Rotosound Competition!!

[gyrus]

It will be Geddy Lee for me.

His tone speaks for itself, and Rotosound plays a big role in it.

[Grassie]

Mark King for me. All of those fantastic slap and fingerstyle lines he came up with throughout the 1980s really are the reason I wanted to pick up a bass guitar in the first place.

Let's not be shy here - the man is a pioneer. 😎

[EMG456]

Well most of them are mentioned by now so for me, Chris Squire and Jaco Pastorius- both trailblazing bassists who pushed the boundaries of the instrument and whose sounds were intrinsically tied to the Roto RS66 tone.

while we’re here, how’s about an honourable mention for Graham Maby the cornerstone of Joe Jackson’s bands since the 1980s- great lines and impeccable delivery.

[Chezz55]

John Entwistle - my inspiration, and my bass muse.

'My Generation' and 'Call Me Lightning'  -  contain the definitive bass solos.

That sums it up for me.

Chris

(Chezz55)

[Richard R]

On 16/07/2019 at 17:46, Conan said:

Until I read this thread, I had no idea that so many of the awesome players who influenced me so heavily were Rotosound endorsers!

Likewise, I looked at the list on the website and was quite amazed. Much deliberation later I have to settle on Chris Squire.

Birmingham NEC Arena, 90125 tour, a quarter of the way from the front, on the sides. For the first time at a gig I could hear and feel every note from the bass, realised he was playing way more than I had every heard through my crappy schoolboy record player.  Just thinking about it I can remember my chest resonating and  my mouth hanging open as Squire stalked the stage in a bloody great fur coat;  the songs somehow sounding so heavy yet flying like nothing before.

Thirty-plus years later I finally pick up a bass and start to learn. And realise that buried deep in what I want to sound like is that memory. 

 

[lou24d53]

John Entwistle for me.

Trying to emulate his bass lines in a Who covers band is as joyful and rewarding as it is frustrating and, at times, morale crunching...just as you feel you have achieved an 'acceptable' replicate of his bass line, you stumble across an even more complex and simply awe inspiring live version which sets the learning curve back to zero!

He's the ultimate for me. 

[Rubbersoul]

JJ Burnell for me. His bass sound blew me away when I was a kid and really convinced me that this was the instrument for me. That's why I use Rotosound strings (as well as Ashdown amps).

[benebass]

For me it has to be Jah Wobble & his Ovation Magnum strung with Tru Bass strings - first time I saw him it was a wall of subsonic goodness & those strings are a large part in making that beautiful boomtastic noise! 👍😁👍

[project_c]

I'm gonna say Mo Foster, because he's a legend and he deserves way more recognition. That PJ tone is so nice.

Here's something obscure by him - I used to sample drum breaks before playing bass, so I had a crackly copy of this record before I even know who he was, but check out the bassline and tone on this one..

And here he is playing a fretless in '83 with Gil Evans in front of a Keith Haring painting..

..And here he is playing 3 Views of a Secret, because Jaco.

 

[prowla]

18 hours ago, project_c said:

I'm gonna say Mo Foster, because he's a legend and he deserves way more recognition. That PJ tone is so nice.

Here's something obscure by him - I used to sample drum breaks before playing bass, so I had a crackly copy of this record before I even know who he was, but check out the bassline and tone on this one..

And here he is playing a fretless in '83 with Gil Evans in front of a Keith Haring painting..

..And here he is playing 3 Views of a Secret, because Jaco.

 

I saw him with Jeff Beck on the There & Back tour (Simon Phillips on drums and Tony Hymas on keyboards). He was also on the first Michael Schenker Group album, which was a bit of a departure from hisjazz leanings (again with Simon Phillips).

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by prowla

[bumnote]

For those of us who are a certain age, -Jet Harris.

One of the very early electric bassists who inspired me to make my first bass, and still be playing nearly 60 years later.  Came up with some great bass lines probably derived from his double bass days, and helped to form the sound of the Shadows.

All of these Rotosound endorsers have pushed the boundaries, I mean how can you not think of Mccartney, or Chris Squire, Graham Maby, the Ox etc but for me Jet was the first.

