Name your favorite Bass players and why. [Archive]

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Hyfi

11-23-2003, 08:40 AM

Troy

11-23-2003, 09:09 AM

I think Tony Levin is the top bass guy. He's also one of the best Chapman Stick players too.

He can play in a very distinctive style all his own or play as a totally unnoticed rhythm section member. Very versatile.

Take a look at the fully expanded "Appears on" list at AMG:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDCASS80311231211162819&sql=R98056#APPEAR

The guy has played on like 400 albums.

mad rhetorik

11-23-2003, 09:41 AM

He's an ace on the Chapman Stick, has played on a ridiculous number of albums (Zappa, Lennon, King Crimson etc., etc. etc.) and is one of the most versatile bassists out there. Troy is right on.

A few other notables:

John Myung: Another session master. Currently plays for Dream Theater.

John Entswistle: Da Hoo. A one-man rhythm section, and probably one of the first rock players to incorporate lead bass lines. Was the anchor for the band, since Moon didn't really keep time.

Cliff Burton: Early Metallica. One of the best thrash bassists ever, listen to "Anathesia (Pulling Teeth)" off their first album to get an idea of what he was capable of.

Flea: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Slap-bass galore!

John Wetton: Former bassist for King Crimson. A very good player, and has a decent voice too.

Terry "Geezer" Butler: Black Sabbath. Another bass great, added a lot to early Sabbath's gloomy, oppressive feel.

nobody

11-24-2003, 06:31 AM

Mingus - Because he's a bad muther fukcer.

and

Flea - Because he makes me laugh.

Dave_G

11-24-2003, 07:04 AM

Dang ya'll have taken all the good ones.

Agree with all of them, even tho I don't know some of them.

I like Chris of course (Yes) and was very impressed with Stanley Clark when I saw Return to Forever.

Robbie Shakespear when he was with BMW was very good, and he also played for Peter Tosh.

Tony Levin is great.

Phil Lynott was incredible, plus he could sing great and write great lyrics.

Dave

gburglax

11-24-2003, 07:24 AM

MasterCylinder

11-24-2003, 07:37 AM

Geddy
Patatucci
Myung
Pastorious
McCartney
Bruce
Sting

Swish

11-24-2003, 09:38 AM

What are some of your favorite bassists and why do you like them? I grew up playing bass as a teen and always love hearing some good bass that is not just 3 0r 4 note keep the beat bass.

First on my list is a Stanley Clark. Thats a given since he is the Benchmark and also a hometown boy.

I also idolized 2 bassist because I also played a Rickenbacher bass. They would be-
Chris Squire of YES fame. and...
John Camp of Renaissance fame.
As with Renaissance, no guitar was needed. They both played Lead Bass.

Soon after that (1979) I was introduced to Jeff Berlin of Bruford fame. He bew my socks off.

Then during Pat Metheny's first album tour, I came to love Mark Egan.

Others on the list would be

Nathan East
Abraham Laborial(spelling)
Anthony Jackson

There are many more but how about if you all share some of your favs.

In the spirit of participation,
Hyfi.......even though every mouse click leads to a 35 secon wait!

and these guys you all mention are "over-players". My favorite bassist of all time is Jay Spero.

Regards,
Swish Baby

Over50

11-24-2003, 09:46 AM

Mike Porcaro great session player and the guy who passed away from the skynrd band.

Over50

11-24-2003, 09:48 AM

Anybody know of the guitar player that was with Deep Purple recently. I watched the concert on the weekend and this Steve Morse really did a nice job on Highway Star.

MindGoneHaywire

11-25-2003, 11:17 AM

and these guys you all mention are "over-players". My favorite bassist of all time is...

That guy stinks...that's probably the nicest thing anyone ever said about him.

So when are you coming up to NYC so we can do some playin'?

I like Paul McCartney, John Entwhistle, Bruce Thomas, Charles Mingus, Duck Dunn, Wesley Prince, Dee Dee Ramone, Paul Chambers, Richard Hell, Bill Wyman, and I loathe Sting but admire some of his work with the Police. Then there are guys whose work I don't know as well as the players listed above but I know I've heard 'em & I know they were influential & good: Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart, Oscar Pettiford, Jimmy Blanton...though some say he's overly-lauded.

