Greatest bassist of the world??

[kuchuk]

Who y'all think is the best bassist of the world?? To my opinion it's Billy Sheehan.. he's totally freakin' awesome!!

[Lazy Bee]

No doubt Billy is king of his genre. Gotta put Geddy Lee up there and Victor Wooten has certainly changed the face of bass. And that Mowtown powerhouse James Jamerson!!!! The richest bassist in the world...anyone know?

[bugman]

I'm going with Wooten for best.

Richest...Sting maybe...Paul McCartney?

And, oh, Vic Wooten has an older brother who plays guitar like Victor plays bass.

[slowpoke]

niels henning orsted pederson is a phenomenal jazz player.

[PhantomLord]

^^what a name!

[kuchuk]

niels henning orsted pederson is a phenomenal jazz player.

hahah yeah cool name :cool: :D

[tinsmith]

Victor Wooten

[tdu]

I'll pick Lemmy from Motorhead :D

[namfflow]

niels henning orsted pederson is a phenomenal jazz player.
I’ll second that. I would also add Stanley Clarke.

[thunder_bird]

Jaco gets my vote

[socialparasite]

Man the first time i saw victor wooten he had on these mc hammer pants and i almost died laughing. When he started playing :eek: it was amazing. Very good bass player not to many like him. I also like les claypool, john paul johns, and the guy that died not to long ago that played for the who.

[thunder_bird]

and the guy that died not to long ago that played for the who.

John Entwistle, my fav bassist fo all time but i think Jaco is slightly better

[ForReal]

I'll pick Lemmy from Motorhead :D


Not the most technical, but definitely the coolest. Lemmy is the man, for sure.

[acwild]

Technically best or favorite? I'm adding another vote for Geddy, but Flea is one of my favorites. Although I'm not much into Dream Theater, John Myung has some amazing chops. I watched him in Live in Budokan. Man, I think my fingers would burn and lock up playing those lines.

[Carbohydrates]

I like the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers whose name I can't be bothered to look up right now. :p

[Snake]

Cliff Burton

[Terren]

Top three go to Geddy Lee, Trey Gunn, and Tony Levin.

[kuchuk]

I like the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers whose name I can't be bothered to look up right now. :p

michael bazalry (I think most people know him under his nickname >>FLEA<<)

he's a real good bass player too yes!

[JChester]

Chris Squire, John Entwhistle, Larry Graham, Geddy Lee, Jack Bruce, Jaco... Soooooooo many!

[treyanastasio]

my favorite bassist is mike gordon but the list of best would absolutely have to include wooten, and jaco. i also like the bass player from ben harper and the innocnet criminals (juan nelson i think his name is) and tony qualls from the band groovatron.

[Freyr]

Cliff Burton for Metal
Lemmy for as he puts it: "We're Motorhead, and we play rock 'n ******* roll"
Bela Fleck
Almost any progressive bassist (John M, Giddy Lee, etc)

[mk-ultra]

Stanley Clarke and jaco pastourous(?)

[pagodas_fiesta]

Not necessarily the "best" (Les is up there) but my favorites are Les Claypool and Phil Lesh.

[Lazy Bee]

Richest bassist in the world...Paul McCartney

[PhantomLord]

billy sheehan...

[gorham]

cliff burton...i also think that Duff McKegan is possibly the worst bass player? lol

[zappatude]

Top three go to Geddy Lee, Trey Gunn, and Tony Levin.
And I saw Gunn and Levin together live playing in the same band. King Crimson. :)

[firewalk13]

I also vote Wooten. He is ridiculous in the studio and live.

[KingAngus]

Is it even debatable? JPJ obviously, DUH!

[Signifier]

Pastorius... or Entwistle... man, all the greats are dead.

Life and death, it's a bummer.

[shake a leg]

I'm not a bass player, but JPJ has made me want to learn bass.
Also i think Billy Sheehan is pretty nifty.

[Stone Magnet]

cliff burton...i also think that Duff McKegan is possibly the worst bass player? lol
Sid Vicious is by far the worst bassist of all time.

I think the best is Les Claypool.

[Builder018]

Steve Harris from Iron Maiden.

[BigRuss]

Leon Wilkenson - Lynyrd Skynyrd

[adgardad]

Also not a bass player. I too really like Vic Wooten. There's another guy not as well known that plays very similar named Michael Manring that is awesome. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Stu Hamm, but I'll put in a vote for him as well.

[fitzcarraldo]

Sid Vicious is by far the worst bassist of all time.

I think the best is Les Claypool.
Sid Vicious was only in the Sex Pistols for being famously punk, not because he could play bass, he had never even played bass before he joined The Sex Pistols.

[mk-ultra]

les claypool is real good

[tinsmith]

Manring is definately awesome.

Victor goes without saying.......no question.

[Ryder]

Steve Harris and Cliff Burton THE BEST !

[sumx4182]

flea is cool

[fendersownyou]

My bassist friend showed me some Wooten, damn that guy is INCREDIBLE.

[SG_74]

Best bassist? T_bird

[GuitarChick]

The guy from Manowar is awesome.

[SKEETER]

Chances are the best bass players are guys whose
main instrument is lead guitar and only play bass to fill in or in private.

