Bass Player

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John Paul Jones live on stage at Download Festival, June 11, 2010, Donington Park.

“When Jimmy Page first saw my 8-string rig, he said, ‘I’m not playing to that!’” John Paul Jones on his 10 greatest moments with Led Zeppelin

By Nick Wells published

From the pounding riffs of Black Dog to the monomania of Achilles Last Stand, we check out some Led Zeppelin history

Ian Hill of Judas Priest performs in support of the Redeemer Of Souls Tour at Fox theater on October 19, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan.

“McCartney was fantastic. Mind you, I tried one of those Hofner basses and I thought it was crap”: Judas Priest’s heavy metal veteran Ian Hill picks his top 5 bass albums

By Joel McIver published

From the Beatles to the Bluesbreakers, we asked Ian Hill to name five albums that helped him along the righteous path to metal glory with Judas Priest

Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T. & the MGs

“Paul McCartney was one of my favorite bass players. I didn’t do him justice”: Paying tribute to the Beatles turned out to be a humbling experience for Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

By Nick Wells published

As a member of Booker T. and the MGs, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn cut an instrumental version of the Beatles’ Abbey Road. But the experience wasn't all that satisfying...

George Johnson (L) and Louis Johnson (R) from the Brothers Johnson perform live at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1976

“We had it in about two takes. The funk was there as soon as we hit it”: Watch Louis 'thunder thumbs' Johnson slap a classic bass solo on the Brothers Johnson’s Stomp!

By Chris Jisi published

Johnson used a Music Man StingRay (which he helped design), and strung it with new D’Addario roundwounds 

American jazz trumpet player Miles Davis and bass player Darryl Jones perform at North Sea Jazz festival, The Hague, Netherlands, 13 July 1985.

“I introduced Sting to Miles Davis, and that blew Sting’s mind!” Darryl Jones on providing the punch for Sting, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones

By Chris Jisi published

After stints with Miles Davis, Madonna, and Sting, Darryl Jones found a home on The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge

A group portrait of Simple Minds, near Edinburgh, Scotland, 27th August 1981. L-R Derek Forbes, Charlie Burchill, Kenny Hyslop, Mick MacNeil and Jim Kerr.

“My playing was a response to whoever said, ‘Bass should be felt and not heard’. To me, bass should be like warfare!” Derek Forbes, founder member of Simple Minds, on his five best basslines

By Joel McIver published

Derek Forbes was Simple Minds’ bassist from 1978 to 1985. Here he explains how he was inspired by Andy Fraser and Stanley Clarke, why he prefers Precision to Jazz, and the influence of magic mushrooms...

Harley Benton Square Guitar Kit

Harley Benton launches new DIY guitar kits – and one lets you carve the body yourself

By Jonathan Horsley published

Forget dry-walling and tiling the bathroom. Here's a DIY project we can all get behind

Paul McCartney's 1960 Hofner bass and a 1962 Fender Stratocaster, played by the Beatles, is headed to auction

Paul McCartney’s “Paul McCartney Woz Here!” Hofner bass and a ’62 Strat played by the Beatles are headed to the auction block – and big money bids are forecasted

By Jonathan Horsley published

Elvis’ “Loving You” Gibson LG-1 acoustic has left the building, too – a little less conversation, a little more auction…

Legendary pianist and keyboardist Herbie Hancock performs 2 tracks from his 1973 album "Head Hunters" on Soul Train episode 110, aired 9/28/1974. Directly behind Herbie in a red shirt is jazz bassist Paul Jackson.

“I really liked the concept, but it was a bit impractical. My bass playing tends to rely more on my hands than any kind of trick”: Listen to Paul Jackson’s double-stop funk on Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man

By Nick Wells published

Paul Jackson’s big-bottomed stank came courtesy of his modified Fender Telecaster Bass, Geraldine

Tim Lefebvre of The Tedeschi Trucks Band performs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 25, 2014 in Denver, Colorado.

