what made you start

[Marky L]

It was the upsurge of punk that first opened my ears to music and specifically hearing the bass intro to Neat Neat Neat by The Damned on the radio (John Peel or Stuart Henry on Radio Luxembourg, can't recall which). That made me suddenly sit up and listen and dive into punkl. It also made me want to play that intro (badly on my sister's acoustic guitar).

I quickly discovered the Ramones after that and found I could play along to the bass lines.. I could play a whole album!! I could make a coherant row!

I also picked up The Stranglers first album and again, that was a major eye opener. Bass, in your face, rude and raw but fancy too. JJ became my aspiration.

'77 was my epiphany year.

[Graham56]

Boredom...

I took it up in my late 40s after many years of strumming the odd chord on a guitar. I wanted to do something else apart from work and bring up the kids. Then I inherited a no-name crappy bass from a family friend and did very little with it until I saw an evening class in bass advertised at Morley College in London. That class was the trigger.

Aretha's "Respect" was the inspiration. Tommy Cogbill's line just stands out to me: driving, rythmic, melodic, with brilliant use of space, and yet defining the structure of the song.

Cheers

Graham

[blind pilot]

Mr Simon Gallup, I loved watching him wallow around playing, he just seemed to really enjoy what he did, and made some fantastic noises too! I just had to follow him!

Started playing The Cure, Bauhaus etc, slowley moved into the grunge scene, I now love playing Tool, Nirvana,Mudhoney, soundgarden etc etc.....

I just find that when I am playing my bass, all the daily crap I go through seems to vanish, its great! Its my "Special Place"

[louisthebass]

What got me started;

I was a failed guitarist working in a sheet metal engineering company on the outskirts of Croydon, & at the time read Paolo Hewitt's "The Jam: A Beat Concerto. When I finished reading it I knew I wanted to be in a band. A mate of mine said "why don't you learn to play bass instead & we'll form a band? It's only got four strings & can't be that hard to learn".

One of the best decisions I ever made, although the bit about it not being that hard to learn was an understatement...

Cheers,
louisthebass

[BottomE]

My dad wanted someone to jam along with back in 78...

[EdwardHimself]

No one else would so I had to. Basically.

[TheGreek]

For me it was Sly & Robbie and Aswad - loved that "proper" deep bass sound. I just loved that mid 80s reggae feel..

Lots of my mates were "bedroom guitarists" - had a guitar in their bedroom and were waiting to wake up and be Jimi Hendrix - no practice required..I wasn't going to do that.

I also aspired to play "The Chain" - learnt it within 3 weeks - from then on the sky was the limit..

My constant inspiration is BCer "Bassface2k10" - so solid you could set your watch by him - has inspired me to be the best player that I could be (cheers Wilf!!)

[MattM]

My best mate at schools brother was a bass player, now quite a famous UK bass builder, had a go on his old Westone Thunder One and was hooked. Splashed out on my own shortly afterwards at 15, learned guitar as well about a year later. Have gigged and recorded on both, but bass was my first love, still is. Have now found my way back to my grail bass, the 'Ray, after graduating through Westone, MIM P Bass, Steiny XL2 etc etc.

[cocco]

Krist Novoselic and Timmy C