Wrong bass for the genre?

[Low End Bee]

I play more or less straight up plectrum style rock/pop with the band and my precision suits this well with both looks and sound.

I do like being perverse though at times and think it would be a laugh to play something that looked all wrong.

Maybe a Tokai Talbo, headless Status or something?

Anybody play anything that shouldn't work but does?

[Happy Jack]

Can't you just put tassels on it?

[chris_b]

Has anyone used an upright bass in a punk band?

[Bay Splayer]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='566864' date='Aug 12 2009, 03:39 PM']Can't you just put tassels on [i]it[/i]?[/quote]


on [i]what[/i] exactly?

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='chris_b' post='566887' date='Aug 12 2009, 03:58 PM']Has anyone used an upright bass in a punk band?[/quote]
There's a band called [url="http://www.myspace.com/52pickuphateyou"]52 Pick-Up[/url] in Newcastle who do just that. Well, they're apparently "psychobilly", but the ethos and image seems to be fairly punk:

[Stu-khag]

weren't the living end a punk band?
From australia, I vaguely remember the bassist playing a chequered upright

[Shockwave]

I play a Pedulla Fretless in a Death metal band

[RussFM]

[quote name='Stu-khag' post='566968' date='Aug 12 2009, 04:47 PM']weren't the living end a punk band?
From australia, I vaguely remember the bassist playing a chequered upright[/quote]

Yep, great band, never made it as big over here as they are elsewhere for some reason.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='chris_b' post='566887' date='Aug 12 2009, 03:58 PM']Has anyone used an upright bass in a punk band?[/quote]

There's a whole psychobilly scene out there & tonnes of punk bands with double basses. More recently didn't Blink 182 use one in the I Miss You video? The Horrorpops are good fun with a female fronted double bass playing punky vibe.

For my two cents I favour traditional looking instruments as they never look out of place. You can use a P bass to play everything from Blues to Jazz to country to reggae to Indie to rock....

[teej]

I'd love to turn up to one of my gigs with an ashbory instead of my upright.

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='567169' date='Aug 12 2009, 06:12 PM']There's a whole psychobilly scene out there & tonnes of punk bands with double basses. More recently didn't Blink 182 use one in the I Miss You video? The Horrorpops are good fun with a female fronted double bass playing punky vibe.

For my two cents I favour traditional looking instruments as they never look out of place. You can use a P bass to play everything from Blues to Jazz to country to reggae to Indie to rock....[/quote]

i was about to say blink 182 i miss you. I think that's right actually, you see people playing jazz basses in all sorts of genres; jazz, funk, rock, metal, pop, hardcore, reggae and many more as well as various combinations of the above. Same thing with the P bass and MM stingray although i think neither of these have [i]quite[/i] the same genre defying versatility as the jazz, i would certainly not think twice about using any of them in almost any style of music if i were lucky enough to be a session player for example.

[iamapirate]

heh, had a surreal experience today in a music shop. Asked to try out an ashdown envelope filter, and he got it out, got the leads, and then gave me a hofner to play it through with I was amused, but slightly bewildered. I mean, when did paul mccartney ever do extreme jazz funk? It wasn't even a nice bass either. The trebles were cr*p!

Edited August 12, 2009 by iamapirate

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='iamapirate' post='567243' date='Aug 12 2009, 06:59 PM']The trebles were cr*p![/quote]

have you ever actually heard a beatles recording?

[iamapirate]

haha, I'm talking about this particular bass - the cheapy rubbish one. I'm not sure if it was even a hofner - it just looked like one!

[xgsjx]

I'm in an Americana country folk jazz type band with a banjo player, a ukeleleist & a violinist (as well as a guitarist & percussionist) & although not quite as extreme looking, I play My Ibby (which does have more of a "rock" image) through my moog pedals & do some things which make the traditionalists give it "No, that's not meant to be". Like putting some distortion & envelope on a slap sound in a country song. Very funky synth sounding & makes cuntry more appealing! Or some tapping in a folk song,very satisfying.

[Lfalex v1.1]

This at an acoustic gig;

Before I played some tasty supportive chordal stuff...

And this with a folk band;

Alright! I was being a bit bloody-minded!

[thepurpleblob]

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='566951' date='Aug 12 2009, 04:36 PM']There's a band called [url="http://www.myspace.com/52pickuphateyou"]52 Pick-Up[/url] in Newcastle who do just that. Well, they're apparently "psychobilly", but the ethos and image seems to be fairly punk:
[/quote]

Is it just my imagination.... or were they on the go 20-odd years ago when I lived there? Surely not.. but sounds very familiar.

[RussFM]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='567169' date='Aug 12 2009, 07:12 PM']There's a whole psychobilly scene out there & tonnes of punk bands with double basses. More recently didn't Blink 182 use one in the I Miss You video? The Horrorpops are good fun with a female fronted double bass playing punky vibe.[/quote]

I was gonna mention The Horrorpops, but double bass isn't really out of place there. Good band tho!

Anyway.... Pretty sure I Miss You was recorded on a Fender VI, just used a double bass in the vid?

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='567308' date='Aug 12 2009, 09:11 PM']Is it just my imagination.... or were they on the go 20-odd years ago when I lived there? Surely not.. but sounds very familiar.[/quote]
Well, their Myspace says they formed in 1998, but there may have been precursors that shared members. Certainly a couple of them (and definitely their old drummer) have enough years on them to have been going 20-odd years.

[Telebass]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='567169' date='Aug 12 2009, 07:12 PM']You can use a P bass to play everything from Blues to Jazz to country to reggae to Indie to rock....[/quote]

+1 at the very least.

And in a traditional Telecaster-wielding country band, a 51RI is the only bass to have!

[iamapirate]

Likewise with a jazz bass, only with more style...

[v8bass]

Kramer Voyager allways my first choice for Folk or acoustic gigs

Like Dusty hill meets Donovan with a of course a little dab of wah or envelope filter

And if im feeling challenging a 12 stringer just for the hell of it


Gary
v8

[Rich]

How about one of the more absurdly shaped Dean metal basses?

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='566951' date='Aug 12 2009, 04:36 PM']There's a band called [url="http://www.myspace.com/52pickuphateyou"]52 Pick-Up[/url] in Newcastle who do just that. Well, they're apparently "psychobilly", but the ethos and image seems to be fairly punk:
[/quote]
That guitarist is neither psycho nor billy enough. He needs a huge Gretsch or something, and some silly hair*. Perhaps his mum won't let him have a daft haircut?

[size=1]* He needs to be Brian Setzer, really.[/size]

[HeavyJay]

[quote name='chris_b' post='566887' date='Aug 12 2009, 03:58 PM']Has anyone used an upright bass in a punk band?[/quote]

In addition to what has been previously posted, I give you Rebel Yell (http://www.myspace.com/rockrebelyell):

[endorka]

I once played the theme & variations of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet on an NS Design electric double bass - does that count?

Jennifer