best bass player

[A Ron]

i definatly agree with the claypool and vitor wooten. i would definatly say wooten beats out claypool, flea's no where near them.

[BassTallica]

there are alot of greats,, no BEST .. but if there was claypool woudl not even be close.

my fav is flea

-

[SMinton90]

the guy from the who is my fav.

[BassTallica]

Originally posted by SMinton90
the guy from the who is my fav.

yea john is f'in great

im soo buyign his custom warwick as soon as it somes out... teh buzzard it looks soooo cool

-

[deftones]

FTB.

j/k

i personally like wooten.

[popmusic_sux]

my vote would have to go to flea on this one

[rhcp182]

my fave is flea i think hes well cool but there are alot of unknown great bass players aswell but i dunno who lol but flea gets my vote

[BassTallica]

Originally posted by deftones
FTB.

j/k

i personally like wooten.

oo man i thought i was good :(

lol

-

[JGKE]

I have a friend that worships Claypool and doesn't really care for flea, but from what I have heard I like flea a whole lot better.

[BassTallica]

claypool is sooooo over rated.... grrr... flea is way better

-

[imikeyi]

who's the guy that plays for dream theater? i'm listening to them alot lately and he is awesome

[KevlarMonkey]

Jaco Pastorius
Les Claypool
Stanley Clarke
Victor Wooten
John Entwistle
John Paul Jones
Ryknow (Mudvayne)
Flea

that will do for now :)

[BassTallica]

Originally posted by KevlarMonkey
Jaco Pastorius
Les Claypool
Stanley Clarke
Victor Wooten
John Entwistle
John Paul Jones
Ryknow (Mudvayne)
Flea

that will do for now :)

get rid of claypool.... and that fruit bag jpj and youll have your self a GREAT list going there

-

[Daz]

Originally posted by imikeyi
who's the guy that plays for dream theater? i'm listening to them alot lately and he is awesome

John Myung, he's damn great.

[rhcp182]

i think matt freemans quite good but fleas my fave (& best)
who likes my new sig lol and who cant understand it lol :)

[JDom]

Originally posted by rhcp182
i think matt freemans quite good

Yeah, that's who I'm going with. Matt Freeman gets my vote for best, Flea takes a very close second.

[BassTallica]

matt is from what band again??

-

[rhcp182]

matt freemans from rancid

[JDom]

Matt Freeman was also in Operation Ivy

[ibleedmarshall]

Me being mainly a guitarist, this could be a dumb question, but where does Cliff Burton rank? He did some incredible (at least to me) basswork in Metallica...

[popmusic_sux]

cliff usually ranks pretty high

[ibleedmarshall]

yeah, I was gonna guess so, with Pulling Teeth and all...

[BassTallica]

well my list is kidna like this favorite wise

flea
cliff
john entwistle

skill wise its probally

john
cliff
jaco
victor wooten
flea
bootsy collins
sting

-

[rhcp182]

whos john entwistle ????????????????? .

[ibleedmarshall]

Who is John Entwistle?

Or the Who's John Entwistle...

sorry, bad pun/joke...

[rhcp182]

ok thanks it wasent that bad a joke

[ibleedmarshall]

no, I was talking about my comment being a bad joke, I wasn't sure if you were making a joke or not, and with the name of the band... dammit forget about it, John Entwistle played for The Who until he died a year or so ago

[rhcp182]

ok :)

[zero_380]

My fav is Leon Wilkins L.S. But I prefer Fle over claypool both have a good style.

[Problem Child]

Well, personally I don't play the bass, but for me John Paul Jones is the number one.
And what about Mr. Paul McCartney? I can't really judge his skills, but he played very interesting bass lines indeed, eg on "Something".

[BassTallica]

Originally posted by Problem Child
Well, personally I don't play the bass, but for me John Paul Jones is the number one.
And what about Mr. Paul McCartney? I can't really judge his skills, but he played very interesting bass lines indeed, eg on "Something".

McCartney is cool... the beatles rocked... But JPJ is a fruity ass fairy

srry i just dont like him

-

[Bahamut]

i dont play bass, and im only starting to learn how to play guitar, but my fave bass player is Fuzz from Disturbed. Speaking of which I can't find what his real name is anywhere? Does anyone know?

[Marz_guitarz]

OK people I have heard most of the people mentioned and you are all missing the one guy.

Geedy LEE

Go back through the years and read bass player mag.
Geedy of RUSH has won soo many times in their polls that I don't think you can vote for him any longer.



Cheers Marz

[Problem Child]

Well, I got another one, although it is going to be a quite controversial statement. Ray Manzarek from the Doors. I know he didn't play a bass guitar but his bass lines are very interestening indeed. I just had to write this post ;)

[Marz_guitarz]

A lot of my friends who play bass say that Paul McCartney and the guy from Duran Duran (Taylor or Rhodes iI forget which) are both excellent bassists.




Cheers Marz

[JackasS sonNY]

The bassist of Mudvayne is awsome, he looks cool too.

