I've recently started playing bass guitar, and I've been studying mostly 2 bassists - flea and jaco pastorius. I've learned a lot playing their music, but I could use some new inspiration. I find jaco pastorius really boring sometimes, and I've done most of flea's stuff. I want to study a bassist with his own crazy style . I'm into funk/punk/rock. Please help me =)
Do youself a huge favor and look at some of the bass playing originators - James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Larry Graham, Bootsy, Stanley Clarke and so on.
Also - the man I think is the real working-man's bass player is Chuck Rainey. Chuck is the bass player responsible for the theme from "Sanford and Son" and is one of the bass players who worked with Steely Dan - "Peg" is a classic bass line.
more (not so much on the punk thing - but these cats are very inspirational in general)
Pino Palidino
Will Lee
Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones)
Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder)
Mark King
Bruce Thomas (The Attractions - Elvis Costello)
Colin Moulding
For something very different, you could check out Japan's Ogawa Tetsuya, better known as Tetsu from the band L'Arc~En~Ciel.
If you can get past the fact that the singing is in Japanese, and their visual aesthetic is often hilariously androgynous, you will find that Tetsu is an incredibly talented, and melodic bass player.
Well, I feel like I keep having to mention him because no one else here does, but Abe Laboriel is worth a serious look. He hasn't done punk, but he has set a high standard for electric bass playing and I'm sure many have developed their own styles off the playing the Laboriel modeled. I highly doubt there are many other players, if any, that have the track record he has for playing (well over 3000 sessions). He was a very popular fusion session artist, but also provided backing for may pop artists, movie sound tracks, etc. (it should probably be noted that the following list was last edited in 1999 so I'm sure he has done a lot since then) http://www.pitt.edu/~pittjazz/indivi..._laboriel.html
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"The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." --Johann Sebastian Bach. www.craigdouglasgephart.com
keeping with the punk theme.
mike watt (duh)
joe preston (played with high on fire, but check out thrones for some weird, awesome bass rock)
jason black (hot water music, really solid, inventive lines)
annis nahi (he is legend, on hollywood and 91025 his playing is outstanding. probably my favorite rhythm section that's currently playing)
looking for inspiration 
I've recently started playing bass guitar, and I've been studying mostly 2 bassists - flea and jaco pastorius. I've learned a lot playing their music, but I could use some new inspiration. I find jaco pastorius really boring sometimes, and I've done most of flea's stuff. I want to study a bassist with his own crazy style . I'm into funk/punk/rock. Please help me =)
thanks a lot. I will definitely check this out !
