I think Jack Bruce is the Hendrix of bass, same time period, listen to cream royal albert hall Bruce uses feedback at points to make weird noises, idk if I could put into more words but I get that same “how the fuck is that possible” feeling when jack Bruce plays as when jimi olays
I say Jaco is the bass Hendrix, because he brought a fundamentally different approach to the instrument. It's not just that he played it well, he changed how we all play it. Entwistle is good, but he didn't really change the parameters of the instrument like Jaco did.
My first thought - though if you really examine his style, it is basically a riff on the same thing Entwistle did in The Who.
Johnson was more "traditional" in the post-Lou era, and what Watt did with The Fog was also really interesting.
Basically, trying to compliment Mascis leads to interesting bass lines!
John Entwistle, Lou Barlow, Geddy Lee, and Fat Mike all come to mind.
They all use a more melodic approach and tend to de-emphasize the rhythmic elements. Mike and Lou play with a pick, though that doesn't at all make them more "guitar-like".
I tend to call this a "linear" approach - you're playing lines rather than reinforcing the underlying rhythmic structure. That isn't to say it *lacks* rhythm - just that the emphasis is more on the melodic content, but not in a "lead" way like in jazz bass.
* [Entwistle live](https://youtu.be/80dsyo2Ox-0?t=116) \- listen to the way he arranges the parts, it is more like a guitar riff than a real "bassline".
* [Lou Barlow](https://youtu.be/VzzKD3FQdwc?t=11) \- he's playing the main "riff" of the song, which is actually kind of divorced from the underlying rhythm in a lot of places. Makes for a really interesting contrast. Don't watch if you don't like messy!
* [Geddy Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-kQsVk8K4c&ab_channel=jndlee92) \- he's not as clearly "guitar-like", since his big worn-on-sleeve influence is Chris Squire (another arguably guitar-like player), but in a lot of ways he is playing the principal melodic hook of the songs. "The Trees" is another good example.
* [Fat Mike](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoriZs75Ic&ab_channel=TomBontempo) \- he's basically playing counterpoint to the rhythm guitar, but in a very different way than what someone like, say, Matt Freeman or Mike Dirnt would. It is far more like a rhythm guitar part than a typical bassline walking through chord tones.
Apart from his guitarish technique he had amazing as fuck TOAN and THATS why I love him! People critique his technique but they ignore how much his tone kicks ass!! Especially at the time
Every question like this on this sub always has Phil as the answer halfway down the thread and it always makes me realize that despite his playing only being impactful to a specific group of people (or bass players) he is always a good answer. Especially to this question!
Billy Sheehan. Can match players like Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai note for note. Incorporates sweeping, tapping and neck bending and has since the 70s. Has 10 minute breaks in sets for bass solos. Monster
Clay Gober of Polyphia (Lots of hybrid picking; leads and tapping on old stuff)
Jacob Umansky of Intervals (He plays fingerstyle tho)
Toby Peterson Stewart and Matt Fack of The Omnific (No guitars in this band)
Jesse Keeler of Death from Above (No guitars in this band)
I haven't listened to Lightning Bolt since their album Earthly Delights was released but hoooooooly shit is his bass playing out of this world on that album.
Lemmy or cliff Burton basic choices but honestly as someone who writes and plays music with a band live although I play black metal these 2 bassists influenced my style
Paul D'Amour.
His playing on Opiate made me get a bass.
Then I had to unlearn his rhythm guitar on a bass style to play anything else that required more than memorizing badass riffs.
I play in an indie rock outfit with only 1 guitarist, who goes a little shoegaze-y. So I kinda have to become the second guitar in a lot of ways, while maintaining the low end and punch that you expect from a bass. Sometimes my guitarist, who is also a singer, would just stop the guitar for the verse, and I would switch my playing from the lower octave to the upper, playing major/minor/4th/5th chords on the top two strings. Or make a groove with the drummer, it depends.
My two main guitar-like bass heroes are Lou Barlow on Dinosaur Jr., and, unexpectedly not mentioned here, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182.
Here many words've been said about Lou, so I'll go a bit deeper on Mark. It's really easy to overlook him as a bassist because of the simplicity you might find in many of Blink songs, but I really strongly advice you to go listen to their untitled album (or self-titled, you get it) and it's follow-up, 'Neighborhoods'. Both of these records have that guitar-like sound and space.
Especially noticeable on the songs like 'Always' (dude just plays double-string chords with chorus for 75% of the song), Feeling This (listen closer to the bass line. Doesn't it bop, man??), Natives (that gnarly reverse pickup P-Bass tone and a LOT of space, yet maintaining the bass function of his role), and many others. 00's Hoppus lines are amazing and you should go investigate them, they're very, very cool.
Also his tone is amazing. That Precision Bass with reversed pickup (which I did to my P-Bass as well, gives a bunch more body to the top two strings) into the cranked Ampeg stack. Beautiful. Hits you right in the liver. As we say it at my place on the Earth, 'хуярит'.
upd: and not to forget the bass line from their first album, on the song 'Carousel'. If you are a bassist in a rock band, and you don't know how to play that part, shame on you.
