The crazy method a thief used to steal 50 bass guitars – including one belonging to Guy Pratt
The session ace lost his beloved during a spree of thefts, and he’s still looking for it today
Latest
Alex Van Halen says they tried to recruit Michael Anthony for Van Halen’s David Lee Roth reunion
Wolfgang Van Halen would take Anthony’s place, but he didn’t get the gig because of “family influences,” the drummer says
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Best guitar cleaning kits and tools 2026: Keep your guitar looking and sounding sweet
Keep your instrument in its prime with my pick of the best cleaning kits and maintenance tools
“Jaco said, ‘If you ever need a sub, call me!” When Chicago’s Peter Cetera met Jaco Pastorius
Peter Cetera tells the story of how he met Jaco – and got to know bass legends Willie Weeks, Carol Kaye and Duck Dunn
How Mike Dirnt honed his signature bass tone for Green Day’s Revolution Radio – and why it all starts with the wrist
Working with Fender, Dirnt built a bass rig that allowed him to ditch distortion pedals and harness his distinctive sound
Jason Newsted explains how addiction struggles led to his Metallica departure
The bassist says he was a “horrible addict” and needed to leave the band for his own sake
38 bassists appeared on Bob Dylan albums before Tony Garnier came onboard. In the 37 years since, no others have
With a career backing artists like Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Chuck Berry, and Tom Waits, Tony Garnier is a walking textbook of bass history
Bassists
“Jaco said, ‘If you ever need a sub, call me!” When Chicago’s Peter Cetera met Jaco Pastorius
Peter Cetera tells the story of how he met Jaco – and got to know bass legends Willie Weeks, Carol Kaye and Duck Dunn
How Mike Dirnt honed his signature bass tone for Green Day’s Revolution Radio – and why it all starts with the wrist
Working with Fender, Dirnt built a bass rig that allowed him to ditch distortion pedals and harness his distinctive sound
Jason Newsted explains how addiction struggles led to his Metallica departure
The bassist says he was a “horrible addict” and needed to leave the band for his own sake
38 bassists appeared on Bob Dylan albums before Tony Garnier came onboard. In the 37 years since, no others have
With a career backing artists like Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Chuck Berry, and Tom Waits, Tony Garnier is a walking textbook of bass history
Gary Shea’s never-say-never approach to Alcatrazz, New England… and maybe even Vinnie Vincent
The left-handed bassist discusses the pitfalls of being with Kiss’ management, selling his Ampeg gear to Malmsteen’s band, and releasing a record that shows what might have been with Vincent
When Bakithi Kumalo got the call to audition for Paul Simon’s 1986 multi-platinum album
Kumalo had been helping out a local mechanic when he was invited to Ovation Studios in downtown Johannesburg
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Korn bassist Ra Díaz recovers 15 stolen bass guitars with help from the community
A musician in Henderson, Nevada, spotted some of Díaz's instruments at a local music store
Bass Gear
The crazy method a thief used to steal 50 bass guitars – including one belonging to Guy Pratt
The session ace lost his beloved during a spree of thefts, and he’s still looking for it today
“A small yet mighty gig bag hero”: Mesa/Boogie launches powerhouse preamp/DI with all the tone-shaping capabilities of its high-end Subway line
A blockbuster sequel to the original, the Subway+ Bass DI‑Preamp II offers bassists everything they need in one compact housing that's 40 per cent smaller than its predecessor
How fretless bass master Steve DiGiorgio embraced frets on Testament’s 2016 metal masterstroke
For Brotherhood of the Snake, DiGiorgio wielded little more than a stock 1978 Rickenbacker 4001
Best budget bass amps 2026: brilliant bass tone without a hefty price tag
Deliver low-end punch without the high-end price tag: the best budget bass amps from Fender, Ampeg and more
The moment Wings’ former sound engineer had to tell Paul McCartney his priceless Höfner bass guitar had been stolen
The 500/1 violin bass was a cornerstone of the Beatles’ early successes, but went missing for 50 years after it was stolen in 1972
A storm is coming as Gibson unveils modernized Thunderbird bass
New take on the bass combines heritage with modern performance
“It’s clearly had a lot of thought put into making it as flexible and useful as possible”: Laney Digbeth DB-EAST review
Over a long, distinguished career, Nathan East has never had a signature amp. Until now…
Reviews
“It’s clearly had a lot of thought put into making it as flexible and useful as possible”: Laney Digbeth DB-EAST review
Over a long, distinguished career, Nathan East has never had a signature amp. Until now…
“Those cleaner tones are very characterful and usable, evoking classic tube-driven bass amps”: Ashdown Geezer Butler Pedal of Doom review
Geezer Butler helped invent heavy metal. Here’s a slab of heavy metal bearing his name.
“Boss has packed some serious muscle into a small box... For its price, it’s going to be very tough to beat”: Boss GX-1B review
Boss's GX range of multi-effects gets a bass-specific baby brother...
“It vacuum-packs superb tones and incredible utility into a compact space”: IK Multimedia ToneX One Bass Edition review
Honey, I shrunk the Ampeg! And the Gallien-Krueger, and the Sansamp, and...
“It absolutely nails the sounds of the ‘60s when palm muted and picked”: Gretsch Electromatic CVT Bass Double-cut review
It's a reboot of the lesser-spotted Gretsch Corvette – but it's only got four strings!
“It evokes a cool old Jazz Bass that's picked up some useful mods over its life”: Squier Classic Vibe Active ’70s Jazz Bass review
Is it a '70s-inspired Jazz Bass? Is it a modernised active bass? Yes to both...
“It might not be to all tastes, but its retro charm and sonic potential are compelling indeed”: Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Bass review
Squier reissues an oddity from Fender's bass archives, complete with a Wide Range humbucker – is this its time?