In most discussions about instrumental ability, I say way too much effort goes into the admiration of ability with little regard for thought about what the most gifted players could do if their focus lay elsewhere. I could never listen to guys like Victor Wooten or Stanley Clarke. Or Jaco Pastorius, for that matter. Flea overplays like hell too, but his understanding of music is far more universal. Which means that he's a guy who's capable of channeling the simplicity, or soul, or punk, or whatever, of a Willie Dixon or Dee Dee Ramone, and sound like he knows why it's important to do that. I've never heard that quality in Stanley Clarke.

What I'm trying to say is that it's actually easier to identify who I don't like as opposed to who I do like. I like it when you almost don't notice the bass player. Nothing wrong with tasty lines, mind you, but it's not meant to be a lead instrument & the only instance where I've heard it used as one where it worked was the Police. The problem with some of the guys I like is that people with nowhere near the musical vision took inspiration from their ability without having comparable music to work with. For me, Entwhistle's overplaying made sense in the Who, because of what the Who was. When you have someone who has the same approach towards the instrument, but is in a band with a different dynamic (and, more importantly, lesser material), the result is not something I'm particularly interested in.

OH, and anyone who plays a bass with more than 4 strings, or a fretless instrument, should have the damned thing shoved up their rectum.

Hyfi

11-25-2003, 12:11 PM

OH, and anyone who plays a bass with more than 4 strings, or a fretless instrument, should have the damned thing shoved up their rectum.

Not sure why you say that^^^^^^^up there. Have you ever tried to play a fretless bass? Do you think you could play a regular guitar if it were fretless? Putting your fingers in exactly the right spot for the proper, in key note, is harder than you may think. I tought myself how to play a fretless bass as a teen. I can't read music but could listen to a line and play it.

I also know a guy who builds custom exotic bass guitars. He made a 9 string bass for someone covering all the notes on a piano. Try playin that monster. If anyone cares, I can point you to his site and beautiful works of art being played by alot of top performers.

Oh and before I forget. This post was not intended to be a pissing match about who overplays and underplays. It was just something to get folks talking about music, myself included. Nobody cares who's the best or better, just who you like and why. I still do enjoy your essays anyway.

Hyfi
Click................Wait......................... ...............................................

JSE

11-25-2003, 02:17 PM

Les Claypool of Primus, of course!

richmon

11-25-2003, 02:29 PM

Great choices above, just one of my favorites has been omitted.............Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.

Rob B in CT

11-25-2003, 03:12 PM

For rock, I like Graham Maby who performs with Joe Jackson and Marshall Crenshaw. I believe he's toured with Graham Parker, too. Very solid rhythm, and his occasional solos are interesting, too.

For jazz, I like Ray Drummond a lot. Very versatile and always a driving force. A nice showcase album for him is 'Two of a Kind,' a duet with pianist John Hicks.

Additional favorites other than those mentioned in previous posts include Charlie Haden (e.g., 'Beyond the Missouri Sky' with Pat Metheny and most of his Quartet West albums are excellent), Marc Johnson (Bill Evans' last bassist whose solo albums are also very good), and Mario Pavone (Thomas Chapin's bassist who also heads his own ensembles, comparable to Mingus).

Chip_B

11-25-2003, 07:49 PM

What are some of your favorite bassists and why do you like them? I grew up playing bass as a teen and always love hearing some good bass that is not just 3 0r 4 note keep the beat bass.

First on my list is a Stanley Clark. Thats a given since he is the Benchmark and also a hometown boy.

I also idolized 2 bassist because I also played a Rickenbacher bass. They would be-
Chris Squire of YES fame. and...
John Camp of Renaissance fame.
As with Renaissance, no guitar was needed. They both played Lead Bass.

Soon after that (1979) I was introduced to Jeff Berlin of Bruford fame. He bew my socks off.

Then during Pat Metheny's first album tour, I came to love Mark Egan.

