Who was the earliest influence that you tried to sound like

[Ralf1e]

Please bear in mind that we span many years and styles between us so please no bloodletting

I'll start the ball rolling with Greg Ridley right through from his days with Spooky Tooth to Humble Pie.

Much has changed since then but as a youngster I loved what he did.

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Ralf1e

[fretmeister]

Steve Harris.

 

I had been playing guitar due to Brian May but then a mate had "Live After Death" and it blew my mind.

[chris_b]

Bill Wyman, Willie Dixon, Duck Dunn and John McVie.

 

The influences that came after were just building on those foundations.

 

[Franticsmurf]

Chris Squire - generally from the first Yes album I owned, Yesshows, and specifically this bass solo from Ritual. At the time (way before the Internet) I only had the audio recording and I was convinced this was a guitar solo because in my limited experience, no bassist played like this.

 

 

I don't think I've come close in terms of technique and I don't own a 4001 but I do tend to play at the dusty end of the neck, often play with a pick and I like that gritty sound (where appropriate).

 

[Ralf1e]

3 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Bill Wyman, Willie Dixon, Duck Dunn and John McVie.

 

The influences that came after were just building on those foundations.

 

I saw John McVie with John Mayals  Bluesbreakers at blues scene at Thames Hotel Windsor and Jeremy Spencer on an old battered slide. Astounding player.

And yes John McVie was a legend of his time

[Crusoe]

Nobody really. A mate and I started a band when we were about 15 or 16. He was on guitar and I was the singer, for want of a better word. We had a school friend's boyfriend on bass, but he was older than us and had different musical tastes, so I ended up taking on bass duties. I suppose Peter hook might have been an influence as we did a cover of Transmission, but we also covered Peggy Sue, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, House of the Rising Sun and Therapy's cover of Isolation, so there was quite a mix.

[christhammer666]

mine was rex brown from pantera, that bass sound on far beyond driven is still immense to this day

[Coilte]

Glenn Cornick/Tony Reeves/Jack Bruce/Peter Cetera.

 

I'm giving away my "vintage" here !!  😄

[Dad3353]

On drums..? Martin Lamble (RIP; was with Fairport Convention...)

On bass..? Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane...)

On guitar..? Jim Hall (Chord/Melody style...)

[MichaelDean]

I was happy sounding like myself for ages. It wasn't until I was about 20 when Sigur Ros released Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust and was in a post rock band of my own. The tone on Við Spilum Endalaust was what I wanted. I saw the bassist was using a Mustang so I had to have one! Still love that bass. 

[nilorius]

From 2000. - Jaco Pastorius, 2007.- Gary Willis.

Edited October 29, 2022 by nilorius

[Leonard Smalls]

Bootsy!

 

 

[Elfrasho]

The pat badger tone on pornograffiti was the tone I aspired to as a wee boy! Simply couldnt get it with the bass and amp I had at the time though!

[Lozz196]

Probably Bruce Foxton of The Jam

[pete.young]

Colin Hodgkinson. I found a copy of the Back Door album in a second-hand shop . Never heard anything like it before or since.

[ezbass]

Pino and then later Roscoe Beck. However, these days, I tend to try and channel Tony Levin.

Edited October 28, 2022 by ezbass

[T-Bay]

Jean-Jacques Burnel for me. Even now I can’t think of a bass tone I like more.

[SteveXFR]

Geezer Butler. 

His sound probably influenced most stoner and doom bassists. 

I still can't play like him. Maybe one day.

[Rich]

1 hour ago, MichaelDean said:

Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust 

 

Gesundheit.

[miles'tone]

I could pick a few but John Paul Jones was the big one.

[Reggaebass]

Robbie Shakespeare in black Uhuru and Aston Barrett 

[mikel]

Glen Cornick. His bass lines were so Integral to a lot of Tull's early stuff. Before him bass was just in the background, as far as I was concerned. 

[neepheid]

I didn't really set out to sound like anyone. I was just amazed if I could make it sound half decent and get to the end of a song

[Ralf1e]

1 hour ago, Elfrasho said:

The pat badger tone on pornograffiti was the tone I aspired to as a wee boy! Simply couldnt get it with the bass and amp I had at the time though!

Me to

[Rich]

Mark King. I hadn't been playing all that long when I saw Level 42 on the telly playing 'Foundation and Empire'. I was stunned by what I was seeing and hearing.