[BassTallica]

@baha yea fuzz is cool i like disturbed... honestly i dont know his real name at all

@problem yea his bass lines a cool... simply and to the point but very cool

@marz yea pauls lines are very VERY well written even when he was doing wings.. dont knwo about duran duran though

@sonny wow your right for once... the dude from mudvayne is soo f'in awsome everytime i see em live he blows me away with his playing

-

[Womble_Bassist]

get rid of claypool.... and that fruit bag jpj and youll have your self a GREAT list going there

-

and that what?!!!!!FRUIT BAG?!!!! U CANT GET AWAY WITH THAT!!!!

whoever says summit like that is a...well fruit bag themselves

sorry with the disagreement
but saying that is pure stupidity...how is he a fruitbag anyway?!!!!


JPJ FOREVER!!!

[AnDy]

it doesnt exist a "best Bassist"... cuz, there are a lot of music genres :cool:
here is the list of the bassist i like most...

Victor Wooten:eek:
JAco pastorius:eek:
Stanley Clarke:eek:
jhonn paul jones:eek:
JOHN PATITUCCI.:eek:
John Myung
eTC eTC eTC....

byeeeeeeeeSSSSSS

[Guitmag]

I'm pretty sure Claypool did some prank on basstalica. that is why he hates him.

[Bahamut]

claypool can do lines like nobody else in the world can. ive never seen anyone slap and pop notes at the kind of speed he's capable of...slap and popping...wait, can he do anything BUT slap and pop notes? whatever he does it almost always sounds awesome.

[punk_bass]

Adam Nitti is god.

[BassChick505]

Hey everyone Im new here, anyhow im not sure whos the best but i know who inspired me to play bass and i will always look up to him, that would be Keanu Reeves, i dont think everyone knew he plays bass but hes real good check it out for yourself www.beckyband.com if everyone goes to multimedia you can download there songs its awesome. :cool:

[i am sam2]

ok, bahamut just mentioned claypool being amazing how fast he can slap and pop...im sorry bahamut but i dont think youve heard victor wooten if you think claypool is fast. now, granted, claypool is amazing amazing, but victor wooten puts him to shame. jaco and victor are definately 1 and 2 on a "best" bassist list as far as talent, technique, etc go but as far as people's likeness, thats all based on what bands you like, etc...so flea, hes an amazing bassist and musician but he doesnt have more talent than vic or jaco or stanley clarke or people of that nature.
then i also have to mention james jamerson, the motown bassist, he is the master at holding down a song with the bassline. in fact, if i was a combination of bassists i would have say id want predominantly jamerson in me because he defines bassline, while vic and jaco have more talent, they are thus primarily lead guys who changed the role of bass.

but basically, victor wooten is the best

[Bahamut]

ive seen claypool slap 15 NPS in some of his improvised solos. if that guy you mentioned can do faster he IS god. then again, i dont know, i dont even own a bass so i dont know how hard or easy it is to slap really fast.

[Guitmag]

I think when he said claypool wasn't as fast, he must of only heard the Primus stuff. I've heard his some of his solos to and they get way more complex and fast than Primus songs.

[punk_bass]

15 Notes Per Second? That's impossible unless you two hand tap them all or something. :rolleyes:

[Bahamut]

he does 15 nps, but not for the whole solo. he does stuff around that speed for around 1 bar or so and then slows down to just usual high speed slapping. when he slaps that fast you cant even see the thumb blur that well, its more of a skin colored mass moving around the g and b strings and occassionally tapping up on the higher register of the higher strings

[i am sam2]

oh, i know claypool is FAST AS HELL and im not saying he cant do all that, ive heard a bunch of his solos and they are nuts. but victor wooten has a technique called Open Hammer Pluck which allows him to move his hand at 120 bpm but thats just his thumb going down...once he adds the thumb up, hes at 240(this isnt even straining him keep in mind) and then he adds the pluck of one finger, now hes at 480 and then he adds the pluck of another finger (still moving his hand at 120) and he is at 960bpm which is 16 beats a second. claypool gets this ridiculous speed by having ridiculously fast hands(much like flea) but wooten just uses his technique to get just as fast without trying as hard...so if wooten were to move his hand(gasp) any faster...the universe might explode. and not only that, but wooten can keep up this very fast pace for as long as he wants basically...i bought his video of live at bassday 98...pretty sick stuff if youre interested

[punk_bass]

The open hammer pluck is also called a double thump isn't it? I think it sounds kind of sloppy when he does it. Stu Hamm can slap pretty damn fast and he doesn't open hammer pluck.

[i am sam2]

double thump isnt the same as open hammer pluck because OHP is going down and up with your thumb like a guitarist would do with a pick...but basically, once vic adds in two plucking fingers, he can do (ive now realized my error in calculating that i did in my previous post) 480 bpm with just one note...so once he ads hammer-ons and just gets faster it becomes sick....

and yes, stu hamm is fast as hell

but i would like to say one thing: speed does not equal best bassist. claypool, flea, hamm, and marcus miller even all have amazing speed, some possibly "purely" faster than wooten, BUT BUT BUT wooten has a superior technique(which im sure most of these other guys can do but prefer other ways) and really, just listen to his songs...hes not all speed, he has amazing musicianship, which in my opinion is better than claypool and the others. listen to "You Cant Hold No Groove" wooten plays what seems like an entire band worth of music...i really am doing a terrible job of describing this in words...just get Victor Wooten: Live at Bass Day 98 and you will see and hear
"the man with 10 hands" (as it seems).