Others on the list would be

Nathan East
Abraham Laborial(spelling)
Anthony Jackson

There are many more but how about if you all share some of your favs.

In the spirit of participation,
Hyfi.......even though every mouse click leads to a 35 secon wait!

Willie Dixon was a giant, but that has a lot more to do with his incredible song-writing talents than with his bass playing

I also like:
Andy West (former Dregs bassist),
Noel Redding and Jack Bruce (for the same reasons J likes Entwhistle)
Dave Larue (Steve Morse Band)
Roscoe Beck (Robben Ford and the Blue Line)
Dave Bronze (Eric Clapton and Robin Trower)
Bootsy Collins (Funkadelic/Parliament/Bootsy's Rubber Band)
Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers Band)
Paul McCartney
Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)

Swish

11-26-2003, 03:15 AM

Great choices above, just one of my favorites has been omitted.............Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.

It was an 'all acoustic" show, with Jack and Jorma in fine form. Their music brings back some memories.

Hyfi

11-26-2003, 03:55 AM

It was an 'all acoustic" show, with Jack and Jorma in fine form. Their music brings back some memories.

They do thier all acoustic show every year down here at the Keswick. Where did you see them? Jorma lives right here in Solebury...near New Hope.

rb122

11-26-2003, 05:27 AM

Anybody know of the guitar player that was with Deep Purple recently. I watched the concert on the weekend and this Steve Morse really did a nice job on Highway Star.

Steve Morse was with the Dixie Dregs for many years and has been voted "Best Rock Guitarist" by Guitar Player magazine for about 100 years. He also has some solo records out. An incredible player!

richmon

11-26-2003, 05:58 AM

It was an 'all acoustic" show, with Jack and Jorma in fine form. Their music brings back some memories.

Last year they played the an old movie theatre in Pitman NJ, I was 10 feet away!. Jorma is a talented guitarist with none of the guitar hero attitude for someone with his pedigree, real down to earth. Every year I think about making the drive to the Keswick but it's 90 minutes or so for me. Plus I saw acoustic Strawbs this past Saturday @ the Tin Angel in Philly, terrific show with a 3 guitar lineup doing all their good stuff, so I got my concert fix a little closer to home. Anyone for a Hot Tuna comp? I've got a two disc best of Tuna and could cherry pick the goodies offa that.

jack70

11-26-2003, 06:06 AM

I played bass too. I (generally) agree that the best bassists are ones that aren't THAT noticeable (overplaying). Playing "less" is a difficult thing, because it takes more smarts and control. Same with most good "art"... the best writers, painters, poets, composers etc know what "to leave out". Many players like to play too much (simply because they can)... it's akin to people who always have their mouth open, yacking it up.... and never listen. It's one thing when you're soloing (goes for any instrument), but the best BANDS are great because they meld together to the point it's hard to hear/see the edges of the individual parts.

I'm not going to get into the fretless debate... doesn't really matter to me. Same as using a pick vs not using one... I think both ways are fine, and a lot depends on one's natural feel. However...

If you think fretless bass is more difficult than a fretted one (it is of course), pick up a violin. Not only doesn't it have frets, it's a small % the size of a bass. Nevermind just stringing the bow precisely the right way to get a (non-squeaking) sound, the fingering of the left hand is unbelievably difficult, especially if you have big hands and fingers (like I do). No frets to rely on for the proper note, but also no frets means you have to "hit" the string with your finger with a more exact "touch" without the fret there so the string vibrates properly. It's something every kid should be exposed to when they're 10-15 (just for fun in school), so they will always appreciate classical artists as adults, even if they don't like the music.

Swish

11-26-2003, 07:00 AM

They do thier all acoustic show every year down here at the Keswick. Where did you see them? Jorma lives right here in Solebury...near New Hope.

It's a really beatiful and modern facility that was built for sound. I've seen a bunch of shows there, most recently Los Lobos and Jonatha Brooke. It fairly small (800 or so capacity) and not a bad seat in the house. Oh, I forgot to mention that they also had Barry Mitterhoff with them too. He does a fine job on mandolin, and he also played something that looked like a lute and also a four string guitar (had 2 f-holes like my '59 Gibson L50, but a very narrow neck and, like I said, only 4 strings).

