
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.
Latest articles by Joel McIver

James Jamerson or Carol Kaye: who played what? Uncovering the truth behind the Motown mystery
By Joel McIver published
Academic and bassist Brian F. Wright details his research into Motown's contested history

Geezer Butler heads up the new issue of Bass Player magazine
By Joel McIver published
The Black Sabbath icon is joined by Verdine White, Robert DeLeo, Nikki Sixx and more

Styx's Chuck Panozzo and Ricky Phillips share the low-end theories behind the AOR stalwarts' sound
By Joel McIver published
Panozzo and Phillips talk gear, the influence of Macca et al, and the ultimate mission behind new album Crash of the Crown

Trevor Bolder: “Bowie played you a song and you had one runthrough and that was it. Ziggy Stardust was recorded in a day“
By Joel McIver published
In this classic 2004 interview with the David Bowie bass legend, Bolder reflects on playing in the Spiders From Mars, Uriah Heep and the gear behind his sound

Charvel Pro-Mod San Dimas PJ IV and JJ V review
By Joel McIver published
Hot-rodded, Fender-inspired, with a touch of retro flair, these high-performance basses have a timeless appeal

Bass Player's new issue pays tribute to Dusty Hill
By Joel McIver published
Bass Player's new issue pays tribute to Dusty Hill

Davie504: "Slap bass is still the best for making videos on YouTube, because it's very easy to hear, on any kind of speaker"
By Joel McIver published
The internet's biggest low-end sensation on his remarkable bass journey so far – and what that '504' really means…

Putter Smith: "At 15 I got real serious about it, and at 16 I realized that my life’s work was to be a jazz bass player"
By Joel McIver published
The veteran jazz bassist and occasional James Bond adversary on playing with Thelonious Monk, bass heroes and favorite recordings

Gretsch G5442BDC Electromatic Bass review
By Joel McIver published
Comfortably vintage and sonically authentic, this red retro bass delivers the goods

Prince's bass players over the years: in their own words
By E.E. Bradman, Simon Price, Lindsey Borders, Joel McIver published
Prince, a masterful bassist in his own right, employed a series of phenomenal bass players. Let's met the team...

Was it James Jamerson or Carol Kaye? The new issue of Bass Player sheds light on the decades-old controversy
By Joel McIver published
The new issue of Bass Player is out now, and brings you a stack of interviews, a ton of reviews and the world's best lessons

Alex Webster: “Cannibal Corpse is always a ‘song first’ kind of thing... a big, heavy rhythm machine“
By Joel McIver published
The bass genius behind the ferocious death-metal killing machine on technique, songwriting and recovering from injury

Carlos Santana’s long-time bassist Benny Rietveld reflects on a career at the front line of expression
By Joel McIver published
Rietveld on playing with Miles Davis and Carlos Santana, the pivotal points in his prolific bass-playing career and the gear choices he swears by

The story of Paul McCartney and Wings
By Joel McIver published
It’s been 50 years since Macca walked away from the biggest band ever formed. Here's how his post-Beatles career took flight

Sam Kiszka: “The P-Bass has been proven to be the best bass, perhaps of all time. Leo Fender was one of the greatest revolutionaries of our time“
By Joel McIver published
As retro rockers Greta Van Fleet return with The Battle at Garden’s Gate, bassist Kiszka discusses his bass journey, GVF's influences and his essential gear

Tony Choy: "I’m a groove-oriented bass player – I love to stay in the pocket. I love the groove. We call it a kick drum with notes"
By Joel McIver published
The super-talented bassist, producer, arranger, manager and now educator isn’t taking the pandemic lying down. We meet the busiest man in bass...

Bootsy Collins: “It’s not about being the greatest bassist in the world – you want to do great, but learn some kind of discipline as well“
By Joel McIver published
With The Power of the One, the master takes a cast of stars for an album that lives and breathes funk

Foo Fighters' Nate Mendel: “After all these years, I've realized that notes are so much fatter with fingerstyle“
By Joel McIver published
The Foo Fighters bassist checks in to talk Medicine At Midnight, chasing overdriven tones and his newfound appreciation of fingerstyle bass

Yamaha Peter Hook BBPH review
By Joel McIver published
Hooky’s new, strictly limited-edition Yamaha BB is a stunning model based on his touring BB734A and legendary BB1200S

Trevor Dunn: “It’s in my personality to sit back and groove with the drummer – I took to bass immediately“
By Joel McIver published
With his groundbreaking work with Mr. Bungle, John Zorn and Tomahawk, Dunn is a bassist like no other

Thundercat: “Not every instrument carries the weight to be able to morph and change in the way that bass does“
By Joel McIver published
Want to learn the secrets of the universe? Then you’d better join us as we sit down with Stephen ‘Thundercat’ Bruner

Epiphone Jack Casady Bass review
By Joel McIver published
From the Tunas – sorry, tuners – to the bridge, Casady’s semi-hollow bass design endures into the 2020s

Ron Carter: “Miles Davis was great. He never told me what not to play. We’d never talk about changes or tempo“
By Joel McIver published
The jazz legend reflects on a life spent in pursuit of double bass excellence and explains why the best is yet to come
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