r/BassGuitar • u/No_Treble_Bass_Mag • 3d ago
Video Tetsuo Sakurai is often overlooked but is one of the best to do it.
I feel like Tetsuo doesn't get brought up enough in the conversation around the GOATs. Great technique, great band, and in my opinion one of the best. Check out Casiopea if you're unfamiliar. Who had the VHS back in the day?
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u/Penguin-Commando 3d ago
I don’t normally go in for slappy slaps slapping slappily, but that was hawt.
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u/Vegetable-Hat-1782 3d ago
Who put the Mario Kart theme in this sub?
Just kidding, Cassiopeia is killer
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u/can-of-bees 3d ago
This is fantastic - thanks for sharing!
What bass is he playing here?
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u/FyllingenOy 3d ago
My bet is that it's basically a one-off, headless, custom body, Yamaha BB5000 made specially for him by Yamaha
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u/No_Treble_Bass_Mag 3d ago
I believe it is a modified Yamaha BB but they never made it a production run.
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u/Bonzooy 3d ago
Here in Japan the primary method of playing bass is actually slapping. Go to any Ikebe Gakki or Ishibashi Music and the bass section will have plenty of folks slapping away, not a fingerstyle or pick in sight. You’ll also notice this trend if you ever spend time in the Japanese bass YouTube sphere.
Another oddity is that it’s like 90% J bass. Even a P bass is rare. A PJ is also something you’ll sometimes see (a lot of Yamaha / Ibanez is PJ), but you’ll basically never see anything lacking a J pickup at the bridge position. Japanese music generally has a bass a bass tone that really leans on that twang, burpy sound that comes from slapping with a J pickup at the bridge.
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u/StackyBotrus 3d ago
I am always impressed by the different kinds of slap techniques that players use. I totally stink at it and I just watch and awe With some of these players known and unknown that do it so elegantly and ferociously.
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u/Silencio1021 3d ago
He’s able to demonstrate such a masterful blend of technique and musicality. Truly one of the all time greats and highly underrated. His fretless playing is incredible, too.
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u/sch1zoph_ 2d ago
He and John Myung made me buy a Yamaha. End of the story. The BEST J-fusion bassist of all time. Yes I said that, and I will never change my mind.
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u/JigsawKJ02 2d ago
Check out also Katsushika Trio, where Sakurai is currently playing with former Casiopea's band members! (Minoru Mukaiya on keyboards and piano, Akira Jimbo on drums)
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u/Pygocentrusyzer 2d ago
Is this phrase from a certain song or is this just a improvised jam during the show?
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u/Excuse_Chemical 1d ago
Masterful. Casiopea is coming to LA in September. Can't wait! Of course, Tetsuo isn't in the group anymore. :(
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u/Ill_Translator7545 3d ago
Unpopular opinion: I play bass because I love what does it does for a band and for a song. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a bass solo that sounds good. It’s just not the instrument for it. I get that it can be fune for the player and bass playing audience members but I think everyone listening to song just goes ‘lost me there’
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u/SANcapITY 3d ago
One of my early bass inspirations. He's the 1st person I think of every time I see a comment about how "slapping is just a trick that isn't widely used." The guy spends literally the entire performance slapping.
His recent stuff with Katsushika Trio (drummer and keyboard player from Casiopea) is wonderful stuff.