[Plstrcast]

TM Stevens, Bootsy, Geddy, Jaco, Entwhistle, Cliff 'em all! John Paul Jones, Jeff Pilson, Stanley Clark, Mike Anthony (strictly because he is so the man)

[Horrible Tango]

the bassist from Rancid, no clue what hes name is. but listen to the song Maxwell Murder, amazing playing

[shiggity]

Chances are the best bass players are guys whose
main instrument is lead guitar and only play bass to fill in or in private.
:eek: spoken like a true, closed minded guitarist. :eek:

I'm willing to bet there is a line of bassist that would like to sock you in the nose right now. Not to be insulting but, that is one poor statemnet bro.


I play guitar and you have to respect your bottom end.


You guys have to check out Chris Wood. that boy can hang with the best of them.

Alsio Vic Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Flea, Stanley Clarke, Just to name a few.

[SKEETER]

:eek: spoken like a true, closed minded guitarist. :eek:

I'm willing to bet there is a line of bassist that would like to sock you in the nose right now. Not to be insulting but, that is one poor statemnet bro.


I play guitar and you have to respect your bottom end.


You guys have to check out Chris Wood. that boy can hang with the best of them.

Alsio Vic Wooten, Billy Sheehan, Flea, Stanley Clarke, Just to name a few.

Actually my statement is from experience and quite insightfull. Most guitarists that are very good have also studied a lot of music. Considering there is a glut of good guitarists and they are a nickel a bushel, many guitarists play bass in order to get work.
Guitarists tend to know a wide variety of music scales, and are used to playing much more complex scales and combinations than bass players are required to.
Therefore it is only logical that someone very skilled on a guitar would likely make an excellent bass player. Lets face it, in reality the bass is the four lower strings on a guitar, down an octave.
I am a lead guitarist that has done just that, I have went out and played bass to gig simply because you cannot swing a dead dog without hitting a good guitarist, and getting bass work is easy, bands will take about anyone that owns a bass on no matter their skill level because there are so few guys that really want to play bass.
. I play much more complex and a wider variety of styles on the bass than most bass players I know. The reason for that is that I have had to know a lot about rythm, melody, and harmony to be a good guitarist. I was able to easily apply that knowlege to bass.
I am sure that a lot of other guitarists have done the same thing.
So I stand by my statement, it is likely that the best bass players out there are playing lead guitar in bands.

[Plstrcast]

Actually my statement is from experience and quite insightfull. Most guitarists that are very good have also studied a lot of music. Considering there is a glut of good guitarists and they are a nickel a bushel, many guitarists play bass in order to get work.
Guitarists tend to know a wide variety of music scales, and are used to playing much more complex scales and combinations than bass players are required to.
Therefore it is only logical that someone very skilled on a guitar would likely make an excellent bass player. Lets face it, in reality the bass is the four lower strings on a guitar, down an octave.
I am a lead guitarist that has done just that, I have went out and played bass to gig simply because you cannot swing a dead dog without hitting a good guitarist, and getting bass work is easy, bands will take about anyone that owns a bass on no matter their skill level because there are so few guys that really want to play bass.
. I play much more complex and a wider variety of styles on the bass than most bass players I know. The reason for that is that I have had to know a lot about rythm, melody, and harmony to be a good guitarist. I was able to easily apply that knowlege to bass.
I am sure that a lot of other guitarists have done the same thing.
So I stand by my statement, it is likely that the best bass players out there are playing lead guitar in bands.
Speaking as guitarist turned bassist, I have to side with you to some point on this. I know a ton of bass players who are guitarists that cant get a guitar gig, but there are always bands looking for a decent bass player. It's a simple fact that everyone and their sister play guitar. I never wanted to be a bass player, but we could never find one, and since we had 2 guitars, I deceided to grab the bass because our bass player sucked. That was back when I was 15! (41 now). Sure, I still play guitar, and I own 4 guitars and 1 bass, but thats what I play in my band. I know there are actually bass players who are BASS players out there, but their numbers are way lower then players who converted from 6 to 4 strings.

[shiggity]

wow skeeter *ducks* your gonna have a hit out on you before *dodges shoe* the night is over .... Woah, LOOK OUT!!


Nah man I understand where you are coming from but, speaking as a guitarist who spent his first four playing bass guitar, A guitarist playing a bass sounds like a guitarist playing a bass. It doesnt have that same bottom end (for the most part and in my experiences). Plus, I'd say that everything, that I can think of, that you can do on the guitar can be done on the bass, but not the other way around. Slap bass for example ( sure it can be done but there is only a select few in the world that can make it sound halfway decent)

[SKEETER]

wow skeeter *ducks* your gonna have a hit out on you before *dodges shoe* the night is over .... Woah, LOOK OUT!!


