reggae

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For "contemporary" reggae check out:

Morgan Heritage-Any

Bushman-Any

Sizzla- Any, esp. Freedom Cry ( prolly my fave contemp. reggae album overall)

Luciano- Any ( Messenger is my fave.)

Steel Pulse- Any ( the live album is a great "primer". Ranges from their "roots" classics to the more contemp. style of their later recordings.)

Also, any by The Marley Family ie. Stephen Marley, Ziggy Marley, Damien( Jr. Gong)Marley... They always have the best reggae studio musicians on their recordings.

[Bassline_Delux]

I don't really play reggae, but if I did, I'd definatly study some SKA/Punk basslines. Catch 22, Reel Big Fish etc..

[Davo737]

I get my reggae tone with a jazz bass with the tone rolled all the way off, strung with flats (Fender 9050mls or the heaviest guage LaBella DTFs are my favs), and play between the neck pickup and end of the fingerboard. I usually have the neck volume all the way up, and the bridge volume about 50%. In addition to having a healthy dose of bass boost, I've found that a bit of boost in the low mids (200-250hz range) adds a nice touch. I only play fingerstyle, and softly 'lay in' to the strings with the fleshy parts of my fingers.

As far as learning parts from old recordings, many of the early dub/reggae recordings weren't recorded on the highest caliber equipment, and the original recordings have since stretched and deteriorated. Compilations and such released more recently that used the original masters reflect this. So in many cases it's true that what you're listening to doesn't line up perfectly with what's coming out of your amp as you play along (the note will sound a hair higher than a B, but will then sound a hair lower than a C). The important thing is to get the feel for the way the lines move and breathe. One of my favorite things about reggae bass is that the notes you don't play, or the space you leave, are just as important as the notes you do play.

[peterjc]

reggea is bass!!