What bassist's style do you relate yours to??

[BassIsBest]

Hey Guys. We at Talkbass.com have expressed oinions regarding basses, amps, strings, etc. But I would like to know what bassist has inspired your playing styles. What bassist can you compare your sound to? Who inspired you to play the way you do?
I haven't been playing as long as you guys so mine is kind of a new guy. Sam Rivers from Limp Bizkit was the one I wanted to emulate, and still do in some ways. How about you?
To sum it up, who do you play like?

[MJB]

Most definitely Jack Bruce. Of course I have a looooong way to go.

Mike

[Boplicity]

Jason Newsted is "da man!"

Jason Oldsted

[BillyPat]

Stuart Zender (formerly of Jamiroquai) is probably the guy who's style inspires me more than any other.

[john turner]

when i started out i patterned a great deal of what i did after what i perceived to be geddy lee's style. for a period of time i was really into billy sheehan - wasn't everybody in the mid to late 80's?

then i branched out into fretless and slapping, and now i've been trying to do my own thing for the past 7 or 8 years. there are still alot of geddy-lee-isms in my playing though, at least to my ears.

in 1990 i was playing in a trio, an earlier incarnation of the band i am in now, and a couple of friends of mine gave me a tape and said "you guys sound like these guys" - it was Suck on This, by primus. it really opened my eyes - i realized the direction we were going in wasn't what i wanted - we did a major turnaround right there. probably one of the reasons why are cds are _still_ not out yet - we've become a bit too complacently perfectionist.

[the Qintar]

i was inspired to play bass by listening to mike watt, darryl jenifer, tommy stinson, husker du, mainly the meat puppets, i cant say who i play like, probably a little bit of all those inspirations

[Hambone]

My bass guitar inspiration came from Gary Thain of Uriah Heep. His trumpeting style and complete lack of shyness was how I thought the instrument should be played. He also utilized a ... (searching for a phrase)...countered line with slick introductions into the next phrase. Man! That did it all for me.

I've probably drawn just a little bit from all of my influences - a bit of fingerfunk from Rocco Prestia on fretted and Percy Jones on fretless - Jaco showed me where it all could go (because he was already on another planet) -I realy like Dave LaRue's style of slap - Andy West showed me the real link between the instrument and the amp...and it continues even after a near 20 year layoff from the instrument.

[JimK]

Gary Thain, huh? Man, I haven't played one of Uriah Heep's records in, like, 25+ years! I do recall Thain having "it" together, though. Playing in a Hard Rock band, Thain did groove & keep it interesting...
IMO..Thain, along with guys like John Paul Jones & Entwhistle, were influenced by American R&B; in other words, check out Motown & Jamerson!

[BassIsBest]

Now we're cookin with gas!

[TheHardyBoyzSB]

I choose to play like Gene Simmons a lot of times....I mean in the way he fills generally using octives and running up and down, hammer ons, all that stuff.

But I also play somewhat like Geezer butler since him and gene are very similar, but soon I hope to take up on Jaco (which I have been studying lately) and I'll study Wooten plenty once I get the hang of slap a little better.

[russ_4ft]

My influences (I have many) are Timmy Commerford, Stuart Zender, Flea, Les Claypool, Sam Rivers, Dirk Lance.

I also was influenced in a huge way by a local bass player from a local band, Can anyone relate?

I'm a new generation of bass players. I don't know many of the older blokes that you all talk about. The oldest i know is Flea.

I have a very tough act to follow.

[JimK]

Originally posted by osama bin laden
I also was influenced in a huge way by a local bass player from a local band, Can anyone relate?

I'm a new generation of bass players. I don't know many of the older blokes that you all talk about. The oldest i know is Flea.

...about the local dudes, yeah! The local dudes that actually played here at one time include Victor Wooten(blew me away back in '75-'76); Oteil Burbridge(mid-'80s); & Keith Horne('90s). Also, James Genus, though I never actually heard him play around here...
Also, two cats in the mid-70s have had decent careers...Rusty Springfield(played a Fender fretless P-bass w/ a maple neck; was covered in BASS PLAYER mag as a gigging bassist w/ Barnum & Bailey Circus).
Benny Bialy was a monster player around here in the 70s; he sounded like "Jaco" before Jaco(I first heard Bialy round '74). Last I heard, he was in Vegas as a house bassist in some casino.


...and, BTW; Flea is about as old as us "older" blokes. Therefore, it stands to reason that the "older" blokes we might mention would be famaliar to Flea.
...ya dig?

[Mandude]

Peter Hook of Joy Division/New Order fame was my big influence when I first started playing. I have since been exposed to zillions of other bassists, but I still find myself warming up with "Love Will Tear us Apart" every time.

[Dave Siff]

Geddy Lee was my first inspiration, but I can't say he's been an influence on the way I play. It was more his tone and the attitude of his playing that got me.
Mike Dirnt from Green Day, Bob Thompson from Big Drill Car and Karl Alvarez from Descendents and ALL are the ones who I think really shaped how I play. Those guys are all incredibly solid and very melodic. Thompson, in particular, was great guidance on when to step out and when to lay back. I feel like I now have a good sense of where to put fills and where to "keep my mouth shut."

[Farley]

My first and biggest influence was Chris Squire I loved the tone he got from his Ric and the way he was able to creaste some of the most melodic bass lines that I have ever heard. I know that I am definately not up to his caliber of playing or ability but he did start me to play with the dreaded pick. As far as fretless I would have to say that after listening to Waters of Eden from Tony Levin he is one that I would like to emulate as far as playing. I believe that he may not have the speed or overall technical ability of Jaco, but all of the songs on his album are incredible.

[Col_Forbin]

my electric style is influenced by geddy lee, chris squire, john paul jones, marcus miller, tony levin, some jaco, and chuck rainey...i am looking to modernize my style a little bit, seeing as how i can relate more to techniques and styles used more in the 70s...
i also listen to ppl like vic wooten and oteil and manring, whoever else...i'd like to start incorportating their kinds of techniques into my playing...
i've been playing upright for like 2 1/2 years now, and so of course a lot of my practice time is devoted to that....

[Angus]

Most people are talking about influences, and while thats coo, its off topic! And im too lazy, so i wont talk about it.

Whos style do i relate mine to? Nobody. I dont want to emulate anyone. Id rather have my own style than anyone elses. And thats what i try to do.

[RAM]

My style has evolved a bit over the last 5 years, more than it had in the previous 12. But, I'm very heavily influenced, even to this day by John Entwistle and Geddy Lee. A lot of my riffs are Geddy-esque, while the phrasology of my bass lines tend to be more Entwistle in me.

I've tried to branch out as I listen to a lot more styles of music and listen to the song differently now than I ever did, but if you're familiar with Lee's and Entwistle's, you'd definitely hear their influences in my playing.

[dmaki]

the bassists that have influenced me are (in no specific order):

P-Nut (311), Flea (RHCP), Stefan Lessard (DMB), Eric Wilson (Sublime), Aston Barrett (Bob Marley), Roger Waters (Pink Floyd), and way too many more to list

[the Qintar]

im surprised someone mentioned karl alvarez, right on, hes a hell of a bassist, ive heard alot of his stuff but the only cd i actually own with him on it is descendents everything sucks, they have a tight ass rythm section, hes one of my favorites