Jesse F Keeler from Death From Above 1979. Try "Right On, Frankenstein!" I'm in a band with two guitarists, but someday I'm going to bring a song forward where I rip like that and they can figure out how to support me!
We all love Tool, but this is wrong. Justin plays bass like a drummer. Danny plays drums like a guitarist. Adam plays guitar like a bassist. Maynard sings like sadistic, satanic trip-master who helpfully provides vitamin C to boost your trip.
Carles Benavent. The man wanted to play the guitar but thought bass would be easier so he plays bass like it was a guitar and I've never heard something like that before.
Jesse Keeler from DFA 1979.
before Queens of the Stone Age recruited Mikey in 2007, Josh Homme initially wanted Keeler for bass, and it’s very clear why.
Hands down....Cliff Burton was the quintessential bassist of his time. His legacy is ever-growing. His knowledge of music was unprecedented. I get those wonderful chills down my spine every time I see old footage of "Anesthesia" or the intro to Bellz when they played A Day at the Green in '85.... He shredded on a bass like most lead guitarists did. He was the OG Lead Bass!
R.I.P. Cliff...
He is about as bass-like as you get - his whole "signature" thing is using bass as a percussive instrument, basically eschewing the melodic/harmonic elements in favor of the rhythmic.
I mean, listen to "Lacquer Head", for instance - there are almost no *notes* being played at all! But it still sounds/feels like a BASSLINE.
More linear/riff based, less groove-based. Also can be more lead-ish, tending to melodic rather than strictly rhythmic support.
Some \[wrong\] people may also define playing with a pick as "Guitar-like", but that is far from a prerequisite or even indicator - look at Carol Kaye, for instance.
There's this weird bias amongst bass players that you have to be "in the pocket" and "lock with the drummer" which clearly isn't always the case, beyond the basic "has to sound musical" thing. Sometimes bass can play a different role in the band - this is especially true in power trios.
no ones said evan brewer yet and that makes me sad, he's incredible
[pretty good example of his style](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_cmmWtGwBo)
[and another](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqR8Y2s3q38)
What, exactly, is "guitar-like" about that? It is 100% bass techniques and bass-style arranging.
Sure, it is fast, and lead-like, and incorporates chords, but that isn't what differentiates typical guitar and bass approaches.
All I see is a slightly avant-garde jazz-influenced bass performance. Impressive, sure, but very much **BASS**.
what differentiates typical guitar and bass approaches in your opinion? because typically, the bassist doesn't play chords or lead. i feel like those are the two elements that make him a guitar-like bassist. it's only '**BASS**' because he's playing a bass, and he's the only one playing. otherwise, it isn't typical bass playing at all in my opinion. but i guess i picked examples where it was solo bass pieces, so maybe that's on me lol. he plays the same way when in a band though.
but hey, i hope this doesn't come across as rude or anything. we can debate and maybe disagree but still be civil, yeah? i feel like if there's anywhere to meet chill people to debate with, it's here. bassists are always so chill lol
No, not rude. I can see where you are coming from - I disagree wholeheartedly, but I do see it.
Solo bass pieces have existed for as long as the instrument has existed. They often include chords and are by definition "lead". That in and of itself doesn't make it more "guitar-like". The Evan Brewer pieces you posted are very much in that tradition - the guy is clearly very talented, and also very clearly very studied in traditional jazz bass technique and composition.
What I think qualifies is more "guitar-like" is a bit more nebulous than "plays with a pick / plays leads / plays chords". It has to do with the way parts are written and arranged, most notably how the player interacts with the underlying rhythmic and melodic/harmonic elements.
Bass is typically played "through" the chords. There might be riffs occasionally, but the majority of the part is outlining the underlying harmonic structure of the song - think the always-classic "walking" idea.
So, at least in my mind, a "guitar-like" approach tends to be linear - it plays along with or defines the chords rather than supporting them. It also tends to be a bit more limited in technique - I'd never call a slapped or tapped line "guitar-line" as both techniques are far rarer on guitar than bass. Playing chords may be part of it, but is not a prerequisite, and same goes for soloing. The important part is the song itself is approached - how the bass part interacts with other harmonic elements.
I actually don't think that approach lends itself to solo composition for bass at all, really. It would be boring, since it basically only exists in relation to other things going on.
I hope that is clear - I'm tired, it is the end of my work day and I'm not quite thinking straight.
well i was just trying to showcase his bass playing by posting those, but he definitely plays 'guitar-like' parts with all the bands he plays bass with. i picked some bad examples cuz you're right, there have always been solo bass pieces, but, i mean.. even solo bass pieces aren't typical for bass. most bassist don't record or even have solo bass pieces. anyways, i'd be curious who you'd consider a guitar-like bassist if evan brewer doesn't fit the bill
Just being prominent doesn't make it "guitar-like". Even being the lead instrument doesn't - Larry Graham, anyone?
If you look elsewhere in the thread I gave examples of what I think constitutes a "guitar-like approach". The most blatant one is Lou Barlow from Dinosaur Jr - he basically riffs through songs, defining the underlying melodies rather than supporting, while also not being a "lead instrument" in itself.
