When Cliff Burton met Geddy Lee: “He started pacing, he started smoking pot, and he was like, ‘Oh my God!’” By Nick Wells published 6 June 23 Kirk Hammett remembers when Rush frontman Geddy Lee showed up at a Metallica show
Fender debuts sparkle-finished Mikey Way Jazz Bass – a glittering signature model that will appeal way beyond its My Chemical Romance associations By Matt Parker published 6 June 23 Fender has unveiled a stunning new limited-edition signature model for the MCR bassist
Best Father's Day gifts for bass players 2023: the ultimate gift guide for bassists By Daryl Robertson last updated 6 June 23 Show your bass-playing dad you care with our pick of bass accessories, pedals and must-have items
Level 42's debut album: a Britfunk classic that took slap bass and bent harmonics to a new, uh, level By Mike Brooks published 4 June 23 It's 1981 and the bass players of the UK are looking at their thumbs and wondering if they can keep up…
Veteran record producer Don Was names his 5 all-time favorite bassists By Karl Coryat published 2 June 23 Producer Don Was on his favorite players, how to get a great bass tone, and the most common mistakes people make in the studio
Ampeg SGT-DI review By Nick Wells published 2 June 23 With tube amp emulation and a built-in cab simulator, has Ampeg developed the perfect all-in-one pedal rig for bass players?
Another legendary amp brand has entered the Bluetooth speaker market. Is being Orange enough to stand out? By Matt Parker published 1 June 23 The Orange Box sees the UK-based firm joins the Bluetooth space race with a unique Class D and Class A/B design
Fender just released its most bizarre Squier Paranormal models yet By Matt Owen published 1 June 23 Feast your eyes on the Big F's latest assortment of alternate reality guitars, sure to send shivers down the spines of purists everywhere
Mooer unveils the Micro Looper II – is it destined to dethrone the TC Electronic Ditto as the go-to mini looper? By Matt Owen published 1 June 23 The feature-packed pedal has been released alongside the Micro Drummer II, with the pair aiming to make further waves in the mini pedal market
Flea names the one bassline that he would “go back and fix” from the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 1995 album, One Hot Minute By Scott Malandrone published 31 May 23 Flea on the making of One Hot Minute: “I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky!”
Duff McKagan: “I discovered my acoustic guitar as a refuge during Covid. It lessens the panic attacks” By Alison Richter published 31 May 23 The Guns N’ Roses bassist and songwriter speaks candidly about how trading the bottle for playing acoustic has helped his panic attack and mental health struggles
"Bewildering technique that went way beyond any standard root/5th ideas": Listen to John Entwistle’s isolated bass on My Generation By Nick Wells published 30 May 23 “You can’t talk about classic bass playing without mentioning The Who and Live at Leeds”
Bob Rock clarifies comments about Nikki Sixx’s recordings: “At no time did I ever actually think Nikki didn’t play bass on Mötley Crüe’s records” By Matt Parker published 30 May 23 The producer says Sixx was being “self-deprecating” at the time he made the reported comments to Rock
The legend of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is that James Jamerson was so drunk he played the bass lying down By Mike Brooks published 28 May 23 And yep, most of us can’t play those basslines standing up and completely sober
DigiTech just dropped a major announcement that made us even more excited about what's in store By Matt Owen published 26 May 23 Four of DigiTech and DOD’s most influential minds have returned to lead the renewed brands, and some huge pedal releases have already been teased
Tina Weymouth: “I know Bono used me to taunt Adam Clayton when U2 were starting out” By Gregory Isola published 26 May 23 One of the bass world’s most influential female figures talks gender stereotypes and why her small stature was “almost like a dare to boys”
Nikki Sixx once told Bob Rock he thought someone “replaced” his bass parts on early Mötley Crüe albums By Matt Parker published 26 May 23 The Mötley Crüe producer recalled a self-deprecating conversation he had during the making of Dr. Feelgood – and stressed Sixx is now “an amazing bass player”
Robert Trujillo: “We have more riffs than we know what to do with. With every handful of riffs we get out of Kirk, there’s another 500 we didn’t hear” By Amit Sharma published 26 May 23 Now a 20-year veteran as Metallica bassist, Trujillo details the secret weapons that locked in with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett's guitar tones on 72 Seasons, and the key to getting extra grit from fingerstyle bass
In 1965 Elvis Presley was playing bass guitar, with a little help from Paul McCartney By Nick Wells published 25 May 23 Paul McCartney: “He was trying to learn bass, so I was like, ‘sit down, let me show you a few things’”
Bill Lee, jazz bassist, composer and father of Spike Lee, dies aged 94 By Matt Owen published 25 May 23 The double bass loyalist who rejected the rising wave of electric basses in the '70s worked with Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Gordon Lightfoot and more, and scored Spike's first four feature films