MindGoneHaywire

11-26-2003, 07:02 AM

>Have you ever tried to play a fretless bass?

Sure.

>Do you think you could play a regular guitar if it were fretless?

With practice, sure. It might be challenging, especially at first, but it has more to do with skills that aren't exactly musical. Perhaps quasi-musical, but it certainly has nothing to do with music, and everything to do with applications that don't necessarily have all that much to do with music in general.

>Putting your fingers in exactly the right spot for the proper, in key note, is harder than you may think.

No, I do know how hard it is. I never said it was easy. But the frets are there for a reason. I have nothing against skill. But my feeling is that a performer should be focused on what it is that they're playing, not the hoops they have to jump through to play it. What's the point? It's an unnecessary multitasking exercise that only players are going to truly appreciate in the first place. I noticed a long time ago that people who play such things never seem to make music that I think is any damn good. It's like seeing drummers loading roto-toms onto a stage, I know I won't like the band. After you see 500 bands with certain types of equipment, and you think they're all terrible, you retain biases. I'm sorry that it goes against the idea of being open-minded, but the next fretless player I see in a band that I actually think is good will be the first...at best, the second or third.

>I tought myself how to play a fretless bass as a teen. I can't read music but could listen to a line and play it.

That's nothing to sneeze at; it's just that for me personally, the fretless is generally used only to create stuff I have no use for. By the way, having the ear to pick up parts is very important. I was reading music at a young age but haven't spent but a few hours looking at charts in the past 20 years. My ear has always been what I use to learn music on guitar & bass.

>I also know a guy who builds custom exotic bass guitars. He made a 9 string bass for someone covering all the notes on a piano. Try playin that monster. If anyone cares, I can point you to his site and beautiful works of art being played by alot of top performers.

Well, that's great, and some of these things are beautiful works of art. My issue is with them musically, as they're generally used by people who make music I just don't like. Which is not to say that I care whether or not they spend their time creating art I don't like, as I'm fully aware they're going to do it whether I approve or not. Go, play, create, wank, whatever, to yr heart's content. But I don't think it's a coincidence that I've never found myself playing with people who use those sorts of instruments. There's a philosophical/musical divide & I take the time to call attention to it because I have nothing better to do, so I don't see the problem in illustrating the difference to those who otherwise might not realize.

I realize that I'm setting myself up as the musical equivalent of some stick-up-the-ass paint-and-brush artist who has all this disdain for people who use unconventional methods to paint--such as rolling around naked in the stuff, using yr pecker, whatever. Such people didn't look too kindly on Jackson Pollock for his drip technique. But I'm more interested in the final result, so in truth I don't care if a player uses a fretless or a 5-string or whatever. But I know that precious few non-traditional basses have been used to create music that I enjoy, which is all that I care about. If a band uses all this fancy nonsense & comes up with something that I think is good, then I'll know it can be done & not care about what I see as the ridiculous nature of these instruments & how they appeal to players who make music I think is horrible, self-indulgent garbage. But I'm still waiting.

>Oh and before I forget. This post was not intended to be a pissing match about who overplays and underplays. It was just something to get folks talking about music, myself included. Nobody cares who's the best or better, just who you like and why. I still do enjoy your essays anyway.

Oh, hell, I'm sorry if I turned this into a pissing match. That wasn't my intent. It's just that, you know, there's a best bassists or best guitarists or best drummers thread once a year or so. Yeah, a 'favorite' thread is & should be a little different. Maybe I shouldn't have opened up my big mouth but I did kinda want to make the point that even 'favorite' (as opposed to 'best'--for instance, Neil Peart is 'best' to a lot of people when it comes to drummers, and he may be, but it hardly matters if I think his band is the worst, which they're threatening for the title of for the past 30 years) doesn't have all that much to do with what I like about music. In other words, I certainly have no problem with the admiration of individual ability, but I never bought a Beatles or Who or Elvis Costello record thinking how much I'd like it because I liked the bass players in those bands so much. So I just felt I'd go ahead & make the point that the admiration of an individual player that's supposed to be part of a whole is something that's taking into account individual ability over music, which is not what music's about to me. I certainly didn't mean to be pissy about it. If overplayers would take the time to do some work in a non-overplaying idiom (as Flea has done), I'd have a lot more respect for their understanding of music outside the realm of what it is that their abilities allow them to exploit.