Nah man I understand where you are coming from but, speaking as a guitarist who spent his first four playing bass guitar, A guitarist playing a bass sounds like a guitarist playing a bass. It doesnt have that same bottom end (for the most part and in my experiences). Plus, I'd say that everything, that I can think of, that you can do on the guitar can be done on the bass, but not the other way around. Slap bass for example ( sure it can be done but there is only a select few in the world that can make it sound halfway decent)

I really can't agree with you about this. A guitarist that is also a good bass player is a good musician in general. Many guys that play bass and guitar well also play drums. I have heard guitarists that are not good bass players because they play too many notes and try to be part of the lead rather than part of the rhythm section, but most often it is guys that are wannabe lead guitarists and are not that good as musicians in general.
I play bass and guitar ( and everything else) on my CDs and I get as many compliments for the bass licks I write and play as I do for my guitar work. "slap" bass really doesn't have much to do with musical knowlege as it has to do with knowing a much cliche'd trick on an instrument.
Actually, I have played bass on music with a guitar. I have a Roland GR-09 synth that does a great contra bass and fretless.
There are also a lot of guys playing bass that are actually classical musicians trained on another instrument. Felix Papalardi of MOUNTAIN was actually a classical composer and producer. He was CREAMS producer.
Bass is a second instrument to a lot of guys that are making a living playing it. Paul McCartney. Ronnie Wood was a bass player before the Faces and the Stones.
The bass player in the band I am in is an excellent guitarist, I have been trying to talk him into playing guitar on some tunes and letting me play bass.
Also, consider Stanley Clark.

[Etingi]

I don't really know much about bass, so for all I know these guys are nothing technically, but I like Steve Harris and John Paul Jones too.

[ModestCargo]

As a bass player myself, I pick...

Rick Danko (love his style)
Paul McCartney (how could I forget him)
Roger Waters (he wrote all the best Floyd songs too IMO)

[tamadwt]

I like the obvious choices as well, Billy Sheehan, Geddy, JPJ, Stanley Clarke, etc...

But the guy that has always caught my ear is Dennis Dunaway from the original Alice Cooper band. Next time you hear an AC tune pay particular attention to the bass licks. That guy can play.

[Builder018]

Just because you are a great lead guitar player, does not mean that you will be a great bass player. Playing notes and knowing where they are is just one aspect to playing any instrument. To be good at any instrument, you have to be able to hear and feel that instrument and know how to write parts accordingly. Anyone can play notes. Feeling and hearing the groove is very different and is what makes a bass player great instead of just good. I am not sure why guitarists on this forum and other forums keep thinking that bass is easier (like there is a contest or something between guitarists and bassists). I chose bass because I can groove (and it comes natural to me). I like the way it sounds and feels. I like guitar, but not enough to want to play one. So enjoy your chosen instruments and get over your obsessions with comparing yourself with others. :D

[Peaceful]

Anyone heard of James T?

English guy with a bass and drums genre. Pretty cool - a little too much electronic music in it for my taste.

I really like Michael Manring. Esp. "The Book of Flame" CD.

[Strat Kid]

I like Duff Mackagan (don't kill me please) and Steve Harris

[breedlovelove]

Victor Wooten

[Rogue Axel]

My vote goes to Flea or Vernon Porter with "Kenny Loggins" and "Above The Clouds"

[Peaceful]

Best bassist? Kinda like picking the best spouse. One for all and all for one.

[Rogue Axel]

Best bassist? Kinda like picking the best spouse. One for all and all for one.

Lol. NICE :D

[SCmetalhead]

OMG no one in here has even mentioned Steve Bailey. His playing is incredible, hell hes been voted 2nd in the world like three times now. he puts most other bassist to shame.

[darragh666]

Les Claypool is my idol so he gets my vote.
I saw Billy Sheehan yesterday.He was amazing.
I also wanna mention Mani from The Stone Roses and Wooten.

[aussie_skater]

micheal anthony

[Peaceful]

Well. I think that must be all of them! If we keep this up, my name will be up here! Ha ha ha ha

[SKEETER]

I am not sure what the criteria would be for being the best bass player, because the best bass generally has as much to do with how the player uses his gear as it does his musical knowlege.
I would think the criteria for who is best would be who knows music theory the best and who uses it most tastefully. It would also have to include the virtue of knowing how to not play too many notes, which is the first sign of a not so good bass player. One of the biggest mistakes some bass players make is forgetting it is a bass and trying to play too much instead of holding the bottom end down.
I think the Bass lines I like better than any I have heard are on two Steppenwolf albums, one called "7" the other being "For Ladies Only". The bass on those two albums is among the most creative and most tastefull I have ever heard.

[Peaceful]

... you are correct, Skeet, for the bass as an accompaniment, but some of the above treat the bass as a solo instrument, e.g. Clarke and Manring, to name but two. Here we can add technical virtuousity to the criteria.

Do we need two threads, then? One for solo and one for band member? Nah, it is too complicated.

[Rogue Axel]

yeah, simple is better

[Mr. Boston]

3-way tie for me, Wooten, Flea, and Mike Gordon.

[Binner]

I don't think is there is a "best", but their are certainly some that stand out in there genres. I like quite a few, Harris and Burton in metal, Sheehan in scary guitar player world, etc. That kind of reminds me, I read somewhere that the short definition of "nu-metal" is drum and bass driven songs. Iron Maiden was probably the most bass driven music ever written, considering Steve Harris did most of the writing.

[PerianArdocyl]

Geddy Lee, o' course. :)

[0.1 watts]

Wrong answer :D, its Jaco Pastorius

[thunder_bird]

Wrong answer :D, its Jaco Pastorius

Ahh good, i have trained you well young padawain :D

[jammin27]

flea is def one of the funnest...roger waters is also a fav of mine...and geddy lee from rush is pretty awsome too

[RockinIt]

Cliff Burton

[treyanastasio]

nice MR Boston

i love that someone else recognizes mike gordons incredible abilities

i also forgot to mention phil lesh
lesh and gordon are so bouncy and melodic

[homestudioguy]

Stanley Clarke.
Totally incredible.
B

[LAC]

Tetsu, from L'Arc en Ciel(huge japanese band), too bad no one in america knows about him...

