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What inspired you?
- Thread starter Donna78
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For me, subconsciously - Willie Dixon, Jamerson, Carol Kaye and the like.
I just didn’t know their names. When I started actively playing music, JPJ, Entwhistle, Roger Glover and that ilk. When I fully switched to bass in the late 80s/early 90s (I was on drums and guitars years before that) it was Flea.
I just didn’t know their names. When I started actively playing music, JPJ, Entwhistle, Roger Glover and that ilk. When I fully switched to bass in the late 80s/early 90s (I was on drums and guitars years before that) it was Flea.
No one bass player in particular. The bassist who first drew my attention to bass was Mikey Craig from Culture Club. Big influences have included Mark King and Meshell Ndegeocello.
Began playing guitar in high school in the late 70s. Played all through the 80s into the 90s, but when my kids came along the guitar went on the back burner. Fast forward a bit, when my son was 10, he took up the guitar, so I got mine out of mothballs and showed him the basics and stuff. After a few years, he surpassed my mediocre abilities so I thought about picking up a cheap bass to lay down some tracks for him to solo over.
One Saturday morning I was watching Metal Mania on VH1, and Iron Maiden's Run to the Hills video came on. Never been much of a Maiden fan before, but watching Steve Harris' fingers run amok made me get up off the couch and drive down to Sam Ash and buy my first bass.
Since then, I've become a huge Maiden fan (learned to play much of their catalog), and rarely play the six-stringer much at all anymore.
One Saturday morning I was watching Metal Mania on VH1, and Iron Maiden's Run to the Hills video came on. Never been much of a Maiden fan before, but watching Steve Harris' fingers run amok made me get up off the couch and drive down to Sam Ash and buy my first bass.
Since then, I've become a huge Maiden fan (learned to play much of their catalog), and rarely play the six-stringer much at all anymore.
It's kind of weird. I went about it backward. I played low brass in school. My brother had already taken up guitar. My band director asked me to play TUBA in the jazz band. I said something like "No thanks, man. That ain't cool." A couple weeks later he pointed in the corner. There was a brand new Fender Precision and a Peavey TNT amp. "Jazz band starts in six weeks. You better get ready, tiger." The rest is history.
But here's the thing. Once my ears latched onto the bass guitar in recordings, I was blown away by ALL of them. From Jamerson to John Paul Jones and all points in between.
But here's the thing. Once my ears latched onto the bass guitar in recordings, I was blown away by ALL of them. From Jamerson to John Paul Jones and all points in between.
Similar to Two Fingers above, I got inspired by the bass *after* starting to play it.
I grew up in a household where the hardest "rock" I ever heard was Crosby Stills and Nash. Then one day in high school, a friend said "Let me play you some hard rock" and put on Paranoid by Black Sabbath. I went OMG
, I have to get a guitar. So I did, but soon realized that there were ten guitarists for every bassist, and if I wanted to be in a band, I'd have a much better chance if I switched to bass.
Then over the years I got to love the physicality of the bass, the sensation of my fingers on the strings, the way I could shake the whole room like no one else in the band. I learned to appreciate players who could use space as well as notes. I'm still inspired by that all these years later.
I grew up in a household where the hardest "rock" I ever heard was Crosby Stills and Nash. Then one day in high school, a friend said "Let me play you some hard rock" and put on Paranoid by Black Sabbath. I went OMG
, I have to get a guitar. So I did, but soon realized that there were ten guitarists for every bassist, and if I wanted to be in a band, I'd have a much better chance if I switched to bass.Then over the years I got to love the physicality of the bass, the sensation of my fingers on the strings, the way I could shake the whole room like no one else in the band. I learned to appreciate players who could use space as well as notes. I'm still inspired by that all these years later.
In 7th grade, I was one of three kids that, I guess you could say, dressed like a punk. My older sister was part of the punk scene I wanted to look cool like her. The other two had a drum set and a guitar. They initially asked me to sing and we had a bass player from 8th grade. He had a lot of issues and kept missing practice. So I started filling in for him. I had his bass/amp for over a year actually ha.