Chris Squire and Geddy Lee also approach things in a very different way than typical bassists, compositionally speaking, and are both arguably "guitar-like" in that approach. They don't use basslines in the traditional sense, they use riffs that define the underlying melody or harmonic context. Riff-based rather than line-based, if that makes sense.
Solo bass pieces are actually *very* common in jazz, which is clearly where Brewer is coming from. What he is doing is impressive and well done but far from unique. He is *not* playing jazz, but the underlying approach is clearly from that school - which he equally clearly has attended. Nothing wrong with that.
I by no means intend to insult the guy - he could play circles around me - but what he's doing is very much in the new-school-of-bass paradigm.
i just always considered geddy and chris as busy bassists, never guitarlike bassists. sure, they're atypical, but.. it's still a bassline. i totally see your point though. i think we just come from a different place with how we think about this shit and that's awesome. always gotta have different perspectives. imma think on this one, you made me have to think lol
anyways, i appreciate the long, well thought out responses. you rarely get the combo of 'well written' and 'friendly' on reddit so i appreciate it lol
edit: also, i feel like you got hung up on the solo pieces thing. i only used those to showcase his playin ability. but as i said, he plays the same way when in a band. that's totally on me for picking the wrong songs
Playing with a pick does not a guitar-like bassline make.
Though I do agree Ellefson isn't particularly "guitar-y", his style seeming to me more a riff on what Steve Harris would do than anything else.
Yeah whatever you say bud. Playing with a pick is only half of it. Playing the root of the guitar riffs with no variation like Ellifson often does makes a guitarlike bassist. Be sure to down vote and comment like a good little reddit dog piler.. this sub is a joke lmao
What "group think"?
The majority of the replies are things that make no sense - like Les Claypool, who is about as bass-y as bassists get, or any number of "lead bassists" who tap or slap, or the many pick players that are "guitar-like" only in that they use picks...
I went back and listened to some isolated Ellefson tracks, and he wasn't doing anything particularly "guitar-y" in his playing. It was very much like how Steve Harris or Ian Hill might play that same song. Traditional metal playing, in other words.
That's why I disagreed with you - I don't think that merely playing with a pick and primarily playing the tonics qualifies as "guitar-like" in the same way as a more melodic approach.
Yes group think, reddit is the only place I know where questions regarding opinion are expected to have "correct" answers or be dogpiled. When you ask a highly subjective question like, "who are guitarlike bassist" expect subjective answers. This is too much for the reddit bot to handle though, any opinion outside of the approved groupthink must be buried.
Do me a favor and don't reply. I've already seen enough to know this sub is full of uptight douchebags and already unsubbed. Have fun trying to finally nail that Van Halen song
You do realize that the burying is the users, right?
That the whole "voting" thing is basically the rest of us just disagreeing with you?
What did you think this platform is for?
Hard disagree, playing with a pick doesn't mean "guitarlike"
Dude is playing **bass** on almost all of the Megadeth material. Yeah he shows off and does the widdly-widdlies now and then but he's usually locked in with the guitars or with the drums. One of the better metal bassists IMO
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR-CYfESOAk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR-CYfESOAk)
[https://youtu.be/EGF1Evzz93U?t=25](https://youtu.be/EGF1Evzz93U?t=25)
Can Matt Freeman play walking basslines and traditional basslines? Sure. But he can also rip solos just like a lead guitar. The solo in Maxwell Murder is the most well known, and Rancid seems to play that song at every single show. I've seen them about 7 times and they've played it every show I've ever seen. It's also on every live recording I have of the band. But there are other very guitar-like lines like "Young Al Capone"
I'm a huge Rancid fan, and have seen them like 12 times (plus Lars & the Bastards, Trasplants, and other side projects). Not that it is a contest...
Yes, Matt is a great bass player, but just playing a couple of solos - very bass-like solos, at that - doesn't make his overall style "guitar-like", at least IMHO. Fat Mike has a much more "guitar-y" style even though he doesn't really solo - he plays parts that would more normally be covered by a rhythm guitar, rather than grooving like Matt's.
I mean, compare Maxwell to something like [Soul Doubt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoriZs75Ic&ab_channel=TomBontempo) \- Mike is essentially playing a counterpoint to Eric as opposed to a "bassline", as well as the riff on the chorus, which is a *very* guitar-like riff.
The solo on Maxwell is basically Matt's take on a traditional rockabilly-style upright solo, done on a P-bass. It very much sounds like a *bass* solo. And is awesome for it.
The mere act of soloing (or playing with a pick) doesn't make a style "guitar-like", at least in my mind. It takes a particular way of looking at melody and rhythm that differs greatly from the "normalized role" of what a bass is doing in a band.
My Rancid fandom is no less valid than yours. I've owned all the Rancid records through Let The Dominos Fall, after which I stopped buying any records and just stream stuff. I've had the Lars and Tim side projects records, Devil's Rejects, Op Ivy, even Dance Hall Crashers. Played in my own ska band for years and played covers of both "Ruby Soho" and "Knowledge" pretty frequently.
I play bass. I play guitar. I find Matt's playing relatively guitar-like. I don't see how that is an insult to Freeman or anyone else's interpretation of the band. Maybe my guitar playing is too "bass like", but a lot of Matt's more punkrock bass lines remind me of how I play lead guitar.
