molan Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I watched a large chunk of the BBC "guitar heroes' part 2 earlier today which was mostly '70's people. Although I wasn't watching really closely I noticed about half way through that virtually every single bassist on display had either a Fender J or a P. I think Tetsu had a Tele (obviously still a Fender) although maybe this was just an early P bass and right at the end Bruce Foxton appeared with wis trusty black Ricky 4001. There may have been an odd different bass near the beginning of the show as I 'zapped' a lot of the early stuff. Meanwhile there were all sorts of lead guitars on display, usual Strats, Teles & Les Pauls, but also SG's, Gretsches, Gibson semis &, of course, Ronnie Wood's Zemaitis. It struck me whilst watching this what a great choice of instruments we have today compared to this era. The Fender is still very much the 'working man's' bass & the most common on a lot of stages but the sheer variety of quality instruments out there now is amazing really. Especially when you consider the relative costs of a lot of today's instruments! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 It was a simpler world. Mostly the preferred choice was Jazz or Precision and Marshall or Hiwatt with Vox in the early days. You did have to decide on either 1 or 2 4x12 cabs though! Tone was usually a muddy thud or a mid honk but that was bass until guys like Alembic, WAL and Trace came along! The bass world has just built from there and it keeps getting better every year! It really is a good time to be playing bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 i know what you mean, kind of. There are still a lot of fenders out there, but there is a lot of different stuff, and quality gear for not much money. It is a good time to be playing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I distinctly remember there being lots of Rickenbackers being used when bands appeared on TotP in the 70s along with the occasional Gibson (EB0, EB3 or Thunderbird). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I blame McCartney and Andy Fraser! But Fenders still rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 And with so much choice these days why do so many people pay over the odds for vintage Fenders? I really cant figure out the attraction of an old beat up bass costing three times the price of a new one. And before anyone says it, Mojo is just a word people use to justify spending load of money IMHO. Still, Fenders have worked and done the job for so long why change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted July 5, 2009 Author Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='Mickeyboro' post='533033' date='Jul 5 2009, 02:22 PM']I blame McCartney and Andy Fraser! But Fenders still rule.[/quote] Damn - just realised that Free were on early in the programme & I'm sure Andy Fraser would have a Gibson - my whole theory is crumbling already. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Yes, indeedy. A golden age for bass players. OTOH, RIP Shergold, H&H, Acoustic and other deceased 70's brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny-lad Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='533043' date='Jul 5 2009, 02:35 PM']Yes, indeedy. A golden age for bass players. OTOH, RIP Shergold, H&H, Acoustic and other deceased 70's brands.[/quote] The Acoustic brand is back, although there's no sign of it coming to the UK as far as I've heard! [url="http://www.acousticamplification.com/"]http://www.acousticamplification.com/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='533043' date='Jul 5 2009, 01:35 PM']Yes, indeedy. A golden age for bass players. OTOH, RIP Shergold, H&H, Acoustic and other deceased 70's brands.[/quote] Yes but with all the dead old brands, there are lots of new exciting ones markbass, TC electronics, esp, italia, lakland, traben, the new squiers. There's a lot of good gear! Also hagstrom are back too (i know you didn't mention them but i just thought i'd say) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='533036' date='Jul 5 2009, 02:25 PM']And with so much choice these days why do so many people pay over the odds for vintage Fenders?[/quote] I might have agreed until I played a rare gig last night with my 1971 Pre (in avatar). The guitarist was creaming himself over the tone compared with my other mainstay which is a lot newer. Yet he didn't know the difference (both sunburst precisions). Weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='molan' post='533038' date='Jul 5 2009, 02:29 PM']Damn - just realised that Free were on early in the programme & I'm sure Andy Fraser would have a Gibson - my whole theory is crumbling already. . .[/quote] Just a poorly mimed and truncated bit of All Right now from TOTP I think. They all looked bored and as if they'd been told off by their mums. The odd thing is that, although we have a huge amount of choice of instruments these days the vast majority of basses on Jools and the recent Glasto TV coverage etc were Fenders ... and 4 string too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='533154' date='Jul 5 2009, 05:16 PM']They all looked bored and as if they'd been told off by their mums.