Joel McIver

Joel McIver

Joel McIver was the Editor of Bass Player magazine from 2018 to 2022, having spent six years before that editing Bass Guitar magazine. A journalist with 25 years' experience in the music field, he's also the author of 35 books, a couple of bestsellers among them. He regularly appears on podcasts, radio and TV.

Articles by: Joel McIver

Robert Trujillo of Metallica performs at Yankee Stadium on September 14, 2011 in New York City. Photo of Jaco Pastorius Photo by Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

“We walk into this music store, and the owner is making sure we didn't turn up with a lawyer – and then Robert Trujillo came in and saved the day!” The amazing story of how Jaco's Bass of Doom made its way back to Felix Pastorius

By Joel McIver published

Stolen in 1982, the bass vanished from the public eye until 2006 when it resurfaced in a New York music store

Tim Commerford of Rage Against The Machine performs on stage at Finsbury Park on June 6, 2010 in London, England.

“When I went into that fire burn I was thinking, ‘What's the worst that could happen?’” That time Rage Against the Machine's Tim Commerford injected himself with steroids then set himself on fire

By Joel McIver published

The RATM bassist went all out for Future User’s Mountain Lion video – which also features a cameo by Lance Armstrong

Charlie Watts, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger and Darryl Jones perform with the Rolling Stones at Ciudad Deportiva on March 25, 2016 in Havana, Cuba.

“I said, ‘This is what Bill played’ and Mick said, ‘No no, don't play that!’” When he joined the Rolling Stones, Darryl Jones had to change the way he approached classic Bill Wyman basslines

By Joel McIver published

The Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones looks back on joining the fold in 1993

Bassist Bootsy Collins performs at PNC Music Pavilion on July 22, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina

“James would always try to break you down. Any time you played a great gig, he'd call you into his dressing room and say, ‘You just ain't on it. You ain't on the one!’” If you play funk, you owe Bootsy Collins – the bass legend who played with James Brown

By Joel McIver published

Bootsy Collins is a legend not just for his interstellar bass playing, but also for his star-shaped bass guitars

Dingwall Guitars JT Signature

“If you can handle the fanned frets, this is a bass you’ll cherish for decades”: Dingwall John Taylor Signature review

By Joel McIver published

After playing a custom Dingwall live with Duran Duran, John Taylor has launched his production model, loaded with a new bridge design, a Rupert Neve Design preamp to die for and a monster tonal range

Steve White of The Bootleg Beatles performs on stage as Paul McCartney at British Summer Time Festival at Hyde Park on July 13, 2014 in London, United Kingdom.

“I bought a right-handed Hofner, re-strung it and learned to play like a lefty, which was a nightmare”: How The Bootleg Beatles’ Steve White became a carbon-copy Paul McCartney

By Joel McIver published

Think you can play a bit like Sir Paul? It’s not as easy as you think, says Bootleg Beatles bassist Steve White

Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at Lollapalooza, Waterloo, New Jersey, August 1, 1991.

“John Lydon once made a stab at poaching Flea for Public Image. At which point Flea keeled over and passed out”: Anthony Kiedis takes a nostalgic look back at Flea’s finest hour from Blood Sugar Sex Magik

By Joel McIver published

Flea’s reputation as a killer bass player almost saw him lured away from the Red Hot Chili Peppers

India bass prodigy, Mohini Dey, plays for an artist demo at the SIT Strings booth during the NAMM Show on January 25, 2019, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA

“On four-strings you have to jump to get the second octave, but on the five-string it’s right there”: Mohini Dey reflects on her switch to five-string basses – and the advice her dad gave her about Jaco

By Joel McIver published

Mohini Dey has achieved more with the bass guitar than most of us achieve in a lifetime. And she’s only just getting started

Bassist Rudy Sarzo (L) and singer/guitarist John Corabi perform at the Monster Circus show at the Las Vegas Hilton March 26, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show combines a concert featuring veteran rock stars performing hit songs from the '70s, '80s and '90s with dancers, aerialists and circus acts.

“Randy Rhoads trusted me. He put his reputation with Sharon and Ozzy on the line to bring me in”: Rudy Sarzo talks Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne and reshaping his bass tone for Whitesnake

By Joel McIver published

With his work covering six decades of music, Rudy Sarzo has seen things we wouldn’t believe, from the world’s biggest stages to the darkest of tour buses

Freekbass

“Don’t sell your first bass. Even if you never play it again, in later life you’ll wish you still had it”: With a stage name coined by Bootsy Collins, Freekbass names the one bass that “like an idiot” he ended up selling

By Joel McIver published

Chris ‘Freekbass’ Sherman on how a Rickenbacker and a BC Rich (via Tiran Porter from the Doobie Brothers) set him on a lifelong low-end path

Billy Gould of Faith No More performs on stage on day 1 of Download Festival at Donington Park on June 12, 2009 in Donington, England.

“Slap bass has that metallic sound, like a hammer. If you played bass with a pick it wouldn’t sound the same. Actually, I did that on Epic”: How Billy Gould crafted his driving bass tone on Faith No More’s biggest hits

By Joel McIver published

Billy Gould’s funk bass leanings powered We Care A Lot and Epic by San Francisco rockers Faith No More

American trumpeter and composer Miles Davis (1926 - 1991) performing at the Newport Jazz Festival at Newport, Rhode Island, 5th July 1969. Behind Davis are Jack DeJohnette on drums and Dave Holland on bass.