Quagmire

11-27-2003, 09:06 AM

In no particular order... mostly great session players:

Leland Sklar
Mark Egan
David Hungate
Jimmy Johnson
Steve Rodby
Nathan East
Roy Husky Jr.
Abraham Laboriel

Q

Dusty Chalk

11-27-2003, 09:15 AM

and these guys you all mention are "over-players". My favorite bassist of all time is Jay Spero.So what's he, an "under-player"?

Nothing but tonics, baby!

MindGoneHaywire

11-28-2003, 12:57 AM

So what's he, an "under-player"?

Take a listen to the Defectives song, 6th in the program, & decide for yrself.

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/9389

Worf101

12-03-2003, 02:08 PM

First let me preface this by saying that I play bass guitar in a band and have been playing it for money since the Nixon administration. That being said my fave bassists are:

1. James Jamerson - He WAS the Funk Brother's. Body of work... untouchable. Style and tone, impecable. Showed that bass guitar in popular music can do more than just keep time. Amazing. Listen to his work on "What's Goin' On?" and the Four Tops "That's the Way Nature Planned It". And all with one finger!!!!!

2. Willie Weeks - Great tone, great style, excellent soloist. Check out "Donny Hathaway Live" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

3. Ron Carter - Perhaps the best Jazz bassist to make the transition from stand up to electric. Massive body of work, amazing results. He's right up there.

4. Larry Graham - Love him or hate him but he did invent a whole new style of playing bass. Listen to Sly Stone's "Thank You".

5. Carol Kaye - A shameless self promoter but one hell of a bass player.

6. Mingus - Because he was Mingus!!!!

7. Sting - Best singing bass player I've ever seen (besides me).

8. Robbie - Showed that reggae bass can be more than just a door stop.

Da Worfster

Mr Peabody

12-09-2003, 06:26 PM

Hyfi

12-10-2003, 05:14 AM

My favorite rock bassist would be Steve Harris of Iron Maiden fame. I like many of the others mentioned. Anyone heard Marcus Miller? He is a jazz bassist that would give Stan a run for his money. And in a different style of bass, acoustic, I like Christian McBride. And I also enjoy a good funk-i-fied slap bass. I'm old school, if it has mo than 4 strings, it ain't a bass.

Isn't McBride from Philly? He is a good one. Marcus is also a great bassist. What about Bootsy Barnes.er does he play Keys? His Trio is always plays downtown on a regular basis. I like a funky bass too.

Rich-n-Texas

04-22-2008, 05:37 PM

Thought I'd revive this five year old thread just to say...

Roger Waters. Because he's out there... waaaaaay out there.

He's coming to Dallas, but I can't afford the $99 cheap-seat ticket price. But another favorite, Geddy Lee, along with his co-horts WILL be here this Friday, and I WILL be there! :cornut:

Mr Peabody

04-22-2008, 05:51 PM

Good job, it's fun to see these old posts. There were a couple more brought back too. The one on work out music I started reading without noticing the date and started wondering after seeing some of the names.

We're like Hollywood now, if you can't come up with an original idea then resurrect what's already been done :)

Jim Clark

04-22-2008, 06:03 PM

Glad this little thread was resurected from the abyss since somehow I missed it the first time around.

Imagine my surprise when there was no mention at all of my favorite bass player of all time - Peter Hook. Granted I'm a Joy Division, New Order, and even Monaco fanboy. Being decidely nonmusically inclined I'm left to wonder about the technical prowess. What I know with absolute certainty is that his playing style is distinctive and readily identifiable. That kinda flies in the face of Swish's argument that the bass is not a lead instrument but the melodies he pulls out of that instrument make it instantly enjoyable for me. The bass is just such a huge part of that music that if it took a back seat to anything else going on, we'd have no post punk movement that's still influencing bands and music lovers to this day, Being the post punk whore that I am, that would be tragic.

jc

Rich-n-Texas

04-22-2008, 06:34 PM

While I might agree with Swish (yeah, okay :rolleyes: ) that the bass guitar isn't really a *lead* instrument, it's an absolutely critical instrument for bands like Rush & ZZ Top.

