RONIN Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) Everyone here loves the King of Beers, but there is so much Slaxl talk that Duff and Izzy are all but forgotten. How good of a bassist is he objectively? During the dark era when nu-guns fans roamed this forum unchecked, there was frequent mention that Tommy Stinson was a way better bassist. While that may be true, it's doubtful whether he's written more memorable basslines than Duff. Duff has incredible stage presence and exudes rockstar status. While many punk rockers probably downplay the rock star image, Duff embodied it fully. One of my favorite Duff moments is his conversation with Slash at the end of the Making Estranged video Edited July 18, 2016 by RONIN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludurigan Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Duff rocks! Guns n Roses bass player great backing vocals writes great songs great stage presence like you said all of that makes him one of my favorite bass players! Other bassists? Dee Dee Ramone also rocks and he is a monster songwriter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Słash Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 12 minutes ago, ludurigan said: Duff rocks! Guns n Roses bass player great backing vocals writes great songs great stage presence like you said all of that makes him one of my favorite bass players! This is pretty much spot on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caught_in_a_Coma Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Duff is the man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane M. Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 It's so easy, Get in the ring, So fine....Duff is the man Love his book too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotlikebass Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 That Rocket Queen bassline! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top-Hatted One Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Absolutely. Best bass tone in the biz 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselDaisy Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 You couldn't imagine Sweet Child without its bass line, could you? He seems to have a knack for combining pop influenced (counter) melodies with a punk aggression. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverburst80 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Has put down some legendary stuff on tape, SCOM-Locomotive-YCBM-Rocket Queen-Nightrain are ones that spring straight to mind but there's many more. He's aggressive yet elegant and tasteful at the same time, doesn't overplay. From what i've read and heard he's held in very high regard by bass players. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MYWIFEMYLIFE Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 My top 3 is Billy Gould, JP Jones and Duff. I love Duff more than the others of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselDaisy Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) My favourite bass players are Bill Black and Willie Dixon. Edited July 13, 2016 by DieselDaisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoop Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 He's a great bass player and he gets a great sound, but I'm not as big a fan of his stage presence. I mean he looks cool and everything but he strolls around too much. I like the Cliff Williams stand in one place and rock out style of bass player. I don't think a bass player needs to be all over the stage. I know he's one of the Big Three and all that but...I don't like it. As far as the comparison to Tommy goes, Duff is a better bass player but Tommy is better at writing songs and singing. Tommy's Bash & Pop record is better than anything Duff has done outside GNR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jekylhyde Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 (edited) I think he is somewhat underrated, yes. Memorable and melodic basslines, great backing vocals and awesome, awesome tone. Edited July 13, 2016 by jekylhyde 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselDaisy Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Just now, bigpoop said: He's a great bass player and he gets a great sound, but I'm not as big a fan of his stage presence. I mean he looks cool and everything but he strolls around too much. I like the Cliff Williams stand in one place and rock out style of bass player. I don't think a bass player needs to be all over the stage. I know he's one of the Big Three and all that but...I don't like it. As far as the comparison to Tommy goes, Duff is a better bass player but Tommy is better at writing songs and singing. Tommy's Bash & Pop record is better than anything Duff has done outside GNR. That is his style though, the 'Sidney Vicious' low slung punk style, moving around! Izzy was the one who kept reticent, and even he used to do a fair bit of shape-pulling in the '80s. All bands have a different dynamic. You wouldn't want to see Bill Wyman act like Rob Trujillo - well in actual fact, I rather would haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post action Posted July 13, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted July 13, 2016 as is a lot the case with the appetite 5, you will find technically better musicians everywhere. Slash, Steven, Izzy, Duff, all have counterparts which are technically superior. one thing that gets forgotten here, is we're talking about rock n roll. it isnt about tecnique, its all about attitude and feeling. Which is what the technical players are all lacking. The appetite 5 are iconic, are loved by a huge amount of fans. If your only interest is tecnically great players, rock n roll is not a genre which would suit you. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitha_whiskey Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Yes, underrated. Great bass lines that are some of my favorite parts of GnR music, but he doesn't seem to get as much attention as Slaxl... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warhead78 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 class-A bass for you bitches!!! Put it on loud!!! xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slosh13 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 2 hours ago, action said: as is a lot the case with the appetite 5, you will find technically better musicians everywhere. Slash, Steven, Izzy, Duff, all have counterparts which are technically superior. one thing that gets forgotten here, is we're talking about rock n roll. it isnt about tecnique, its all about attitude and feeling. Which is what the technical players are all lacking. The appetite 5 are iconic, are loved by a huge amount of fans. If your only interest is tecnically great players, rock n roll is not a genre which would suit you. That's a great point. Music is always about feel and emotion, which is why I'm not a fan of Van Halen, who, arguably is a better technical player than Slash, but his albums are soulless. I'd take all of Slash's solos over the likes of Van Halen. Duff is underrated, that Rocket Queen bassline is so on the money. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvanG Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Technically he was still learning to play bass when he was in GnR first time around and he wasn't anything special. He's much better now. I always liked his style, though, maybe because it was different from a lot of other bass players, perhaps because he was a guitarist first he had this different approach to the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonok Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 3 hours ago, Warhead78 said: class-A bass for you bitches!!! Put it on loud!!! xD I was just about to post this. Duff is the king of the groove. Just listen to that catchy shit! 2 hours ago, EvanG said: Technically he was still learning to play bass when he was in GnR first time around and he wasn't anything special. He's much better now. I always liked his style, though, maybe because it was different from a lot of other bass players, perhaps because he was a guitarist first he had this different approach to the instrument. And this, too. He's playing without a pick a lot now, so that adds even more to the slickness of his basslines. He's a great musician with an instinctual feel for rhythm and attitude, really underrated indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackieloveless Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Mr Duff has some tasty tones n licks fo sho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom-Ass Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I don't think he is underrated. He probably isn't a great bassist but he is perfect for Guns N' Roses.. His voice isn't great either but his backing vocals are also absolutely perfect for Guns N' Roses. A song like Out Ta Get Me just isn't the same without his backing vocals.. Damn that song better make it back into therotation by next week.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsinindy Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 3 minutes ago, Tom-Ass said: I don't think he is underrated. He probably isn't a great bassist but he is perfect for Guns N' Roses.. His voice isn't great either but his backing vocals are also absolutely perfect for Guns N' Roses. A song like Out Ta Get Me just isn't the same without his backing vocals.. Damn that song better make it back into therotation by next week.. I think your response indicates how under-rated he is by some. Most musicians that I know constantly claim Duff to be a top 50 bassist of all time. That's pretty good company to be in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maynard James Keenan Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I just have the Coma bassline in my head. Amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy123 Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 I'm the (self proclaimed) biggest Duff fan ever, so yeah it gets a little frustrating sometimes. People will have awesomely detailed reviews over the show they've seen about axl and slash and then Duff will get a "and Duff was Duff" or "Duff was on point as usual" as that's it. I mean, I guess it's great he's just going out there and killing it every night and there's really nothing else to discuss, but damn, I'd like to hear some stories of something he did that was cool or a moment where he really shined. I also get confused when people say he's not a great bass player. How?? I always think of that video of him saying that Slash actually made him a better bass player because in a lot of songs he plays the exact same thing as Slash before veering off into his own bass lines. He's not just a great bass player, but an overall awesome musician who can play basically everything. He's also left handed and taught himself to play with his right - not that that means anything or super rare, I just think it's sort of cool. I've also noticed he's playing a few songs without a pick too. I love the sound he makes with the pick but I know that's something people have "used against him" before. I know he's not been using one during Don't Cry. Any other's people have noticed? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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