United States

After playing with a few bass players within the last year, I have come to this conclusion as far as what I look for in a bass player:

With the way I play guitar ( which is kind of all over the place. A little Robert Frippy in a way ), it should mainly focus on creating a solid foundation that grounds everything, and has some uniqueness to it, as well. It should gel with the guitar part. Gelling with the other instruments is the number one thing for a bass, IMO, but also to take the lead at times so the guitar can experiment with different soundscapes and techniques.

I am not a bass player- I am drummer. But I have observed many bass players in my day.
What is most important, from my point of view, is: less is more! That's right.
Very simple. I have seen MANY bass players flapping their fingers like they were playing a lead guitar! LAME!
If you listen to a professional bass player you will usually notice that he is not playing a lot of notes, just the most important ones. Many times you will also hear a nice bass line all to itself!
For instance: the song "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd. The bass plays almost the same simple riff throughout the song. He changes it up a bit when he needs to, but keeps it very simple.
Bass players what do you think?

D

Paul McCartney, especially on Abbey Road. His playing may seem simple to a lot of folks, but this man is all over the place. He knows what notes go into each chord and how to lead into the next part of the song. The bass has to drive the song. Not too heavy, but still strong enough to make a statement. Not too soft, but still calm enough to blend with the other instruments. Finesse!

However, Its never a good idea to slap your organ...

I think most importantly, I want the bass player to be totally committed to showing up to rehearsals. Other than that, he should be able to play bass pretty good

I am not a bass player- I am drummer. But I have observed many bass players in my day.

That is an excellent line

I don't always play bass...

But when I do...

I utterly ignore the drummer, fight a volume war with the guitarist and just bare down and play as fast as I can until I pass out drunk.

Signed

The most interesting bass player in the world

A bass player who shows up and learns their parts and is not a jerk - Priceless

1) How well, he/she locks with the drummer. If they don't lock, you're gonna have a problem.
2) I don't care if the bassist has fantastic technique. What's important is good timing and how slick they are in the pocket. When and where they put their adlibs (riffs). And not too many please. Same with drummers.
3) TONE. I tend to lean towards the deep, support guys... Fudgie Kaye (Mandrill), Gary King, Billy Cox, Roger Waters. Some guys tend to use too much mid-range for that twang when thumbing. It's o.k. but a good support bassist and a slick pocket drummer are what I look for.

E-man Boogie

What do I look for in a Bass player?

...someone to bring the beer!

and the very broad term tossed around by others....musicality.

for me that means:

playing for the song above all.
good listening skills (playing at appropriate volume)
good tone
good groove/time
imagination to come up w the right parts
knowing when to sit in the pocket and when to step it up some

i also find that bassists who can solo are often better at accompanying!
sound weird? lemme explain....everybody playing music wants to have their "spots", get their's, and wants to have the opportunity for expressing themselves. someone that can solo has those ops even if they aren't using them on every song. but someone who CAN'T solo....well, very often their "form of
expression" is playing a lot of fills that step on other things or just leads to all around busyass playing.

Planetguy

" also find that bassists who can solo are often better at accompanying!"

Yeah. I played bass for many years (still do) but focus on guitar these days. A bass player that can't solo is unlikley to be able to keep things together accompanying.

A bass player must own the song! Yeah, I've sat in with folks or replaced an ailing player a few times and held my own. But knowing the song inside out gives you a lot of freedom of expression - it seems like you have all the time in the world to play whatever you need to play.

Talbot

Most bands wouldn't know a good bass player if he/she bit 'em in the ass. Sadly this is because there are so many bands playing metal or otherwise simple stuff that requires little more than a big amp with an over-driven pre and an ability to play the root on the beat. The main thing a band *should* look for is how well the bassist and drummer work together. I'm not a big fan of gratuitous bass solos and *never* do them on a sit-in gig or a tune I don't totally own. I once cured a guitarist of his primadonna attitude about overextending his breaks by breaking into "What Is Hip?" with just me, the drummer and singer. He came back in to a full dance floor. He was pissed but he never was late getting back from a break again.

Most bands wouldn't know a good bass player if he/she bit 'em in the ass. Sadly this is because there are so many bands playing metal or otherwise simple stuff that requires little more than a big amp with an over-driven pre and an ability to play the root on the beat. The main thing a band *should* look for is how well the bassist and drummer work together. I'm not a big fan of gratuitous bass solos and *never* do them on a sit-in gig or a tune I don't totally own. I once cured a guitarist of his primadonna attitude about overextending his breaks by breaking into "What Is Hip?" with just me, the drummer and singer. He came back in to a full dance floor. He was pissed but he never was late getting back from a break again.

The funny part is that nobody in the audience or on the floor was all the wiser for any of it.