OTOH, did you know The Doors didn't have a bass player?

3-LockBox

04-22-2008, 10:39 PM

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">Lee Trevino

oops, wrong kinda bass

I likes Geddy Lee

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Jim Clark

04-23-2008, 05:24 AM

Rich-n-Texas

04-23-2008, 05:33 AM

Roland Martin? Couldn't stand his laugh but he could sure land (boat) some big-azz bass!

Base? No, BASS!

ForeverAutumn

04-23-2008, 05:58 AM

GMichael

04-23-2008, 06:08 AM

Another blast from the past huh? Tex, great job, but man, you must be bored!

Another vote for Geddy here. His base playing is an integral part of the band's sound.

ForeverAutumn

04-23-2008, 06:16 AM

Geddy Lee, along with his co-horts WILL be here this Friday, and I WILL be there! :cornut:

Rich, you are going to have such a great time! I'm looking forward to your review after the show.

3-LockBox

04-23-2008, 06:32 AM

Trevino? The golfer? Yeah...I fukced that up
I meant Bill Dance...I always mix up the two because they both where University of Tennessee ball caps.

Ex Lion Tamer

04-23-2008, 06:49 AM

I'm surprised I missed this the first time around. I have four favorite rock bass players - not because of any technical proficency, (well maybe Ritchie and Thomas are pretty good) but just because I like their style...

Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)
Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello)
Paul Simonon (The Clash)
Graham Lewis (Wire)

in Jazz...

Charles Mingus
Ray Brown
Scott LaFaro
Charlie Hayden

Jim Clark

04-23-2008, 07:18 AM

No Gene Simmons from anyone. If I was still in elementary school I would be stunned.

jc

Rich-n-Texas

04-23-2008, 07:26 AM

Rich, you are going to have such a great time! I'm looking forward to your review after the show.
Please do a *no-rain* dance for me. It's an outdoor venue, and I think we're just outside of the covered part of the amphitheatre. Forecast call for rain late Friday.

I'm hoping #1, they open with Armor and Sword, and #B, their playing helps provoke more memories of when I saw them for the first time back in the early 80's. Maybe it's just my age, but I'm recently really into watching old footage of the bands I grew up with.

Rich-n-Texas

04-23-2008, 07:38 AM

That Youtube video
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! I knew what the words "All your base are belong to us" were all about but that's honestly the very first time I've seen the video. Good stuff.

Never did like those rolling papers though because you'd have to stick two together.

And yes GM I'm bored here, and that's because my boss is in.... you guessed it... Japan. :eek6:

Brett A

04-23-2008, 09:40 AM

I too am not terribly interested in busy bass players. The ability I appreciate most in a bass player is the ability to support the song without getting in the way.

...But the frets are there for a reason. I have nothing against skill. But my feeling is that a performer should be focused on what it is that they're playing, not the hoops they have to jump through to play it. What's the point? It's an unnecessary multitasking exercise that only players are going to truly appreciate in the first place. I noticed a long time ago that people who play such things never seem to make music that I think is any damn good.

You don't see frets on any of the instruments in classical music and there are thousands of twelve year-olds doing a great job without them.
I think to say that rock-n-rollers need frets in order to focus on the music is a little insulting.

Davey

04-23-2008, 09:52 AM

Lately for me it's gotta be the Sandman with that two-string slide bass guitar. Really gets deep down and nasty sounding when Dana Colley gets cranking on that baritone sax, like in that Sounds Good (http://forums.audioreview.com/showpost.php?p=238246&postcount=21) thread ...

We used to meet every
Thursday Thursday Thursday in the afternoon
For a couple of beers and a game of pool
We used to go to a motel a motel a motel across the street
And the name of the motel
Was the Wagon Wheel

Swish

04-23-2008, 10:47 AM

MindGoneHaywire

04-24-2008, 11:55 AM

You don't see frets on any of the instruments in classical music and there are thousands of twelve year-olds doing a great job without them.
I think to say that rock-n-rollers need frets in order to focus on the music is a little insulting.