[buildner]

Bass playing is about music and the intricate knowledge of it. I think that Be-Bop jazz is the most complicated and difficult musical genre to understand and play.

When one reads the charts for music written by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane etc. one finds that it far exceeds the level of difficulty of any genre of music on this earth, save and except for perhaps Classical Music (but lets not discuss music that we can't tap our foot to, for now).

So to be the bassist in a Be-Bop band is to be able to read charts, improvise and generally play very complicated music. The bassist must have metre and be intimate with the chord changes and progressions. So both notes and rhythem are the domain of the Bass Player.

To slap and pop and generally make noise in a simple progression is cool sounding...for about 10 minutes. Even Stanley Clarke knows this and moved on to playing chords and chord melodies on his Bass (an innovation).

To be able to take a simple 1-4-5 to new places, uncharted "out" places, then get back in, all without missing a beat, is a completely different thing. See Charles Mingus !

To be the Bassist for the greatest musicians on this planet, i.e. Parker, Davis, Coltrane etc. means that Miles would have to listen to you, respect you and then allow you to play in his band, and at the end of the week he would actually pay you...if he thought you deserved it.

These are the best players ever.

Any guy who goes by the name of freaking "flea" aint on the same page, no, aint even on the same planet as these old dudes.

The best bass players are the best musicians, ever !

And that means knowing music, modes, scales, time sigs etc., not just your basic two chord rock tunes.

Don't get me wrong, I respect and love Zep, Tull, The Dead, Little Feat (I think the Feats are the greatest group of rock players ever to congregate and record)Sting, Bob Marley, yada yada yada. But check out these guys album collections and you will see who they listen to: Red Garland (piano), Bill Evans (piano). These are the masters.

Their bass players, guys like Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, Charlie Haden and Milt Hinton, these are the best of the best bass players...ever.

[Hofnerguy]

I don't know about "best" but Donald "Duck" Dunn was and continues to be a huge influence on the way I play.

[SKEETER]

I never really thought about it, but when I lay down bass tracks in the studio one guy influences me more than anyone else. His name is George Biondo, he did bass for STeppenwolf for a while. I think Larry Byrom did some of STeppenwolfs bass licks during that period, but it is hard to tell who is who. Either way, the steppenwolf bass lines of that period were great.
If I were putting a band together and could have any bass player in the world in it, I think I would choose Klaus Voorman.
And Duck Dunn is probably one of the most recorded bass players on the planet. The guy definitely is one of the most prolific out there.

[RockinIt]

Chances are the best bass players are guys whose
main instrument is lead guitar and only play bass to fill in or in private.

+1. They just move those fingers real quick. Tap tap squeal squeal.On a BASS!

[SKEETER]

+1. They just move those fingers real quick. Tap tap squeal squeal.On a BASS!

I am a lead guitarist, and I would not consider playing a bass that way. Good bass players don't play a lot of notes, they play what is appropriate to the music. What is considered "fast" on a bass would be very sluggish to most guitarists. I tend to use simple well chosen bass lines in the studio, and play very much to the drummer. I lay down my drum tracks to be simple but tight as well. I very much try to keep the rhythm section the rhythm section.

[SKEETER]

Stanley Clarke.
Totally incredible.
B
Stanley Clarke is great to watch play the bass, but to just put on a CD and listen to is bland. I would much rather watch him play guitar.

[HeavyFeather]

I think you guys left out one very big name.. John Patitucci
Surprising another maestro Jonas Hellborg isnt mentioned here either!

Personally I like Sam Rivers... no way is he the best, but he has some cool & very original basslines

For buildner: Flea is one of the craziest bassists ever.. you cant deny his ability.. and he's from Juilliard, so he knows how to read music and play jazz. I dont think you can knock his playing ability here either..

[absapia]

Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham, Victor Wooten, John Pattitucci, Jaco Pastorius, Rocco Prestia, Marcus Miller, Victor Bailey, Will Lee, Nathan Aweau

[GuitarownzU]

Cliff Burton!

R.I.P.

[Fenace777]

Not a bass player myself, but I really like Geezer Butler.

[bullet4pop]

yeah flea is good, but by the time you listen to 3 songs by rhcp you realise this:- slap, pop , slap , pop slap, pop , slap , pop slap, pop , slap , pop slap, pop , slap , pslap, pop , slap , popop slap, pop , slap , pop and so on. I got to be honest i don't listen to ppl like sting and paul macaurtney so my faviorute would be jayson newsted or the new guy

[SKEETER]

Bass is not really an instrument you can say anyone is "best" at, because virtuosity on bass is not important to the music. for Bass to be good it needs to be simple and well thought out, complex bass playing tends to clutter music up most often. Bass playing is about clever and creative choice of notes and feel. Bass players that play too many notes suck, because they are often leaving the bottom end empty to do it. A good bass player doesn't just know what to play, he knows when not to.
As a matter of fact, the idea that fast is good on lead guitar is not really true. I would rather hear a melodic guitarist that knows how to get interesting sounds than Seve Vai any day.