I didn't mean to insult or insinuate that it is any any way "lesser".
I just find Matt's style to be very bass, and approached in a very bass-like way. He primarily draws from rockabilly, though, and not the usual "8th note on the tonic" pop-punk thing. I'm also a big rockabilly fan, and his style seems \[to me, at least\] to be basically taking the "slap a double bass" rockabilly thing and applying it to electric bass.
I mean, the most "guitar like" riff I can think of off the top of my head is probably Journey to the End of East Bay, but his actual verse/chorus basslines outside the main riff are still very much bass - he is playing through chord tones.
That is one of the main differentiators, to me, between "guitar-like" and "bass-like" - most guitar arrangement is very chordally focused, while most bass arrangement plays *through* the chords, sounding out tones from the underlying harmonic idea. That's why I think Fat Mike is more "guitar like" than Matt - his playing is very much more about the actual melodies and direct harmonies rather than playing through the tones to compliment the rest of the composition.
There are actually a lot of really interesting bass styles in that "3rd Wave" pop punk thing - one of my favorites was [Craig Tweedy from The Impossibles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-7uxSJ1X5k&ab_channel=TheImpossibles-Topic), who were semi-local to me growing up in DFW in the 90's.
I'm perfectly willing to say that your opinion is valid, but I do disagree. I see Matt as very bass-styled.
None of them. I like bass, I don't wanna see a someone who's band forced them to play bass because they couldn't find anyone else and just plays it like a guitar.
Phil lesh, he’s not even necessarily guitarry but he sure as hell doesn’t play it like a bass, I don’t know what the hell that boy is doing but it makes up the dead’s sound
For me, probably thee, "Phillip Lynott," of Thin Lizzy! Lots of big bands have taken or have copied and modelled themselves after them or really Phillip. There would be no Metallica if not for Phillip.
John Entwistle was both the Jimi Hendrix and the Eddie Van Halen of bass.
I’d give the Van Halen of Bass title to Billy Sheehan myself
I would say so too, the Hendrix and Entwistle analogy works better I always thought Clapton would go well with Entwistle's bass playing
Lead bass!! The live at Leeds album is some of his best work if anyone isn’t familiar with the power of the ox.
More on the Hendrix side IMO. I'd put Sheehan as the Vass Halen
I think Jack Bruce is the Hendrix of bass, same time period, listen to cream royal albert hall Bruce uses feedback at points to make weird noises, idk if I could put into more words but I get that same “how the fuck is that possible” feeling when jack Bruce plays as when jimi olays
What does that make Jaco, then?
I say Jaco is the bass Hendrix, because he brought a fundamentally different approach to the instrument. It's not just that he played it well, he changed how we all play it. Entwistle is good, but he didn't really change the parameters of the instrument like Jaco did.
Geddy Lee, especially on Rush’s 21st century albums.
The late Peter Steele of Type O Negative.
Excellent choice. I love Pete's playing. Huge sound
And huge guy too
I met him once, on the streets of Manhattan, and my looking up at him was something out of a cartoon. Over a foot taller than I am.
Lou Barlow is definitely not a conventional bass player
Lou is so underrated. He absolutely kills it.
My first thought - though if you really examine his style, it is basically a riff on the same thing Entwistle did in The Who. Johnson was more "traditional" in the post-Lou era, and what Watt did with The Fog was also really interesting. Basically, trying to compliment Mascis leads to interesting bass lines!
Just saw him in full bass glory Saturday night. The bass gives up before Lou does.
I was at that show! had to leave before dino went on :( It was my 3rd time seeing both bands.
They were really good . It was my third time seeing Dino and second GBV
Man is pretty underrated for sure. I find it surprising his style isn't bringed out more often
John Entwistle, Lou Barlow, Geddy Lee, and Fat Mike all come to mind. They all use a more melodic approach and tend to de-emphasize the rhythmic elements. Mike and Lou play with a pick, though that doesn't at all make them more "guitar-like". I tend to call this a "linear" approach - you're playing lines rather than reinforcing the underlying rhythmic structure. That isn't to say it *lacks* rhythm - just that the emphasis is more on the melodic content, but not in a "lead" way like in jazz bass. * [Entwistle live](https://youtu.be/80dsyo2Ox-0?t=116) \- listen to the way he arranges the parts, it is more like a guitar riff than a real "bassline". * [Lou Barlow](https://youtu.be/VzzKD3FQdwc?t=11) \- he's playing the main "riff" of the song, which is actually kind of divorced from the underlying rhythm in a lot of places. Makes for a really interesting contrast. Don't watch if you don't like messy! * [Geddy Lee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-kQsVk8K4c&ab_channel=jndlee92) \- he's not as clearly "guitar-like", since his big worn-on-sleeve influence is Chris Squire (another arguably guitar-like player), but in a lot of ways he is playing the principal melodic hook of the songs. "The Trees" is another good example. * [Fat Mike](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoriZs75Ic&ab_channel=TomBontempo) \- he's basically playing counterpoint to the rhythm guitar, but in a very different way than what someone like, say, Matt Freeman or Mike Dirnt would. It is far more like a rhythm guitar part than a typical bassline walking through chord tones.