[Bahamut]

even though they are faster, ive heard a lot of their stuff, and theyre really REALLY good bassists, probably better than God could play after practicing a few millenia. i just like the overall structure of Claypool's stuff over raw speed, but it is awesome to listen to anyone who can go over 480 bpm.

[i am sam2]

oh i definately agree...they are all amazing.

[Aidsteen]

Personally, I think one of the best would have to be Cliff Burton.. His musical knowledge was astounding.. He was the one that taught the rest of them about harmony and theory.. Plus, Anesthesia? Orion? Both awesome works... He left us far too early in his life..

[pdp67]

My favorite bassist has to be Paul Mcartney from the Beatles.
He has great bass lines for beginner to intermediate bass players. And even if your good the bass lines sound awesome. My Favorite song( because of the bass line) is I saw her standing there. It's not that difficult to play but it helps you get your speed up and ur left & right hand coordinated.

[Maurice Carr]

The best bass player?
The one who;
Knows that less is more,
Never misses a beat,
Keeps the engine running whilst the some others may trip up,
Acts as the drummer's bassman, the guitarists bassman, the....,
Forces the turn-around when all the others have forgotten where they are,
Knows that dynamics is more than just a name for a microphone,
Always looks like they're on a completely different planet reinforced by that calm "I know" look on their face,
Makes a dull boring song at least palatable,
Is in constant touch with "the groove",
Tactfully tells the guitarist is DOES matter to know if it's a minor, major or sus4 chord,
Starts the songs with authority when the leader has forgotten what's next and how it all begins,
Is professional enough to do the best job on earth even though the song calls just for "4 on the floor tonics and 5ths" all the way through, and
Gets a comment from one of the great unwashed at the end of the gig " ..dunno what it was, but there's something special goin' on here - you guys really ROCK"

If that's you, then take a bow - you're the greatest.

Maurice

[i am sam2]

who are you?

[pdp67]

Dude what are you talking about. . .
We're talking about people!! REAL people!!
Not the qualities of the best bass player.

[shwankyspoon]

Wooten is the best. Flea isnt that good. Im sorry but he just doesnt have what it takes to be a the best. Wooten has technique, skill, and a crazy imagination. Just watching him play is great, he is very smooth. CLaypool is up there too. Whats the name of the Bass Player from Living Colour and Black Jack Johnson again? he's good too

[pdp67]

:D Yeah sorry guys for my ignorance but which bands are these bassists from?? :D

[i am sam2]

victor wooten plays mostly in Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, but also does some solo stuff with JD Blair and occasionally plays with the Wooten Brothers Band(made up of the rest of his brothers). flea is the bassist for red hot chili peppers. les claypool has some solo stuff but is primarily the Primus bassist. and then, though not mentioned, he should be, jaco pastorius, did a bunch of solo stuff but also had stints with other bands, namely Weather Report

[pdp67]

Thanks man really appreciate it. I'll try to get some CD's then.

[Maurice Carr]

who are you?
Maurice Carr - Bass player

[Maurice Carr]

Well frankly just about every forum has this unending dribble about who's best at this, who's best at that, why this one's king and the other sucks - ad infanitum.
Now bear with me! Why I say that is that no one establishes the rules first on what criteria you are going to judge "the best" and even if you set the rules then not everyone would agree, and it's just practically impossible to agree on who is best. After all isn't that the question that was asked in the first place " who is the best"? You'll never get it asnwered.
Now if the question was something like " who is the bass player who has most impressed you or has had the most influence on you and give your reasons why", then we'd end up having a decent constructive discussion rather than this " the one I recommend plays better than the one you recommend" don't you think?
You have a point - real people - well aren't we all real people and aren't we all bass players? So why overlook the obvious and the fact that certain qualities make you - a bass player - a champion and feel good about it.

[pdp67]

Dude I dont know about everybody else but your philisophical mumbo jumbo is getting kind of annoying to me. What we mean by best bass player is who has the best qualities. These qualities being: Bass Line Creation, Speed, Style, Sound etc.. you've got to be kidding me about best in what. We mean best overall!!!

[Maurice Carr]

whooooops!

[Bassfishin']

You know maurice, I gots to go with peter, he's already got Paul on his M. O. and Paul's opened it up for everyone, before that it was mostly uprights thumpin' like a tuba. Also Sir McCartney is left handed a plus in my book.

I saw a guy at Guitar Center that is a lefty and been playing a bass upside down for thirty years!

[68Mustang]

Dude I dont know about everybody else but your philisophical mumbo jumbo is getting kind of annoying to me. What we mean by best bass player is who has the best qualities. These qualities being: Bass Line Creation, Speed, Style, Sound etc.. you've got to be kidding me about best in what. We mean best overall!!!

I agree....wtf are you talking about maurice...

The best bass player?
The one who;
Knows that less is more,
Never misses a beat,
Keeps the engine running whilst the some others may trip up,
Acts as the drummer's bassman, the guitarists bassman, the....,
Forces the turn-around when all the others have forgotten where they are,
Knows that dynamics is more than just a name for a microphone,
Always looks like they're on a completely different planet reinforced by that calm "I know" look on their face,
Makes a dull boring song at least palatable,
Is in constant touch with "the groove",
Tactfully tells the guitarist is DOES matter to know if it's a minor, major or sus4 chord,
Starts the songs with authority when the leader has forgotten what's next and how it all begins,
Is professional enough to do the best job on earth even though the song calls just for "4 on the floor tonics and 5ths" all the way through, and
Gets a comment from one of the great unwashed at the end of the gig " ..dunno what it was, but there's something special goin' on here - you guys really ROCK"

wtf mate.

