Could we cool it with the bass jargon?

[Matty Koff]

Dude, I'm a West Virginian construction worker, and I play with old time string bands and love moonshine, haha! You're not telling me anything I don't know, probably better than you do. I'm just saying, I can speak fluent hilljackanese and authentic mountain gibberish (even passable Kentuckistanian) with the best of them, but out th' holler you'll hear nary a 'lol' 'r 'BRB', an' they ain't never heared a' no 'tort' 'r 'EBMM' neither, an' th' onliest 'pups' ever they seed 'us Walkers 'r redbones 'r mountain feist.

I used to see and talk with several of those very Whites on a semi-regular basis, by the way, haha!

Honestly, as much laughter as TWWWV and The Dancing Outlaw provided almost everyone I know.. their story is one of hardship and loss as well as painting some light on what happens in areas where big money moves out and/or resources dry out. To me that story isn't just about the Whites but the conditions of poverty stricken families across the USA.

Your initial response was a hoot, feller.

Not specifically to Thegrandwazoo, but to the thread I'll bow out with an "I respectfully disagree." The internet is younger than abbreviations. The concept is to save time. As someone who has dealt with anxiety that was never present before the almighty text message... I totally appreciate a quick lol to my humor, or an eyeroll emoji can say a thousand words.. and who wants to type a thousand words? I do it all the time but it's not because I really want to spend that much time typing and proof-reading.

Using context to make an educated guess about the meaning of a word within a sentence or paragraph was an English lesson in grade school for me.

A lack of education, or "general instruction" as I've experienced in public school, doesn't mean people can't surprise you. We can talk about a bomber pilot and a fighter pilot from opposing armies, the fighter escorting the enemy bomber back to home territory and the communication using only hand signals.. their native languages being different.

And who wants to type out "Ernie Ball Music Man" everytime they talk about a EBMM bass? If that was legit a rule I'd develop my first sense of brand loyalty to companies like "Sire", or "Fender" or "G&L" etc.etc.

Guy called his Stingray a "Sting." HEAVEN FORBID. lol.

The world is kind of panicking a little bit at the moment. But linguistics.. that's a big deal. Love and peace e'rbody.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I remember entering college, straight out of high school and being frustrated with the "new" vocabulary I was discovering. As I read the required material, I often came across words that I was not familiar with. This was years ago and long before I could quickly reference terms on Google. So, as I read, a good old fashioned dictionary and thesaurus were at the ready. Before long, I had vastly expanded my vocabulary and the reading became quite rewarding. Utilize the TB "acronyms" reference link... It's a quick and easy way to clarify confusion and in the long run, is a great little style of "shorthand" that I have found convenient.

 

[Tom Bomb]

In the interest of efficient communication, would it be possible to use standard language rather than bass jargon in posts?

I can understand "pups" as shorthand for pickups, but I also see some newer members thinking they've stumbled into a dog owners' group. "Tort" means one thing to us, but something completely different to lawyers.

I bring this up because of two recent experiences.

One poster referred to something like his "Fender L." I know Ps and Js and PJs, but couldn't recollect any Fender model that started with an L. Another TB-er thought that it was a reference to Fender's early numbering system, where an L serial number would have indicated a pre-1965 vintage. But even today, neither of us knows for sure.

And just today, a TB-er posted something about his "Sting." Some responders to the post thought he was talking about the P-bass model that Sting uses. As it turns out (I think, anyway), he was referring to a MusicMan StingRay.

Since we're all in this together, and we do really want to understand and help each other, do you think it might be possible to take a look at your post before sending, just to make sure you're saying what you mean and making your point clearly to a general audience? Assuming that everyone you want to communicate with is familiar with all the bass jargon is usually a mistake.

Thanks.

I don't get it. What's wrong with writing in obscure language — bordering on impenetrable — that's completely incomprehensible to most and, for the most part, unnecessary for the rest? Please explain.

 

[MynameisMe]

YMMV.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

Sada Tey!

 

[capnsandwich]

Look, when you enter another country, do you expect them to change their language to meet your needs? No, you adjust. Same thing here.....but different.

 

[brianrost]

To avoid confusion, I propose that all acronyms be tracked and approved by the Department of Acronyms (DOA).

How about the Department of Redundancy Department?

 

[Tom Bomb]

… And who wants to type out "Ernie Ball Music Man" every time they talk about a EBMM bass? …

Ernie's family and friends?

 

[Smooth_bass88]

That's "as old as the hills" - cars, boats, guitars, etc, etc... male dominate inflections. At least guitars/basses have some relative qualifiers like curvy shape, an object of affection, physical interaction... one can choose not to use that terminology but it sure ain't gonna go away anytime soon.

