1) More reasons to justify GAS. "I need a P-Bass for that James Jamerson/"Duck" Dunn tone, a Jazz for my Rush tribute band, a 5-string to get those low notes, a fretless to practice my Jaco . . ."
2) A deeper understanding of the groove.
3) More gigs. Guitarists are a dime a dozen. Bassists . . . not so much.
Originally Posted by Warren Buffett
Bass is awesome. A lot of ways to handle it. I was a bass player for years before I was an electric guitarist. I should have stuck with it actually, I think I would have had a lot more gigs.
If you are good, imo, you know the neck inside and out, and you have your ear developed from time spent playing in bands, now I'm talking about original music and Jazz. There is a lot of room for a guy to work a bass in those settings. Bass can hold down the fort, and you can turn everything on it's head while the jam just runs on. I love the bass, I should get mine out of storage.
I love the bass. It's a beautiful-sounding instrument. That's the primary appeal.
It fills a different role in most groups than guitar. It's not just lower notes, it's a different role and has to be played as such. It's a pretty important role, too. If it's not providing the riff or hook, the guitar floats over the music and adds color and depth, but the bass is what drives the song and provides the foundation. I've heard it described as the bridge between the rhythm and the melody, which I think is pretty accurate. It cues changes by walking up or down (along w/ the drummer). It provides just enough lift to catch your ear and make things interesting, without being too 'in your face'.
In many rock/blues types of bands, if the guitar player flubs a little bit nobody will notice. If the guitarist doesn't play a solo on a song, nobody cares and some people are relieved. If the BASS flubs a note, everyone will notice. As a bassist, you better know when the changes are coming. Guitar can just back off for half a measure, or play couple rhythmic scratch chords, or lead line. Bass has to be on.
I've been fortunate to play in several bands where the bassist was by far the best musician, and it makes a huge difference. A bad or boring bass player really brings down the whole group. Moreso than a boring guitar player, imho. I can play with a so-so guitarist, but please give me a good drummer and bass player. A song with no groove and a steady pulse of 8th note roots on bass is putting me to sleep, no matter how much distortion the guitar has, or how loudly the vocalist screams. Obviously there's a place for that type of playing, and for the right song it can work, but in general I like music with interesting bass lines a lot better.
That said, I'm not listening to Buddy Guy because of his bassist. 
Leo Fender invented the electric bass so slow learners, people with poor finger dexterity and social outcasts could still be in a band and play a useful role. 
But seriously, if you don't "get it" that's cool. I play guitar, keyboards and bass. I just LOVE the sound and feel of playing a nice bass guitar. There's just something strangely satisfying about the thick strings and long scale that feels very substantial. When I pick up a guitar after playing the bass, the guitar feels like a toy.
It's not for everybody, some bass lines are super simple and repetitive, and let's face it that would drive most guitarists crazy. It's just the nature of bass guitar, in many types of music it's part of the rhythm, almost like another drumset. One reason why "serious" bassists like jazz, funk and R&B is because the bass has more of melodic role in those kinds of music so the bass lines are a lot more involved and interesting to play.
In most popular genres, the rhythm section has to be tight and bass is just as important as the drums. He gets that. He always says his goal is to be so deep in the pocket that he goes completely unnoticed by the listener but loud enough so they can't ignore it.
His bands NEVER lack for bass volume but that's the cool thing about bass is that it's so dispersed it takes a lot of volume to carry it.
We know a bunch of guitarists who are always struggling to find a gig but as a bass player, he has a dozen bands ready to pick him up on a moment's notice. Being in short supply is a nice bonus.
I've had the opportunity to pick up some really great vintage basses over the last 5-6. Scored some nice Fender P & J basses. I never really wanted to pick up the bass or mess with it at all. I started to realize that most guys go into pawnshops looking for guitars, pedals,amps, drums, and cymbals. They totally over look the basses hanging on the walls. This has given me the opportunity to score 10 basses. I now like to mess with them and play along with some cool funky,groovy songs. I've lately been listening Jamiroquai lately, and the bass players in his band are amazing. They make you want to be a bass player.
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