Aston Family Man Barrett
Stanley Clarke

Played cello for 9yrs through grade school and high school. The junior orchestra needed a bass player, so I picked it up to help out. Then the jazz band needed a bass player, so I borrowed a  60's Fender P-Bass and an Acoustic 360 (what a way to start!). Promptly went out and bought a (really cheap) Gibson EBO and a Sunn amp. I've been upgrading for the last 30 years. Waiting for my first Alembic to arrive in the mail next week!

I saw Yes in 1974 and was immediately drawn to Squire's playing, sound and the fact that he seemed to be the only one on stage having ALOT of fun. That, coupled with only ever being good enough to play second clarinet in the school orchestra made my mind up to be a bass player and I've not changed my opinion one iota since.
 
Graeme

How I started with bass: At age 14/15 I had saved up enough money to buy a Fender Stratocaster. It turned out that I had enough left over to buy a bass. The lead guitarist said we really need a bass. So I bought a Peavey T40 that looked like it was built in a hardware store.  
 
How I became devoted to bass: Over the years I've played in many different genres. Early on, I noticed that all the girls/women were over on my side of the stage, dancing and grooving on the low frequencies, while over on the guitar side of stage were a bunch of dudes playing air guitar back at the guitarists. 'Nuff said.
 
I also have to say that Paul McCartney, John Entwistle, Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, and Phil Lesh were very instrumental (pun intended) examples.
 
Tom

Tom,
 
Those T-40's are really very underrated basses IMO- heavy as all get out, but really flexible tone-wise and built like tanks!

I used to play rhythm guitar in a band, but one day the bassist didn't show up for rehearsal. The other guys looked at me. I said I would give it a try, but I stressd that it would only be temporary. Yeah, right. Sixteen years later I'm still playing bass. That's why I started on bass. But why did I stay with it? Because, quite simply put, BASS RULES! It turned out to be way more fun and way more influential to the sound and the directions it can take the music than I had ever imagined. With the bass, you can reinforce the music with undeniable power, or you can subvert it and make it change immediately.
I'll give up my bass when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

To Bass or Not to Bass, That is the question.

Those T-40's are really very underrated basses IMO.
 
I agree. I wouldn't have moved on to my Alembic later had it not been for my first faltering steps on the T-40 [root-rest-root-root / repeat]. It was a good workmanlike bass and it was flexible. I've actually played some other more famous bolt-ons that were far worse than my trusty T-40. There's a surpisingly fervent Peavey following over on talkbass, too, so apparently there are lots of descendants of that T-40 holding down the low end somewheres.
 
I sold it to partially pay for my Series I, so no regrets. Although I must admit I am occasionally tempted when I see one on eBay. Kinda like getting my first car back . . .

Tom,
 
I've owned 3 T-40's. I sold the first two in attempts to find something better.  After getting my Alembic I realized I couldn't get any better, but I did miss having the T-40 so I bought another one.  The one I have now won't be sold.
 
I just wish I could get back my old fretless T-20.  I've played quite a few high end fretless basses (no Alembic yet though) and I still haven't found anything that touched that T-20 I had.

Did you ever hear The Jam by Graham Central Station?

Hi Guys.  
 
Why bass guitar?  
 
Easy answer.  Dudes!  
 
Best Regards,
 
Kimberly  

i second the klaus fluoride inspiration.
and add a mike watt, because if it werent for mike watt...
well, i don't want to think about that..

A lot of the bassists listed are pretty good, but if you want to listen to amazing bassists, look up the band Protest The Hero's song Sequoia Throne and look up Cryptopsy's song Slit Your Guts.
 
amazing bassists. the bassist for Protest The Hero had a Steinberger 5-String bass and I thought Steinberger only made guitars
 
and don't believe the hype. not all girls like rockstars and musicians. my band consists of the best musicians in our school and we're the semi-nerd smarties in our school

Three words that started all the trouble for me: John Paul Jones.

The bass could get funkier.