Tone Monsters

[dave64o]

Most of the names I would have expected people to mention have already been mentioned, so I'll throw out a few lesser known or less obvious choices that I've always liked.

Dave Hope of Kansas, great P bass tone and some really tasteful and melodic playing.

Kyle Brock on some of Eric Johnson's CDs

Unless I missed it, Graham Maby wasn't mentioned yet either. Joe Jackson's material has changed a lot over the years but Graham's tone has too and has suited Joe's sound very well.

Mike Rutherford on old Genesis albums, great Rickenbacker sound!

 

[easyvision]

Definitely second Danyel Morgan from Robert Randolph & The Family band. Killer tone!

Also Maruc Grosskopf from Helloween. One of the first bassists I actually noticed in a metal band.

Larry Graham has always had great tone in my book. Except a few live songs I've heard from his outings post Sly. Just sounds too...thin.

 

[patzilla83]

joe lally - fugazi
nate mendal - sdre/foo's
mike watt
pino palladino - john mayer trio and "surprise" by paul simon
tim payne - war all the time/a city by light divided
timmy c. - rage

 

[Ablebasser]

Bob Weston (Shellac)
Clint Connely (Mission Of Burma)
Nick Pie (Shotmaker)
Joe Lally (Fugazi)
David Wm. Simms (Jesus Lizard)
Nate Mendel (Sunny Day Real Estate)

+100 to all these

Also in this sort of ballpark the dude from No Means No. Also Elizabeth Davies from 7 Year Bitch, great Stingray tone, definitely not subtle!

 

[Psychotic_Hell]

John Myung (dream theater)
Stu Hamm
Billy Sheehan (going to see him tomorrow night!!!!!)
Geddy Lee
Tony Levin
Cliff Burton
Dave LaRue (particularly on the G3 tour with JP)

 

[bassmasta18]

Lee Sklar with Billy Cobham on Stratus... What a groove! and sexy deep tone

Jaco with Pat Metheny on Midwestern Nights Dream... His sound in that tune just gives me chills, as do the clarity of his artificial harmonics in Birdland, that intro still floors me every time I watch a live clip of it

Chris Wolstenholme on Hysteria... One of my favourite effected and modern tones, just so powerfull!!

Im also lovin Tal Wilkenfeld's simplistic but gorgeous tone

 

[dereklol23]

+1 for Timmy C, at like 6'3 or whatever he is he really is a monster
Chris Wolstenholme of Muse - Fantastic in every facet
Matt Freeman of Rancid/Operation Ivy - P Bass and an Amp and he still has a beefy punch of a tone that I love

 

[llamalor2112]

Obviously I'm goin' to say names like Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, Victor Wooten, Justin Chancellor, etc... But my favorite tone from any bassist belongs to Brett Nelson. He's the bassist in the band Built to Spill. Awesome sound.

 

[AlexPrime]

James Leach of SikTh! His tone is something else. If you haven't listened to it, you're in for a treat.

 

[Deluge Of Sound]

Inez joined the band later. It was actually Mike Starr who played on those tunes. I think Inez' 1st album with the band was the one with the 3 legged dog on the cover.

Right on the money. Mike Starr left while they were touring in support of dirt.

 

[20db pad]

Will Lee on Letterman
Mario Cippolina, formerly of Huey Lewis and the News
Doug Wimbish
Anthony Jackson back when he was still playing the "Career Girl"
Walter Becker on the last few Steely Dan albums, as well as Fagen's "Kamikiriad"
Abe Laboriel

 

[Benjamin Strange]

Paul Barker - this guy's tone is the very definition of how bass distortion should sound like.

 

[Ebelow]

Eddie Jackson-Quensryche (on Empire)
Mike Kroeger-Nickelback
John Myung-DT

 

[bassaficionado6]

Mic Todd (Coheed and Cambria)

 

[llamalor2112]

Oops. I forgot to mention Scott Shriner of Weezer. On the Red Album and just this last month in Seattle at the Key, he had a really godly tone.

 

[Solarmist]

There's no mistaking Justin Chancellor's sound from TOOL

 

[sarcastro83]

Jah Wobble, JJ Burnell, David J spring to mind...

I'm pretty in to old punk and post-punk.

 

[Blunt]

Here is some from left field:

Jeff Berlin on the Bruford albums. Gritty mid P bass sound that was just briliant and full compared to the shite that followed with his solo albums. Thin tinny and well sucky as he became legato man on bass. More chops poopier sound. And more bad attitude. Oh dear Jeff we all cannot be as good as you.

Ralphe Armstrong- The Jean Luc Ponty albums are legendary amongst fusion fanatics. The bass playing is one of the main reasons. If you don't own Enigmatic Ocean and Cosmic Messenger well dudes get with the program. Essential fusion bass playing and fuzz meister soloist.

 

[renejaime]

hmm seems like mostly rock folk chimed in...

because thankfully my parents loved to dance and loved funk:
verdine white - EWF
marshal jones - ohio players
larry graham - sly and family stone

because I played upright before electric (jazz)
charles mingus
ray brown
charlie hayden
chris wood
rufus reid

and because...
flea
pino
jeff berlin
conrad lozano

 

[The Lurker]

Mike Watt in the mid-90s-- Ball Hog or Tugboat era.

Jah Wobble.