[seaside_suicide]

im just sick of people saying flea is the best bassist, simple put he's not, he plays decent slap n pop yeah, but come on if you look at great bassists this guy is just standard issue in the top flight of bass players, with some fancy tricks and alot of personality, i really like the guy but he is not the best. i have to give props to cliff burton, that guy ****ing ruled but i think jaco pastorius was probably the best, not only because of his huge skills, his great personality but because of the people he influenced, he brought about so much change and influenced so many of todays great bassists. I dont think any body has mentioned larry graham, shame on you all, he was flea's major influence and in my view he is better than flea, he sings while doing his fantastic slap n pop

[Gravja]

Cliff Burton - Creative Genious behind metallica's works up until the time of his death. I never really liked the black album or any works after that.

Geddy Lee - Fast, Accurate, Smart bass playing

Lez Claypool - Same as Geddy




Guitars -
Godin Freeway4
Ibanez s-series "floyd double locking nightmare"

[Maurice Carr]

I agree....wtf are you talking about maurice wtf mate.

Either;

1) You genuinely want to have what I am talking about explained in a different way to try and understand it better - in which case I'm happy to try that either via this forum or PM: your choice, or

2) You strongly disapprove of someone daring to introduce reasoning which differs from the accepted norm.

Maurice

[DarkHadou]

Jaco Pastorius was by far the greatest bass player i have ever heard in my life. With maybe Victor Wooten as a distant second. Right now i cant stop listening to Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne, he is phenomenal as well.

[DarkHadou]

undefinedim just sick of people saying flea is the best bassist, simple put he's not, he plays decent slap n pop yeah, but come on if you look at great bassists this guy is just standard issue in the top flight of bass players, with some fancy tricks and alot of personality, i really like the guy but he is not the best. i have to give props to cliff burton, that guy ****ing ruled but i think jaco pastorius was probably the best, not only because of his huge skills, his great personality but because of the people he influenced, he brought about so much change and influenced so many of todays great bassists. I dont think any body has mentioned larry graham, shame on you all, he was flea's major influence and in my view he is better than flea, he sings while doing his fantastic slap n pop
SHAME ON YOU ALL. The best bass players out there seem to be in the shadow cuz no one gives a damn about bass cuz its just the rhythm and the groove.

[pdp67]

Either;

1) You genuinely want to have what I am talking about explained in a different way to try and understand it better - in which case I'm happy to try that either via this forum or PM: your choice, or

2) You strongly disapprove of someone daring to introduce reasoning which differs from the accepted norm.

Maurice

Dude!!! It's not that we dont understand it but u make ur posts all fancy shmancy. Like whats with the "Either;". A semi-colon???? If you look at other posts no one is putting all sorts of crazy punctuation. U'll see periods and stuff but thats about it!!!(well and exclamation points)(and brackets)(and questi. . SHUTUP!!) I dont meen to be making fun of you it's just that when people read this they dont wasnt fanciness.

[Bassfishin']

I think that should be three periods after questi..., I can't hardly believe that no one wants fancy stuff. Punctuation is used in poems and poems become lyrics and now your a songwriter and a bassplayer. :rolleyes:

[muchavo]

Mike Gordon From Phish


listen to this song and youll know what i mean (http://38.72.192.226/bijou2/nugs.net/phish/001007/ph001007i_05_-_Weekapaug_Groove.mp3)

[RushOwns]

Geddy Lee and Flea are my favorite.

[N_A_T_E_1_1]

paul gray....slipknot.....yes?? yes!! well is jus my opinion i luv slipknot dont hate paul is amazing

[N_A_T_E_1_1]

oh and listen to duality by slipknot..is tight and fun to play:) and listen to a couple others like the blister exsists an stuff listen to nething slipknot and u will b happy and amazed

[Oblique]

oh and listen to duality by slipknot..is tight and fun to play:) and listen to a couple others like the blister exsists an stuff listen to nething slipknot and u will b happy and amazed

I do like slipknot (dont flame me), but I wouldnt describe their music as "happy", and its not really amazing :rolleyes: ... Im not too sure about their bassist being that great, but who knows, maybe he's like their guitarists who can actually shred, but choose not to...

but here's a suggestion, if u like heavy/dark slipknot type stuff, and wanna hear some Really Amazing Sh!t, check out Children Of Bodom ;) ...

[N_A_T_E_1_1]

I do like slipknot (dont flame me), but I wouldnt describe their music as "happy", and its not really amazing :rolleyes: ... Im not too sure about their bassist being that great, but who knows, maybe he's like their guitarists who can actually shred, but choose not to...

but here's a suggestion, if u like heavy/dark slipknot type stuff, and wanna hear some Really Amazing Sh!t, check out Children Of Bodom ;) ...

haha u jus completly dissed me and slipknot...but it sounded so nice im not even mad...hahahaha........ya well as u have said b4 i will think wut i want well theres so many haters im jus gunnu stop even talkin about slipknot :( and i dont know wut u mean about they guitarist...mick n jim?!?!?! well wutever i rlly dnt wnna fight or nething at all plz?

