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What bass player inspired you to start playing?

#64
Eddie Van Halen.... and not for that Sammy Hagar solo album....

I am a transplanted guitarist... Eddi made me want to play guitar... after years of not being able to get the guitar to do exactly what I want, i was filled with frustration...

Then I sprained my wrist playing hockey, and didn't pick up any inst for about 3 months, it wasn't healing right... after it finally started healing well, i was in a music store and saw a bass for 200, and thought that might be a good way to get back in shape to play guitar again.... It wasn't long before I sold off most of the guitar stuff to buy bass stuff. But I still keep some of the more prized guitars around...

But as far as the bass goes, its Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton & Jason Newsted, Michael Anthony, and the really good cats like Jaco, marcus Miller, Claypool, and Billy Sheehan
 
#70
It was my brother and also my best friend that inspired me originally.

A few months later I discovered Geddy Lee and Rush, about the same time that Dave Siff and John Turner did.

I was already playing bass, but Geddy inspired me to become a real bass player.

Since then, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, Rocco Prestia, Jaco, Victor Wooten, Larry Graham, Chuck Rainey, John Patitucci, I could go on all night!:)
 
#73
I wasn't really inspired by any bass player to start playing the bass a freind of mine told me it would be easyer to learn the bass then the guitar so a got a bass and have played ever since. Thought the whole time I did like pearl jam and I liked Jeff Amet. now a days thought I still like jeff but get into other bass players to. I enjoy the playing of Flea, Robert Delo, the guy from Dave Matthews band, and the guy from Our Lady Peace I can't recall their names right now I'll have to get on that, and way theres also Cliff Burton, and I'm starting to get into John Paul Jones as well. there are other but I don't know their names of hand so take it easy.
 
#74
I bought a bass so that I could be part of this jazz band that my band director in 7th grade was thinking about doing, kind of an "after-school" thing, but I never really got into it and never learned to play. So, my bass sat in it's case under my bed for about a year, then I heard Metallica's "Master Of Puppets" album. I listened to Cliff Burton's bass line and thought "WOW, that's incredible!!!" So, I started to play because of Cliff Burton.
 
#77
1981. Every 12-year-old suburban white boy
knew who Geddy was. I wanted a bass. I got
one. Later I got a Rickenbacker - like Geddy's.
And while I no longer keep track of Geddy Lee
or Rush or play music anything like that, it was
him and him alone that inspired me to pick up a
bass guitar, 20 years ago this summer.

I'm still at it.

Scott
 
#78
Me? Oh, I'd have to say Les Claypool. Of course, that statement is sort of misleading.

I never really had any reason or anything for getting into bass. I just one day up and said (well...after sucking on guitar for 6 months) "You know...I need to play bass" and there I was, playing bass, and because Primus is a Trio, the bass was very easy for me to pick out (when I had no concept of music), and Les is damned good anyway, so he became sort of a Bass figure to me. Not that he influenced me in my style, my playing or my bassing, but just that he was an upfront bassist.

So really? None.
 

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