[Stub Mandrel]

If it isn't cheating to go twice - Dave Pegg who is my bass-playing hero, adaptable to almost any musical context - folk of all stripes, jazz, rock, heavy rock, prog but always adding texture, harmony and interest - an absolute master of creating expression on the instrument.

Plus he single-handedly changed the role of the bass in folk and folk rock music for ever.

Look at this for an example of how his understated but melodic bassline delivers.

 

[Shepster8316]

JJ Burnel for me. Although he got that early sound initially by accident rather than design through a combination of a guitar Hiwatt and knackered cab the Rotosounds stainless rounds added to it to give that distinctive growl. Mind you, he went through a period of using their flats too in the 80s. He’s one of the very few who stuck to using the same strings throughout. 

 

[essexbob]

John Paul Jones. Just because, well, he's John Paul Jones.

[bassfan]

Just one endorsee? Impossible. So many styles and genres. It’s about that innovative brand that is continually helping to shape the sound and tone of the music we all love! 

[WHUFC BASS]

It has to be John Entwistle for me.

There are many innovators in the world of music but very very few that actually change the way an instrument is played and sounds. Some of these people who spring to mind are Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Jaco Pastorius, James Jameson and Paul McCartney to name just a few. John Entwistle is certainly one of those people. His sound, technique and approach to bass playing, in an era when bass players were expected to stand in the background and sit back in the mix was nothing short of revolutionary. Not only that, but to have a bass solo (on My Generation), so ballsy and in your face at that time (1965) was unheard of. The roundwound piano-like string sound on a bass was also pioneered by John Entwistle working alongside Rotosound. This, at a time when bass was usually muddy and woolly, Entwistle's approach was a truly unique concept which remains a standard in bass playing to this day.

He continued to innovate, laying down stunning, well constructed and downright complex bass lines in hit songs which remain memorable to this day, long after his passing. A bass playing legacy which will live on in the world of bass playing forever.

It's a fair assumption to say that everyone on this thread quoting their most influential endorsee, should bear in mind that their favoured endorsee has either directly, or indirectly been influenced by the great man. He is rightly recognised as not only a man who changed the way the bass guitar sounds and is played, but one who changed music. Forever.

Edited July 20, 2019 by WHUFC BASS

[Stub Mandrel]

Yeah, but it's going to be dead boring if 26 John Entwhistle fans win 👿

Edited July 20, 2019 by Stub Mandrel

[fretmeister]

Billy Sheehan.

 

Until I found out about him I was unaware of such an approach on the bass. Really opened my eyes and made me practice like a demon, but also remembering that for 90% he played a solid and well composed supporting part.

 

He made me realise what the bass was capable of. And although these days I’m playing in a big band and not rock I try to have to old attitude that, yes. The bass can play that other part as well if needed.

[Guest MoJo]

Oddly, before I joined Bassworld (pre-Basschat), I used Rotosound strings exclusively. I am very easily swayed and it was comments on the forum, about poor quality control, dead strings and a short life span, that saw me change to D’Addario, Ernie Ball and more recently Dunlop. Thinking back to my pre-Bassworld days, I can’t remember having a single issue with Rotosound strings. Maybe it’s time to give them another go

[Pow_22]

John Deacon - taste and class personified. The growling Roto Flats sound perfect on a p bass 👌

[floFC]

Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees for me.

Great driving bass lines, great tone. One of the bands that got me notice the bass guitar and made it the obvious instrument of choice for me.

[yepmop]

My first big rotosound bass string influence was John Paul Jones, just loved that tone he got with those strings and his Jazz.

[super al]

Mark King for sure, when I found out that he used Rotosound strings I started buying them for my bass.

I can't slap for toffee though!

[ironkerton]

So many greats mentioned but given JJ and John Taylor have been done, otherwise for me, when I think of Rotosound, the bassist that comes to mind is Kris Novoselic. The tone and sustain is just pure Rotosound.

When I was a kid, I couldn't afford to get any of his amps or basses but I got a beat up Epi T-Bird (still regret losing that bass), a Rat and the exact same Rotosounds ❤️

[pintspiller]

John Entwistle. Although in later years he had developed a typewriter-style of playing from playing active instruments, it is the way he served the song on the classic material. Sometimes play with a plectrum, sometimes using fingers. Powerful yet melodic.