Things we didn't know or do in the 60's and 70's

[Paulabass]

We didn't know basses needed to be set-up. We just played them.
We assumed intonation had been done at the factory.
We had two cords. We used them interchangeably between speaker and instrument.
We didn't carry a spare bass. If we needed to change a string we had drum solos.
We thought a 15" folded horn could be used full-range. We didn't need anything over 300 Hz. anyway.
We didn't know you couldn't put any speaker in any cab, so we put a JBL or an EV in everything- It didn't matter which model. In 1978 we decided Fender bass cabinets sucked (they did), and we took out the speakers and put them in TL 606 cabs. This was the single biggest improvement in bass sound since the invention of the electric bass.(not including the Fridge, which is still cool)

If we did so many things wrong, how come we made the best music of the century?

 

[Stewie26]

If we did so many things wrong, how come we made the best music of the century?

Because a good song is a good song, even when the fidelity was not perfect.

 

[Richland123]

We ran our bass guitar into one jack on an amp and our high impedance microphone into another jack on the same amp. Whenever we hit a string, the vocal microphone would cut out.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I wasn't gigging in the 60's or 70's, but I remember in the 90's that we had to avoid playing certain venues because we didn't have the cash to buy new cabling and if you were too close to the local radio station their live stream came through the PA loud and clear.

 

[LBS-bass]

We used a lot of these in really old buildings and somehow survived.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

We used a lot of these in really old buildings and somehow survived.

View attachment 3486462

That's right, those were required equipment!

 

[jerry]

The accordion input on a Ampeg reverb rocket was the PA.

 

[Winoman]

I wasn't gigging in the 60's or 70's, but I remember in the 90's that we had to avoid playing certain venues because we didn't have the cash to buy new cabling and if you were too close to the local radio station their live stream came through the PA loud and clear.

That happened in the 60s & 70s, too. We played at a Jr. HS "sock hop" in '65, and couldn't figure out why the local police dispatcher was coming through the guitarist's amp.

 

[Haroldo]

We didn't know basses needed to be set-up. We just played them.
We assumed intonation had been done at the factory.
We had two cords. We used them interchangeably between speaker and instrument.
We didn't carry a spare bass. If we needed to change a string we had drum solos.
We thought a 15" folded horn could be used full-range. We didn't need anything over 300 Hz. anyway.
We didn't know you couldn't put any speaker in any cab, so we put a JBL or an EV in everything- It didn't matter which model. In 1978 we decided Fender bass cabinets sucked (they did), and we took out the speakers and put them in TL 606 cabs. This was the single biggest improvement in bass sound since the invention of the electric bass.(not including the Fridge, which is still cool)

If we did so many things wrong, how come we made the best music of the century?

You are a mind reader. i think it was just yesterday I was mulling over a number of these things.

Even as a lad, I'd marvel at the blues and soul bands coming out of Chicago and Milwaukee and wonder how in the world did they sound so incredible and have such lousy equipment. I figured it out pretty quickly.

 

[Winslow]

We had an old Peavy PA that could not handle hot-switching inputs. Any time we wanted to plug in or unplug something, we had to power off the head unit, change whatever, then turn it back on again.

 

[Oddly]

As someone who had his hey-day in the 80's, I can relate to most of those...

 

[Peteyboy]

In the 80's I never went direct into any PA system. Not with a DI box, and I never had direct xlr output on any amp. Larger venues would mic my rig sometimes but mostly all anyone heard outta my bass was what was coming outta my amp.

Oh, and no rehearsal studios I ever used back then provided a backline. You hauled your own gear in and out of every practice.

 

[okcrum]

We didn't know basses needed to be set-up. We just played them.
We assumed intonation had been done at the factory.
We had two cords. We used them interchangeably between speaker and instrument.
We didn't carry a spare bass. If we needed to change a string we had drum solos.
We thought a 15" folded horn could be used full-range. We didn't need anything over 300 Hz. anyway.
We didn't know you couldn't put any speaker in any cab, so we put a JBL or an EV in everything- It didn't matter which model. In 1978 we decided Fender bass cabinets sucked (they did), and we took out the speakers and put them in TL 606 cabs. This was the single biggest improvement in bass sound since the invention of the electric bass.(not including the Fridge, which is still cool)

If we did so many things wrong, how come we made the best music of the century?

I must have been hanging with the wrong crowd, or been on the wrong coast, because I and the people I worked with didn't do any of these things. I never used a Fender cab, though.

 

[Relsom]

The PA was for vocals.
We did not carry backups of anything, except maybe fuses.

 

[charlie monroe]

Because it was what was available.

A few years ago I went to a Yardbirds/Vanilla Fudge show in a great Buffalo club called the Tralf.

The lineups were reversed. The Yardbirds were all young hired guns except the drummer, and I believe the Fudge was all original except the drummer (corrections welcome here).

The young dudes were all using ancient mojo soaked gear. Aside from the Hammond, the Fudge were using all of the latest and greatest available today.

Taught me a lesson that day. Why look back? Use the best gear that you can get your hands on.

 

[pappabass]

If we did so many things wrong, how come we made the best music of the century?

One thing there were mainly "Fender" (not all) guitars being played. Not a bunch of guys thinking they were better because they played some boutique bass. They just played & did not worry about it.
Also the majority of bass players stuck with their part.

 

[JRA]

If we did so many things wrong.......

speak for yourself, girl!

......how come we made the best music of the century?

i don't know...lucky i guess.

 

[NKBassman]

Because a good song is a good song, even when the fidelity was not perfect.

/thread

 

[Danny O Danny]

We didn't have digital tuners, and we couldn't afford a Peterson strobe tuner, so we tuned to each other.

 

[sharkbait130]

I clearly remember several times that my guitar was plugged into one input of my amp and a mic was plugged into the other. Volume was set for the mic and the guitar volume was kept low enough so we could hear the singing.