[chriswahwah]

Is Seve Steve's Spanish brother??? :) J/K...Geddy Lee, John Myung, Pino Palladino (listen to his work on Pete Townsend's lesser know work, 'Give Blood'), Billy Sheehan deserves a mention for alsorts of stuff but the walking bass line on 'Colorado Bulldog' is worthy of high praise. Also wossisname with Pete Gabriel, King Crimson and Liquid Tension Experiment...Chapman Stick player Tony Levin?

;)

[Peaceful]

Interesting points, Skeet. To my mind, the bass links the drums to the rhythm guitar, the rhythm guitar links the bass to the lead. They each are like the wheels on a car, one needs all four to get along to get along. And all four together hold up the singers, sitting comfortably on top, steering the ensemble to its destination.

How's that for a metaphor?

[sharkydude501]

Flea of RHCP's is def. up there w/ the Ox (John E. of the Who), Stanley Clarke, Jaco, and I always like Chris Squire of Yes.

[Les_Is_More]

^^^^ right back atcha hes so good!

[HeavyFeather]

Bass is not really an instrument you can say anyone is "best" at, because virtuosity on bass is not important to the music. for Bass to be good it needs to be simple and well thought out, complex bass playing tends to clutter music up most often. Bass playing is about clever and creative choice of notes and feel. Bass players that play too many notes suck, because they are often leaving the bottom end empty to do it. A good bass player doesn't just know what to play, he knows when not to.


.. which is why i said i like Sam Rivers.. and justin chancellor.. and dirk lance, ben kenney etc..

good one skeet

[furthur]

les claypool hands down...hes so goooooooooood

[SKEETER]

I feel bad for anyone under 40 years old. If you are younger than 40 chances are you don't know what it is like to be at the swimming pool, or a bar, or restaurant, and hear what an 18" speaker in a jukebox full of 45s sounded like. Bass in those things was Phenomenal. That is why Led Zep 2 sounds so great, the bass sounds like it does on an old Juke box. THAT was bass. The room SHOOK. That is also why MUSTANG SALLY goes over so good in bars, any way you play it it has that juke box shake a turd right out of you sound.
If you really want to know how to be a good bass player, learn to play white boy blues from the late 60s, early 70s, and doowap. THAT is how bass should be. BASS is supposed to make furniture walk. The drummer should be having to shove his foot through the kick drum to be able to cover the bass. Drummers that play with hammers and bass players that make furniture walk.

[gormuu]

bootsy!

[Reign in Blood]

Two words, Mr. Les Claypool from Primus. G O D !

If you have heard Primus you know what i'm talking about.

[SKEETER]

Flea of RHCP's is def. up there w/ the Ox (John E. of the Who), Stanley Clarke, Jaco, and I always like Chris Squire of Yes.
I never thought of YES as having a bass player. They always seemed to be somewhat lacking low end. Chris Squire was more of a hmmm like a fill guitarist with lower strings than a bass player.
John Entwistle was always great to listen to, he played a but too much but he always held the low end down. One of the best live albums ever is the Who Live at Leeds.

[GuitarownzU]

Cliff Burton

[lyleman]

I'm thinkin Geddy Lee. He played against perhaps one of the best guitarists ever (Alex) and still stood out. Just my HO.

[Rogue Axel]

one of the best... the bass player of the yellowjackets

[Nalu]

The late, Great Ray Brown. Also James Jamerson and Ron Carter. B-3 Players Like Jimmie Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes. The B-3 cats would kick pedals while laying down a tasty head (melody).

[satchfan]

Billy Sheenan, Stan Clarke, Chris Squire, Stu Hamm & dare I say it but back in the day..... Mark King!


Steve

[Robot_Boy]

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[DaisyRocker]

/\ And breathe... :p It's Lemmy anyway ;).

[Robot_Boy]

/\ And breathe... :p It's Lemmy anyway ;).

does lemmy play country-funk-metal? i think not

[scott powell]

Gene Simmons ( hey try to sing and play bass like he does!)and he's a killer songwriter

[stevieboy378]

Paul McCartney gets my vote - not the most technical bass player, but he composes bass lines that complement the track perfectly. Just take a listen to Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Paperback Writer, Rain or Taxman. There is absolutely nothing any bass player in the world could do to improve the basslines to those songs - they're just perfection . . .

Oh - he's without a doubt the richest bass player in the world too . . .

[Builder018]

I bet you can't figure out who I choose...

[scott powell]

I bet you can't figure out who I choose...

Steve Harris is awesome, good choice! everytime i have ever seen Maiden, he is all over the stage,very energetic,never misses a beat. plus the man has written more cool songs that are STILL fresh

[Builder018]

Scott, you are correct. Steve owns the bass. His writing of songs is awesome! They are truly timeless songs. They still sound as good today as they did back in the 80's (referring to the 80's albums).

[SKEETER]

Paul McCartney gets my vote - not the most technical bass player, but he composes bass lines that complement the track perfectly. Just take a listen to Penny Lane, All You Need Is Love, Paperback Writer, Rain or Taxman. There is absolutely nothing any bass player in the world could do to improve the basslines to those songs - they're just perfection . . .

Oh - he's without a doubt the richest bass player in the world too . . .

