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Thunderbird Club

#181,681
GBassNorth said:
Ok, I give up - I hear the bass line but don’t see a bass player on stage, is Steppenwolf one of those Doors type bands where the keyboard player does double duty?
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It was bass guitar until the eighties. Then the keyboardist played the lines. I saw them a few times over ther years; they toured the county fair circuit for decades. This vid is obviously from the latter period.
 
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#181,683
Chucky Stiletti said:
For being the head honcho and creator of this Thunderbird thread I really appreciate and dig how open minded and bass agnostic you are…..thank you..
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Not my quote but I like this.....
"Play what you love and love what you play"

I really like Aaronson's playing on those vids, that he's playing a P bass doesn't matter, it's good, the tone is good and he's a great, entertaining player. I really do love my Thunderbirds and Gibson basses best, but there's so many great instruments out there......:)
 
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#181,684
GBassNorth said:
That’s what had me baffled, I couldn’t see any bass pedals under the keys and the key players hands weren’t in the right locations to be playing the bass lines. For a very brief second near the end of the song I thought I saw the flash of a bass headstock way back in the shadows behind the keyboard player, but certainly didn’t see a bass anywhere else in the clip. Great song though, and great bass line.
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Indeed. And great bass line player should be seen not just heard. I've seen a good number of bands in recent years have an extra guitar player(s) but have them stand off stage almost or are in the very back as if they aren't contributing anything. I know people came to see that band, but if that band thinks they need another guitar player to make that band sound good, then that band should recognize the contributions of that player instead of acting like they don't exist. I know the person gets a paycheck, but most people still like to be recognized and not stuffed in a closet. It's a business arrangement for sure, but as members of the band, they should understand that. It's almost as if they don't want to admit they need a little help or share a little lime light.
 
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#181,685
GBassNorth said:
Which I guess begs the question - what’s the best keyboard for metal bass lines?
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:laugh: I'm sure someone out there actually has an answer that may be pretty useful. But I actually don't think there is one.

The last concert I saw on TV of Steve Miller there was no bass player. All done with keyboard. Don't get it. As a guitar player you would think he would want a bass player. But I'm sure he has his reasons other than one less paycheck. Then again...
 
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#181,687
So. (Part of )This old thing again-with new black Thunderbird I got from @Engle. [pic's fuzzy, 'Bird isn't].
0728211426-00.jpg
 
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#181,691
dagrev said:
:laugh: I'm sure someone out there actually has an answer that may be pretty useful. But I actually don't think there is one.

The last concert I saw on TV of Steve Miller there was no bass player. All done with keyboard. Don't get it. As a guitar player you would think he would want a bass player. But I'm sure he has his reasons other than one less paycheck. Then again...
Click to expand...
I’ll never forget going to Seattle on a business trip about 15 years ago to do some benchmarking work with Boeing. The Boeing execs treated us to a dinner cruise with live band (don’t recall the band name unfortunately). I was sitting at the table with my back to the stage heavily engaged in some business discussions while the band was setting up. When the band kicked in, the first song sounded fantastic, possibly the best bass playing and sound I had ever heard live. I turned to see the band, only to find it was the darn keyboard player doing double duty. Not a bass to be found anywhere on stage.

I was crushed. Musically speaking, that was the first time in my life that I seriously thought - why am I even playing this instrument when a guy with a keyboard can do my job (just as good if not better) and his at the same time (and yes, the under achiever also sang backup). The experience was a complete game changer for me.

When I got back home, I looked at my basses and decided right then, that I wasn’t playing bass so I could be a great bass player - I was playing bass because I liked it, it was good stress relief and it helped keep my mind and dexterity sharp.
 
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#181,693
GBassNorth said:
I’ll never forget going to Seattle on a business trip about 15 years ago to do some benchmarking work with Boeing. The Boeing execs treated us to a dinner cruise with live band (don’t recall the band name unfortunately). I was sitting at the table with my back to the stage heavily engaged in some business discussions while the band was setting up. When the band kicked in, the first song sounded fantastic, possibly the best bass playing and sound I had ever heard live. I turned to see the band, only to find it was the darn keyboard player doing double duty. Not a bass to be found anywhere on stage.

I was crushed. Musically speaking, that was the first time in my life that I seriously thought - why am I even playing this instrument when a guy with a keyboard can do my job (just as good if not better) and his at the same time (and yes, the under achiever also sang backup). The experience was a complete game changer for me.

When I got back home, I looked at my basses and decided right then, that I wasn’t playing bass so I could be a great bass player - I was playing bass because I liked it, it was good stress relief and it helped keep my mind and dexterity sharp.
Click to expand...
My first instrument was piano starting at age 7. Some 25 years later, after playing clarinet and saxes, I started playing bass. I'd found my musical 'home'. I still know what and where the notes are on a keyboard, so in a previous iteration of the current band, I played my my POS electric piano with its bass section on a coupla songs to fill in. With my TBird on.
 
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#181,694
dagrev said:
Indeed. And great bass line player should be seen not just heard. I've seen a good number of bands in recent years have an extra guitar player(s) but have them stand off stage almost or are in the very back as if they aren't contributing anything. I know people came to see that band, but if that band thinks they need another guitar player to make that band sound good, then that band should recognize the contributions of that player instead of acting like they don't exist. I know the person gets a paycheck, but most people still like to be recognized and not stuffed in a closet. It's a business arrangement for sure, but as members of the band, they should understand that. It's almost as if they don't want to admit they need a little help or share a little lime light.
Click to expand...
The last time I saw them was at the City amphitheater in the park down the street from my house. Probably eight years ago? No bass player. 10 bucks to get in. John Kay was great. A real pro.
 
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#181,695
GBassNorth said:
I’ll never forget going to Seattle on a business trip about 15 years ago to do some benchmarking work with Boeing. The Boeing execs treated us to a dinner cruise with live band (don’t recall the band name unfortunately). I was sitting at the table with my back to the stage heavily engaged in some business discussions while the band was setting up. When the band kicked in, the first song sounded fantastic, possibly the best bass playing and sound I had ever heard live. I turned to see the band, only to find it was the darn keyboard player doing double duty. Not a bass to be found anywhere on stage.

I was crushed. Musically speaking, that was the first time in my life that I seriously thought - why am I even playing this instrument when a guy with a keyboard can do my job (just as good if not better) and his at the same time (and yes, the under achiever also sang backup). The experience was a complete game changer for me.

When I got back home, I looked at my basses and decided right then, that I wasn’t playing bass so I could be a great bass player - I was playing bass because I liked it, it was good stress relief and it helped keep my mind and dexterity sharp.
Click to expand...
Also one the most famous "bass lines" is also done on keyboard: the Seinfeld theme.
 
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