When did you realize bass was as cool as guitar (maybe cooler)?

I started off as double bass player in Junior High and and when I went to HS played electric bass. I was influenced by the Verdine White of EWF and Louis Johnson. When I discovered rock I became a Geezer Butler fan and then my dad had me switch to guitar.

Which one do I like better? Really depends on my mood.

I've played in groups with good bass, bad bass, and no bass and I can definitely state that a good bass player is more important than a good drummer.

I so agree bigtime. Many say that the drummer is the timekeeper but that to me is false. To me the bassist is your time keeper and they should always know where the one is!!!

 
the first band I heard where I noticed the bass and liked it was C.T.A. Peter Cetera is quite a good bass player.
 
I dunno. I play bass like a guitarist in a band covering other bassists who play like guitarists. I like the bass. And I really like my bass. But it's not the guitar.
Kinda this. I really enjoy the rhythmic aspects of bass and have a lot of fun with it. I figured out it was really fun around the turn of this last year when I got a bass for Christmas. Not gonna replace guitar though.
 
I was going to do poll, but the choices are not finite. Here's a shot at some parameters...

-- always knew
-- eventually caught on
-- coming around
-- still see them as merely melodic time keepers
-- bass is lame

Anyway, I know I didn't get it for quite a few years. A big part was the common band scene wherein many bassists were guitarists the couldn't keep up with the Joneses or those that saw the exponential difference in the availability of gigs for bassists.

There were only a handful of players that started on or were really into being bassists. For the past decade plus my ear has become more and more attuned to basslines, to the point where I feel like I missed my calling and the opportunities that may have gone along with it. No real regrets, but it's such a killer instrument and so important to all varieties of music.

This is pretty similar to me. For me, of all people, it was Paul Simonon that opened my eyes. Always loved peeps like Chris Squire, JPJ, McCartney and such.
 
Bass was my first instrument. I pushed it aside for a while in favor of guitar. Now I'm realizing what a fool I was. Last year I started playing bass again. I love it more than I love guitar. Bass is an awesome instrument.
 
Any instrument is a means to an end.

But not all instruments appeal to me equally.

Might feel differently if I played like Carter, Meyer, or Jamerson. Very little rock bass excites me, though. For me, it peaked with Abbey Road.
 
I'm almost of the opinion that bass is easier than guitar to play, but harder than guitar to play well.

I said almost. :embarrassed:
 
It's a good instrument. It's an important instrument. It's a fun instrument. But if you can only (effectively) play 1 note at a time it's not an instrument you can compose on, so no.

Horn and string players have been using their instruments to write with forever. The bass is also great for laying down a groove to build a song on and the idea of only playing one note on a bass is so old school. Folks have been playing chords on them for ages and it's awesome.

I get what you're getting at, but writing transcends the instrument.
 
I'm almost of the opinion that bass is easier than guitar to play, but harder than guitar to play well.

I said almost. :embarrassed:

Not harder but for many guitar players, the transition to a rhythm mentality is tough. Many guitarists don't even realize there is a difference and can't understand why they suck at bass.

Laying down the groove is a very different thing than dancing to it.
 
When I checked out these cats it was originally for the quality of music they were in, and then I realized their prodigious talents...

Charles Mingus.
Ron Carter.
Jaco P.
Stanley Clarke.
And the one people might ridicule me on...
Stu Hamm.

I might add John Entwistle to that list.
 
OK, One more. Jeff Beck's new playthi..bassist...
jbb.jpg
 
Recently bought my first bass and I love it. So much fun to play. I seem to be quite a fast, aggressive player. Been all over Iron Maiden and Muse tunes, love the galloping. I'm not sure how much this has to do with 'groove' as it's more about speed and driving the tune. Feels great though and has definitely given me a greater appreciation for how the rhythm section controls and drives a song. Everything else is just noodling on top :grin:
 
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