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Fingerstyle Metal Bassists

#69
Alright the fingerstly metal bassist posts are dying down. Next question is....

(Keeping it different than that other thread someone rebirthed, keep them fingerstyle metal icons)
Do you have a metal bass icon or hero for lack of a better word? Is it their technique, if so what about it?
Or is there someone else that has a particular technique/style/attitude you have found enlightening as far as playing metal?

I'll go ahead and say mine. I really like Cliff Burtons playing.. to me his melodic lines are some of the best in metal music.

Steve Digiorgio is my other favorite since reading a lesson he wrote about 3 finger plucking inspired me to practice with 3 fingers. Whether his method isn't as good as another players doesn't matter because it was his article that inspired to to try it out. Training my ring finger not only sped up my playing using 3 fingers but i also increased my 2 finger speed at least double... probably more indirectly than directly though.

For the last player i would have to say Les Claypool (hes metal enough cause i say so), because listening to jerry was a race car driver made the bass seem like a fun instrument to learn how to play... and it turned out to be very true.
 
#71
Troy Gregory who played for Flotsam & Jestam and Prong is a big favourite of mine, especially his playing on Prong's Prove You Wrong, Jason Ward from Flotsam & Jetsam, Scott Karino who played for Death, Sean Malone from Cynic, Doug Keyser from Watchtower, great finger players all.
 
#75
Steve Harris is probably my all-time metal bass hero. His good attitude and DIY ethic are inspiring, but his supportive, song-guiding melodies are always energetic and mixed well. His constant root-5 arpeggios are something I incorporate into my playing.

Ron Royce of Coroner really inspired me to get some fast fingerstyle going. The stuff that guy could play in matters of precise speed was impressive in and of itself- but he was also singing!

Steve Digiorgio is the cause of my interest in fretless. I heard his tone and playing on the Control Denied record and was blown away. He's also a kind, humble dude.
 
#76
MaskedJackal said:
Untrue. Fretless Steinberger Q4. Check their UltimateMetal forum, he's discussed it there.
Click to expand...

First, it's very obvious from listening that it's a fretted bass, even if Lars tries to disguise it.

Second, it seems like I followed the discussion on Spiral Architect's forum a bit more attentively than you.

lars k norberg in spiral architect's forum said:
There has been some confusion about the bass, whether I use fretless on the album or not. To end the confusion – I use a Steinberger Q4 on that record all the way through, and it’s definitely fretted. This is the story: That bass has actually a very ‘hard’ sound to it. That’s great for certain things, but can also be limiting. Anyway – in order to create more variations to my lines, I started to experiment with different approaches to simulate fretless bass. My goal at the time was to create a ‘hybrid style’, thus getting the best from both worlds. I used no effects in order to “accomplish” the illusion of a fretless bass. Basically I just tried to play more legato. For instance, one thing I did was to play a lot of parallel octaves in order both to get that richer ‘fretless-sounding’ sound and the desired glissando feel: Listen to the first half of Moving Spirit for extended use of this ‘technique’. It’s reminiscent to using an octaver.

Since then I’ve bought myself a fretless bass, a Gary Willis signature. I use that one in the new project with Steinar. I also have the fretted version of the same bass. As of now I’m not sure which bass I’ll use on the new SA. Perhaps a combination? Time will show.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I sound like a jerk, but I found your advice to read their forum and the attitude with which you spread false information a bit arrogant.
 
#77
People have made fun of me on this forum before for this, though I don't understand why, but my absolute most favorite bass player of any style of music is Evil J from OTEP. Regardless of what others have said about them, I think their music speaks to something deeper and J is a very well-versed player, including playing fingerstyle and he's the reason I started playing bass, and the reason I started on a 5-string, and the reason I began with fingerstyle instead of using picks like almost all the other bassists I've known.

Before I started playing bass, it was his playing that brought the bass to my attention, the way it would pop out of the mix even under all that distorted guitar and double-bassing from the drums. His playing is tight, and he always seems to climb up out of the mix with popping, harmonics, and all sorts of other bass technique goodies that provide the music with that essential extra element of depth that help make his band one of the very few metal acts I'll still listen to despite my changing tastes that have moved away from that style.

Okay, I just wanted to state as clearly as I could why I like this player so I don't have to feel like I need to defend my opinion later if anyone has a problem with it. :D Continue on now with the list of favorites...
 

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