Latest articles by Nick Wells
Cliff Burton wrote one of Metallica’s heaviest riffs on a de-tuned classical guitar
Kirk Hammett: “To this day, I think: ‘How did Cliff write that?’”
Steve Lukather: "The bassline was easy. It wasn't like I had to be Jaco Pastorius"
How the legendary guitarist ended up playing bass on Michael Jackson’s Beat It
NAMM 2023: Dingwall Guitars launches the John Taylor Rio Dream Bass
The new John Taylor Signature model salutes Duran Duran’s breakthrough album
Thundercat: “People are telling me to turn down, and I’m like, No! I’m trying to burn down the stage!”
The 6-string superhero on his gigantic bass tone, and how he nearly set fire to the Sydney Opera House
10 reggae records that every bass fan should know
The 10 best reggae albums from Jamaica’s main bass men. From Sly and Robbie to Bob Marley and the Wailers
Dunlop Cry Baby Bass Wah: the most recognizable effects pedal ever made?
Classics don’t come much more heavyweight than the Cry Baby wah-wah and the 105Q Bass edition is no exception
Watch the trailer for Flea’s new podcast series
First guests on the show will include Rick Rubin, Patti Smith and Thundercat
Paul McCartney: “Somebody whispered to me ‘That’s Nirvana. You’re Kurt.’ I couldn’t believe it”
Bassist Krist Novoselic revisits the time the ex-Beatle fronted a Nirvana reunion gig
Geezer Butler: “Originally it was titled ‘Nib’, which was Bill’s beard and looked like a pen nib because it was pointy”
Geezer Butler explains the obscure title behind one of Black Sabbath’s most recognisable riffs
Watch Vulpeck's Joe Dart break down Flea and Victor Wooten's slap bass technique
How Will Smith brought back, er, slap: "The two main slap basslines of our generation were Will Smith samples..."
10 things you didn’t know about Carol Kaye
She played for Elvis, Sinatra, Spector, the Beach Boys - but just how did she do it?
Should Bill Wyman have gotten a songwriting credit for The Rolling Stones (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction?
Bill Wyman: “The fact of the matter is that my bassline made the song just as much as Keith’s guitar riff”
Andy Fraser: “It was me trying to impersonate Pete Townshend, who was, to me, the all-time greatest chord king”
How Free’s worst ever gig inspired one of the most iconic bass solos in rock
The Mu-Tron III: “Without it, there ain’t no Bootsy”
Everything you need to know about the iconic stomper from Musitronics
Epiphone Newport Bass review
All of the vintage Epiphone charm without the hefty price tag?
John Patitucci: “My gratitude for Wayne Shorter is boundless”
John Patitucci, Robert Trujillo, Flea, Felix Pastorius and many more pay tribute to jazz legend Wayne Shorter
“I don’t buy the idea that the bass player is the quiet one”: The 5 most notorious bass guitarists in rock
From Mötley Crüe hellraiser Nikki Sixx to GN‘R’s Duff McKagan
Why Flea’s bass track had to be fixed in the mix on Alanis Morissette's hit record
Mix Engineer Chris Fogel: “Flea was way out of time on You Oughta Know”
50 years ago: The Runaways’ guitarist Lita Ford was invited to replace John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin
Lita Ford: "Robert Plant says to me, ‘You’re really good on guitar. Would you like to play bass for Led Zeppelin?’”
Jeff Berlin explains why playing bass is like playing kazoo
Jeff Berlin enters the Dave Mustaine kazoo debate: “He’s right! What makes things interesting are the notes that we choose to play on this kazoo”
Is this the end of bass rigs as we know it?
With the launch of the Super Pre, Holly Bergantino says: “Big 8x10 bass cabinets are out!”
Megadeth's Dave Mustaine: “The bass isn’t a difficult instrument to play. It’s one step up from the kazoo, isn’t it?”
When Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine slammed all bass players on ABC News
Metallica’s Robert Trujillo: “Cliff’s approach was, ‘I’m gonna play what I feel, and if you don’t like it, screw you!’”
Trujillo remembers bass guitar’s ultimate metal maverick, Cliff Burton
