Who was the earliest influence that you tried to sound like

[Ralf1e]

2 hours ago, Coilte said:

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

 

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

Na course your not, Jack Bruce played with Graham Bond Organization. At the time might have been the daddy of us all. Oops ducks missiles.

[Ralf1e]

9 minutes ago, Rich said:

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.

 

So was I. he was better than many guitar WRISTS oops

[malbass]

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!

Yep this was mine

[Velarian]

2 hours ago, T-Bay said:

Jean-Jacques Burnel for me. 

Same here. 

[Buddster]

Mick Karn. But I never had a fretless or the talent. But thought his lines on the Japan tracks were so different I had to try and play then. 

[lonestar]

5 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

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).

 

Me too, although I’m sure as a callow 15year old with a Kay precision copy that I never came close, despite jacking up the VS on my HH amp and playing round wounds with great speed and gusto with a nylon pick. 

[itu]

Stan the man... the first solo record from 1976. I bought it used from some record auction for less than £2 somewhere in the late 80's. And then: Lopsy Lu! What? Then I got my hands on School days and that was it. Bass it is!

 

I had a 1976 black 4001 which I had to restring to CGDA like Stan was playing. No, I couldn't play anything he can, still can't. But I am still playing bass. Yesterday was a rehearsal, and while I am very far from all super solo bassists (does not matter), I am so happy to support the bands I play with.

Edited October 28, 2022 by itu

[Nail Soup]

JJ Burnel led me to bass, but I probably went tone wise more for Steve Hanley of The Fall.

[Geek99]

4 hours ago, ezbass said:

… Roscoe Beck. However, .

Ooh good call

[Geek99]

The first album I listened to over and over was Under a Blood Red Sky and I was struck by Adam Clayton’s live tone. Being 16 I didn’t realise that recorded live tone wasn’t like studio bass tone… it just sounded immense..especially on loud 

 

For the melodic part I loved, but could not name,  Duck Dunn and Bob Babbitt

Edited October 28, 2022 by Geek99

[clarkpegasus4001]

Chris Squire

[merello]

J

J

B

 

🖤

[Steve Browning]

First noticed the bass of Dennis Dunnaway of Alice Cooper but the sound of John Deacon's bass was the sound I wanted to emulate.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Easy one to answer for me….Gene Simmons.

I heard the bass intro to this song and that was sound I wanted.

 

 

[joeystrange]

Probably Mike Dirnt. He’s a great player (still much better than me) and his sound is always fantastic.

[jazzyvee]

Aston Familyman Barrett first then later Stanley Clarke.

[KingBollock]

Lemmy.

[PaulThePlug]

^ Prefer Lemmy's more articulate Lead Bass tones from his Hawkwind days...

 

Another for me is Burke Shelly... love a bit of driving P but also quite deft on the phrasing and runs... Budgie!

[Owen]

Jaco. But not for the tone, or for the chops (I would have, but....). I hear his syncopations in what I play. Not the fast stuff or anything we would recognise as "Jaco". 

[EssentialTension]

 

[Piers_Williamson]

John Deacon and/or Norman Watt Roy (a curious combination).  My bass teacher introduced me to Motown (I had led a sheltered middle class adolescence) and I've never looked back.  Now trying to teach myself Cuban Jazz which is a bit like unlearning everything from the last 30 years.

[Dan Dare]

Motown - JJ and Bob Babbit (I'm pretty ancient). The first bass part that really made me want to play the instrument was Tears of a Clown, which was Bob.

[dclaassen]

First would probably be Stanley Clarke. I loved his sound on “School Days”: Then Duck Dunn.

[KingBollock]

9 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

^ Prefer Lemmy's more articulate Lead Bass tones from his Hawkwind days...

 

 

The first song I ever covered was Motörhead, which was originally a Hawkwind song. But the version I had was the Motörhead version.

 

Though, to be honest, with me on vocals (I was only 12…) it sounded more like the Lawnmower Deth version.

Edited October 29, 2022 by KingBollock

[Cato]

Steve Harris from Iron Maiden.

 

Maiden were the band that got a teenage me into proper music, so naturally when I started playing bass it was Steve I tried to emulafe.

 

My music tastes have had a couple of fairly drastic changes of  direction since then and I no longer listen to Maiden or any 'heavy' music but my default right hand setting when noodling on the bass is still the Harris gallop.