But it was that feeling playing through this big padded Kustom. The rumble, shaking my whole body. Grounding the song at the feet, the root, connecting through the earth. Connecting rhythm and melody. I have never gotten to the point I don't enjoy that feeling of power.
I play other instruments. I've mainly been a singer who fills out what ever is needed, but my first and enduring love is bass.
But it was that feeling playing through this big padded Kustom. The rumble, shaking my whole body. Grounding the song at the feet, the root, connecting through the earth. Connecting rhythm and melody. I have never gotten to the point I don't enjoy that feeling of power.
I play other instruments. I've mainly been a singer who fills out what ever is needed, but my first and enduring love is bass.
Either music (bass) or drugs, I choose music.
Stay off drugs and stay on beat y'all.
Stay off drugs and stay on beat y'all.
I started as a guitar player. That said, I loved the Animals songs of the 60's. I then found myself playing their signature bass-lines on my guitar. A musician friend was visiting while I was practicing and he said, "Dude, why don't you just switch to playing bass". Made since to me so that is how I started.
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For me it was a friend from little league baseball. Here's my long story told as short as possible. In 10th grade wood shop we were allowed to pick our big semester project. 15 year old me told the teacher I wanted to build an electric guitar (I'd been learning on acoustic for a couple years). He realized it would be overly ambitious so suggested I build a bass instead since it only had four strings. 
Not knowing anymore then he did and really wanting to build something in the general shape of a guitar I agreed. Fast forward a week or two and I'm walking out of shop class with the rough cut body of the bass under my arm. Taking it home for the weekend to show my dad and my neighbor friend who helped in the shape design. My baseball buddy, Dale, sees me leaving shop and says "hey is that going to be a bass"? Yep, I reply. "You play bass?" he asks. Nope, I reply. He said that's too bad we need a bass player in our band. I asked him if I was able to get a bass could I be in the band? He said yes but you'll need an amp too and we'll show you everything you need to know.
That afternoon when my Dad got home from work I told him I could be in a band if I had a bass and an amp. He said aren't you making a bass in shop. Well yeah, but I can be in a band now! So after dinner and convincing my mom it would keep me off the streets and off drugs,
my Dad and I went to Guitar Trader in San Diego and I got my first rig. A Peavey T-40 with a small Kustom combo amp. Thus a bass player was born. I joined Dale's band and I was gigging within a year (with a different band) and I never went back to guitar. 41 years later I'm still bassin' and gigging. And only marginally better.
I only wish I had expressed to my dad before he passed how much that $250 investment in my musical journey has meant to me. The opportunities and great times it has provided and the profound influence it has had over the course of my life.
I bet he knew.
Not knowing anymore then he did and really wanting to build something in the general shape of a guitar I agreed. Fast forward a week or two and I'm walking out of shop class with the rough cut body of the bass under my arm. Taking it home for the weekend to show my dad and my neighbor friend who helped in the shape design. My baseball buddy, Dale, sees me leaving shop and says "hey is that going to be a bass"? Yep, I reply. "You play bass?" he asks. Nope, I reply. He said that's too bad we need a bass player in our band. I asked him if I was able to get a bass could I be in the band? He said yes but you'll need an amp too and we'll show you everything you need to know.That afternoon when my Dad got home from work I told him I could be in a band if I had a bass and an amp. He said aren't you making a bass in shop. Well yeah, but I can be in a band now! So after dinner and convincing my mom it would keep me off the streets and off drugs,
my Dad and I went to Guitar Trader in San Diego and I got my first rig. A Peavey T-40 with a small Kustom combo amp. Thus a bass player was born. I joined Dale's band and I was gigging within a year (with a different band) and I never went back to guitar. 41 years later I'm still bassin' and gigging. And only marginally better. I only wish I had expressed to my dad before he passed how much that $250 investment in my musical journey has meant to me. The opportunities and great times it has provided and the profound influence it has had over the course of my life.
I bet he knew.
Started out on the guitar (i still play guitar also). A local band needed a stand-in bass player for a gig and the rest is history. This was nearly 40 years ago 