Insulting to who? If you train someone younger than 12 on something, it's far more likely they'll be adapt to a more difficult task, as opposed to someone who's older. There's a curve for learning that declines over time. Players are creatures of habit, for the most part, and they're going to be more comfortable with what they know.

If a rock'n'roller gets insulted because I think it'd be more challenging for them to move to a fretless instrument, that's their problem. Any such move requires an adjustment, and, no matter how minor, the better players will work through it easily, the lesser ones, less so. And the ones who'd want to do it, would find a way.

Most rock'n'rollers learn on fretted instruments & fretless ones are, in my experience, used mostly by musicians who, whether 'overplaying' or not, are working with music that is outside most blues-based pop and rock structures. Plenty of examples to the contrary, I'm sure, but it's not the point. Years after this thread began, I still think that frets are a guide that would loom larger if you put a fretless instrument in the hands of a player who's never played one. When faced with that sort of adjustment, I think a lot of players would find it more difficult to focus on the music. In time, of course, they'd get over the hump, if they wanted to.

But it'd be a skill they'd have to develop, and that's what I meant when I referred to jumping through hoops. And I used that term because, in my experience, most pop and rock music (that uses guitars and non-doghouse basses, rockabilly & retro-swing & -Western Swing being significant exceptions) is played by players using fretted instruments. If someone else's experience differs from mine in that they've seen more fretless players in bands that didn't lean towards fusion and/or jazz, then they'd probably have a different perspective. I do think we see far more fretted instruments in pop and rock music for a very good reason. And it has nothing to do with training younger people on far more difficult instruments.

Swish

04-24-2008, 12:30 PM

Insulting to who? If you train someone younger than 12 on something, it's far more likely they'll be adapt to a more difficult task, as opposed to someone who's older. There's a curve for learning that declines over time. Players are creatures of habit, for the most part, and they're going to be more comfortable with what they know.

...take care of it quite nicely. Couldn't agree more.

So, are you going to get me some Echo tickets or what? Heck, you should go too J! Either way, we'll be staying in the city if we're lucky enough to get tickets, so I'll be sure to give you a holler so we can grab a pint or two. That was a blast the last time.

Swish

Mr Peabody

04-24-2008, 07:15 PM

It would seem easier to get a clean note without frets. I don't see how playing with them would make one focus more. Anyone know what the real difference is between fret or no fret? I really haven't given this much thought. I always assumed it was just something different like the tuning keys by the butt instead of the end of the neck or a style like neck size or traditional versus the arrow shape etc.

In between threads I just happened to be reading this article, answers my question pretty well, http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A711802

and this, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretless_guitar

What's coo about the Widipedia is the long list of fretless users which include a good showing of Rock musicians. It does take a bit more learning or skill to play a fretless but it seems the main reason is the difference is sound.

Brett A

04-25-2008, 09:33 AM

frets are there for a reason. I have nothing against skill. But my feeling is that a performer should be focused on what it is that they're playing, not the hoops they have to jump through to play it. What's the point? It's an unnecessary multitasking exercise that only players are going to truly appreciate in the first place. .

I think to say that rock-n-rollers need frets in order to focus on the music is a little insulting.

Insulting to who?...
If a rock'n'roller gets insulted because I think it'd be more challenging for them to move to a fretless instrument, that's their problem.

I guess that’s all you needed to say.

I agree with your other points. I feel because we are adaptable creatures, playing without frets is a pretty small deal and I think anyone who is wants to will adapt pretty easily. But I take your original point that a fretless bass is just unnecessary in blues based pop/rock.

OH, and anyone who plays a bass with more than 4 strings, or a fretless instrument, should have the damned thing shoved up their rectum.
Damn! That would leave likely a mark :crazy:

MindGoneHaywire

04-25-2008, 09:55 AM

I think Swish would say that's their problem...

