Who Was Your First...

[IngloriousOz]

There were a lot of awesome bassists in my consciousness at a young age but this dude Juan Alderete was the first game changer for me:

When I saw him with the Mars Volta the band and his playing/rig/tone/effects/presence all blew me away and got me stoked about playing bass again after a few years of being over it and then 10 or so years later brought me back from being absolutely jaded with his Pedals & Effects channel on Youtube - seeing a totally new, practical and adventurous approach to the instrument put the wind back into my sails again.

I was lucky enough to get to know him personally a couple years ago and the man is still my hero!

Great thread

 

[theFixer]

I remember hearing the guys in Rush give props to KISS for taking them along on tour back in the day. I've never been much of a KISS fan honestly (then or now) but that was pretty cool anyway.

Geddy was telling a story about one night back in those days. He said everybody in the KISS and Rush entourages were staying on the same floor in a hotel. After the show, the party moved back to the hotel. Booze, drugs, loose women, & chaos reigned the floor. Gene Simmons busted into Geddy's room with a floozy on each arm. Geddy & Neil were sitting there reading books while Alex lounged on the bed, quietly noodling on his guitar. They looked at Gene... Gene looked at them... he shook his head & closed the door without saying a word.

 

[theFixer]

The first I really noted the awesome bass lines and made me want to play bass ? Duck Dunn.

The Blues Brothers album.

Before that I had played guitar for a few years. Still young. I really liked Chris Squire, Greg Lake, and others, but Duck was the one.

I haven't heard a vast array of the works of the Duck, but of the stuff I HAVE heard... I hafta wonder... Did he play flat wound?

 

[lowplaces]

I haven't heard a vast array of the works of the Duck, but of the stuff I HAVE heard... I hafta wonder... Did he play flat wound?

Not sure but there's a new book on the Duck written by a fellow TB member due in July.

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[Smelly]

Matt Freeman

 

[asands]

Mike Gordon of Phish

 

[pcake]

year ago, i discovered a band i liked called thunk when i went to see a buddy's band. their bass player, brian allen, was amazing - i had only been playing bass for a little while, and he was rocking a 6 string zon, doing so much and such amazing things that i was blown away and inspired. he was also great on stage, and with that band rocked a very heavy sound. before that i loved the bass, but after watching what he did, i had an entirely different view of playing the bass. cool guy, too.

 

[Jay2U]

So many exceptional bass players, but Geddy was the first to inspire me to pick up the bass.

 

[58kites]

My first was a girl named Mary....turns out she was also the best so I married her....39 years last week.

John Paul Jones was the first bassist that made me appreciate the bass as a very important component to so much great music.

 

[Tom Howland]

These four.
Sir Paul.
Jack Bruce.
John Paul Jones.
Berry Oakley.

 

[crucislancer]

Steve Harris. The first time I heard Iron Maiden (right around when Somewhere in Time came out) I was floored by his playing, and very shortly after I saw the Live After Death concert video on VHS, and marveled at his energy on stage. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to be a bass player.

 

[theFixer]

year ago, i discovered a band i liked called thunk when i went to see a buddy's band. their bass player, brian allen, was amazing - i had only been playing bass for a little while, and he was rocking a 6 string zon, doing so much and such amazing things that i was blown away and inspired. he was also great on stage, and with that band rocked a very heavy sound. before that i loved the bass, but after watching what he did, i had an entirely different view of playing the bass. cool guy, too.

That's awesome man! Did you ever get to tell him? I bet it would mean a lot to him!

 

[MrLenny1]

Chris Squire

 

[theFixer]

My first was a girl named Mary....turns out she was also the best so I married her....39 years last week.

John Paul Jones was the first bassist that made me appreciate the bass as a very important component to some great music.

Congratulations on 39 years! It's unfortunate that it's so rare to make it that far these days.

 

[lowplaces]

My first was a girl named Mary....turns out she was also the best so I married her....39 years last week.

John Paul Jones was the first bassist that made me appreciate the bass as a very important component to so much great music.

Congrats !

 

[pcake]

That's awesome man! Did you ever get to tell him? I bet it would mean a lot to him!

i did, and spoke to him (and the other guys) whenever i went to see them play. he said if i got a six string, he'd show me some stuff, but i never did, darn it!

 

[Turock]

These four.
Sir Paul.
Jack Bruce.
John Paul Jones.
Berry Oakley.

I with you.

 

[pbass2]

I saw the Who (Quadrophenia tour) when I was 14 and had never really heard them before. Had only gotten my first bass shortly before and wasn't even sure what a bass did exactly! I was about in the 10th row, straight in front of the Ox.

 

[lbbc]

Grand Funk Live in 70 or 74 this guy is an absolute monster all the way through.

Absolutely. He's the reason I play bass today. The way he plays/played made me notice the bass over everything else in their band

 

[Fight4Bottom]

John Alec Entwistle. What an amazing blend of precision and aggression!