# Best Living Bass Guitarists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803 "2003-05-31T18:45:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/1 "2003-05-31T18:45:24Z")
Paul McCartney is still alive. ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/2 "2003-05-31T20:06:59Z")
**Mike Watt** - The Minutemen, firehose, Mike Watt ---
**Author:** ![doctordoowop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@doctordoowop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doctordoowop)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/3 "2003-05-31T20:50:05Z")
Jack Bruce-Cream ---
**Author:** ![Orange\_Skinner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Orange\_Skinner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orange_Skinner)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/4 "2003-05-31T20:52:32Z")
Flea, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers ---
**Author:** ![Novus\_Opiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/858c86/32.png) [@Novus\_Opiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novus_Opiate)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/5 "2003-05-31T21:29:01Z")
Les Claypool of Primus, Sausage, and other miscellaneous groups. ---
**Author:** ![twit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/6 "2003-05-31T21:50:47Z")
Bootsy! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/7 "2003-05-31T22:18:17Z")
Victor Wooten of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Second\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Echo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/8 "2003-05-31T22:29:51Z")
Stuart Hamm John Myung (Dream Theater) Geddy Lee (Rush) ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/9 "2003-05-31T22:45:18Z")
Stanley Clarke Jeff Berlin and personal, but fairly obscure, favorite: Brad Pedinoff from Harm Farm. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/10 "2003-05-31T23:01:05Z")
Paul is a fine singer and has penned some excellent tunes on occasion, but heā€™s not the best living bass player. If Carol Kaye is still alive, and I think she is, she would probably get my vote. It all depends on what you mean by ā€œbest,ā€ of course. You want most creative? Or the one who can play the most notes in a row without mistakes? Or the one who can play the most notes in a measure? (My computer wins both those easily.) Best bass soloist or best player in a supporting role? Stefan Lessard, Victor Wooten and Bakithi Khumalo all have much to recommend them. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/11 "2003-05-31T23:06:22Z")
John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/12 "2003-05-31T23:12:05Z")
**Ryknow** from **Mudvayne** is the best bass player to come out of the woodworks in the last 10 years. I wonā€™t claim that he is the greatest of all time, but he can, and does, play the shit out of his bass. Most people probably write him off because he is in a nu-metal group, but they are really doing themselves a disservice by not giving him a good listen. He is a classically trained jazz bassist. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/13 "2003-05-31T23:30:12Z")
Victor Wooten and Stu Hamm (as already mentioned) are right up there at the top. Sir Paul is nowhere near their league. ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/14 "2003-05-31T23:50:28Z")
Iā€™m actually listening to Bela Fleck & the Flecktones Greatest Hits right now- Wooten is just brilliant. Les Claypool is also one of my favorites, he gets bonus points for being so innovative and progressive (especially nowadays). Heā€™s also a great band leader. Besides those two thereā€™s Mike Gordon (of Phish fame), Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), and Chris Wood (Medeski, Martin, & Wood). ---
**Author:** ![Splanky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@Splanky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Splanky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/15 "2003-05-31T23:57:54Z")
ā€¦though Chris Wood mostly plays a String Bass (Double Bass), that probably wouldnā€™t count as bass guitar. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/16 "2003-06-01T01:19:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Splanky \* > ā€¦though Chris Wood mostly plays a String Bass (Double Bass), that probably wouldnā€™t count as bass guitar. Otherwise, I would have nominated Danny Thompson. Who none of you have probably ever heard of. Think Pentangle. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/17 "2003-06-01T01:46:57Z")
A few names Iā€™d add: Oteil Burbridge and Alphonso Johnson. Iā€™m a fan of Billy Cox (former Band of Gypsys) as well, though Iā€™m told he doesnā€™t really play anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/18 "2003-06-01T02:35:48Z")
Under the ā€˜can do things no one else canā€™ ruling Iā€™ll back up Geddy Lee. The man is astonishing either holding rhythm or on runs. Itā€™s just damn-all scary. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/19 "2003-06-01T05:45:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*Under the ā€˜can do things no one else canā€™ ruling Iā€™ll back up Geddy Lee. The man is astonishing either holding rhythm or on runs. Itā€™s just damn-all scary. \*\* No knock on Geddy, whom Iā€™ve long admired, but Geddy himself usually cites Jeff Berlin and Percy Jones as the best bass players around. Personally, Iā€™d LIKE to pick Paul McCartney, who always seemed to know just the write notes to play on every Beatle trackā€¦ but Iā€™ll nominate Tony Levin, both for his outstanding work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson and for the quality session work heā€™s done with everyone from Pink Floyd to John Lennon to Paul Simon. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803/20 "2003-06-01T06:11:02Z")
All this talk and no mention of Pino Palladino? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-living-bass-guitarists/178803.md?page=2)