No Treble’s 2025 Reader Favorite Bassists: Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Reaches #3

Editor’s Note: At the end of each year, we tally up all the article and video views on No Treble to come up with a list of the top 10 most popular bassists. This is entirely based on readership, not on opinions, polls, or anything else. Just having some fun.

Geezer Butler (website)

There have been several bassists who took part in Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” concert on this list, but none as central as the man himself: Geezer Butler.

“Back to the Beginning” marked his final performance with the heavy metal progenitors. Readers also enjoyed learning about his thunderous Ashdown bass rig, with overviews from his bass tech, Terry Welty, and Ashdown’s Dan Gooday. No Treble also caught up with Welty to go deeper into Butler’s gear.

With Black Sabbath coming to its conclusion, it’s unclear what Butler’s next project will be, but we’re looking forward to what he does next.

Scroll on to see why Butler hit #3 on No Treble’s 2025 Reader Favorite Bassists list.

Black Sabbath’s Final Reunion Show to be “The Greatest Heavy Metal Show Ever”

1. Black Sabbath’s Final Reunion Show to be “The Greatest Heavy Metal Show Ever”

Black Sabbath’s final show is set for July, reuniting Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward for one last time—alongside a massive lineup of metal legends.
Black Sabbath’s Final Concert, “Back to the Beginning,” to Stream Live July 5th

2. Black Sabbath’s Final Concert, “Back to the Beginning,” to Stream Live July 5th

Geezer Butler reunites with Black Sabbath’s original lineup for their final show, “Back to the Beginning,” streaming live from Birmingham on July 5.
Inside Geezer Butler’s Thunderous Bass Rig at Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning”

3. Inside Geezer Butler’s Thunderous Bass Rig at Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning”

Go inside Geezer Butler’s 2,400-watt bass rig for Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” — a historic send-off with thunderous tone and custom gear.
Geezer Butler’s Thunderous Bass Drives Black Sabbath’s Farewell “Back to the Beginning”

4. Geezer Butler’s Thunderous Bass Drives Black Sabbath’s Farewell “Back to the Beginning”

Geezer Butler powers Sabbath’s farewell with a custom Ashdown rig, delivering massive tone and classic lines in their final Birmingham show.
Ozzy Osbourne: The Prince of Darkness and the Bassists Who Backed Him

5. Ozzy Osbourne: The Prince of Darkness and the Bassists Who Backed Him

The Prince of Darkness is gone. Ozzy Osbourne's career spanned decades and featured some of the most iconic bassists in rock history.
Terry Welty on Building Geezer Butler’s Wall of Bass and Saving Jeff Pilson’s Flying Fender

6. Terry Welty on Building Geezer Butler’s Wall of Bass and Saving Jeff Pilson’s Flying Fender

Bass tech Terry Welty opens up about life on tour with Geezer Butler and Jeff Pilson, revealing custom gear builds and unforgettable moments.
Ashdown Teams with Reverb to Sell Geezer Butler-Signed Amps, Unveil “Cab of Doom”

7. Ashdown Teams with Reverb to Sell Geezer Butler-Signed Amps, Unveil “Cab of Doom”

Fifteen Ashdown Head of Doom amps signed by Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler will hit Reverb, alongside new UK-built signature cabinets.

In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.

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