I can't help but agree. Not just because of his bass abilities ( try to play the bass line to "I saw Her Standing There" some time) but, he sings very complex vocals while playing them. I think his very melodic style, and the fact he wrote bass lines that were always 100% appropriate is a major factor in what made the Beatles as good as they was.
I have to think it is much harder to sing while playing bass than while playing guitar, because on guitar often your guitar phrasing matches the vocal metering. That is not so with the bass, the bass is often playing counter melody to the vocal melody.
And the fact that he did it on a short scale hollow body bass is even more amazing.
One of the things that in my book defines a great musician, Bass included, is the ability to write in various styles. A lot of guys can only do Major scale country, or blues, or metal. Mcartney seems to know a wide range of scales, and can play outside of scales. Listem to the bass line in "She's So Heavy". Man, talk about clever, it almost sounds like he is playing some strange kind of counterpoint.

[mjshailes]

i say FLEA from Red Hot Chilli Peppers

[Bottom Feeder]

Chances are the best bass players are guys whose
main instrument is lead guitar and only play bass to fill in or in private.

Not a chance. Never in a million years. Guaranteed to overplay and buzz notes.

Geddy is great at tone, skill,in and get out quick solos, and extremely tasteful licks and basslines. One of my all time favs. Jeff Berlin who played extensively with Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford also one of my tops. Dave LaRue from Dixie Dregs is also a fav. John Myung has blistering speed but, IMO seriously overplays to the point of "Why?". (maybe his main instrument is lead guitar? Hmmmmm.) :)

[SKEETER]

Not a chance. Never in a million years. Guaranteed to overplay and buzz notes.

Geddy is great at tone, skill,in and get out quick solos, and extremely tasteful licks and basslines. One of my all time favs. Jeff Berlin who played extensively with Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford also one of my tops. Dave LaRue from Dixie Dregs is also a fav. John Myung has blistering speed but, IMO seriously overplays to the point of "Why?". (maybe his main instrument is lead guitar? Hmmmmm.) :)

That is not true. That is an oversimplistic cliche' about guitarists who play bass. I am considered to be a VERY good bass player and get offers to play in bands almost weekly for bass, I am really a lead guitarist. But a GOOD guitar player does not neccesarily mean fast. ( I can play blinding leads, but avoid it. It is pointless when overdone). The best guitarists out there are guys that are tastefull and know what to do and when to play as well as when NOT to play. The same applies to bass.
Good guitarists normally make the best bass players. They can find the groove and know how much is too much and how to be melodic.
Bill Bruford is a guy that plays WAY too many notes most of the time, but in YES the bass is not being used as a bass all of the time, it is being used as a fill instrument quite often.
Also, on my CDs ( I play all the instruments) I get nearly as many compliments on my bass playing as I do my guitar work.
I like rock era music, and rock bass has to be simple by nature of what role the bass plays in a rock band. Too many notes on a bass and rock becomes bad Jazz instead of rock.

[refin]

Paul McCartney---rewrote the book on melodic,creative lines.
We'll never know how technical he is,because his focus is on songs---but he has played some mind-numbing stuff.

[SKEETER]

Paul McCartney---rewrote the book on melodic,creative lines.
We'll never know how technical he is,because his focus is on songs---but he has played some mind-numbing stuff.

Perfect example of a guitarist that played bass for a band.

[Bottom Feeder]

Bass is not really an instrument you can say anyone is "best" at, because virtuosity on bass is not important to the music. for Bass to be good it needs to be simple and well thought out, complex bass playing tends to clutter music up most often. Bass playing is about clever and creative choice of notes and feel. Bass players that play too many notes suck, because they are often leaving the bottom end empty to do it. A good bass player doesn't just know what to play, he knows when not to.
As a matter of fact, the idea that fast is good on lead guitar is not really true. I would rather hear a melodic guitarist that knows how to get interesting sounds than Seve Vai any day.

So only guitar players can be placed in a "best" category?

Bass can be complex. It just has to be tasteful and make melodic sense. And Geddy Lee is a perfect example of that. Complex, quick, clear and concise without overplaying. Letting the bottom drop out when playing is a problem of facilitation with the player, not neccessarily an issue of speed.

I agree with you on too fast on lead as I wish our guitar player would slow it down and play more melodically and tastefully. And turn it down. It's not about the guitar player, it's about the tune.

[Bottom Feeder]

That is not true. That is an oversimplistic cliche' about guitarists who play bass. I am considered to be a VERY good bass player and get offers to play in bands almost weekly for bass, I am really a lead guitarist. But a GOOD guitar player does not neccesarily mean fast. ( I can play blinding leads, but avoid it. It is pointless when overdone). The best guitarists out there are guys that are tastefull and know what to do and when to play as well as when NOT to play. The same applies to bass.
Good guitarists normally make the best bass players. They can find the groove and know how much is too much and how to be melodic.
Bill Bruford is a guy that plays WAY too many notes most of the time, but in YES the bass is not being used as a bass all of the time, it is being used as a fill instrument quite often.
Also, on my CDs ( I play all the instruments) I get nearly as many compliments on my bass playing as I do my guitar work.
I like rock era music, and rock bass has to be simple by nature of what role the bass plays in a rock band. Too many notes on a bass and rock becomes bad Jazz instead of rock.

