How lucky we are to have so much choice

[molan]

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!

[chris_b]

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!

[budget bassist]

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

[BigRedX]

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).

[Mickeyboro]

I blame McCartney and Andy Fraser!

But Fenders still rule.

[dave_bass5]

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.

[molan]

[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. . .

[skankdelvar]

Yes, indeedy. A golden age for bass players.

OTOH, RIP Shergold, H&H, Acoustic and other deceased 70's brands.

[jonny-lad]

[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]

[budget bassist]

[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)

[Mickeyboro]

[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.

[OldGit]

[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.

[RhysP]

[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.

[Mickeyboro]

[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!

[EssentialTension]

Well, in the 70s I had at various times a Hofner, a Hayman, a Precision, a Jazz, an Aria, a Gibson.

[Cat Burrito]

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

[Rayman]

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.

[bigthumb]

[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'.

[Rich]

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.

[neepheid]

[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...

[Golchen]

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.

[Musky]

[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]

[redstriper]

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.

[Pete Academy]

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!

[Rayman]

[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.