[Oblique]

haha u jus completly dissed me and slipknot...but it sounded so nice im not even mad...hahahaha........ya well as u have said b4 i will think wut i want well theres so many haters im jus gunnu stop even talkin about slipknot :( and i dont know wut u mean about they guitarist...mick n jim?!?!?! well wutever i rlly dnt wnna fight or nething at all plz?

lol, I wasnt really dissing slipknot :rolleyes: ... but yea, their guitarists can play better/more complicated stuff than what they usually do (kinda like Korn), so no disrespect to them... I was just wondering if the same went with the bassist, thats all...

and do check out Children Of Bodom :) ;) ... lol

[IcoHolic]

My Faves

Stanley Clarke

Stu Hamm

Sting

Victor Wooten and Jaco also kick butt, but I find I can't just casually sit down and listen to them, they get to be a bit much after a while.

I can't stand Primus, so Claypool isn't a favourite, but he does kick butt.

I'm not quite sure how Flea ever makes these lists, he sucks. He's the first bassist a new player learns. Technically, he does nothing spectacular. Granted he does have some cool sounding basslines, but so do a gazillion others.

[Blue Torquise]

Hi there. I think it's a bad formulated question cos' I think Billy Sheehan kicks, but I can't see him playing funk or jazz, I also think Victor Wooten kicks, but again I can't see him playing hard rock or heavy metal so, I think we should choose a best bassist for each style, am I right? :)

[Maurice Carr]

Finally, someone has a sense of direction.
Maurice

[Oblique]

I'm not quite sure how Flea ever makes these lists, he sucks. He's the first bassist a new player learns. Technically, he does nothing spectacular. Granted he does have some cool sounding basslines, but so do a gazillion others.

Being considerd the besthas nothing to to with being technical...

sure there's more technical bassists out there, but Flea does kick ass, so Im not too surprised he does make these lists...

[Maurice Carr]

....Yawn......

[Womble_Bassist]

All Bow Down To Mark Hoppus The Root Note King!

[i am sam2]

you dont have to be technically good to be good. there is a reason flea is the first everyone hears. its because people like his sound and he made rhcp big.

its truely a shame when you hear musicians slighting parts or players who dont have complex theory...simple isnt necessarily bad. the true measure is the ear. if it sounds good, it is good. and all others can go learn theory.

[Drakul]

Hm.Let me think.ok.BURTON=best bassist ever.Second BURTON, third BURTON etc.

[i am sam2]

Hm.Let me think.ok.BURTON=best bassist ever.Second BURTON, third BURTON etc.

this could only be true if youre making a list of people behind wooten and jaco.

[sum1]

wooten
trulijo
flea
cliff

no spec. order

[hyper]

u gotta give it to flea because he makes the best music

[Sleepy Aligator]

Surely the best thing Flea has ever done was appearing in The Big Lebowski as one of those evil Nihilists!!? Am I wrong!?

That is totaly lost on people who are not familar with the dude or Walter and Donny too!

[shadowulfe66]

personally speaking i would have to say Cliff Burton was a damn good bassist.
R.I.P. Cliff

[Mutepoint]

Tho i didnt go through the entire thread, i didnt see mention of Tony Levin - King Crimson, and many oteh (Liquid tension experiment years back etc etc) the godfather of progressive rock, along with Geddy Lee.
John Myung is another of my personal fav, Mark King - Level 42 is awsome, Bill "the Buddha" Dickens is ammmazing (9-string bass) there are amazing guys out there who you will never ever hear about unless you really dig.

[Abaddon]

claypool. he's just the best.

hahaha i agree with you sleepy aligator

[Bahamut]

1.Claypool
2. Burton, that man was a god, forget about him and the mighty hand of Hetfield will strike you dead
3. I think Flea's come up with some REALLY cool basslines. I know he may not be the most technical bass player but doesnt writing the lines themselves count for anything? I think that ability should definitely contribute.
4....havent heard many other bassists, every time i listen to most other songs the bass is apparently chord roots and i have to struggle to hear ANY bass

[Sleepy Aligator]

claypool. he's just the best.

hahaha i agree with you sleepy aligator

Someone is on the same page as me for once!

No one has mentioned guys like:

Jack Bruce
Danny Thompson
John Kahn
John Entwistle
James Jamerson
Phil Lesh
Mark King

[burtonbassist]

hey i just joined and this is my first post. imo the best bass players are:

dead: cliff burton all the way
alive: either jon myung or victor wooten

[muchavo]

i think that the bassist from cream really carried the whole, i think its pretty cool he seems more like part of the groove rather than that of the hendrix experience where you can only feel like jimi and mitch are grooving

[i am sam2]

i think that the bassist from cream really carried the whole, i think its pretty cool he seems more like part of the groove rather than that of the hendrix experience where you can only feel like jimi and mitch are grooving

jack bruce baby!!! hes the man.

[RushOwns]

Geddy Lee
Flea
John Myung

[muchavo]

rush owns, i keep seeing your posts and thinking your sleepy aigaer please change your avatar

[jamstrat]

Not a bass player, but these are my favs:

Everyone forgot Mingus!

