^^ and let's not forget the big wanna be that played like that, John Paul Jones. He floated his thumb anywhere, usually playing right on the end of the neck. Wanna be, no talent, bad technique fad player. 
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Bass fads.
- Thread starter bassdude51
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All the expensive high end gear with big fancy names on them Glocken-somethings- thunder-whats. Fanned frets, crazy jungle woods and any bass with more than 5 strings which is just a big guitar in my book. 
This was a country fad too. Waylon's "Ain't Living Long Like This" is a perfect example.
I would dispute this. The popularity of the PJ config hasn't slowed down much if any since the 80's. Definitely not as popular as the single P or the dual jazz pickups but certainly beyond "fad" status.
Seems like people sometimes confuse fads with trends.
I would say the following are more trends than fads:
There was a trend in the 70s for prog rock bass players to have a double neck guitar/bass to help out the guitar player sometimes.
In the 80s -early 90s there was a trend for fretless electric bass.
In the 90s there was a trend for slapping, and for acoustic bass guitars in "unplugged" type gigs.
00s - present Upright bass in non-traditional music styles has been trendy.
These are more of a trend because they have long history and were probably done before and after the "trend."
A fad is usually, NEW to the time, widespread, but short-lived with little staying power, IMO.
I would say the following are more trends than fads:
There was a trend in the 70s for prog rock bass players to have a double neck guitar/bass to help out the guitar player sometimes.
In the 80s -early 90s there was a trend for fretless electric bass.
In the 90s there was a trend for slapping, and for acoustic bass guitars in "unplugged" type gigs.
00s - present Upright bass in non-traditional music styles has been trendy.
These are more of a trend because they have long history and were probably done before and after the "trend."
A fad is usually, NEW to the time, widespread, but short-lived with little staying power, IMO.
gnjpowell
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In theory they were "supposed to" increase sustain and "(re)move dead spots".
In practice, I believe they performed as you have surmised.
Bassists who can't spell, use incorrect syntax, use "then" in place of "than" (come on, really?), and generally slaughter the English language.
If you use the context of this thread, it's simply stuff that people don't like, as if we didn't have enough of those threads.
Sure, I'm picky, but I live under the mantra that one man's trash is another man's wife.
One fad that I HATE is guitarists and bassists that jump around so much that they have to duct tape their strap to the bass so that it doesn't come off. Really? You spend $1000 on a bass then mutilate it with tape? Buy friggin' strap locks!
I would not classify much of the posts so far as fads.
But here are my takes..
70-80s.. beating up new instruments to make them appear used.
70s heavier is always better.
70s BIG headstocks (fender primarily)
80s neon colors
80s mural guitars (Jackson/ charvel mostly)\
90s snakeskin
90s cracked/ splinter /crackle finishes.
90s-00s ugly-plain wood with clear finishes
00s Wood like wrapping on instruments (cort curbow)
But here are my takes..
70-80s.. beating up new instruments to make them appear used.
70s heavier is always better.
70s BIG headstocks (fender primarily)
80s neon colors
80s mural guitars (Jackson/ charvel mostly)\
90s snakeskin
90s cracked/ splinter /crackle finishes.
90s-00s ugly-plain wood with clear finishes
00s Wood like wrapping on instruments (cort curbow)
Do you know where I can get one of those on a truss rod cover?
There's something I thought would be a fad, until I bought my SECOND one - custom truss rod covers.
you beat me to it, you forgot to say Kramer crackle finishes as well, and I still have a Charvel "FAD" bass with the rare rainbow crackle finish laying around the house. Too bad it still sounds good or I would have dumped it a long time ago for the ugly-ness.
If you use the context of this thread, it's simply stuff that people don't like, as if we didn't have enough of those threads.
Sure, I'm picky, but I live under the mantra that one man's trash is another man's wife.
That may be true, but for the most part fads fade because people don't like them. If people liked them, they wouldn't be fads, and they'd stick around.
A fad is a short-lived trend that doesn't necessarily have to be something new. It can be recycled. The novelty wears off a lot quicker than a trend, IMO.
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