What bass player inspired you to start playing?

[Bassistutje]

Janneke Nijhuijs, the bassist of Bad Candy (that's a Dutch girl band). I knew Bad Candy from the start, but as soon as they had their own TV show (and some band member changes and style changes), I was a big fan. And I was just started with my acoustic guitar lessons. So, when I saw Janneke playing, I thought: She can play! At school, I asked if I can play bass for one time, just to try out. That was in June 2005. In February 2006, I got my own bass guitar, and since then I play bass guitar.

 

[Gnome]

I don't know what his name is. The bass player for Limp Bizkit. I saw a concert and I asked my dad what THAT sound was, I thought it was soem kidn of drum or keyboard. Then he explained to me that was a stringed instrument, a bass. And here I am.

 

[RSchuster]

Bassists that initially inspired me to want to play bass:

-Phil Lesh
-Adam Clayton
-Paul McCartney
-Dee Murray
-John Entwistle

Bassists that currently inspire me to keep playing bass day after day:

-Geddy Lee (x10000000)
-Mike Rutherford
-Dave Meros
-Les Claypool
-Chris Wolstenholme
-Chris Squire
-Tony Levin
-John Myung
-Tim Commerford
-the aforementioned "initial inspirations"

 

[Twistad]

John Myung was my first bass "idol". Even though lots of people listen to DT for Pettruci and Portnoy. All of my friends and I thought Myung was the coolest guy ever.

I also briefly had a 6 strings that i bought mainly from his influence.

 

[abngourmet]

Oddly enough, it was my older brother and our mutual very close friend drummer that inspired me to pick up bass. They were forming a band, and they already had a guitar player (my brother) and a drummer (our friend). I basically didn't have much to choose from, so I took up bass. I'm glad I did - have been playing for almost thirty years now, and I've never looked back.

Bassists who inspired me after I began playing:

Geddy Lee, first and foremost.
Chris Squire
John Entwistle
Sir Paul McCartney
Greg Lake
Jaco
Stanley Clarke
John Paul Jones
Bootsy Collins
Roger Waters
John Deacon (very underrated, IMHO)
Gene Simmons (not great technically, but what he did fit the music perfectly - he's the reason I own a Gibson Ripper today)

Bassists who inspire me today:

All of the above
Flea
Tony Kanal
Stu Hamm
Roscoe Beck
Les Claypool
Sting
Mike Dirnt
David Hungate (his Toto stuff)
Adam Clayton (simple but very effective)
Victor Wooten
Marcus Miller

 

[RSchuster]

Oh man, I completely forgot Greg Lake!

 

[Jeff Martinez]

Jason Newsted

I saw Metallica at Red Rocks in 1988. At the time, I had my heart set on being the next Lars Ulrich, but Jason's solo completely changed my world.

After that, it was the gilr that I was in love with stating that "bass players are hot", that drove me to practice as much as I did throughout the rest of my high school and college years.

 

[jusaplaya]

I was inspired by Stanley Clarke and Bootsy as a kid. When I could finally afford a bass a few years ago it was Flea. Now it is Mark White of the Spin Doctors...he is my teacher and this guy is awesome.

 

[The Dave]

I had been playing guitar for several years and ended up playing in a church where we had another guitar player. The music director said, "Hey, Walker, why don't you learn bass?" I had always loved a good bass line but never really thought about playing. The pastor's kid loaned me his Squier P and I started holdin' down the bottom. I listened to a lot of John Paul Jones and Jamerson/Babbitt early on - as I still do - because that was just the music that I liked. I was recently reinspired by the bass playing on Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled debut. If you don't have it, get it, Period

 

[bassfastpik]

id have to say Tye Zamora of Alien ant farm, and flea of RHCP

 

[ESP-bass]

ryan martinie the best metal bassist in the fuking world

 

[bishopfunk]

My Name Is Bishop Kenny a.k.a Bishop Funkadelic. There is my influence;

Billy Bass Nelson
Rodney Skeet Cutis
Bootsy Collins
Cordell Mossoon
All of the PFunk

Mark Adams of SLAVE

Stanley Clarke
and Yes, believe it or not; Jermaine Jackson--he is really funky.

That's what got me in a Band called "Conspiracy" and a few others like "Funk 1" and a group called "Touchdown"..now I just Funk for YHWH....

 

[Alec W. Conway]

Jari Kainulainen, former Stratovarius.

The guy is nothing flashy. He's very reserved, stays in his corner of the stage doing his rythm part.

But he decides he does a run and some scale walking, watch your heads, stay low, cause he runs the scale 10 times before you know what happens lol.

 

[FlatwoundForMe]

Flea and Matt Freeman

 

[ryco]

McCartney, Entwistle, Casady in that time order.

Wow! This thead is ancient - but them so am I

 

[jazz5757]

Back when I started in '71 (35 years ago - holy crap!) I was really into Grand Funk and bassist Mel Schacher...he kept the whole band together and was simultaneously in the pocket yet agressive and he sounded simply HUGE in that band...now if only he had a played a p bass instead of a jazz....

 

[JamesM]

My friends made me play bass back in high school so i could play in ther band, plus i had long hair.

But once i got da basics down i started 2 lsiten 2 all the usuals - Flea, Les claypool etc
then eventually started getting in2 Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke etc.

Flea wud hav been da biggest inspiration when i was younger 2 become a better player, and Jaco made appreciate the instrument even more.

 

[Habdul]

Matt Freeman from rancid got me into it. After hearing Journey to the end of east bay and maxwell murder i knew i had to pick a bass up and give it a shot....havent stopped since!

Same thing. I'm not a huge Rancid fan and i'm not really into that kind of music , but after I heard Maxwell Murder solo for the first time, i knew that i wanted to play bass

 

[beavrangers]

JOHN PAUL JONES

 

[predmachine]

When I was very young, Macca inspired me to pick my bass up and play it. Then, in high school, I got hooked on Weather Report and felt like hinding my Fender in the closet.