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Attack of the 90’s! Five cool bass lines from the era

I remember it as if it were a meal ago (that will make sense in a moment.)

Fun fact: 1999 was 16 years ago. Yep. But don’t let that make you feel old, because every one of the songs below is still as cool and fresh today as they were when originally released back in the days of grunge and plaid shirts.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Give It Away (1991)

Just how cool is it when the video actually shows the bass fretboard prominently just because the bass line is that cool:

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Great song, and one worth learning. You’ll need some fresh strings to get this super-twangy sound. Get a fresh set of D’Addarios.

Green Day – Longview (1994)

Some of you will think, “Oh, no.. not this song again..” Yes, this song again. It’s 21 years old now. Believe me, if you played this one in your cover band, it’ll bring around some smiles. Also, a very cool bass tone.

To help get this style of sound, overwound pickups help. We have some made by Aguilar that can assist with that.

Will Smith – Gettin’ Jiggy Wit it (1998)

Yes, this is the line taken from He’s The Greatest Dancer by Sister Sledge:

…but that doesn’t make Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It any less cool.

Arguably, the Will Smith 90’s version is better known than the Sister Sledge original. Great disco bass line that’s sure to get people out of their chairs and on to the floor.

Also, important note: The Will Smith version is detuned by 1 semitone, meaning it’s played with the root as F# and not G.

Regardless of which version you play, a smooth, even 70’s-style tone is most desirable here. Aero pickups in combination with La Bella flatwound strings work out very nicely for that.

Limp Bizkit – Nookie (1999)

From the weird rap/rock period of the late 90s comes Nookie. It takes a certain kind of personality to like this kind of music, but one thing is for sure. This song has a totally-in-your-face ripping bass sound to it. And during the verse portions there’s some very interesting fretless (or fretless-like) tones going on.

Big-ferrous-pole Delano pickups (such as the PMVC 4 FE/M2) along with a Pigtronix FAT Drive help greatly here to get a wide range of tonal capabilities, from subtle high-fret work to thundering lows when distorted.

Primus – Tommy The Cat (1991)

This wouldn’t be a 90’s bass line list without Primus in it.

Tough to play? Yes. You’ll need some good slap skills, loose hands and it helps (greatly) if you have a fretless.

Les Claypool to this day wows bass players worldwide with his style of play. He is a monster player, no question about that.

Here’s a version of Tommy The Cat played live at MTV Spring Break ’92:

Getting a Claypool sound is largely dependent on the player and not so much the gear used. However, a good compressor helps out quite a bit along with Bartolini soapbar pickups, the drive pedal mentioned above and a phaser can help out as well.

What does Claypool use for his rig? It changes depending on the song. Some of his rigs are described here. But before you spend a bunch of cash on loads of effects, beginning with good soapbar pickups, a compressor and a bass phaser is a good start.

16 thoughts on “Attack of the 90’s! Five cool bass lines from the era”

  1. I agree with most of these, but I think I would have put Jeremy by Pearl Jam in there. It is hard to find a more recognized bass line in the 90s.

    Reply
  2. Test your Fretless intonation skills by working on Alanis’ “You Oughta Know” & PJ’s “Even Flow”, and one of the sexiest grooves of the decade in Garbage’s “#1 Crush” (off the 1996 “Romeo + Juilet” Soundtrack)

    Reply

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