ZZ Top / Dusty Hill

[Chef]

Oh heck yeah. BTDT. Just never connected the dots.

 

[throbgod13]

bit of trivia.. Dusty's basses are short scale, 30"..

 

[cassanova]

I've always been curious to know what these guys look like without the beards. I've been trying to find a pic of Dusty and Billy without them, but I cannot find any. Perhaps some of you can help me in my quest.

 

[ERIC31]

I like this one the best. It just has the reversed headstock and the regular "right handed" body. I'd love to have one. He plays it in the Live In Texas DVD! Way cool!

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[cripula]

Has he been doing it for years? Not sure....I just found out he was Hank Hills brother, so, I'm way behind the curve.

He's Hank's cousin

Mike Judge rules - and he's a bass player!



edited to add - big Dusty/ZZ Fan here, well, up to Deguello anyway. Check out side one of Fandango. Live, 3 guys sounding like 15. Absolutely awesome guitar and bass tones.

 

[Rugaar]

I've always been curious to know what these guys look like without the beards. I've been trying to find a pic of Dusty and Billy without them, but I cannot find any. Perhaps some of you can help me in my quest.

There's a few old ones where Billy's clean shaven but it looks like Dusty's had a beard forever.

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[FL Knifemaker]

The pickups on that bass look like T-40's??

I think the pickups are TV Jones Thunder Trons. Based on the Filtertrons that come in the Gretsches. The Thunder Trons come on some Gretsch basses. Check 'em out.

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Cool!! Thanks for the info. On my build, I want to put my two lipstick pups together in the P position, maybe slightly offset just for looks.

 

[dave64o]

There's a few old ones where Billy's clean shaven but it looks like Dusty's had a beard forever.

Even though it's an old picture you can see that that's Dusty and Frank (though Dusty seems to be going for a Ronnie Van Zandt look ). However, I NEVER would have never guessed that was Billy Gibbons.

I was just in Las Vegas over the holiday weekend with my brother and he had a copy of the Live In Texas DVD with him. We weren't in our room very much but when we were that DVD was usually playing. Great stuff!

 

[jmela]

John Bolin makes a lot of guitars for those guys:

http://www.bolinguitars.com/

I think the lefty-flipped-over thing is purely cosmetic - looks cool.

Billy had a book out a few years back that documented his car and guitar collections - both completely ridiculous.

 

[Chef]

The guitar pictured up top is a Gretsch:
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They do make a matching bass
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Not sure who made the left handed Tele looking bass with the Thundertrons, but I'd like it.

 

[5StringBlues]

v The pic below this post is my buddy Sparky Parker playing the flipped over lefty from the OP. (No,he is not the bassist for Complete)

I will ask Sparky tonight if he knows who made that bass.

 

[ERIC31]

 

[5StringBlues]

^ Thanks Eric31!

 

[duckbutter]

I would love to see his bass collection.

 

[FL Knifemaker]

That's too cool!! I never play on those last few frets anyhoo

 

[4-Stringer]

My band covers a few ZZ Top songs (probably some of our best sounding stuff). They're always fun to play. No fancy left hand finger work, but keeping the groove tight and up to tempo keeps you on your toes.

Exactly! And isn't this the real art on playing bass? Pump the groove and keep the crowd boiling
I have much more respect for bass players doing this than I have for people playing "spastic guitar" like Wooten.

 

[Lizooki]

Yep. He ... THEY have been doing that for years. I seem to remember matching lefty/flipped whatever yellow or white fender-looking things back in the 80's.
And the white fuzzies. COOL

btw- the beard thing ..... when they decided to disappear after the Eliminator album ( I think) and take a break, it is rumored that they simply shaved, and could go anywhere they wanted.

Check it out. Long beards in the Eliminator vids. Short ... well, shortER in the Afterburner stuff.


Matt

 

[C-60 Bass]

Exactly! And isn't this the real art on playing bass? Pump the groove and keep the crowd boiling
I have much more respect for bass players doing this than I have for people playing "spastic guitar" like Wooten.

+1

 

[cassanova]

There's a few old ones where Billy's clean shaven but it looks like Dusty's had a beard forever.

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Woah. Thats a trip seeing him clean shaven like that.

btw- the beard thing ..... when they decided to disappear after the Eliminator album ( I think) and take a break, it is rumored that they simply shaved, and could go anywhere they wanted.Matt

I wouldn't recognize them without their beards.

 

[LilRay]

Here's a pic of a young Billy, with Jimi Hendrix.

God Bless, Ray