What exactly is "that seventies thing"?

[two fingers]

That's millennial slang for "I was too young (not born, yet) to have been there the first time around."

That's really it in a nutshell. The 70s are what the 50s and 60s used to be. Anyone who remembers the 60s as an adult is.... well..... not a spring chicken. Those people are carrying 1 pound heads, three pound cans, and 7 pound basses to the gig. And they don't like anything 70s because it came out after they were in high school (which is, evidently, the most important time period in the history of the planet).

But kids today see the 70s as way back then.

I told someone the other day that it won't be long before we refer to that era as "the 1900s" kind of like we do "the 1800s" and "the 1700s" when referring to history.

The English language didn't stop evolving when baby boomers became high school seniors. It's usually changed by the generation that is currently 18-30 years old.

Short version: "That 70s thing" = "old school"... unless you're old.... like really old.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hmmm.....had an Acoustic 370....Now have a Mesa Subway rig.....Mesa all day !!!

No doubt there have been improvements in gear over the last 40 some years.

 

[4001]

Bass tone changed a LOT from 1970 to 1979......
You went from tube amps to solid state....

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I'm partial to that 80s thing, although at times I find myself craving that 90s thing. I know this one guy who's all about that 2000s thing. He's kinda weird though.

 

[chadds]

Crappy weed and questionable fashion.

If you were playing top 40 in clubs or watching TV yes crappy fashion. You had to stop shopping at Sears for clothes. The weed is another story. You could pass a J around 20 people and everyone have a joyous time talking singing laughing. Fast forward to the 21st century one hit you’ve passed out. Which do you prefer?

 

[bearhart74]

Nothing says the 70s like a tube top, bell bottom jeans and Quaaludes

 

[lomo]

..more than 69 but not quite 80.....

 

[ihaveaquestion]

I told someone the other day that it won't be long before we refer to that era as "the 1900s" kind of like we do "the 1800s" and "the 1700s" when referring to history.

Yes, there is a lot of reluctance to admit to oneself that time never stops. For example, what is called "dad rock", is already grandpa rock. Grunge is dad rock now, and it won't take too long until early 2000's stuff become dad rock

 

[chadds]

That's really it in a nutshell. The 70s are what the 50s and 60s used to be. Anyone who remembers the 60s as an adult is.... well..... not a spring chicken. Those people are carrying 1 pound heads, three pound cans, and 7 pound basses to the gig. And they don't like anything 70s because it came out after they were in high school (which is, evidently, the most important time period in the history of the planet).

But kids today see the 70s as way back then.

I told someone the other day that it won't be long before we refer to that era as "the 1900s" kind of like we do "the 1800s" and "the 1700s" when referring to history.

The English language didn't stop evolving when baby boomers became high school seniors. It's usually changed by the generation that is currently 18-30 years old.

Short version: "That 70s thing" = "old school"... unless you're old.... like really old.

Old school keeps moving. Soon it will be 2001. It’s like ‘70s being vintage. That’s funny when we tried that gear when it was brand new. It’s really funny when your ‘68 sunburst tort P bass is two years old.

 

[Ooba Tooba]

My neighbor had a band in the 70s. Caught them once late in their day when I was a young teen

 

[Fun With Dirt]

Since I started playing in the early 70's and bought my first amps then, I'd define "that seventies thing" as: underpowered, limited bandwidth amp heads, cabs that have a severe rolloff at about 80 hZ and no top end to speak of, rigs with way too much weight/size for the perceivable loudness they put out (like my refrigerator sized 1971 Quilter 215 cab, which was probably not as efficient as a modern 210).

The advances in bass amplification since the 70's are monumental, and I am not the least bit sentimental about what was around then, with a few exceptions. I think these are some pieces that still sound great and deservedly have their place today: SVT, B-15, Sunn 2000S and 215 cab, Alembic F-2B (I have a 1976 F-2B, and it is hard to beat for a meat-and-potatoes tube sound). There are probably others but that's what immediately comes to mind.