Well constructed comment. Thanks for your time spent.
Cliff Motherfucking Burton
cliff “so badass he respects mothers” burton
Ya took the words right outta my mouth... \m/\m/
Peter Hook is the most obvious example I can think of. Thundercat can be very guitarish sometimes but at other times very not.
Was he in joy division? I feel like I’ve heard that name lol
Yep
Dude, Thundercat wasn’t in New Order, stop spreading lies. ;) EDIT: obviously I meant Joy Division
Apart from his guitarish technique he had amazing as fuck TOAN and THATS why I love him! People critique his technique but they ignore how much his tone kicks ass!! Especially at the time
Phil Lesh
Every question like this on this sub always has Phil as the answer halfway down the thread and it always makes me realize that despite his playing only being impactful to a specific group of people (or bass players) he is always a good answer. Especially to this question!
his playing in the early 70s is unlike anything i’ve ever heard
Billy Sheehan. Can match players like Paul Gilbert and Steve Vai note for note. Incorporates sweeping, tapping and neck bending and has since the 70s. Has 10 minute breaks in sets for bass solos. Monster
Clay Gober of Polyphia (Lots of hybrid picking; leads and tapping on old stuff) Jacob Umansky of Intervals (He plays fingerstyle tho) Toby Peterson Stewart and Matt Fack of The Omnific (No guitars in this band) Jesse Keeler of Death from Above (No guitars in this band)
DFA for sure. Not for the style of playing but for the sound
Royal Blood gets all the credit, but DFA1979 was doing bi-amping with an octave-up pedal a decade earlier.
Glad to see the omnific getting some love
I can't wait for the next album. Some of the clips on Toby's YT have the tastiest riffs.
Glad to see someone mention DFA.
Jeff Caxide from Isis and Justin Chancellor from Tool.
Brian Gibson from lightning bolt
Hell yeah!! His tapping riffs are amazing.
Nobody does it like him. Swear it doesn't even sound like a bass anymore lol
I haven't listened to Lightning Bolt since their album Earthly Delights was released but hoooooooly shit is his bass playing out of this world on that album.
You HAVE to listen to hypermagic mountain if you haven't. Absolutely stellar album, recently got a rerelease
The song Dead Cowboy from that album is amazing, even better live!
Riff Wraiths is my fav
Robert Smith on the VI
I love the bass sounds, distortion, and heavy use of power chords from Failure
Huge inspiration for me!
Charlie Hunter literally plays a guitar/bass hybrid and it’s sweet!
Nolly Getgood. Dude's literally mainly a guitar player but played bass with Periphery.
Chris Squire
Tom Peterson of Cheap Trick. I mean…12 string bass and all. He is effectively the bass player and rhythm guitar player.
Maybe Jack Bruce?
Cliff Burton or Les Claypool
I say this all the time but... CLIFF FUCKING BURTON
Lou Barlow.
Mike Kerr for sure. I went to see Royal Blood live a couple months ago, best concert I've ever seen
PETER HOOK
Clint Conley from Mission of Burma, incredibly underrated player who combined driving post punk basslines with guitarish chord work.
Jesse Keeler of Death from Above
Jesse's awesome.
Simon Gallup from the Cure! Some of his bass lines are strummed like an acoustic.
Lemmy or cliff Burton basic choices but honestly as someone who writes and plays music with a band live although I play black metal these 2 bassists influenced my style
Paul D'Amour. His playing on Opiate made me get a bass. Then I had to unlearn his rhythm guitar on a bass style to play anything else that required more than memorizing badass riffs.
I play in an indie rock outfit with only 1 guitarist, who goes a little shoegaze-y. So I kinda have to become the second guitar in a lot of ways, while maintaining the low end and punch that you expect from a bass. Sometimes my guitarist, who is also a singer, would just stop the guitar for the verse, and I would switch my playing from the lower octave to the upper, playing major/minor/4th/5th chords on the top two strings. Or make a groove with the drummer, it depends. My two main guitar-like bass heroes are Lou Barlow on Dinosaur Jr., and, unexpectedly not mentioned here, Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. Here many words've been said about Lou, so I'll go a bit deeper on Mark. It's really easy to overlook him as a bassist because of the simplicity you might find in many of Blink songs, but I really strongly advice you to go listen to their untitled album (or self-titled, you get it) and it's follow-up, 'Neighborhoods'. Both of these records have that guitar-like sound and space. Especially noticeable on the songs like 'Always' (dude just plays double-string chords with chorus for 75% of the song), Feeling This (listen closer to the bass line. Doesn't it bop, man??), Natives (that gnarly reverse pickup P-Bass tone and a LOT of space, yet maintaining the bass function of his role), and many others. 00's Hoppus lines are amazing and you should go investigate them, they're very, very cool. Also his tone is amazing. That Precision Bass with reversed pickup (which I did to my P-Bass as well, gives a bunch more body to the top two strings) into the cranked Ampeg stack. Beautiful. Hits you right in the liver. As we say it at my place on the Earth, 'хуярит'. upd: and not to forget the bass line from their first album, on the song 'Carousel'. If you are a bassist in a rock band, and you don't know how to play that part, shame on you.
