“I grabbed a diaper and shoved it under the strings near the bridge”: How Tony Levin came up with his muted bass tone on Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up By Nick Wells published 30 September 23 Peter Gabriel called it the “super wonder nappy sound”
“It sounds like Lindsey Buckingham meets The Clash!” That time Duff McKagan played bass for the Manic Street Preachers By Nick Wells published 29 September 23 Nicky Wire on working with Duff and why Guns N’ Roses are the best band ever
After three years of waiting, Neural DSP reveals Quad Cortex plugin compatibility is finally on the cards By Michael Astley-Brown published 28 September 23 Archetype: Plini will be the first plugin to be compatible with the all-powerful amp modeler, starting next month – well, sort of…
“I think a bass solo can be as exciting as a guitar solo – if not more”: Listen to John Entwistle’s live bass solo on The Who’s 5:15 By Nick Wells published 28 September 23 John Entwistle proves why bass solos aren't always a bad idea
Yamaha, Korg and Roland named among five instrument firms facing UK class action lawsuit for fixing prices By Matt Parker published 27 September 23 The move follows similar action taken against Fender in 2022, with UK customers potentially due compensation
Best looper pedals 2023: go it alone with the greatest loop pedals for practice, live performance and jamming By Alex Lynham last updated 26 September 23 Whether you're writing songs or woodshedding solos, using a loop pedal will make you a better guitarist – these are the best looper pedals from Boss, TC Electronic, Line 6 and more
The next step in the evolution of Ampeg? The new Venture Series promises a welcome return for Super Grit Technology – and starts at $499 By Nick Wells published 26 September 23 Ampeg looks to enter modern overdrive territory with its new Venture Series of amps and cabinets
Jam with legends of Heart, Stone Temple Pilots and AC/DC: Nancy Wilson, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo confirmed for Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp 2024 By Jonathan Horsley published 26 September 23 And Chris Slade of AC/DC and the Firm will be on the drums
“I'd never heard somebody play the bass like that”: How Don Blackman’s 1982 classic album inspired a young Marcus Miller By Chris Jisi published 25 September 23 The session ace-turned-solo artist recalls his earliest bass hero, and the swung-funk bassline on Don Blackman’s Heart’s Desire
“Hearing Jaco Pastorius changed my life. I took the frets out of my first bass because of Jaco! He could make you like the bass, whether you liked it or not”: Victor Wooten names 10 bassists who shaped his sound By Amit Sharma published 24 September 23 One of the bass guitar’s all-time greats on how Béla Fleck got him into Paul McCartney, the time Stanley Clarke sent him a broken bass string, and why Marcus Miller is “so good, he can play on something and you won’t know it’s him”
“Angry, aggressive, loud and brutal”: Combined, these 36 fuzz pedals are a literal work of art – individually, they sound terrifying By Michael Astley-Brown published 22 September 23 Only the Dead… is the latest jaw-dropping stompbox from Gone Fishing Effects – the brainchild of guitar tech to the stars Richard ‘Churd’ Pratt
“You played on Midnight Train to Georgia? You don’t need no other credits!” How Bob Babbitt bolstered a ‘70s soul classic with a touch of James Jamerson By Chris Jisi published 22 September 23 A graduate of “Motown Funk University,” Babbitt said that he took from James Jamerson, but rightly so: “he was the original”
“The most ambitious pedal release I’ve undertaken since first opening shop”: The mini pedal market will never be the same again as Electro-Harmonix drops its all-new Pico lineup in its entirety By Matt Owen published 21 September 23 Downsizing some of Mike Matthews and co's most celebrated effects, EHX's sizable shake-up of the status quo ushers in the arrival of ultra-powerful units and all-new effects
Boss stakes its claim for the biggest-sounding desktop amp yet as the wireless Katana-Air gets an overhaul By Matt Owen published 21 September 23 For the first time since 2018, the firm’s Katana-Air receives a much-deserved upgrade – and the new-for-2023 Katana-Air EX takes the platform to new heights
“Red-blooded overdrive without shaking the foundations”: Is Ashdown's upgraded CTM-15 desktop bass amp the ultimate recording rig for tube fans? By Nick Wells published 21 September 23 A “low-wattage powerhouse,” the Ashdown CTM-15 now features a built-in load and headphone output
The ultimate all-in-one guitar and vocal rig? HeadRush continues its assault on the modeling market with amp-cloning, Auto-Tune-loaded Core FX processor By Matt Owen published 20 September 23 Streamlined version of the brand's feature-packed Prime amp modeler and multi-FX unit might just have Line 6 and Neural DSP looking over their shoulder
“Gene Simmons is breaking ground again”: Gibson unveils second signature bass guitar for the Kiss icon – and it’s the brand’s first 30.5” scale custom shop model By Matt Owen published 20 September 23 Following Simmons' G² Thunderbird model from last year, the limited-edition EB-0 is based on the bassist's heavily modded '59 example, which he used throughout the 1970s
“A harmonious chord between tradition and evolution”: Fender debuts the Vintera II Series – bringing back the Bass VI, a Nirvana-inspired Mustang and a wealth of vintage-spec’d models By Matt Owen published 19 September 23 A Nocaster and Kurt Cobain-esque Competition Mustang line up alongside a new suite of Strats, Teles, Jazzmasters and Jags, all of which aim to give modern players access to Golden Era guitars – complete with the return of rosewood fretboards
“The bass world has lost a giant”: Dave Roe, the all-rounder who played with Johnny Cash, has died aged 71 By Nick Wells published 19 September 23 As the last member of the Tennessee Three, Dave Roe defined the groove of Nashville's country music scene
“The best way to get the bass sound I wanted was to play like Larry Graham. But it wasn’t fast enough for me”: Victor Wooten sums up his game-changing slap technique By Nick Wells published 15 September 23 Victor Wooten’s double thumb technique is unlike any other – and he has Larry Graham to thank
