Latest articles by Nick Wells
For decades no-one even knew his name. This month, James Jamerson will have a street named after him
How James Jamerson became a bass guitar hero: with tributes from Jack Bruce, Suzi Quatro and Paul McCartney
“Wings are underrated. It’s difficult to follow The Beatles. It’s like following God”: How Paul McCartney quit the world's biggest band... and triumphed
In 1971 Paul McCartney announced the formation of his new group Wings, who rose in a few short years from college level to an American stadium phenomenon
“40 minutes of bass solos just ain’t going to work for me”: Meshell Ndgeocello on why she could never be as solo-orientated as Jaco Pastorius
Yes, she’s an A-list bass player, but for Meshell Ndgeocello the groove comes first
“You bassists who think your bass isn’t loud enough, you’re right! I always want my bass louder in the mix”: How Geddy Lee found his sound with Rush
Geddy Lee used distortion to “knit together” his live sound with Canada’s pioneering power trio
One of the strangest guitar mods of all time? How Leon Wilkeson adapted his Gibson Thunderbird following the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash in ‘77
The ’63 T-Bird had a metal extension added after Wilkeson injured his left arm in the crash
When TM Stevens met James Brown: “I said, ‘One day I'm going to play with you!’ He said, ‘Don't do it! Stay in school!’”
TM Stevens on meeting the Godfather of Soul and the bass players that helped shape his sound
“Our best amp yet”: Darkglass introduces the limited-edition Microtubes X 900
The X 900 promises power and projection without incurring the need for a back specialist into the bargain
"There was something about that picture of Marilyn that resonated with how I feel when I’m trying to get something right on the bass": Why Gail Ann Dorsey named her bass after Marilyn Monroe
The story behind the Bowie bassist’s iconic Music Man StingRay
“There’s not much swagger in that band.” For Glenn Hughes, joining Deep Purple wasn’t the clear-cut choice that you’d think
The ‘Voice of Rock' looks back on his decision to quit Trapeze in 1973, and why Ritchie Blackmore was “a bit eccentric”
“A lot of Sugar Hill records were clichéd bass riffs that DJs would spin in the clubs”: How a bassline by art-rockers Liquid Liquid became one of the biggest hip-hop anthems of all time
In 1983 Doug Wimbish was asked to recreate a bassline that was tearing up NYC clubs. Transformed into White Lines (Don’t Do It) it became an enormous worldwide hit – but the original creators never received a dime…
“Whenever we’d drop that bass riff, places would become unhinged”: Listen to Tim Commerford’s isolated bassline on Killing In The Name by Rage Against The Machine
The beginning of RATM best-known song is a sinister D plus octave of D#
John Lennon: “Willie Weeks was supposed to do it, but he was doing a George Harrison session”: In August 1980 John Lennon could have called just about any bass player on Earth. He went with Tony Levin
The King Crimson bassist recalls the making of Double Fantasy and why he laughed at The Beatle’s first ever words to him
Need more control over your tone? This new preamp from Aguilar was made to “push your bass sound to the limits”
The latest addition to Aguilar's pedal range is an all-analog preamp unit with a built-in boost
“So that harmonic, I'm kind of ripping The Firm's Radioactive”: How Jeff Ament discovered a slide harmonic on Pearl Jam’s Even Flow
“I remember accidentally hitting harmonics and sliding on it, so I just started experimenting”
“I remember thinking, ‘What would Paul McCartney do?’” How Justin Smolian channeled his inner Beatle with Dirty Honey
Dirty Honey's Justin Smolian opens up on touring with Guns N' Roses, and why Paul McCartney is still a bass playing genius
Randall Wyn Fullmer of Wyn Guitars has died, aged 73
The bass builder who collaborated with Abraham Laboriel and starred in the 2004 documentary, Restrung, has passed away
“I wrote Black Dog on a train. There was a Muddy Waters song with a riff that never ended...” How John Paul Jones wrote Led Zeppelin's Black Dog
Despite Jimmy Page’s masterful guitar playing, Black Dog was written by Led Zeppelin's bass hero John Paul Jones
“It was one of the few tunes that the band didn’t try to play live, but it’s definitive Jaco”: Discovering Jaco Pastorius and the making of Havona
Inside Jaco’s Weather Report audition and the recording of Heavy Weather's standout track
Session bass legend Mo Foster dies aged 78
The much-loved British bassist backed Jeff Beck, recorded with Phil Collins, and worked on two James Bond soundtracks
“On the fretted bass we call it the slap stopper!” What is a finger ramp and why should you use one?
Bass guru Gary Willis explains the origins of his signature ramp
“I don’t think George was too pleased with what I did with the bassline; I mean, I had to sell it to him!” Did Paul McCartney overplay on this Beatles’ Abbey Road hit?
Listen to the isolated bassline on one of the most covered songs in the Beatles catalogue
When Bootsy Collins met Larry Graham: “He handed me his bass, and I said, ‘Don't even try it. You play the bass, and I'll just watch’”
Why did funk legend Bootsy Collins refuse to jam with the godfather of slap bass?
Watch the world’s ‘leading solo bassist’ play four different bass guitars at the same time
Michael Manring: “I’d travel with four basses and I started getting asked: ‘Why don’t you play all of them at once?’”
