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Underrated Bassists

What bassists do you guys think deserve more recognition? For me, I would say Frank Bello of Anthrax. He has some great riffs in Among The Living.
LoudLon [moderator]
Posts: 1938
Krist Novoselic – yeah, he generally gets his due from hardcore bass fans but most people when they think of Nirvana, they think of Cobain, or how Grohl went on to form Foo Fighters. Novoselic tends to get overlooked, as do his contributions to Nirvana's sound. He might not be the most technically proficient bassist around, but he has kick-ass ear for hooks, grooves and melody.

Muzz Skilling – original bassist for Living Colour. A fantastic bass player, I could practice ten hours a day for a hundred years and never be as good as this guy. His work on the LC album Vivid still blows me away.

Melvin Gibbs – if James Brown was the hardest working man in show business, Gibbs has to be the hardest working bassist. He's done so much, has played for so wide a range of bands, that chances are you've probably heard him and didn't even know it. An amazing bass player, mostly known for his stint with Rollins Band during the ‘90s.

Doug Wimbish – another guy who, like Melvin Gibbs, has done so much over the years but never seems to get his due recognition. Also like Gibbs, he’s probably one of the best bassists on the planet.

There are more but I don't want to hog the thread.

IamMark
Posts: 1103
Noel Redding comes to mind right now, only because I was listening to All Along the Watchtower driving in to work this morning. The bassline for that song is amazing. Much like a lot of his basslines with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Another that I think is completely underated is Billy Gould from Faith No More.

And Tony Franklin.
Quote:
Noel Redding comes to mind right now, only because I was listening to All Along the Watchtower driving in to work this morning. The bassline for that song is amazing. Much like a lot of his basslines with the Jimi Hendrix Experience.Another that I think is completely underated is Billy Gould from Faith No More.And Tony Franklin.
Love that song. RIP Hendrix.
linkinpark232
Posts: 1593
Man could I go on forever.
David Ellefson-Can easily break away from the guitar and do his own thing
Twiggy Ramirez (Or Jeordie White)-The guy is a freaking guitarist. Give him a break, he could easily outplay tons of people, I'm sure.
Jason Newsted-He's my favorite Metallica bassist. I feel like he's the most underrated bassist of Metallica's, except for the guy who quit in like ‘82 I think. I thought he was brilliant on the Black album, Justice was okay but he deserves a lot of credit.
Tom Araya-This is one of the most annoying things I ever hear:Tom Araya can’t play shit. Are you kidding me? Anyone who can sing like that and play an instrument at the same time deserves a lot of credit. I can hear him easily on any song, his bass tone is just a little more bassy than treble.

I'll stop there
Gene Simmons. Yep, he's a douche but damn he wrote some tasty bass lines on those early Kiss classics, doesn't get nearly enough credit for his writing and playing ability.
Dan Maines from Clutch. Anyone that can sit in the pocket with a monster groove machine like J.P. Gaster is tops in my books. Check out Soapmakers or Elephant riders on here for a small taste.
linkinpark232
Posts: 1593
I was thinking about Gene Simmons, as well. But then I realized he does get a lot of credit for his playing. I've never heard any complaints about his bass playing, but a few about his singing versus Ace, Paul, and Peter
Although there are definitely plenty of under-rated bassists, the first person that popped into my mind was Hunter Burgan of AFI. He plays some pretty gnarly lines, and I love his aggresive style.
mass giorgini, from screeching weasel, anti flag, rise against, squirtgun, the queers, the riverdales, cub, groovie ghoulies, teen idles, alkaline trio, one man army, beatnik termites, The huntingtons, Justin Sane. theres a few more bands. but look how many bands hes in…. that dude works his a$$ off. and some of the bass lines are mint
All songs with mass playing bass. give em a listen before judging











mass is someone i am fortunate enough to be able to speak to. he helped me learn how to play social by squirtgun. he's a cool easy to talk to dude on top of all the work he does. over 100 albums in the last 20 years. he has my respect 100% along with john jughead pierce. dan vapid (schafer). Frank portman. Joey vindictive and johnny personality. joel reader. scott matthews and chris workman from the wanna bes / pinellas. the guys from moral crux. isaac from happy campers. jason rink from jet set satellite. all fellow musicians who have helped me out or given me some advice along my path. and ofcourse i cannot forget chris appelgren. former president of lookout records. him and larry livermore are the reason green day got a label. mr t experience. squirtgun. screching weasel. beatnik termites. wanna bes. the groovie ghoulies. the avengers. so many more great bands had a home at lookout.. All people i have been very fortunate to be able to speak to and ask questions. Really helped me grow a bit

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