“If I had tried to be another Ron Carter I would have failed. I don’t think that’s what Miles was looking for”: Dave Holland on the making of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew

By Joel McIver published

Few jazz bassists can match the pedigree of Dave Holland, thanks to his work with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Chick Corea and just about everyone else

Troy Sanders of Mastadon performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill on June 11, 2019 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

“As the bass player in a guitar-driven band, I don’t need to be in the spotlight. I don’t need to do any more than just rock out”: Troy Sanders on the perils and pleasures of playing bass in Mastodon

By Joel McIver published

According to Troy Sanders, when it comes to laying down the bass parts in Mastodon, restraint is the key

Sting performs at Mediolanum Forum of Assago on December 11, 2023 in Milan, Italy.

“Am I a good bassist? I’m a f**king good bassist!” Sting on bass playing, Cream and his “battered looking” P-Bass

By Joel McIver published

From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with Sting

Rex Brown from the band Pantera performs on stage during day 3 of Tons Of Rock 2023 at on June 23, 2023 in Oslo,

“I hate punching in. If you don’t have your bassline down, you shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing”: Rex Brown reveals the tricks behind his super-heavy bass technique

By Joel McIver published

Pantera bassist Rex Brown on his precision-engineered picking technique, and why he’s not into “bouncing around with Pro Tools”

Billy Sheehan from Mr Big performs at Le Bataclan on September 21, 2011 in Paris, France.

“You could play a one-string bass with a pick and still create amazing music”: Billy Sheehan disputes his reputation as “an overplaying icon of lead bass”

By Joel McIver published

For Mr Big and Sons Of Apollo bassist Billy Sheehan, there’s more to playing rock bass than mere mechanics

Cronos of Venom performs at the Inferno International Metal festival on April 15, 2022 in Oslo, Norway.

“Bass should stand on its own. It’s as powerful as the guitar”: Conrad Lant on his disdain for Ampeg SVTs and how he bought Andy Fraser’s Gibson EB-3 for £50 – “It was the exact one he played on All Right Now!”

By Joel McIver published

Venom, the original black metal band, have been invoking Old Nick since 1981. On the bass, meet Conrad Lant – ‘Cronos’ to the (black) masses

Shavo Odadjian, bassist of the band System of a Down, in concert at Firenze Rocks Festival. Florence, Italy. 25th June 2017

“We were auditioning for bass players, but most of the guys who came in were too good. One day I just said, ‘What if I play bass?’” Shavo Odadjian on why he switched from guitar to the bass

By Joel McIver published

Shavo Odadjian holds down the low-end in System of a Down, America’s most uncategorisable band

David Bowie performing with guitarist Mick Ronson at a live recording of 'The 1980 Floor Show' for the NBC 'Midnight Special' TV show, at The Marquee Club in London, with a specially invited audience of Bowie fanclub members, 20th October 1973.

“When you’re the bass player and it’s time for the solo, you go nuts, because you’ve been playing rhythm for everyone else for so long!” Tony Visconti on David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World

By Joel McIver published

Spurred on by guitarist Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti’s bass playing ranged from the wildest of improvised runs to proto-heavy-metal support

Les Claypool backstage on August 4, 1995 in New York City, New York. Lars Ulrich of Metallica performs at Royal Arena on February 3, 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“Lars said, ‘You’re not really used to this kind of music, are you?’” Les Claypool on his failed Metallica audition

By Joel McIver published

According to James Hetfield, Les Claypool was “too good” for the thrash metal giants

Frank Bello of Anthrax performs at Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre on May 27, 2018 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Tech 21 SansAmp Street Driver 48 review – a new Frank Bello signature amp pedal that delivers the full range of the Anthrax bassist's tones, and then some

By Joel McIver published

Yes, the monstrous drive tones are unmistakable, but this impressively versatile SansAmp unit is not only about unhinged distortion that will terrify your neighbour’s cat

Origin Effects DCX Bass Tone Shaper & Drive

Origin Effects DCX Bass Tone Shaper & Drive review – an exhaustive pedal that will give your bass a range of sounds you never knew you needed

By Joel McIver published

Designed to add analog color to your tone, Origin Effects’ DCX Bass unit gives you a host of old-school studio sounds in a box

Cordell Crockett of Ugly Kid Joe performs at KK's Steel Mill on November 11, 2022 in Wolverhampton, England.

“Even John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Sting, and Steve Harris dig this guy”: Cordell Crockett of Ugly Kid Joe reels off 5 albums that shaped his sound

By Joel McIver published

Ugly Kid Joe’s long-term bassist reflects on Sgt. Pepper, and why Michael Anthony had the “hardest gig” supporting Eddie Van Halen

Ian Hill of Judas Priest performs in support of the Redeemer Of Souls Tour at Fox theater on October 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan.

“McCartney was fantastic. Mind you, I tried one of those Hofner basses and I thought it was crap”: Judas Priest’s heavy metal veteran Ian Hill picks his top 5 bass albums

By Joel McIver published

From the Beatles to the Bluesbreakers, we asked Ian Hill to name five albums that helped him along the righteous path to metal glory with Judas Priest

A group portrait of Simple Minds, near Edinburgh, Scotland, 27th August 1981. L-R Derek Forbes, Charlie Burchill, Kenny Hyslop, Mick MacNeil and Jim Kerr.

“My playing was a response to whoever said, ‘Bass should be felt and not heard’. To me, bass should be like warfare!” Derek Forbes, founder member of Simple Minds, on his five best basslines

By Joel McIver published

Derek Forbes was Simple Minds’ bassist from 1978 to 1985. Here he explains how he was inspired by Andy Fraser and Stanley Clarke, why he prefers Precision to Jazz, and the influence of magic mushrooms...