Hyfi

04-29-2008, 12:32 PM

VICTOR WOOTEN - can't believe nobody has said this man, absolutely unbelievable whether you see his solo show with his bros or when he performs with one of the most talented groups out there, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Blows Flea out of the water if you want funky slap bass but can perform every style.

Yeah, Wooten is at the top of my list after seeing him last month.

Also on my radar is Tal Wilkenfeld who most of you have probably seen playing bass for Jeff Beck on the Crossroads show. Her solo album Transformation is great. Also, I am hoping that Julie Slick from Adrian Belew's Power Trio breaks out on her own and does something original.

Woochifer

04-29-2008, 01:16 PM

Wow! Can't believe that I missed this thread the first time around.

Lot of good choices. For whatever reason, I've always been partial to the jazz bassists. Maybe because they freely switch off between acoustic and electric, and often play more of the lead parts. Clarke, Pattitucci, and Pastorius have been mentioned.

Probably the most phenomenal bass player I've ever seen is Brian Bromberg. His speed and versatility are off-the-chart, and he plays just about every type of bass imaginable -- fretted, fretless, four-string, eight-string, five-string, acoustic, electric, piccolo bass, standup electric, etc.

Too bad he's not nearly as good a songwriter and puts out albums more in the blander smooth jazz vein. His albums feature some nice solos and the like, but it's nothing like the jaw dropping improvising and accompaniment that he does when unleashed in a live performance. He also does a lot of good session work, but there too he's limited by the material.

Another incredible bassist is Charlie Hunter. He's unusual in that he plays both the lead and bass guitar simultaneously using modified 10 and 12-string guitars. Aside from the incredible skill needed to pull this off, he's a great improviser. The interplay between the lead and bass parts in his songs is impressive, no surprise considering that he plays both parts.

Some reviewers have commented that Hunter could become a legend if he would just focus on one instrument -- that playing both parts impedes his potential to excel at one. But, I'm not so sure. His technique is so embedded into his songwriting and playing, but I just don't see him separating out the two parts, since his improvising hinges so heavily on working the lead guitar and bass parts together. He is capable of playing each instrument by themselves, but I'm not sure that he would be better off focusing on one.

Mr Peabody

04-29-2008, 05:48 PM

Bummer, I checked for Tal on Amazon, no samples, out of stock and if it was in stock it would cost a cool $37.49.

Hyfi

04-30-2008, 09:28 AM

Bummer, I checked for Tal on Amazon, no samples, out of stock and if it was in stock it would cost a cool $37.49.

Send me your addy. I downloaded 396 mp3 versions from some whacky site and burned it to disk. I hooked up bobsticks and would be glad to hook you up too.

jjp735i

04-30-2008, 10:13 AM

After seeing YES more times then I can count. I sticking with Chris Squire.

Hyfi

04-30-2008, 11:40 AM

After seeing YES more times then I can count. I sticking with Chris Squire.

Squire and Jon Camp from Rennaisance were the main reasons I bought a Rickenbacker Bass many years ago.

Squire is always a good pick.

Mr Peabody

04-30-2008, 05:18 PM

Hyfi

05-01-2008, 08:39 AM

Hyfi, did you stick with bass or move on? I play bass, or play at it. I've had one for years but haven't progressed very far. I need to get off my duff and get some lessons to get me over my plateau. I have a Fender Jazz, love the neck. I am a bass and percussion guy. I've never been able to do much with a 6 string. My wife got me a overdrive pedal for Xmas one year and I have a blast with distortion. I also like to try to do the string pop Funk stuff.

Unfortunately I just never ended up with enough time to do much with it besides play along to my favorite tunes. I ended up selling my Fret less Rick about 5 years ago and have been kicking myself in the ass ever since.

Mr Peabody

05-01-2008, 07:37 PM

Yeah, I've done that. Back in the 80's I sold a nice red Bentley bass and good size Peavey amp to employee purchase a top of the line Kenwood CD player. Although I wasn't a great player I missed it. I eventually bought a used junker to get by and when I had the money I bought my Fender. I don't get time to play it much but I will always hang on to it because I know as sure as I got rid of it I'd miss it.