Dusty Hill in the 1980's

[rtslinger]

This is ZZ Top in the 1980's full concert Dusty was kicking butt and taking names forget how good he was not just a root note player he had some serious chops
enjoy people

 

[31HZ]

Man what a ferocious band. That they replaced Frank Beard with programmed drums on the later records ... geez I can't even.

 

[sonic boogaloo]

great band, great bass player.

as an aside, one of the very first songs i played with a band was this:

 

[Tim Skaggs]

I’ve heard parts of the concert and I agree it is great, but the most impressive Dusty Hill playing and tone I’ve heard is the 2019 / 50th anniversary recording “Raw”, where the band was recorded in some performance hall in Dallas with no audience, just recording personnel. It’s just not like anything I’ve ever heard from Dusty. It’s a thick, distorted tone that sounds a little more like his live sound, but still yet better than his live sound.

Here’s a sample example;

 

[SoonerBill]

It always amazed me what they did with 1 guitar, a bass and a relatively small drum kit.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

He wasn't exactly a shredder, but solid as hell. I always wondered if they were playing to a click track, at least in the drummers ears. Absolutely Metronomic.

 

[iammr2]

I’ve heard parts of the concert and I agree it is great, but the most impressive Dusty Hill playing and tone I’ve heard is the 2019 / 50th anniversary recording “Raw”, where the band was recorded in some performance hall in Dallas with no audience, just recording personnel. It’s just not like anything I’ve ever heard from Dusty. It’s a thick, distorted tone that sounds a little more like his live sound, but still yet better than his live sound.

Here’s a sample example;

That was Gruene Hall, Texas' oldest dancehall, in Gruene, Texas. Great place to play, see shows, and dance.

 

[Baltem]

Absolutely! Dusty was an incredible player, his groove and tone were unmatched in that era.

 

[bassbrad]

Greune Hall is classic Texas dance hall, one of the old originals that still features regular performances despite having no HVAC system, be prepared to sweat. For any band playing historic Greune Hall is considered a milestone.

 

[MCS4]

I saw ZZ Top around 10 years ago and his tone was massive, and much "dirtier" than I expected. Filled up plenty of space when Billy was soloing.

 

[Spectrum]

I’ve heard parts of the concert and I agree it is great, but the most impressive Dusty Hill playing and tone I’ve heard is the 2019 / 50th anniversary recording “Raw”, where the band was recorded in some performance hall in Dallas with no audience, just recording personnel. It’s just not like anything I’ve ever heard from Dusty. It’s a thick, distorted tone that sounds a little more like his live sound, but still yet better than his live sound.

Here’s a sample example;

That absolutely crushes. RIP Dusty.

 

[xsnrg27]

Seen ZZ top many times and they always put on a phenominal show. Dusty was rock solid every time I saw them. As an aside, I was recently traveling out west and was in a great antique shop in a small town in South Dakota. They had one of Dusty's original Kramer guitars (sold on the Julien's auction after his passing) and memorabilia. It was really amazing. I tried to haggle a deal for the bass but we were just too far apart.

 

[tom-g]

That‘s a Hamer not a Kramer.

 

[xsnrg27]

That‘s a Hamer not a Kramer.

Your right.. it was a long day..lol

 

[2saddleslab]

I’ve heard parts of the concert and I agree it is great, but the most impressive Dusty Hill playing and tone I’ve heard is the 2019 / 50th anniversary recording “Raw”, where the band was recorded in some performance hall in Dallas with no audience, just recording personnel. It’s just not like anything I’ve ever heard from Dusty. It’s a thick, distorted tone that sounds a little more like his live sound, but still yet better than his live sound.

Here’s a sample example;

Love that tone.

 

[lokerola]

Dusty's singing is great too! Reminds me of Michael Anthony in the OG Van Halen lineup. Rocking the bass and sings harmony like a boss!

 

[NotColinGrigson]

Love that tone.
View attachment 7351326

That’s a bucket list bass for me.

 

[jerry]

This is ZZ Top in the 1980's full concert Dusty was kicking butt and taking names forget how good he was not just a root note player he had some serious chops
enjoy people

They sounded great, so tight! No tracks needed.

 

[60bass]

I’ve heard parts of the concert and I agree it is great, but the most impressive Dusty Hill playing and tone I’ve heard is the 2019 / 50th anniversary recording “Raw”, where the band was recorded in some performance hall in Dallas with no audience, just recording personnel. It’s just not like anything I’ve ever heard from Dusty. It’s a thick, distorted tone that sounds a little more like his live sound, but still yet better than his live sound.

Here’s a sample example;

Dusty always said that his bass tone was like a fart inside of a 55 gallon drum. And you can definitely hear it on this recording. it is a IMO an absolutely killer tone for a live three-piece band loud powerful and distorted. I will also say that you can easily hear that Billy gibbons is already starting to get kind of sloppy With his guitar playing.

I started playing bass in 1969 so I have spent probably 50% of my time playing in three-piece bands. My rig for quite a number of years when I first started was a 100 w Marshall stack cranked up. I used a a P bass and it was very close to Dusty's tone. of course the 12s really took a beating because they weren't really made for bass so I did have to replace speakers quite frequently. It didn't really have a ton of deep low end which is to be expected when you're playing through 12-in guitar speakers in a cabinet that's not very deep but it was loud and ballsy and it would fill in a hole pretty good. Sometimes I miss those days and I miss that amp. But I have to kind of think it's slightly ironic that that I went from 12s to 15s then I jumped on the 410 bandwagon along with everyone else.

Then I purchased a Genz gbe1200 and a GB UBER 212 cabinet. After using that rig for a while I told myself why did I ever stop using 12-in speakers? I've used 12s ever since. Although at age 73 I don't play as much anymore as I used to. But I still like that raw and dirty tone. I have a fusion 800s with a GK NEO IV 212 And I can get pretty close to the Dusty tone with that. Since the GK by design is pretty zingy on the top end I have to dial that back quite a bit but it gets the job done.

RIP Dusty You are certainly messed and the music world is suffering from a big hole that you left in it when you passed on. I hope wherever you are at now you realize that you influenced so many of us in our formative years. I probably would not be the bassist I am nor had a career as long as I have without your influence on my playing.

 

[tom-g]

This is ZZ Top in the 1980's full concert Dusty was kicking butt and taking names forget how good he was not just a root note player he had some serious chops
enjoy people

I remember that concert. It put ZZ-Top on the map in Germany. After that everybody was talking about them. It was broadcast live on TV.