[/quote] I've always thought they all look totally stoned off their gourds in that clip, especially Andy Fraser. His eyes are quite astonishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='533154' date='Jul 5 2009, 05:16 PM']Just a poorly mimed and truncated bit of All Right now from TOTP I think. They all looked bored and as if they'd been told off by their mums.[/quote] God, that's just the image I've been trying to cultivate for years. Thanks for the tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Well, in the 70s I had at various times a Hofner, a Hayman, a Precision, a Jazz, an Aria, a Gibson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I think there's more choice than ever before with ALL musical kit. That said, I just feel comfortable with a Fender P-bass. It suits my style, my tastes & my influences. That's just me though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Well I like old Fenders of course, but really, as pointed out before, there are so many better basses around these days, better made and with a much better range of tones and playability. You can't buy the vibe though. I can't put my finger on what it is with an older instrument, after all, it's just some wood lumped together with screws, but there's some kind of history there that leeches out of them. Do you believe in ghosts? Well I can feel the vibes from all the music my Precision must have played over the years buzzing through it....it's very strange, but very inspiring. Maybe that's all bollocks, but I believe it. I've played plenty of really really beautiful basses, expensive and built with outstanding craftsmanship, but many of them felt sterile and bland. My lumpy old Precision just begs me to pick it up and play it. Why? Dunno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 [quote name='Rayman' post='533366' date='Jul 5 2009, 10:12 PM']Well I can feel the vibes from all the music my Precision must have played over the years buzzing through it....it's very strange, but very inspiring. Maybe that's all bollocks, but I believe it.[/quote] That Precision had a bit of a rough time with some dodgy chancer from Telford. I really hope you dont pick any of them vibes up! True though, I've owned some great basses over the years. Stingrays, Warwicks, Sandbergs, G&L, Laklands, Rickenbacker.... But what is it with an old beat up Fender? Why so special? It feels and sounds so 'right'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 For me, the most amazing and useful progression since those 70s days has been in terms of amplification. Back then it was a choice between a handful of very similar amps plus, as chris said, any cab you wanted as long as it was a 4x12. Now, the sky's the limit. Valves, solidstate, hybrid, parametric, graphic, semi-parametric, compression, built-in FX, super-efficient power amps, modelling, 600 watt amps weighing 3lbs, lightweight cabs with 8s, 10s, 12s, 15s, 18s even, normal speakers, neo speakers... Ye gods, we don't know we're born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 [quote name='budget bassist' post='533097' date='Jul 5 2009, 03:43 PM']Also hagstrom are back too (i know you didn't mention them but i just thought i'd say)[/quote] Only in name... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I'm soooo glad to have all this choice, I spent 8 months of my life fervently tracking down my ideal bass, wading through reviews, scouring eBay, visiting shops, and ended up with ............................... a Fender Jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 [quote name='Golchen' post='533654' date='Jul 6 2009, 12:04 PM']I'm soooo glad to have all this choice, I spent 8 months of my life fervently tracking down my ideal bass, wading through reviews, scouring eBay, visiting shops, and ended up with ............................... a Fender Jazz.[/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstriper Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 There's too much choice in everything these days. It leads to dissatisfaction and we spend too much time choosing and not enough living/playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 I've been playing for over 35 years and have worked in music retail since the early 80s. The instruments now are amazing. My fave for beginners is the Peavey Millennium...unbeatable! I remember buying an HH amp in the 70s only because it lit up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 [quote name='bigthumb' post='533375' date='Jul 5 2009, 10:21 PM']That Precision had a bit of a rough time with some dodgy chancer from Telford. I really hope you dont pick any of them vibes up![/quote] I read in the papers he'd been locked up for crimes against music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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