that about the bass guitar. The bass guitar to me has excelled all expectations. The bass guitars is NOW the main front runner of the guitar....

Good for you

[4lPh4n0m3g4]

IMO the most dominate instruments in modern music are keyboards and samplers/sequencers.

[TobyPro4]

No offence Plookie old bean but your statement just sounds like gibberish to me.

[Pilgrim]

Bas has never been boring, but it's NOT in the spotlight by any means - unless it's being played by Sting or Sheryl Crow.

Unless the lead singer is playing bass (and darn few are capable of that) it gets no attention at all.

[spade2you]

Since when are we in the spotlight?! The few bassists who are in the spotlight are a minority. Most of us are expected to stand back and let the singer and guitarist bask in the spotlight. The custom basses are cool, but are a small minority in terms of sales figures. Don't get me wrong, I'm in this minority and it rocks, but most aren't and the general public can't appreciate what we do.

[NKUSigEp]

I gotta go with the crowd on this one. Some "bassists" may have surpassed lead guitarists but in general, the bass is still playing the role of throwing your buddies in the backseat and driving 'em around.

With bands like Primus, Claypool's personality may overshadow Ler, but I think as far as bass vs. guitar goes, they're about equal (maybe Les has a slight edge). Even in Victor Wooten's case, he's undoubtedly one of the best musicians ever, but he still has to share a stage with Bela Fleck who is equally as talented.

[BassSurfer]

Originally Posted by Plookie

Thats why I posed the question "In your opinion", and you shot a straight answer back.

yeah +1.. people do not read sometimes....

[ryco]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Easy- for me
The Who's My Generation, Then Cream, then School Days

+1 plus the coming of "dance" music ie disco and funk with all the slappin' and poppin'. All of my rocker buddies despised disco but I thought it opened up a lot of new sounds and techniques for bass 'n drums. Bands like Bros Johnson and EW&F really brought the bass up in the musical mix. Unfortunately the overall music was monotonous in its redundancy

Louie Johnson
Larry's Graham Central Station

[unkaholic]

1991

[Machinehead-man]

I reckon it was in the 1970s when Jaco and Stanley Clarke hit the scene. I remember seeing Stanley and his band on the T.V. doing "Schooldays". It must have been around 1978 I think and it was quite a few bars into the number before I realised the guy was strumming away on a bass. Then he went on to solo. I had never seen the bass played like that before and it inspired me to take up the bass. Alas I have never reached Stanley's heights. Well, who has?
I think it might have been this very clip I saw :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC001Z3XWKE