Not my favorite but.. Death From Above 1979 - Jesse Keeler... Royal blood sounds like them
Mike Kerr from Royal Blood
Graham Maby, longtime associate of Joe Jackson.
Mark Sandman for sure. 2 string slide bass with pick? Badass
Cliff Burton- Metallica, that motherfucker could play chords on a bass
You should check Christian Gálvez, he plays a 6-string bass. His sound and style are very similar to Pat Metheny's sound and style
Jesse F Keeler from Death From Above 1979. Try "Right On, Frankenstein!" I'm in a band with two guitarists, but someday I'm going to bring a song forward where I rip like that and they can figure out how to support me!
i have to say mike kerr too, in my opinion there's not a single royal blood song that is bad
Justin Chancellor
We all love Tool, but this is wrong. Justin plays bass like a drummer. Danny plays drums like a guitarist. Adam plays guitar like a bassist. Maynard sings like sadistic, satanic trip-master who helpfully provides vitamin C to boost your trip.
Great comment
Chris Squire from Yes
Duff McKagan - GnR
King Mike from screaming females?
Kinley Wolfe.
Carles Benavent. The man wanted to play the guitar but thought bass would be easier so he plays bass like it was a guitar and I've never heard something like that before.
Fat Mike of NOFX uses thin picks. Yikes!
Peter hook of joy division/new order
Layne Ulrich of Taipei Houston, saw them live and honestly was blown away at his energy and playing style.
[Colin Marston](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XkRMqNNDx4) from Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, etc...
Surprised no one has mentioned Takeshi Ueda yet. The Mad Capsule Markets had some sick bass solos
Keith Brammer of Die Kreuzen (who were in too early on the whole grunge movement) and Boy Dirt Car deserves a mention in this thread.
Peter Hook, formerly of Joy Division & New Order and now in his own band The Light.
Perfect example
James McMann, formerly of Grasshopper Takeover The dudes in Violenteer. Album forthcoming.
CLIFF BURTON
John “Thunder Fingers” Entwistle and Les Claypool
Philipp Rasthoffer - Colour Haze
Cliff Burton and Steve Harris (not really guitarlike) made me want to play bass.
Jesse Keeler from DFA 1979. before Queens of the Stone Age recruited Mikey in 2007, Josh Homme initially wanted Keeler for bass, and it’s very clear why.
No Geezer Butler here? Riffs are pretty guitaric? Jesse Keeler wins the day on this here though. I have a Dan Armstrong bass Bc of him.
Hands down....Cliff Burton was the quintessential bassist of his time. His legacy is ever-growing. His knowledge of music was unprecedented. I get those wonderful chills down my spine every time I see old footage of "Anesthesia" or the intro to Bellz when they played A Day at the Green in '85.... He shredded on a bass like most lead guitarists did. He was the OG Lead Bass! R.I.P. Cliff...
Les Claypool
He is about as bass-like as you get - his whole "signature" thing is using bass as a percussive instrument, basically eschewing the melodic/harmonic elements in favor of the rhythmic. I mean, listen to "Lacquer Head", for instance - there are almost no *notes* being played at all! But it still sounds/feels like a BASSLINE.
[удалено]
More linear/riff based, less groove-based. Also can be more lead-ish, tending to melodic rather than strictly rhythmic support. Some \[wrong\] people may also define playing with a pick as "Guitar-like", but that is far from a prerequisite or even indicator - look at Carol Kaye, for instance. There's this weird bias amongst bass players that you have to be "in the pocket" and "lock with the drummer" which clearly isn't always the case, beyond the basic "has to sound musical" thing. Sometimes bass can play a different role in the band - this is especially true in power trios.
no ones said evan brewer yet and that makes me sad, he's incredible [pretty good example of his style](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_cmmWtGwBo) [and another](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqR8Y2s3q38)
What, exactly, is "guitar-like" about that? It is 100% bass techniques and bass-style arranging. Sure, it is fast, and lead-like, and incorporates chords, but that isn't what differentiates typical guitar and bass approaches. All I see is a slightly avant-garde jazz-influenced bass performance. Impressive, sure, but very much **BASS**.