Again I will respectfully disagree and say that the best BASS PLAYERS make the best bass players. Saying that the guitarist will find the groove is like saying the bassist will do a soaring lead solo.

Bill Bruford is a drummer.

And as much as I wholly admire and and utterly enjoy McCartney's playing, I'm not sure I would consider him a "groove" player. He wrote some of the most melodic and tasty lines ever. He was considered as "overplaying" the bass back then.

[line_1440]

les claypool

[Blake]

That is not true. That is an oversimplistic cliche' about guitarists who play bass. I am considered to be a VERY good bass player and get offers to play in bands almost weekly for bass, I am really a lead guitarist. But a GOOD guitar player does not neccesarily mean fast. ( I can play blinding leads, but avoid it. It is pointless when overdone). The best guitarists out there are guys that are tastefull and know what to do and when to play as well as when NOT to play. The same applies to bass.
Good guitarists normally make the best bass players. They can find the groove and know how much is too much and how to be melodic.
Bill Bruford is a guy that plays WAY too many notes most of the time, but in YES the bass is not being used as a bass all of the time, it is being used as a fill instrument quite often.
Also, on my CDs ( I play all the instruments) I get nearly as many compliments on my bass playing as I do my guitar work.
I like rock era music, and rock bass has to be simple by nature of what role the bass plays in a rock band. Too many notes on a bass and rock becomes bad Jazz instead of rock.

All that means is that you're both a bass player and a guitarist. If you're good on the bass, it's because you're good on the bass.

In rock, the trick is to know when to be complex and when to be simple.

[scott powell]

Lazy Bee

[Chronicle]

Best all time bassist: Jaco Pastorius[The weather Report]

Best technical bassist today: Justin Chancllor[Tool]

Funiest bassist today: Flea[RHCP]

[metty]

duff mckagen i believe is a great player since he has had so many memorable bass riffs like the one at the start ofyou could be mine and if you listen to sweet child o mine theres some really good bass riffs in there

[Sliver]

Jonas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkalCpujxnE) Hellborg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KOEsQbK-MA)

[darragh666]

Larry Graham.

[THUNDERGUTS]

This kid

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6229/timsroombasswa3.jpg

what a beast ;)

[reissue]

Andy Fraser, especially during his Free days.

[curtismoff]

I'm Rick James biotch!

[Blake]

This kid

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6229/timsroombasswa3.jpg

what a beast ;)
If he wore that thing any lower he would trip on it.

[sharkydude501]

John Entwistle, my fav bassist fo all time but i think Jaco is slightly better
My friend just related a story to me about Jaco. Seems right before his death this guys friend went to a private community center in FL after his own gig to see Jaco play w/ some band. Dude gets there @ 2 AM and finds a crowd & a single bass guitar and amp in the middle of the ballroom floor. A quick look around & the dude spots Eric Clapton hanging out in the crowd. Says that Jaco played solo bass for 2 hours and not 1 person left till he was done jammin'. Now that's talent!

[RHCPFreak]

Flea (RHCP) all the way.

[Hypnotronic]

Les Claypool
http://www.ctbasses.com/les.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eziikCAc4C8
I'm going see PRIMUS tomorrow night!!!! Waaahooooooooooo!!!!!!!!

[Diablo666Bass]

Victor Wooten and The Flea and Les Claypool

[reissue]

Matt Freeman

[76Strat]

Jaco Pastorious

[Plain G]

John Patitucci or James Jamerson

[RHCPFreak]

Another great bassist that very few of you have probably ever heard of is Jay Bentley. He is the bassist for the punk band (mild punk) Bad Religion. He is pretty famous, but I don't know how many people have heard of him.

[Les_Is_More]

all these have probably been mentioned, but my favorites are John Mayyoung(sp?) from Dream Theatre, Flea, Cliff Burton and actually any metallica bassist.

[Nameless]

Whoever played bass during Countdown to Extinction(deth) The ragtime style bassline in sweating bullets was brilliant.

[HoratioNelson]

Jaco Pastorius. The man is on a whole different planet.

[SublimeFan44]

Bump,

For me some of the greatest are Flea, Les Calypool, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, James Jamerson, Louie Johnson, Larry Graham the list goes on and on...

I would like to say that IMO John Myung is a very overrated bassist. He really can't set a decent groove at all, and IMO he just seems to wanky for me.

[tomac62]

john paul jones

[reissue]

Don't forget Carol Kaye, she was equally as important as Jamerson in my book.

[Spoose]

I like the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers whose name I can't be bothered to look up right now. :p
His name is Flea and He's my favorite. He might not be the best but his bass slapping was real inspirational to me.

[smokesbob]

Some might disagree but once Mike Gordon got his stuff together in the late ninties his sound was incredible. He may not be the best of all time but he is the best to me.

Also, Claypool and Wooten.

[Georgeman]

Surely Victor Wooten.
His awesome skill impress me a lot~

[MilkMan12]

Jaco Pastorious, Christian McBride and Victor Wooten

[Guitar Prof.]

Jaco Pastorious


Jaco was amazing, but Victor Wooton learned "Portrait of Tracy" before he was 10 years old! Wooten has my vote.

[Bently]

I'm not an expert by far, but the first person I think of when it comes to a good Bass player is Geddy Lee. Along with Sting and Paul McCartney.

