Rank your 5 favorite bassists!

1

Not the 5 best but the 5 you like the most. Here goes:

1.Phil Lesh
2. Les Claypool
3. Mike Gordon
4. Justin Chancellor
5. John Taylor

I’d probably put Geddy at 6…

7 Likes
2

I like how you break your own rule directly from the get-go :grin:

  1. Frans Vollink
  2. Jimmy Johnson
  3. Hadrien Feraud
  4. Jaco Pastorius
  5. Gary Willis

I’d probably put Damian Erskine at 6…

5 Likes
3

Tough question.

In no particular order, because that’s silly:

James Jamerson, Paul McCartney, Phil Lesh, Ron Carter, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorious

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4

Not in this order:
Tina Weymouth
Paul McCartney
Timothy B. Schmit
John Entwistle
John Clayton

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5

This is tough…

  1. Mike Porcaro
  2. Geddy Lee
  3. Les Claypool
  4. Flea
  5. John Taylor
4 Likes
6

Nathan East
Pino Palladino
Leland sklar
Joe Dart
Marcus Miller

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7

“Not the 5 best but the 5 you like the most.”

I hope everyone keeps the OP in mind when they make their list. I made mine based on a combination of skill, on-stage manner, and personality. My list is not necessarily what I think are the best ever bassists.

8 Likes
8

Off the top of my head, in no particular order:

  • Johnette Napolitano
  • James Jamerson
  • Melissa Auf Der Maur
  • Peter Steele
  • Marcus Miller
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9

This^^^

I concur.

There are so many great bassists and they each have contributed so much that’s it’s impossible to rank them.

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10

Jamerson
John Paul Jones
Jack Bruce
and that’s it

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11

These were tough.

  1. John Paul Jones
  2. Steve Harris
  3. Geddy Lee
  4. Rudy Sarzo
  5. James Jamerson
    Honorable mention Bootsy Collins
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12

Ooof, this is a tough one. In no particular order:

  • Les Claypool (Primus, Duo de Twang, many others)
  • Cliff Williams (AC/DC)
  • Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)
  • Martin Mendez (Opeth)
  • Gerald Casale (DEVO)

It was really hard to narrow down all of the bassists I like to a top 5.

2 Likes
13

I’d then want to revise my list.

@JerryP
@John_E
@terb
@Growl
@Barney

These are definitely my favorite bassists that I’ve been listening to in the past year.

23 Likes
14
  1. Me (cause Lizzo tells me to love myself)
  2. Rocco
  3. Sir Paul
  4. Jamerson
  5. Mingus
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15

Tina is way up there for me too!

Hate to not mention Peter Hook either…

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16

I’m a has-been :crying_cat_face:
(Just kidding)

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17

The two long term constants for me would be Peter Hook and Simon Gallup. Steve Severin is up there too. Then there’s a whole lot of folks that are tied for the other places in the top five. Patricia Morrison, Greg Norton, Kiyoshi, Bootsy, F-Chopper, John Taylor, Tina Weymouth, a whole lot more.

5 Likes
18

Hey you said

You are the “Bad Ass Bass Gal” legend, you are excluded, lol.

Plus, if best ever or significant player in history then Carol Kaye would have been on top of my list along with Jameson and Graham and Pastorious.

4 Likes
19

So depends on what I’m listening to. Today’s version

Chris Squire
Ian Hill
John Paul Jones
Chuck Rainey
Daisuke Bohte, or as he calls himself, prematurely bald Bassist Boh

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20

Oh, see, this is why 5 is too small a number.

1 Like