1. Charles Mingus
2. Les Claypool
3. Stanley Clark
4. Victor Wooten

[jamstrat]

Damn, I forgot Geddy Lee! He rules too!

[StarCraft]

Wooten is the best. Flea isnt that good. Im sorry but he just doesnt have what it takes to be a the best. Wooten has technique, skill, and a crazy imagination. Just watching him play is great, he is very smooth. CLaypool is up there too. Whats the name of the Bass Player from Living Colour and Black Jack Johnson again? he's good too

His name is Muzz Skillings, he played on the first two albums....hes pretty sick.

did anyone mention the guy from faith no more whoever he is?

[Gormaito]

I think that it isn't just the skill of the bas player that makes him a good player. I mean, Victor Wooten for example, he is a excelent bas player but i don't like the music he does. That doesn't make me want to listen to his music that much couse' there are greater music then what he has done.

[headbanger4life]

cliff burton

[i am sam2]

I think that it isn't just the skill of the bas player that makes him a good player. I mean, Victor Wooten for example, he is a excelent bas player but i don't like the music he does. That doesn't make me want to listen to his music that much couse' there are greater music then what he has done.

the fact that you dont like it doesnt mean that other stuff is "better"
there is no music that is "better" than anything else, its all opinion.

[BassTallica]

cliff burton

amen
long live cliffs music!

-

[casey]

its got to be flea, hes incredable

[Franklins Tower]

I get the feeling alot of you guys are just saying Cliff Burton and Flea for the sake of it and some have admitted not knowing that many bass players anyway. Clearly naming these two shows you do not know many other bass players or have listened to many others, otherwise you wouldn't be naming them!

[tomascunill]

The who bass player, i think he's awesome. Primus bass player is good too in my opinion...

[jamstrat]

Yeah, Flea is way overrated. He's pretty mediocre in my opinion.

[i am sam2]

I get the feeling alot of you guys are just saying Cliff Burton and Flea for the sake of it and some have admitted not knowing that many bass players anyway. Clearly naming these two shows you do not know many other bass players or have listened to many others, otherwise you wouldn't be naming them!

are you joking? cliff burton should be on anyone's list, what are you talking about? flea, id bet everyone has heard so its ok to leave him off your list if you dont like rhcp or his stuff particularly, but he IS one of the best, whether you like it or not. and if you are one of those guys saying the bassist for people like korn and metallica(and other bands like that) are top-notch, you dont know what youre talking about.

tomascunhill, by the way, the primus guy is Les Claypool, and yes, he is amazing as well, definately a top notch bassist

still my opinion is the same: Victor Wooten and Jaco Pastorius are the best ever.

[Franklins Tower]

No, I'm not joking and I don't intend to say anything good about Korn or Metallica. I'm making a point that alot of people are naming the same names whithout having any knowledge of the subject in hand. How many bass players could you name? If you think guys like Ciff Burton and Flea are without doubt the finest of all time then you haven't heard many.

[Temujin]

No, I'm not joking and I don't intend to say anything good about Korn or Metallica. I'm making a point that alot of people are naming the same names whithout having any knowledge of the subject in hand. How many bass players could you name? If you think guys like Ciff Burton and Flea are without doubt the finest of all time then you haven't heard many.

I have to agree. My assumption of what was meant by the thread was bass players who have the "best technical facility" not which ones you may or may not like the best. Naming Flea and Burton would almost be a crime here, because if technical facility is what was meant... They are not world-class players. Not in the least. Do they make great music? In my opinion, they sure do/did. Are they world class players? Hardly. They are mere kindergarteners, beginners, in comparison to players like Billy Sheehan and many others too numerous to name here.


-Temujin

[jamstrat]

The best bassist ever is Charles Mingus. Period!! NO ifs ands or buts!! He is the king!!

[BassTallica]

Yeah, Flea is way overrated. He's pretty mediocre in my opinion.

BLASPHAMY!!! flea is god and you know it... GOD I SAY GOD!!!

[Bassfishin']

So, we have a list of a dozen or so, some better than others, techmically, some knowing where to put the thump and the bump, some play solo from open to 17th fret, some jazz improv, 4 string to 9 string. How to arrive at the best? Like pinning jello, how about one of us (or several) work hard at it and get on this list so in five years another spin will be added to the ongoing saga of "the bottom note"

[clarkman23]

I'm inclined to agree with most of you here. Personally, I really like Cliff...not a huge Flea fan...and JPJ to me is very good as well but that's just what I prefer and the style of music I listen to.

I mean, hell, simply based on the fact that I love Metallica I like Rob too but that doesn't make him anywhere near the top...

[nerdymcfinkle]

I haven't heard all that much by many of the bass players to which many of you refer, but here are my thoughts...Flea, he's good from what I've heard, but I think he's ove . In my personal opinion, Cliff Burton is definately my pick for best. Besides the fact that he could pluck at amazingly fast speeds, he also had a great sense of theory, which he taught to his fellow bandmates, and they wouldn't have gotten anywhere after his had it not been or him. Call of Ktulu? Orion? And God knows how many other parts of big songs from the three albums of which he was a part of? Come on, some of that work was genius. Cliff Burton gets my vote.

R.I.P.

