Sami Vänskä

Infobox Musical artist

|
Name = Sami Vänskä
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name =
Born = birth date and age|1976|9|26
Died =
Origin = Finland
Instrument = Bass
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1998-2001
Label = Spinefarm Records Nuclear Blast
Associated_acts = Nightwish
Nattvindens Gråt
Root Remedy
URL = http://www.nightwish.com/
Notable_instruments =

Sami Vänskä (born September 26, 1976) is the former bassist of Finnish symphonic-power metal quintet Nightwish.

He started playing bass as a private study. He has played in a few bands which have been mostly from the metal genre. Before Nightwish he played in Nattvindens Gråt, just like Tuomas Holopainen. He joined Nightwish for their second studio album, Oceanborn. Holopainen asked the band's manager, Ewo Rytkonen, to tell Vänskä to leave Nightwish some time after the release of Over the Hills and Far Away, when he felt that the musical differences between the two men were posing a threat to the band. He was soon replaced by Marco Hietala, former bassist of Sinergy. Vänskä has played in the jazzband "Root Remedy" ever since he left Nightwish. Sami used a natural finish Warwick Corvette and a white Spector bass guitar during his time in Nightwish.