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What exactly is "that seventies thing"?
- Thread starter Chris 'Wighat' Jordan
- Start date
Here’s the 2X15 folded horn Carvin cabinet I used with the SVT head. And I LOVED clear and clanky. I even used a big Carvin PA horn with the folded horn cabinet for a while which used a big EV “re-entrant” horn.
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That 70's thing = marketing-speak. So many different sounds existed back then that it's meaningless.
If they sound good it's good. I heard they weren't like the old Acoustics, but the old ones were known to have a broad range of tone-shaping and the new ones seem to have even more, so it kinds of carries the "spirit" I guess. Too bad I think they are exclusively sold in the USA.
That 70s thing is what I get from my 1978 Peavey Century 200 on my Kustom TnR 2x12" cab or 1x15" Peavey Scorpion cab. Pushy mids, full but not deep bass (the 15" cab is bigger sounding), a very cutting treble and a tone that isn't clinically clean. I love it!
'That 70's thing!' is what my mum calls me, in hush tones to my father in the kitchen. She knows I can hear her, but pretends she doesn't know.
If you weren't there, don't knock it... plenty of good tunes there... it was what it was... but don't get me started about disco... 
Curious, I think many of my favourite tones were recorded through glorified guitar cabinets.
I know mine were back in the days when bass players would often need to replace blown speakers.
But even now I’ll sometimes run my bass through a Fender Lead 75 combo or use an old Acoustic guitar head to drive a bass cab. I also routinely play my guitar through my SWR SM-400 and Goliath Junior 2x10 bass cab. For ABG I use a Yorkville BLOK-40K keyboard combo amp.
I’m not trying to be a contrarian. I just know what I like.
Our lead guitarist just bought a Fender twin, it is so damn loud the sound guy doesn't put in the house speakers. It is also so damn heavy somebody put casters on the bottom of it. That is the 70's thing.
For me, two words-- Lab Series. They had really good tone (for those days), were light weight (for those days), and it meant I could use the Cool-Guy solid state technology. Yep- those were the days when we wanted to ditch all the problems of those antiquated tube amps for the new and shiny power and reliability of solid state!
Weighed half as much as my 60s B-15 and was 3 times louder.
Weighed half as much as my 60s B-15 and was 3 times louder.
I was there,it was awesome.They didn't play disco or rap or dance music during band breaks. No djs with a band. When Djs did play they also entertained you, didn't just stand there and play music. A lot of new music was coming out that didn't sound the same as the last. Equipment is more versatile these but the had a great sound that fit the times.
This is a great explanation from Warren Haynes: "When we first started Gov't Mule part of the concept was to bring back that very big, massive bass sound that nobody seemed to be using any more. Not only the really big booming bass tone but bass tones in general that were a little dirtier. We were talking about how when you listen to old rock n roll records whether it was the Beatles or Jethro Tull or Yes or almost any rock records from the 60's and early 70's the bass tone was dirtier than people remember. It wasn't until the late 70's people started cleaning up the bass sound and he and I both felt like that was kind of a mistake, that rock n roll's dirty music so if everything else is going to be dirty why not the bass too and so we acknowledged that going in to the inception of Gov't Mule and so when he wanted a brighter bass sound but still big he would use a Thunderbird and eventually a Rickenbacker"
Thank you for the question - I hope it's all right for me to chip in; I haven't got a bass but I've loved it for fifty-plus years, and enjoy playing bass when I get a chance.
If my memory serves me well, that Seventies thing might be a twangy, busy, funk-type approach, not all that much of a favourite with me, I have to admit! However, Slade kept my preferred booming sound going for the decade, too!
All best wishes,
Barrie
If my memory serves me well, that Seventies thing might be a twangy, busy, funk-type approach, not all that much of a favourite with me, I have to admit! However, Slade kept my preferred booming sound going for the decade, too!
All best wishes,
Barrie
With you on that too!
Went from an Acoustic 360 to Bassman to Ampeg SVT (circa 1975.. damn, there’s that 70s thing again!). Now with a Mesa Subway D800. My back made the decision for me.