[i am sam2]

ok, cliff burton i guess i can repeal my comments...but flea, no. he is one of the best. being complicated doesnt mean you arent amazing. flea along with claypool are probably the fastest sheer hand movers ive heard, cliff included.

neverthefless, i didnt mean to say cliff and flea were the finest, just undoubtedly very good. they dont get into the same category as vic, jaco, and les tho.

[woooooooten]

imo

vic wooten
stanley clarke
mark king
geddy lee
jaco
i like les claypool (he's not the best slaper but it's the "new school" i guess.

[woooooooten]

i forgot....from my hometown montreal canada:

ALAIN CARON from uzeb

[Bassfishin']

I forgot to plug in a name, Jack Bruce on the blind faith cd they have a bunch of long jams with bruce, clapton, winwood and the drummer from cream who's name has slipped passed me at the moment. I mean about 15 minute jams.

[i am sam2]

I forgot to plug in a name, Jack Bruce on the blind faith cd they have a bunch of long jams with bruce, clapton, winwood and the drummer from cream who's name has slipped passed me at the moment. I mean about 15 minute jams.


ginger baker...cream kicked ass...jack bruce is the man

[Franklins Tower]

Ginger Baker is quite possibly the greatest drummer of all time.

Take a listen to Toad if you already haven't.

[headbanger4life]

amen
long live cliffs music!

-

YES!!!!!!!!!

[GreenBlues]

Tho i didnt go through the entire thread, i didnt see mention of Tony Levin - King Crimson, and many oteh (Liquid tension experiment years back etc etc) the godfather of progressive rock, along with Geddy Lee.
John Myung is another of my personal fav, Mark King - Level 42 is awsome, Bill "the Buddha" Dickens is ammmazing (9-string bass) there are amazing guys out there who you will never ever hear about unless you really dig.
Thank god Levin recognized jaco, dont like les claypool, um theres some black guy with 2 huge front teeth whose really good and justine chancellor, is really good rhymically and his double slap is so steady i could eat off of it.

AND WHAT ABOUT CHRIS SQUIRE PSHH..

[DemoEtc]

In my opinion anyone who could've kept up with Ornette Don on the Science Fiction album is tops in my book - Charlie Hayden. ;)

[Bassfishin']

I don't know how I could forget a name like Ginger 'also Sam2' He probably had to thump a few heads growing up with the Ginger label.

[FlatWound]

A LOT it seems prefer "pop-bassists" Forget losers like Cliff Burton when you can vote for Bill Dickens. Throw out garbage like Flea when you can choose Jeff Berlin, Michael Manring, or Jaco Pastorius. Leave your silly little Claypool and Wooten "speed merchants" in the dark...Marcus Miller is your vote to slap their faces. :D :D :D :D :D

There are a lot of good choices here, and without specific criteria for "best" the list can only be subjective at best. Maybe this should be called the "Who's your favorite bassist and why do you think he/she RULES the world all other bassists live in" thread :p

[DemoEtc]

...Jeff Berlin....

Wow, I haven't heard that name for years! Is he still around? Flatpick-only guy who could smoke, if I remember correctly!

[FlatWound]

Fingerstlye (pizzicato) electric-bass-master-ninja of the universe-totally been out there and back-founder of the Players School of Music.

Totally awesome, recognized by pro-bassists as a master (whether they like his views about learning or not).

http://www.jeffberlinmusic.com/

Maybe I'll start a "Bassists you don't know but should" thread

[DemoEtc]

I read that article: there was nothing he said that I disagree with. Incredible. Especially that part about the usefulness of Tablature!

Thanks for the link. But...I wonder who that guy was, in the 70s, who played jazz pick-style? That was the thing that caught my attention but I can't remember his name.

Anyhow, thanks again. :)

[Zach70]

Jaco Pastorious...he's amazing.

[diron]

STEWART HAMM!!!!

TY GOODNIGHT \m/ :cool:

(dont mind me, im a bass forum outsider) :D

[FlatWound]

Jaco played finger-style. Stuart Hamm and Jeff Berlin are close friends, as is Geddy Lee a close friend of Jeff's

[superbassdude14]

Leon Wilkinson of LYNYRD SKYNYRD

[Hollowbody49]

Have to agree with Stanley Clark; plus the hero of my youth:

Rick Danko (of The Band; now deceased, he could work a frettless Ampeg Horizintal scroll).

[woooooooten]

by far by soooooo far the bass player from blink 182 is THE best bass player of all.....also the one in the white stripes....pretty damn player....also the bass player from the DOORS......gezzzzzzz he is realy good......morisson knew what he was doing when he chose that dude!!!!! soooo freakin amaizing!!!!!!
wooooohaaaaaaaaaaaaaa----oooooooooooooooo-------yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!------hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllll---yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ACDC22666]

by far by soooooo far the bass player from blink 182 is THE best bass player of all.....also the one in the white stripes....pretty damn player....also the bass player from the DOORS......gezzzzzzz he is realy good......morisson knew what he was doing when he chose that dude!!!!! soooo freakin amaizing!!!!!!
wooooohaaaaaaaaaaaaaa----oooooooooooooooo-------yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!------hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllll---yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The Doors never even had a bassist well a few times on studio tracks but they were hired musicians.. never at a live show and never as part of the band... ever .. instead Ray Manzarek would play this little bass keyboard thing(im not sure exactly what it was) which was beside his main keyboard.

