Latest articles by Nick Wells
Flea has announced his debut solo album – but he’s not the only bassist playing on it
After decades of anticipation, Flea’s debut single pulls no punches, with two bassists linking seamlessly on the song’s darting bassline
When Michael Anthony met the self-proclaimed “greatest bass player in the world”, Jaco Pastorius
How the accidental meeting of two of the ’70s and ’80s greatest bass icons – neither recognised by the other – came about in a Tokyo hotel
How a hypnotic ‘Mani’ bassline propelled one of the Stone Roses’ finest moments
Mani famously played a paint-splattered Rickenbacker El Dorado bass through a Mesa/Boogie rig on this 1989 indie-pop classic
L.A. session bassist Pops Magellan walked away from stadium shows with megastars to shine the spotlight on her own material
Following career-defining gigs with Adam Lambert and Avril Lavigne, Brazillian-born Pops Magellan is forging ahead with a short-scale Fender and an MXR Phase 90
When a young Bootsy Collins joined James Brown’s band, the Godfather of Funk bought him a Fender Jazz Bass. Now it’s up for auction
Following Bootsy’s departure from the JBs in 1972, the bass continued its life on stage with Fred Thomas, another of Brown’s longtime bassists
John Paul Jones’ best Led Zeppelin basslines
A choirmaster, organist and expert in many archaic music styles, John Paul Jones also happened to play bass guitar in the biggest heavy rock band there has ever been
Few bassists can match the technical ability of Mohini Dey, thanks to her work with Steve Vai, Willow Smith and just about everyone else
The very definition of ‘prodigy’, Mumbai-born bassist Mohini Dey has enjoyed a rapid ascent to worldwide renown. And she’s only just getting started
How Paz Lenchantin’s departure from the Pixies led to her first-ever solo album
She’s played in some of alternative music’s biggest bands. Now Lenchantin is back with a solo album fueled by a vintage P-Bass that Billy Corgan inspired her to buy
How Geddy Lee created one of the most outrageous bass tones of all time for a Rush fantasy classic
The Rush frontman played a Rickenbacker 4001 on nearly every track from 1975’s Fly By Night, but found a new bass sound for the role of By-Tor
The chance meeting between Pino Palladino and D’Angelo that helped create the sound of the vaunted Voodoo album
The A-list bassist sheds some light on the late R&B legend's beguiling behind-the-beat hip-hop grooves
Nashville session bassist Travis Dykes spent $136 building a bass from Temu parts. Now he’s playing it on some seriously big gigs
From legendary Nashville sessions to performing on the world's biggest stages, Travis Dykes charts the surprise success of the budget bass he built in a day
How Christian McBride reunited The Police duo for his latest solo outing
Sting and Andy Summers joined McBride for a jazz-tinged version of a Synchronicity-era Police classic
From gigging in strip clubs to recording with John Martyn and Kate Bush, Danny Thompson walked a singular path in bass playing
Beginning with his early days amid London’s jazz and blues boom in the ’50s, to his famed partnership with singer-songwriter John Martyn, the late Danny Thompson excelled at everything he touched
As Musical Director for Kendrick Lamar, Tony Russell could be the greatest bass player you've never heard of
He’s played with Usher, Jamie Foxx, P. Diddy, and Jay-Z – is Tony ‘Chicago’ Russell the best-kept secret in bass?
11 real-life Spinal Tap moments from bass playing royalty
Bass legends Victor Wooten, Thundercat, Duff McKagan and more share their own moments of outrage, downright stupidity and absolute genius
Adrian Younge reveals the inspiration behind his half-fretless Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass
Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar, Younge joined forces with Master Builder Vincent Van Trigt to recreate his favourite bass sound
Having played in the Pixies, Zwan, and A Perfect Circle, Paz Lenchantin knows a thing or two about the bass guitar and its role in rock
Former Pixies bassist Paz Lenchantin still has a few tricks up her sleeve, including a debut solo album
How Phil Lynott narrowly missed the chance to form a supergroup alongside Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
The name Baby Face would end up being used as a song title on Thin Lizzy’s next album
How Peter Hook invented an unheard-of approach to punk-rock bass playing
With Joy Division, Peter Hook’s upper-register basslines were plucked straight from a rhythm guitarist’s handbook
Danny Sapko on social media scandals, his 80’s-inspired AI rock band – and how the ‘Dipstick Lick’ broke America
Having taken on the crowded playing-field of social media, it’s been quite a year for infamous YouTuber Danny Sapko
Marrying savage hooks to technical prowess, Jon Modell is proof of just how heavy a 5-string bass can be in modern metal
Bassist Jon Modell looks back on the band’s early days – and the influence guitarist Greg Kubacki has had on his sound
Bassist Ronnie Ficarro on taking Wolfgang Van Halen’s studio sound to the stage
Ronnie Ficarro explains the nuances of pick playing, why tone can make or break a band, and how he stumbled upon slap bass for Mammoth’s latest single
Before Robert Trujillo and Jason Newsted, Cliff Burton set the musical bar for Metallica and established an indelible legacy
Cliff Burton’s playing style may have been an offbeat fit for the cutting-edge thrash of Metallica, but it worked perfectly
