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(from left) Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, and Ginger Baker perform live at the Royal Albert Hall in London on November 26, 1968

Cream were one of the loudest rock bands of their time – that excessive volume helped tear the band apart

By Jackson Maxwell published

During Cream's late '60s heyday, and again during their brief reunion in 2005, drummer Ginger Baker felt that both his – and even Eric Clapton's – contributions were often drowned out by bandmate Jack Bruce's

Berry Oakley onstage with the Allman Brothers Band.

Berry Oakley set the template for the Allman Brothers Band with a modified ’72 Jazz, known as ‘The Tractor’

By Nick Wells published

Oakley added a Hagstrom Bi-Sonic pickup to his 1972 Jazz Bass, giving him a total of three pickups and five control knobs

Chris Wolstenholme of Muse performs during the 2017 Lollapalooza Day One at Grant Park on August 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois.

“Somebody said, ‘Why don't you try slap bass?’” Chris Wolstenholme switched up his tone and technique on Muse’s The Resistance

By Nick Wells published

Monstrous tones (and a massive signal chain) are just part of Chris Wolstenholme’s bass evolution with Muse

John Lennon 1970 Plastic Ono on "Top Of The Pops" & The Plastic U.F.Ono Band: Jim Keltner, Gordon Edwards, Rick Marotta, Yoko Ono, David Spinozza, Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Kenny Asher.San Diego, CA, 17 Sep 1973

Session bassist Gordon Edwards laid it down on this classic John Lennon ballad

By Nick Wells published

A close connection with John Lennon's musical arranger put Gordon Edwards in the studio for 1973’s Mind Games

Larry Graham performs at Billboard Live on May 5, 2014 in Tokyo, Japan.

Larry Graham explains how his unorthodox six-string style invented slap bass

By Nick Wells published

How the father of slap bass drove the world’s grooviest band

Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 performs during Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Mark Hoppus explains why he switched to Kemper and Quad Cortex for blink-182’s mammoth arena shows

By Michael Astley-Brown published

The blink-182 bassist conducted tone tests to make sure the modelers could match his previous tube rigs

(from left) Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton perform onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 2, 1968

Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker recount the wild story of Cream, rock's pioneering power trio

By John McDermott published

Cream changed rock forever, but within less than three years, internal and external tensions pulled them apart. This is their story, as told from within

Raphael Saadiq at Royal Albert Hall in London, England

Super-producer Raphael Saadiq on why it's challenging to be the lead singer and play bass simultaneously

By Janelle Borg published

Saadiq reveals that while he played on Tony! Toni! Toné! records, he felt like he could never sing while playing bass live due to rhythmic differences

Andrew Watt performs onstage during the Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

Super-producer Andrew Watt reveals his secret to convincing music legends to collaborate

By Janelle Borg published

From recruiting Paul McCartney and Elton John to play on the latest Rolling Stones album, to scoring a global hit with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Watt has quickly established himself as an artist matchmaker

Positive Grid Spark EDGE

Positive Grid’s new AI-equipped Edge might be the ultimate PA for busking guitarists

By Matt Owen published

Positive Grid has turned its attention to musicians on the move with an app-compatible, amp modeling PA that can create AI guitar tones from user prompts

Richard Bona performs on stage with a five string bass circa 2000.

How Richard Bona found a rare Pastorius tune for his Brazilian-inspired solo album

By Nick Wells published

Bass worshippers will need to listen between the layers to catch the bottom-end brilliance of Bona’s Jaco tribute

Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery performs at The Pearl concert theater at the Palms Casino Resort May 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band, touring with all four original members for the first time since 1991, released the four-disc box set, "A Cabinet of Curiosities" in April.

“Flea said I might get the gig”: Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery recalls his 2003 audition for Metallica

By Brian Fox published

After surviving Jane’s Addiction and touring with Alanis Morissette, Eric Avery was granted an audition with metal giants Metallica

Zakk Wylde, Ozzy Osbourne and Wolfgang Van Halen

Ozzy Osbourne’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction will feature performances from Wolfgang Van Halen and more

By Matt Owen published

Robert Trujillo, Chad Smith and Steve Stevens will also take part in the ceremony, which will feature an induction speech from Jack Black

Geezer Butler, ofBlack Sabbath performs at Ozzfest 2016 at San Manuel Amphitheater on September 24, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.

Geezer Butler names his favorite bassist of all time

By Joel McIver published

His basslines with Black Sabbath are iconic, but Geezer Butler’s still a fan with his own four-string idols

Fender Limited Edition Mark Hoppus Jaguar Bass

Mark Hoppus combines Jaguar, Precision and Jazz Bass parts on his new Fender signature model

By Michael Astley-Brown published

The blink-182 bassist’s latest signature arrives over two decades after his first Fender model, and follows bandmate Tom DeLonge’s recent Starcaster guitar

IK Multimedia TONEX in white

IK Multimedia takes aim at Nano Cortex with free TONEX upgrade – making the modeler more versatile than ever

By Matt Owen published

An updated suite of effects, AmpliTube 5 X integration and a new-look version of the TONEX headline IK Multimedia's anniversary celebrations for its game-changing amp modeler

Bass player Dirk Lance performs live with his funk-metal band, Incubus at the Santa Barbara County Bowl October 20, 2000 in Santa Barbara, CA.

“I needed to get out of the way of it”: OG Incubus bassist Dirk Lance on how Drive taught him to stop overplaying

By Michael Astley-Brown published

Alex Katunich’s busy slap and pop basslines fueled much of the band’s early output, but in a rare new interview, he explains how their biggest hit forced him to take a step back

A collection of three Harley Benton guitars

Harley Benton is now shipping direct in the US for the first time via a new Reverb store

By Matt Owen published

The champion of cheap gear is extending its influence overseas, and will be shipping directly to US players through a new virtual storefront

Bassist-singer John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford perform with King Crimson in New York, 1974.

John Wetton has been the bass force behind a peak-period King Crimson lineup and two prog rock supergroups

By Chris Jisi published

A veteran of one of King Crimson’s classic lineups, John Wetton’s amazing career took him through a host of British prog bands

Goliath FX Hornburg pedal

“Thrill-seekers wishing to add ear-melting fuzz to their bass will be in tonal nirvana”: Goliath FX Hornburg Fuzz review

By Nick Wells published

With drive tones verging on the mythical, is this the ultimate bass fuzz?