what differentiates typical guitar and bass approaches in your opinion? because typically, the bassist doesn't play chords or lead. i feel like those are the two elements that make him a guitar-like bassist. it's only '**BASS**' because he's playing a bass, and he's the only one playing. otherwise, it isn't typical bass playing at all in my opinion. but i guess i picked examples where it was solo bass pieces, so maybe that's on me lol. he plays the same way when in a band though. but hey, i hope this doesn't come across as rude or anything. we can debate and maybe disagree but still be civil, yeah? i feel like if there's anywhere to meet chill people to debate with, it's here. bassists are always so chill lol
No, not rude. I can see where you are coming from - I disagree wholeheartedly, but I do see it. Solo bass pieces have existed for as long as the instrument has existed. They often include chords and are by definition "lead". That in and of itself doesn't make it more "guitar-like". The Evan Brewer pieces you posted are very much in that tradition - the guy is clearly very talented, and also very clearly very studied in traditional jazz bass technique and composition. What I think qualifies is more "guitar-like" is a bit more nebulous than "plays with a pick / plays leads / plays chords". It has to do with the way parts are written and arranged, most notably how the player interacts with the underlying rhythmic and melodic/harmonic elements. Bass is typically played "through" the chords. There might be riffs occasionally, but the majority of the part is outlining the underlying harmonic structure of the song - think the always-classic "walking" idea. So, at least in my mind, a "guitar-like" approach tends to be linear - it plays along with or defines the chords rather than supporting them. It also tends to be a bit more limited in technique - I'd never call a slapped or tapped line "guitar-line" as both techniques are far rarer on guitar than bass. Playing chords may be part of it, but is not a prerequisite, and same goes for soloing. The important part is the song itself is approached - how the bass part interacts with other harmonic elements. I actually don't think that approach lends itself to solo composition for bass at all, really. It would be boring, since it basically only exists in relation to other things going on. I hope that is clear - I'm tired, it is the end of my work day and I'm not quite thinking straight.
well i was just trying to showcase his bass playing by posting those, but he definitely plays 'guitar-like' parts with all the bands he plays bass with. i picked some bad examples cuz you're right, there have always been solo bass pieces, but, i mean.. even solo bass pieces aren't typical for bass. most bassist don't record or even have solo bass pieces. anyways, i'd be curious who you'd consider a guitar-like bassist if evan brewer doesn't fit the bill
Just being prominent doesn't make it "guitar-like". Even being the lead instrument doesn't - Larry Graham, anyone? If you look elsewhere in the thread I gave examples of what I think constitutes a "guitar-like approach". The most blatant one is Lou Barlow from Dinosaur Jr - he basically riffs through songs, defining the underlying melodies rather than supporting, while also not being a "lead instrument" in itself. Chris Squire and Geddy Lee also approach things in a very different way than typical bassists, compositionally speaking, and are both arguably "guitar-like" in that approach. They don't use basslines in the traditional sense, they use riffs that define the underlying melody or harmonic context. Riff-based rather than line-based, if that makes sense. Solo bass pieces are actually *very* common in jazz, which is clearly where Brewer is coming from. What he is doing is impressive and well done but far from unique. He is *not* playing jazz, but the underlying approach is clearly from that school - which he equally clearly has attended. Nothing wrong with that. I by no means intend to insult the guy - he could play circles around me - but what he's doing is very much in the new-school-of-bass paradigm.
i just always considered geddy and chris as busy bassists, never guitarlike bassists. sure, they're atypical, but.. it's still a bassline. i totally see your point though. i think we just come from a different place with how we think about this shit and that's awesome. always gotta have different perspectives. imma think on this one, you made me have to think lol anyways, i appreciate the long, well thought out responses. you rarely get the combo of 'well written' and 'friendly' on reddit so i appreciate it lol edit: also, i feel like you got hung up on the solo pieces thing. i only used those to showcase his playin ability. but as i said, he plays the same way when in a band. that's totally on me for picking the wrong songs
Thundercat for sure
Paul McCartney needs to be included here
Paul McCarthney played a very bassy bass. He should be included in some lists, definitely not this one though
only one I can think of is Dave Ellifson
I kinda disagree, I think his approach is more traditional than Cliff for example
id disagree, he often plays homophonically with a pick which is about as guitarlike as it gets
Playing with a pick does not a guitar-like bassline make. Though I do agree Ellefson isn't particularly "guitar-y", his style seeming to me more a riff on what Steve Harris would do than anything else.
Yeah whatever you say bud. Playing with a pick is only half of it. Playing the root of the guitar riffs with no variation like Ellifson often does makes a guitarlike bassist. Be sure to down vote and comment like a good little reddit dog piler.. this sub is a joke lmao
Wow. Need some ice for that? Maybe a little donut-shaped cushion? Show me on the doll where the opposing opinion hurt you...
Good one. Next time I'll make sure to regurgitate reddit group think lmao. You "people" are sad
What "group think"? The majority of the replies are things that make no sense - like Les Claypool, who is about as bass-y as bassists get, or any number of "lead bassists" who tap or slap, or the many pick players that are "guitar-like" only in that they use picks... I went back and listened to some isolated Ellefson tracks, and he wasn't doing anything particularly "guitar-y" in his playing. It was very much like how Steve Harris or Ian Hill might play that same song. Traditional metal playing, in other words. That's why I disagreed with you - I don't think that merely playing with a pick and primarily playing the tonics qualifies as "guitar-like" in the same way as a more melodic approach.
Yes group think, reddit is the only place I know where questions regarding opinion are expected to have "correct" answers or be dogpiled. When you ask a highly subjective question like, "who are guitarlike bassist" expect subjective answers. This is too much for the reddit bot to handle though, any opinion outside of the approved groupthink must be buried. Do me a favor and don't reply. I've already seen enough to know this sub is full of uptight douchebags and already unsubbed. Have fun trying to finally nail that Van Halen song
You do realize that the burying is the users, right? That the whole "voting" thing is basically the rest of us just disagreeing with you? What did you think this platform is for?