Would someone call a Geddy Lee bass a she? How about a Roscoe Beck bass? Generally the Earth, large sea vessels, countries, continents... those can be called she.

 

[JCW308]

It might be best to just learn the jargon on the hobby / business you claim to be interested in, instead of complaining about it like a fool....

 

[sxaxsx]

I feel many abbreviations/codes are already part of our community. For reference sake here are ones commonly used that most people here would understand. Some are obvious and have been around a long time. Some are bass-centric and others are player/playing related. There are others which can be added to determine how commonly (or not) they are understood. Feel free to add.

pu = pick-up
fb = fingerboard
tr = truss-rod
P/P-bass/P = Fender Precision bass
J/J-bass/J = Fender Jazz bass
P/J = a bass, usually Fender but not always with a split & single pu combo
Beatle bass = Hofners violin bass
fridge = Ampeg with 8 speaker cab
FOH = front of house sound system
Dano = Danelectro
long-horn (bass) = Danelectro bass with long upper and lower symmetric "horns"
boner bass = reference to longer upper horn on late-'80s/early '90's P's and J's designed by George Binda at Fender
3TSB = three tone sunburst
9 or 18v pre = 9 or 18volt powered on-board pre-amplifier
active (bass) = bass with 9 or 18v battery powered on-board pre-amplifier
Oly wht = Olympic white
BL = band leader
hippy sandwich = bass made of multi-laminated exotic woods
multi-lam = multiple lamination construction
chambered = hollowed center of a solid body for weight and tonal improvement
Gibson style hs = set-back head-stock
string-tree = string retainer (usually D & G) for straight Fender-style head-stocks
ss = short-scale, stainless-steel, solid-state
med scale = (usually) 32" bridge saddles to nut
long/standard scale = 34" bridge saddles to nut
extra long scale = 35" (usually 5 string)
rig = amp/speaker cabinet
combo (amp) = combined amp/speaker unit
axe (antiquated) = bass/guitar/instrument
downbeat = live set start
pause for the cause = pee break

added from recommendations -
__________________________________________________________________________

P/P-bass/P = Fender Precision "style" bass
J/J-bass/J = Fender Jazz "style" bass
MOTO - mother of toilet seat ( usually pearloid) pickguard.
Barts- Bartolini pickups
Qualm}
Bad Ass} All the same bridge
BAII }
LQ BA II}
HB- humbucker pickup
Mudbucker - Gibson humbucker pickup.
soap bar - fat pickup
URB- upright bass
Doghouse - Upright bass
Doghouse 2- (couch) Where you'll be sleeping when the wife finds out how much you spent on bass gear

How about VVT and VBT didn't know what that meant the first time I saw it.

 

[equill]

So, KISS?

And makeup?

 

[equill]

Most of the silly jargon around here I can deal with except for calling a bass ‘she’. Something just seems really really incorrect about that.

Sorry 'bout that, chief.
It'll probably upset you to know that I usually refer to my motorbikes as "she" as well. Except the Monster, half the time; that one's a little more neutral, but I generally just figure she's more butch than an actual "he."

 

[equill]

What's a jargon? is it something from starwars? What planet do Jargons come from anyway?

And are they related to bogons?

Aw, crap. I crossed the streams - those are from the IT-verse.

 

[Lagado]

You mean you don't use the SQR7056C TB Term Decoder? Well it's no wonder you are confused isn't it.

 

[BassBrass]

I don't get it. What's wrong with writing in obscure language — bordering on impenetrable — that's completely incomprehensible to most and, for the most part, unnecessary for the rest? Please explain.

I am completely sympathetic with the use of jargon as a barrier to keep the undeserving out, especially when it involves special knowledge in relation to a valued skill, like music terminology, physics, electronics, even the Law which has it's latin phrases. But Some jargon pi ss es me of f and that would include Academic jargon and it's many subdivisions in the social sciences (I won't mention). It should die. There are cases where we don't need new word formations when we have common ones that are just fine. Andante?

ALSO when asking a question on a public forum it's just common sense to not exclude people who might not know immediately what your jargon means. wastes time. One purpose of jargon is social bonding within a small group, in a larger group that goes out the window. I wouldn't even try to figure out that "Sting" isn't the bass player singer sanctimonious Tantra practitioner of 90s fame.

 

[Tom Bomb]

wastes time.

Nonsense. 'Twas brillig!

 

[TonyP-]

I can tell people are home at this time...

 

[Lagado]

Dead Sea Scrolls at intermediate level first before you can make head or tail of this. Prepare thyself.

 

[beaglesandbass]

I can tell people are home at this time...

Figure with all that time at home, there’s plenty of time to learn acronyms and slang!