 “The higher up you wear your bass, the more it makes you think about what you’re playing. I don’t want to think that much”: Tim Lefebvre explains the belt-level placement of his low-slung P-Bass

By Chris Jisi published

From Tedeschi Trucks to Knower to Saturday Night Live, how Tim Lefebvre became the bass player everyone wants to work with

Cyber Monday 2023 bass guitar deals

The best discounts I've seen this Cyber Monday are almost all on bass guitars – with up to 44% off some of our best-reviewed models

By Matt Parker published

Bass discounts eclipse the offers on guitars this year – with almighty savings to be had on Fender, Spector, Guild, Squier, Sterling by Music Man and many more, it's a good time to go bass shopping

Bassist Bernard Edwards and Guitarist Nile Rodgers, both of the group Chic, in a recording studio, New York, New York, July 29, 1981.

“The last thing Bernard Edwards wanted to be was a bass player who used a pick”: Nile Rodgers on the funk behind Chic’s Le Freak

By Nick Wells published

In 1978 Bernard Edwards helped define one of the most distinctive sounds of disco

Amos Williams

“Fingers or pick? I’ll play bass with a drumstick! Whatever works for the song!“ How Amos Williams found his sound on TesseracT’s War of Being

By Nick Wells published

TesseracT's Amos Williams on why he used parallel distortion and a “Swiss Army knife of overdrive” on the band's new album

R.E.M., with bass player Mike Mills (L) and singer Michael Stipe, perform on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at the NBC Studios on October 28, 2003 in Burbank, California.

“Early on I discovered that the bass player decides the chord – not the guitar player”: R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on finding the perfect bass part and becoming a “one-bass guy”

By Karl Coryat published

From the Bass Player Archive: An interview with R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills

Singer Axl Rose (L) and bassist Tommy Stinson of Guns N' Roses perform at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino during the opening night of the band's second residency, "Guns N' Roses - An Evening of Destruction. No Trickery!" on May 21, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada

“I had the same punk-rock attack that Duff had. I wouldn’t be afraid to say I stole some of his stuff”: How Tommy Stinson survived the making of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy

By Brian Fox published

Tommy Stinson replaced Duff McKagan in 1998, but being the bassist in Guns N’ Roses takes work – a lot of it

Line 6 Helix family

“There’s no better time than now to make your move”: Line 6 continues to set the pace in the modeling arms race with yet another free feature-packed Helix firmware update

By Matt Owen published

A sought-after stock sim based on the Marshall JCM800 2203 and a suite of new effects heads up the “game-changing” update that looks to tempt players to the Line 6 ranks

Tony Newton performs onstage with G-Force at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on June 23, 1980

“All these older blues players would come to Detroit to play local clubs. I was too young to get in, so I’d cut my hair short and glue a mustache on my face”: Tony Newton on playing with Gary Moore, Allan Holdsworth, and holding down the pocket at Motown

By Andrew Daly published

A blues, fusion, and studio veteran, Tony Newton is a low-end titan who has covered incredible stylistic ground over the decades, but to him, it's all about simplicity. He recalls the lessons James Jamerson taught him, his experiences playing with guitar legends John Lee Hooker and T-Bone Walker, and what people don’t realize about the Motown sound

Stanley Clarke performs onstage at the 36th Anniversary Playboy Jazz Festival

When Stanley Clarke met Paul McCartney: “Paul asked me to show him how to slap!”

By Nick Wells published

Stanley Clarke made a key assist on Paul McCartney's early-80s albums Tug of War and Pipes of Peace

Taylor Beacon

“The ultimate multi-tool for guitar players”? Taylor’s upgraded Beacon might just be the most versatile clip-on tuner ever made

By Matt Owen published

Don't be fooled by its humble appearance – this five-in-one playing companion does so much more than just help keep your guitar in tune

(from left) Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani and Michael Anthony perform onstage at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center on October 18, 2014

“The music we created is going to outlive us all. It’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can”: Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony announce The Best of All Worlds – the next best thing to a Van Halen tribute tour

By Jackson Maxwell published

Though not explicitly a tribute, Hagar promises that the summer 2024 trek will feature a very Van Halen-heavy setlist