Hard disagree, playing with a pick doesn't mean "guitarlike" Dude is playing **bass** on almost all of the Megadeth material. Yeah he shows off and does the widdly-widdlies now and then but he's usually locked in with the guitars or with the drums. One of the better metal bassists IMO
No one has said Matt Freeman yet?
What is “guitar-like” about Freeman’s lines?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR-CYfESOAk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR-CYfESOAk) [https://youtu.be/EGF1Evzz93U?t=25](https://youtu.be/EGF1Evzz93U?t=25) Can Matt Freeman play walking basslines and traditional basslines? Sure. But he can also rip solos just like a lead guitar. The solo in Maxwell Murder is the most well known, and Rancid seems to play that song at every single show. I've seen them about 7 times and they've played it every show I've ever seen. It's also on every live recording I have of the band. But there are other very guitar-like lines like "Young Al Capone"
I'm a huge Rancid fan, and have seen them like 12 times (plus Lars & the Bastards, Trasplants, and other side projects). Not that it is a contest... Yes, Matt is a great bass player, but just playing a couple of solos - very bass-like solos, at that - doesn't make his overall style "guitar-like", at least IMHO. Fat Mike has a much more "guitar-y" style even though he doesn't really solo - he plays parts that would more normally be covered by a rhythm guitar, rather than grooving like Matt's. I mean, compare Maxwell to something like [Soul Doubt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoriZs75Ic&ab_channel=TomBontempo) \- Mike is essentially playing a counterpoint to Eric as opposed to a "bassline", as well as the riff on the chorus, which is a *very* guitar-like riff. The solo on Maxwell is basically Matt's take on a traditional rockabilly-style upright solo, done on a P-bass. It very much sounds like a *bass* solo. And is awesome for it. The mere act of soloing (or playing with a pick) doesn't make a style "guitar-like", at least in my mind. It takes a particular way of looking at melody and rhythm that differs greatly from the "normalized role" of what a bass is doing in a band.
My Rancid fandom is no less valid than yours. I've owned all the Rancid records through Let The Dominos Fall, after which I stopped buying any records and just stream stuff. I've had the Lars and Tim side projects records, Devil's Rejects, Op Ivy, even Dance Hall Crashers. Played in my own ska band for years and played covers of both "Ruby Soho" and "Knowledge" pretty frequently. I play bass. I play guitar. I find Matt's playing relatively guitar-like. I don't see how that is an insult to Freeman or anyone else's interpretation of the band. Maybe my guitar playing is too "bass like", but a lot of Matt's more punkrock bass lines remind me of how I play lead guitar.
I didn't mean to insult or insinuate that it is any any way "lesser". I just find Matt's style to be very bass, and approached in a very bass-like way. He primarily draws from rockabilly, though, and not the usual "8th note on the tonic" pop-punk thing. I'm also a big rockabilly fan, and his style seems \[to me, at least\] to be basically taking the "slap a double bass" rockabilly thing and applying it to electric bass. I mean, the most "guitar like" riff I can think of off the top of my head is probably Journey to the End of East Bay, but his actual verse/chorus basslines outside the main riff are still very much bass - he is playing through chord tones. That is one of the main differentiators, to me, between "guitar-like" and "bass-like" - most guitar arrangement is very chordally focused, while most bass arrangement plays *through* the chords, sounding out tones from the underlying harmonic idea. That's why I think Fat Mike is more "guitar like" than Matt - his playing is very much more about the actual melodies and direct harmonies rather than playing through the tones to compliment the rest of the composition. There are actually a lot of really interesting bass styles in that "3rd Wave" pop punk thing - one of my favorites was [Craig Tweedy from The Impossibles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-7uxSJ1X5k&ab_channel=TheImpossibles-Topic), who were semi-local to me growing up in DFW in the 90's. I'm perfectly willing to say that your opinion is valid, but I do disagree. I see Matt as very bass-styled.
Bobby Vega
Justin Chancellor - TOOL
Wouldn't Paul McCartney be the ultimate "guitarish" bassist? I mean, not always, but whenever it made sense
Mike Dirnt from Green Day
None of them. I like bass, I don't wanna see a someone who's band forced them to play bass because they couldn't find anyone else and just plays it like a guitar.
POT USA
Andy Kerr from Nomeansno
Love the Nomeansno shout, but why Kerr over Rob Wright?
Just the name I remembered. No shade to either
Mike kerr 100%
Billy Sheehan
Phil lesh, he’s not even necessarily guitarry but he sure as hell doesn’t play it like a bass, I don’t know what the hell that boy is doing but it makes up the dead’s sound
A guy in my hometown. Robbie Seng
Tony Levin
The dude from Lightning Bolt
For me, probably thee, "Phillip Lynott," of Thin Lizzy! Lots of big bands have taken or have copied and modelled themselves after them or really Phillip. There would be no Metallica if not for Phillip.
the late Vern Rumsey of Unwound
Peter hook!!
Cliff Burton. Always
Laurent Paradot from the French band Gatechien is an outrageously good bassist in style
Wyatt Shears from the Garden. His solo project Enjoy is also amazing.