[Guitar Prof.]

OOO also Stu Hamm is pretty awesome too! I don't know about Wooton status awesome, but I like Stu because I got to meet him once at a NAMM show! =D

[Stringpincher]

Roger Waters. The best, hands down!!

[Garriq]

Geddy Lee is the greatest bass player...ever.

CONFIRMED

[LepRECONofficer]

Cliff Burton
A close second being John Paul Jones

[Fender Floyd]

Roger Waters. The best, hands down!!

Roger Water might write some mean bass riffs but the man is pretty poor at actually playing bass, David Gilmour did most of the bass on the Wall album, and roger did play a whole lot of bass on the wall album. I really like Roger Waters but I wouldn't call him great for his bass playing. I would say he is a big influence to bassists but I wouldn't call him the greatest.

Sublimefan44 has most of the names that pop into my head as bass virtuosos.

[salad_fingarz]

john myung mauahha

[Point Blank]

The greatest bass player? CHUCK RAINEY

[Yankeesfan1115]

Hmmm....Jaco Flea Victor Wooten Les Claypool and Marcus miller

I'm gonna go with Vic for sheer talent

[Kevbocat]

Check out this guy. Pretty sick if you ask me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8dPOldlIA

[Hitman!]

Victor Wooten is more of an acrobat...

Let's talk about James Jamerson...

[Eat A Peach!]

Jaco all day long...

[Eat A Peach!]

and Mike Gordon.... hes a bad ***

And from personal experience... Dave Schools just does it for me, Every Panic show I go to I try to get right in front of him just to feel that 'hit' he really makes that band...

[ZampraZ]

I want billy sheehan as my bassist! I can pay him a dollar a month!

[FortePenance]

Jaco definitely gets up there and probably Wooten too.

[NeonRainbow]

My favorite bass player is most definately John Wetton. Vic Wooten and Stanley Clarke are both quite skilled though.

[ScottRiley]

Mr. TM Stevens

[CatfishStudios]

another vote for good ol Jaco Pastorius ... the master :cool:

[Garriq]

William Murderface.

[Hambone]

Flea. Years ago I saw Jewel play on Letterman "with special guest on bass, Flea." He got in the grove and just played, didn't do any of his flashy stuff. When the song was done he took off his hat and bowed. The house went nuts. Very classy.

[rotteneggz]

paul mccartney, john paul jones, the guy from the who, geddy lee, anda aduff mackagen

[RHJohnson]

Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea (stops takes deep breath) Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea


Have you even heard a Red Hot Chili Peppers album guys?

[RHJohnson]

One more cant hurt.

Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea
Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea Flea

[Okita-Kun]

Geezer Butler (Under rated as hell)
John Paul Jones
Paul McCartney
Getty Lee

[White_Wolf]

Well, I'm not a bass player, but my vote goes to either Les Claypool or Vic Wooten. However, much like guitarists Vinnie Vincent, Eddie Vanhalen, and Yngwie Malmsteen, they spend too much time showing off their greatness and not enough time actually composing palatable music. And just for that I am disqualifying them from the hall of greatness. And so my list of candidates looks like this:

1. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
2. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)
3. Getty Lee (Rush)
4. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
5. Paul McCartney (Beatles/McCartney)
6. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd/Waters)
7. Cliff Burton (Metallica)
8. Jerry "The Bear" Penrod (Iron Butterfly/Rhinoceros)

Unfortunately I don't have any more favorites to fill up a 10 count. And Jerry Penrod only played bass on Iron Butterfly's first album (Heavy), so I really haven't heard all of his work. But if the rest of his work is like it was on the Iron Butterfly album; he kicks ***!

I must now ask the question "what makes a bass player good?"
Is it his versatility?
Is it his speed?
Is it his knowledge of music theory?
Is it his ability to blend with the music to create an ambiance?

It's all the above really. And I'll add it is the ability to be innovative, to be creative. Creativity is what sets apart the average music student from a great professional musician. You can learn a Hendrix song, but could you have ever written a song like that? Any bass player can play scales to accompany the chord pattern the guitarist is playing, or play X note for any given drum beat, or play in perfect tune with the vocals, but it takes a good bass player to be able to make a song actually sound better (not just thicker), to play the right notes at the right time, and genuinely "add" to the song rather than just playing along with it, and at the same time not over do it to the point of trying to steal the spotlight and throw the song off balance.

[saddleboogie]

There is no way to measure the "Best" bassman. Who you would vote for depends on uour tastes. I'm an older gentleman and like a lot of glitz in an adult show. My vote goes for Jerry Scheff with the live Elvis shows in the "70's. Jerry is very talented but, with Elvis, broke the rules and waaaaay over-played but he pulled it off and was the backbone of the shors - listen to "Live In Memphis" and the "Madison Squar Garden" albums. "For the Good Times", "Funny How Time Slips Away". I copy his lines a lot, Especially likes his run from the I to the IV to the II to the VII

[music.ninja]

thats a tough one but I must say Jaco and Mr. Wooten are incredibly skilled bass players. Wooten would probably win, mostly because of his unique style that leaves people wondering how he does what he does. My personal favorite is Stu Zender of Jamiroquai though, I don't actually know if hes been mentioned yet, but he is a great player.