SlapbassSteve Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hi all, currently working towards a dissertation but lagging behind a bit as I can't find(alright, haven't really looked yet... been busy gigging n' such... ) a whole lot of literature on the subject. Anyone know of any books which discuss how bass sounds in the studio have changed over the years, or failing that anything on close listening so I can use the recordings themselves as sources to talk about, but using the right lingo in the process..? Looking for things like development of the basses themselves(active vs passive, rise and fall of foam mute pads etc...), improvements in studio audio quality, bass amp development, and also changes in playing style. Bit of a broad topic I know, hoping to really whittle it down once I've spent the next few weeks intensively focussing on it. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I don't ever recall seeing a book on how bsss tone has changed. It seems like the sort of thing that might be covered by magazine articals, though I can't remember one of those either. You might be better off tackling this laterally. Try picking up a book on the general history of the bass, like the one by Tony Bacon (and someone else - can't remember the name). There may be books on the history of general recording techniques, but if not there are certainly books that cover what bands like the Beatles did in the studio. It would mean a lot of reading and scanning for relevent sections though. A post somewhere like the Sound on Sound forum might throw up some relevent info in the recording dept. A word of warning though - try to avoid technological determinism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 It would be nice to have a definitive essay on the subject, although if the mystery and speculation were squashed then there might be a reduction in threads and replies on here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Hmm interesting but VERY broad subject. How are you going to segment the sections? By genre? New bass developments etc? The reason I ask is because take for example the fender precision. The same precision can do bright and clanky for say metal and can also do muted "thud" type stuff for umm... motown? (I don't listen to any music with that type of sound ), now both of these recordings could be from the same era, same bass but just produced in a different way. However, as you point out there is also the aspect of new developments, active / passive / filter based EQ's / new amp technologies / DI vs Mic'd / Mic Techniques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 (edited) Some people will say that bass tone has got better over time- I wouldnt agree. This is the most subjective thing i can think of. Certainly no definite answer Edited January 10, 2013 by thumperbob 2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 I can imagine it's going to be difficult to be able to describe verbally all of the different tones out there in a language that everyone will take the same way - or even remotely the same way. How many words are there to describe a bass' tone? Quite a list I'm thinking. Would it be possible/permitted to have it as an "audio book" and have as many samples as possible; not so much sample tracks of copyright material but trials of many & various basses in shops (dangle the carrot of a credit on the sleeve-notes?) and/or basses belonging to BCers in your area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 Cheers for the words of advice folks! It is a very broad subject, I was thinking the best way of tackling this would be to find two recordings from 'then and now' within a particular genre and comparing them- say the tone on a 60's rock tune like Born To Be Wild and the comparing that to whatever the modern equivalent is, say Kings of Leon (or perhaps something a little heavier, I expect I'd need to look into some metal). The biggest problem I can see is the subjectivity of it, it'll be very easy for me to start gushing over how amazing Geddy Lee sounds compared to James Jamerson's dull thudding, whereas someone else would quite happily do the 12000 words on the exact opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Out of interest what's the title of the dissertation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1357825690' post='1929014'] Out of interest what's the title of the dissertation? [/quote] Might need to edit it once I've actually done some more research, but for now I'm going with [i]'To what extent have technological developments (and not genre developments) changed the sound of the electric bass in popular music since 1960?' [/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Ok, how about a slightly different spin on it then. Build a timeline of the significant developments in bass construction[list] [*]Pickups [*]Circuitry [*]Strings [*]Neck Construction [*]Body construction (chambering etc) [*]Outboard equipment, DI's, effects pedals etc.. [*]Fretboard developments - Fretless, fretted, impregnated.. [/list] ...and instead of saying how the sound actually changed, perhaps describe what new opportunities arose for bassists to alter their sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1357826171' post='1929026'] Ok, how about a slightly different spin on it then. Build a timeline of the significant developments in bass construction[list] [*]Pickups [*]Circuitry [*]Strings [*]Neck Construction [*]Body construction (chambering etc) [*]Outboard equipment, DI's, effects pedals etc.. [*]Fretboard developments - Fretless, fretted, impregnated.. [/list] ...and instead of saying how the sound actually changed, perhaps describe what new opportunities arose for bassists to alter their sound [/quote] Cheers, that looks like a good way into it! Be interesting to write about why/or not the new developments were used Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1357825830' post='1929018'] Might need to edit it once I've actually done some more research, but for now I'm going with [i]'To what extent have technological developments (and not genre developments) changed the sound of the electric bass in popular music since 1960?' [/i] [/quote] ...is something I would like to read. Drop me a line if you need professional (i.e. amateur but with registered company) proofreading, depending on time constraints. MA in English, qualified to teach at Uni level and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='JimBobTTD' timestamp='1357826784' post='1929056'] ...is something I would like to read. Drop me a line if you need professional (i.e. amateur but with registered company) proofreading, depending on time constraints. MA in English, qualified to teach at Uni level and all that. [/quote] Fantastic, may well take you up on that if you've got the time when it's ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1357826694' post='1929053'] Cheers, that looks like a good way into it! Be interesting to write about why/or not the new developments were used [/quote] No problem, if you're looking for anyone to chat through ideas/details feel free to drop me a line PS. good on you for giving yourself more time to do it than I did... ... 4 days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1357827335' post='1929071'] No problem, if you're looking for anyone to chat through ideas/details feel free to drop me a line PS. good on you for giving yourself more time to do it than I did... ... 4 days [/quote] haha brilliant, was convinced I'd left it far too late, but leaving it to the last 4 days must've required some absolutely heroic levels of procrastination! I'm stocking up on ProPlus in case I forget about it again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick's Fine '52 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Why have you chosen to start at 1960? Any specific reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1357828719' post='1929122'] Why have you chosen to start at 1960? Any specific reason? [/quote] A lot of my popular music exams through college and uni so far have been concerned with 'popular music since 1960' as it differentiates from 'classical music since 1900' ...not ideal, I'd have said somewhere between 1945-55 would have been a better start date, or for this at least from '51 when the first P was introduced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick's Fine '52 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='SlapbassSteve' timestamp='1357830724' post='1929186'] A lot of my popular music exams through college and uni so far have been concerned with 'popular music since 1960' as it differentiates from 'classical music since 1900' ...not ideal, I'd have said somewhere between 1945-55 would have been a better start date, or for this at least from '51 when the first P was introduced. [/quote] That's fair enough chap, was just curious. Popular music really changed in '54 when "That's Allright" was released, and the first mainstream electric bass, as you say was late '51, so 1960 seemed to be an odd choice, but then if thats what the courses these days start from, then who am I to comment. Good luck with the dissertation anyway, interesting, very broad, and very subjective subject, that you could sum up in 3 or 4 paragraphs, or a 4 volume book series, no doubt yours will be somewhere in between. I wish you well, can I reserve the first copy when you're finished? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlapbassSteve Posted January 10, 2013 Author Share Posted January 10, 2013 [quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1357831677' post='1929206'] That's fair enough chap, was just curious. Popular music really changed in '54 when "That's Allright" was released, and the first mainstream electric bass, as you say was late '51, so 1960 seemed to be an odd choice, but then if thats what the courses these days start from, then who am I to comment. Good luck with the dissertation anyway, interesting, very broad, and very subjective subject, that you could sum up in 3 or 4 paragraphs, or a 4 volume book series, no doubt yours will be somewhere in between. I wish you well, can I reserve the first copy when you're finished? [/quote] Cheers! Will update this thread when it's done and send out copies to anyone interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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