[bassmaster1]

what r ya people on bout every1 knows dat flea is the best bassist eat ya heart out claypool

[woooooooten]

lolll imo.......imo......imo.....bassmaster1 make alot of sens.......like my reply about the doors ....blink....white stripes.............NOT

all in good fun!!!

[KevinP.]

Jaco Pastorius
Billy Sheehan

[RedheadBassist]

LES CLYPOOL
The bassit form Primus i just saw a DVD of them n it was awesome
HE ahd a 6 Sting he was plaiyn 2 bass lines @ once it was such an Awesome Sound
The Guritar wasn't the best but the Drums were awesome it was an Awesome SHOW i want to see them live now
Im nto sure Fit hey AHd been NAmed on here yet or Not but they are good enough to eb named a lto more then once

[johnny_Martin]

my opinion on this is that there isnt just 1 catagory of great bass players theres creative and stuff like that so ill just label too

Josh Ansley is the most creative bass player (streetlight manifesto)

Flea is the Gawd of bass (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

Victor Wooten is just outstanding

and theres this local kid round here he is amazing 14 and can slap like victor wooten its crazy but those are my top 3 greatest bassists

[SoloJo]

by far by soooooo far the bass player from blink 182 is THE best bass player of all.....also the one in the white stripes....pretty damn player....also the bass player from the DOORS......gezzzzzzz he is realy good......morisson knew what he was doing when he chose that dude!!!!! soooo freakin amaizing!!!!!!
wooooohaaaaaaaaaaaaaa----oooooooooooooooo-------yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!------hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllll---yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Morisson did not choose the dudes that played in his band...they chose him. :alien:

[ricken89backer]

OMG know mnetioned CLIFF mutherf***ing BURTON! what the heck is wrong here? Cliff was beyond flea possilby jaco . obviusly uve necer seen any live performaces of cliff 'em all. buy it . listen to it. learn it. play it. gape in aw. his solos r out of this world uncomparible

[bassman60]

Cliff Burton all the way. I'm not the biggest Metallica fan, but he inspired the way I play bass. I try to play it like a guitar player.

Most non-musicians who say they like Flea can't recognize a Flea bassline if they hear it isolated. But everyone recognizes John Fruciante's guitarwork and don't know the name of the guy playing it.

What about Terrence Butler? I heard he did the 'cid for like a year straight.

[ricken89backer]

thank you fianlly sum1 recognizes sum 1 other than the normal band wagon people

[bakedbassist]

bassist from mudvayne is really fast but i wouldnt say hes the best, i wud probably say flea or les claypol from primus etc.

[lethifold]

Flea is the best song writer
Mark King is the most technically gifted (for slap)
Billy Sheehan is also technically gifted but most of his music lacks any soul, it's just technically impressive, much like Steve Vai

[penguins_r_kewl]

People say Sheehan and Victor Wooten are the best, but I've never heard them play. Flea is pretty damn good.

[lethifold]

Wooten is really good and his stuff is pretty funky... but Sheehan has nothing but quick fingers

[picsures4ewe]

id have to say JPJ or flea, one of MY FAVORITES if fat mike of NOFX

[Slash 88]

my favorite bass player... i don't know but roger waters had some pretty sick bass lines

[dagger]

the dude from sublime is awesome

[lizard_king_21]

Les Claypool

whether or not you like the music, if you've seen him live, you'll gain a new respect for the master that he is

[lizard_king_21]

[QUOTE=Gravja]Cliff Burton - Creative Genious behind metallica's works up until the time of his death. I never really liked the black album or any works after that.

Geddy Lee - Fast, Accurate, Smart bass playing

Lez Claypool - Same as Geddy

Man i gotta agree with all of that.

i will never understand how lars and james saw fit to replace Cliff Burton....jeez i feel like there should be an echo when i type or say that name.. with Jason Newstead(spelling??). nothing against the guy but wtf.
Like what a headtrip for him going into it too.
talk about huge goddamn shoes to fill

[ricken89backer]

Hell Yea, but Jason did hold it down for 11 or so years. My biggest gripe about Jason was that he played with a pick not his fingers. That took away the classic rolling low end that Metallica was famous for. It then became a punchy attack, morew definite. That did not fit in with Metallica, in my opinion. But, with a new bass player in this day they have the old sound back. A finger player by the name of Robert Trujillo. I thnk that the old sound has finally returned, but the new music still sucks. It sucks bad, real bad.

[jimmypagewannab]

john paul jones, john entwhistle, flea, stu hamm, james jamerson, and jaco pastorius

[Blue Torquise]

Dude, there are so many great players and every one of them is like, so special in a musical sense, that i can't find a best one. I think we should re-make this post, nominating or choosing them by style, gengre and work, which is quite important cos' each bass player's performance may varies? from one album to another. That's what I think al least :)

[SaXa]

OK people I have heard most of the people mentioned and you are all missing the one guy.

Geedy LEE

Go back through the years and read bass player mag.
Geedy of RUSH has won soo many times in their polls that I don't think you can vote for him any longer.



Cheers Marz

Whew!

I was getting pretty distressed that no one had mentioned the great Geddy Lee! :eek:

Screw reading the old magazines though.......just listen to 2112 or A Farewell to Kings (esp Xanadu).