30 Legendary Rock + Metal Bassists Who Play With A Pick

Some bass players just prefer to use a pick over their fingers when playing on stage, and it seems to be working out pretty well for this group.

There doesn’t seem to be one predominate method to playing playing bass among rock and metal music, type of music for that matter. Fender.com tackled the issue and found it difficult to pinpoint the exact number of bass players who use a pick vs. their fingers.

“Any method you use to get sound out of that thing–fingers, pick, thumb, those weird stick things Tony Levin (King Crimson) uses, telekinesis, whatever–works just fine,” the guitar company wrote on its website. “It’s purely a matter of personal preference.”

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There’s even a few, including Roger Waters, John Paul Jones and Sting, who have employed both methods of bass playing.

Fender calls the entire debate “silly,” but there may be a strong case to be made for Team Pick. Here is a look at 30 legendary rock and metal bassists who play with a pick along with examples of some of their best work.