Guitarists that Play Like Bassists

[mattzink]

While listening to Praxis's song "Interface/Stimulaiton Loop", it struck me how much Buckethead plays the groove very much like a funk bassist might. (That is percussive, groove oriented)From what little I've heard by Buckethead, this is fairly common for him. For my money one of the more innovative guitarists since Zappa.

My question for Talk Bassists is this: In your opinion, what guitarists play like bassists? And for extra credit, say what you mean by "plays like a bassist". I'd be curious to see what you come up with.

[Alan Vorse]

I instantly thought of Ani DiFranco. Percussive playing and even some moving single note lines in the lower register. But I said her because she said in a Guitar Player interview: "I'm mostly a frustrated bass player."

[Suckbird]

I play like a guitarist i guess...

Overplaying + shredding = me.

[fourstringdrums]

Justin King, but just in a few clips I've seen.

[AaronS]

I play guitar like a bassist. I have always emphasized the bass line. Lightning Hopkins and John Lee Hooker come to mind also.

My biggest influence while growing up in the 50s was Merle Travis. He certainly played a heavy, steady bass groove. In fact it was only a few years ago that I realized that he was really playing "stride piano" on the guitar with a bass root note, followed by a strummed bass chord and accented with a treble melody.

[Matt Till]

Son House actually influenced me to work on playing some Slap Slide Bass... he practically slapped and popped his guitar while playing with a slide. Very agressive style.

I'm surprised I'm the first but: Tom Morello. Behind the beat grooves. Admits to trying to sound like a turntable (rhythmic)

[LiquidMidnight]

Stevie Ray Vaughn played alot of walking riffs and "bass-like" passing runs in his music. It's awesome how he could do that, and Tommy Shannon could play a groove that didn't step on what Stevie was doing.

Since Aaron mentioned Merle Travis, I might was well mentioned the guy that Merle deeply influenced: Chet Atkins.

[Blackbird]

Johnny Marr. He plays supportive melodic lines that are not overbearing. Also, he hardly ever solos.

[page]

Dude from Tin Hat Trio, he lays down the rythmn.

[screamingdaisy]

Iommi.

[page]

Also Dwight Yokam as a rythmn guitarist, he rolls and bottoms out the lead guitar while the bass follows the drums.

[Figjam]

A few of the riffs from rage against the machine songs have timmy c and tom morello playing the same thing, so i guess they both are playing like bassists there.

[mattzink]

This is all good stuff. I definitely agree with the folks who wrote about Ani DiFranco, Son House, Tom Morello. I'm not quite as familiar with some of the others even though I'm aware of them by reputation.

To diverge from the subject just a tiny bit: I think Johnny Marr is great. Years ago, like in the late 1980s, he was on the cover of "Guitar Player" magazine. In the article he had a list of "guitar anti-hero" rules that were great. (Although if i remember right, he was in inviolation of at least two of them: Don't appear on the cover of guitar magazines holding a guitar; don't give interviews to guitar magazines.) I understand it if you roll your eyes you read that he did the "rules for the guitar anti-hero" anti hero thing. But I liked it for two reasons: the rules (if adhered to) were a great way to keep the focus on music instead of personality, and even if the rules were completely bogus, they are a great was to take the piss out of an earnest reader.

If any of this makes sense. . .

[mattzink]

Okay, let me repost that paragraph, this time without so many weird typos:

To diverge from the subject just a tiny bit: I think Johnny Marr is great. Years ago, like in the late 1980s, he was on the cover of "Guitar Player" magazine. In the article he had a list of "guitar anti-hero" rules that were great. (Although if i remember right, he was in inviolation of at least two of them: Don't appear on the cover of guitar magazines holding a guitar; don't give interviews to guitar magazines.) I understand it if you roll your eyes when you read that he did the "rules for the guitar anti-hero" thing. But I liked it for two reasons: the rules (if adhered to) were a great way to keep the focus on music instead of personality, and even if the rules were completely bogus, they are a great was to take the piss out of an earnest reader.

[Diggler]

Maybe they're all musicians who weren't good enough to be bass players, so they took up guitar??