I know some people these days have a fondness for Acoustic 360 or 370's, but I have to think that's largely nostalgia. Even back then I thought they were loud but boxy sounding and lacking in definition. I expect there are some opinions contrary to that!

This. All. Day. Long. Now, I was born in the 70's and was raised on a healthy does of 60's and 70's bassists. I picked up guitar around 1986 and then bass around 1991. I always had a huge fondness of the late-60's to late-70's era bassists like Geezer Butler, John Paul Jones, John Deacon, Geddy Lee, Rushton Moreve, Tom Hamilton, etc. Despite so many of my bass heroes coming from that era, the bass amps were... umm... loud? Honestly, bass was the red-headed-stepchild of amplification tech for most companies. When the 80's rolled around, the tech started to jump for bassists. Even then, I wanted that 70's era "fur" but without the "crap". ...and definitely without having to own vans. With amps like SWR coming out, I was able to get some growl without it sounding awful. I ended up dragging around a guitar amp and a bass amp and running a biamp rig. I could keep my lows clean and highs overdriven. That SUCKED. Sounded awesome. SUCKED carrying. ..and setting up. The 90's would see more jumps in bass tech especially when Line6 got into the bass game. Say what you want about their old guitar POD products, but their Bass POD was great. For the first time, I could go somewhere with just a bass case and a POD in a bag. "Gimme a mic cable". Done. By that point, most venues were wanting to run me into a direct box anyways. So, it worked. Go into the 2000's and 2000-teens... and those little Class D amps were really coming into their own. As were the preamp direct boxes that didn't have any power amplification at all beyond getting up to line level. That's where I am now. My whole rig fits in my bass case.

 

[CayGee]

that 70's thing?

Altec Voice of The Theatre PA stacks. That's what I started with.

 

[ofajen]

I was the same height in the 70's as I am now, but all my amps were a lot bigger. ... So, a '70's thing', to me, means, a third floor walk up apartment and two big 15" cabs and a heavy amp I had to carry upstairs or someone would steal it out of my car. ... Looking back, that thief would've done me a favour.

A musician friend from church joked that one time he parked his car downtown, left his accordion in the back but forgot to lock the car. By the time he realized his mistake and got back to the car it was too late: there were two more accordions in the back of the car.

Otto

 

[Fun With Dirt]

A musician friend from church joked that one time he parked his car downtown, left his accordion in the back but forgot to lock the car. By the time he realized his mistake and got back to the car it was too late: there were two more accordions in the back of the car.

Otto

LOL!

 

[2BitHack]

 

[Groove Doctor]

The 70’s covers a wide musical range....

1970 Tip 10 Hits
1. Layla - Derek and the Dominos
2. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
3. Let It Be - The Beatles
4. Your Song - Elton John
5. Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - James Brown
6. Lola - The Kinks
7. Who'll Stop the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. Fire and Rain - James Taylor
9. Paranoid - Black Sabbath
10. All Right Now - Free


1979 Top 10 Hits
1. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 - Pink Floyd
2. London Calling - The Clash
3. Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
4. Good Times - Chic
5. Dont Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
6. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
7. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
8. Hot Stuff - Donna Summer
9. Brass in Pocket - The Pretenders
10. Message in a Bottle - The Police

 

[bass4more]

So many experts on why stuff from the 70's is crap and they weren't even born yet...

From the looks of this thread, not only where they born, they'd moved on to their second marriage.

 

[logdrum]

To me 70's mean pre SWR, Hartke Trace etc sound


People born in the 60's will all be past 50 come December 31 23:59 western Samoa time, then next year 2020 everyone born on the 70's will be marching towards their 50 and thus the population that will be uncomfortable lifting heavy things will increase.

 

[dalkowski]

It has casters.

 

[Mark Ambler]

I remember a great electric bass player, using a Fender jazz and a Hiwatt 100 with a little homemade cab. Traded in the Hiwatt for the HH. It was lighter and was meant to be an improvement, but was anything but. They weren’t too bad for keyboards, but I’m not a fan. The Hiwatt sounded excellent.