Best bassplayer?

[InFlame00]

Who's the best bassplayer out there?
I would nominate Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse to one of the best out there.
What are your thoughts?

 

[Starless Dragon]

Are you talking just absolute, flat out, most technically talented bass player?

I'd nominate Victor Wooten, from a band called The Flecktones. They're not a metal band, they're a Jazz-fusion-prog-bluegrass band lol, very weird, but very cool stuff, and have perhaps the best bass player in the world. Certainly the best I've ever seen or heard. This guy plays faster then any other bassist I've ever heard, hell, he plays faster then most lead guitarists I've ever heard. He's like the Allan Holdsworth/John Mclaughlin of bass. I've seen him live, and while I had only heard a little but of his studio stuff, seeing him live really blew my mind. He often plays with all ten fingers, ripping both hands up and down the neck of his bass in a blur of 64th notes with astonishing precision, and mindblowing intricacy. It's really hard to comprehend how amazing this guy is without seeing him live. But for an idea, check out the album Victor Wooten: Show Of Hands. Listen to track 12 "Classical Thump", realize it's one guy, one take, one bass...and watch your bass-playing dreams crumble. Then realize his extended bass solos in the Flecktones live shows are well known for blowing that clean out of the water without even trying.
Also plays classical and classical style on bass, gotta love that.

I listen to a lot of music in a lot of genres, metal and non metal, and he's far and away the best I've heard or seen.

Other notables you may not have heard of:

Billy Sheehan ( Niacin, Session on tons of stuff )
Tony Levin ( King Crimson and Tons of stuff throughout the years, check out Bozzio-Levin-Stevens )
Trey Gunn (Also King Crimson, plays "Touch Guitar" an instrument that comes in 8-18 string varieties and is played with both hands on the monster fretboard, range of a grand piano, VERY low, fat tones. Check out the song "Construktion Of Light" for a quick example. )
Rick Laird ( Mahavishnu Orchestra, back in the 70s )
Chris Squire ( Yes )
John Myung (Dream Theater, amazing player, too bad he's so often lost in the mix, but see him live, and wow! )
Sean Malone ( Cynic, Gordian Knot, others )
Jonas Reingold ( The Flower Kings, Time Requiem, Karmakanic, etc. A lot of prog and power metal, but an Amazing player, an absolute fretless monster )

Some more metal related bass players:
John Vesano ( Formerally of Nile, blew me away live when you can actually see the basslines being played. Very fast and complex stuff, duh )
Eric Langlois ( Cryptopsy )
Martin Mendez ( Opeth. Or is that Lopez? I always get the two Martins mixed up. )
Tyr ( Borknagar )

And Mark's pretty damn good too!

Now alot of the guys I mentioned are in bands with some pretty heavy progressive leanings, or jazz leanings, but whether you love or hate that stye of playing, it has to be admitted those guys are GOOD! And if you're talking sheer talent, I'd put them up there with many of the best.

I'm sure I'll think of many more as soon as I post, lol.

 

[InFlame00]

hmm that Victor Wooten-guy seems strange but really good ppl are strange in some way, especally musicans and artists

 

[Starless Dragon]

Yeah, I think you have to be a little "strange" to dedicate yourself to absolute mastery of your craft whether it's a musical instrument or any other artform. And normality is boring, right? That's why we're here!

But yeah, I think Victor starting playing music when he was like 3 and literally performing professionally by the time he was 9 or 11 or something crazy like that. He's just phenomally insane.

 

[The8thPlague]

Agreed. Victor Wooten is the best there is.
Ever see him play Amazing Grace w/ just harmonics on his bass?

 

[Starless Dragon]

Wow, someone else on the board who knows who Victor Wooten is! Hell yeah. And no I haven't, but I'm sure it's pretty amazing. Have you seen him live, then? Or on DVD or something? With the Flecktones, or by himself, or another band?

I saw him with the Flecktones in Dallas last October. Amazing stuff.

 

[The8thPlague]

I have a live video of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones.
It's about an Hour & a half long.
It was one of those things that gets randomly shown for about a month on one of Cox Cables random channels. I recorded it from there.

Everytime Victor comes through AZ I wanna check it out, but usually something comes up, or I'm just too lame to go.

One of the coolest things I've ever heard him play on CD was
"Me & My Bass Guitar", that song is ridiculous.

Another tidbit of Info.
The Bassist of REFLUX(Prosthethic) gets lessons from Victors brother Reggie Wooten.

 

[Starless Dragon]

Ah, that's cool, I know they have some Live DVDs out there, but I haven't seen them on TV before. One of these days I'll have to break down and buy a DVD so I can show people around here what the hell I'm talking about lol. Though for now I just play them stuff from Show of Hands, lol. Is Me And My Bass guitar on show of hands? I think it is, but I never really remember the names, just listen to it, ya know?

Oddly enough the guy who introduced me to the Flecktones and Wooten first saw them on TV, I think they had a video on VH1 of all things. Now this guy is a bass player himself, so when he saw these guys come on VH1, and I think Vic did a solo even in the video it totally floored him. That's how he learned about the band lol. He was actually in a band called Electric Tribe in the 90s, a jazz-fusion band, who opened for the Flecktones on several occassions. He said one time he saw Vic in the crowd, watching him play with a smile, and the next time they opened for the Flecktones, he walked past Vic's dressing room, Victor called out to him, picked up a bass, and starting playing one of Electric Tribe's basslines back to him, after seeing him play it once, months ago. Wow. Lol.

And I'd never heard that about the guy from Reflux, that's totally awesome. Never really heard their stuff, might have to check into it now.

 

[The8thPlague]

people always ask me about Reflux & I just say Progressive Metal/Hardcore(do I dare say Progressive Metalcore...I'm not sure about that).
But I usually say "it sounds like if Candiria listened to a lot of Dream Theatre".
But instead of insane drums, it's insane guitar.