“The White Album was the first thing that I connected with as a kid”: Flea picks his top 5 ‘desert island’ discs By Nick Wells published 17 February 24 The Red Hot Chili Pepper was also asked to name his dream supergroup. Safe to say he picked himself on bass
The history of Paul McCartney and the Höfner 500/1 bass guitar By Nick Wass last updated 16 February 24 What made the violin bass Macca's number one through the Beatles years and beyond – and how he was reunited with his original Höfner, over 50 years after it disappeared
“I was never a huge Led Zeppelin fan, but I always loved that song, and the open strings just set it up for bass”: Watch Stuart Hamm’s bass arrangement of Led Zeppelin’s Going to California By Nick Wells published 16 February 24 Stuart Hamm walks you through the highlights of his fifth solo album, including a bass arrangement of a John Paul Jones classic
“I hate punching in. If you don’t have your bassline down, you shouldn’t be doing what you’re doing”: Rex Brown reveals the tricks behind his super-heavy bass technique By Joel McIver published 15 February 24 Pantera bassist Rex Brown on his precision-engineered picking technique, and why he’s not into “bouncing around with Pro Tools”
Should you play guitar with a pick or fingers? We weigh up the tone and technique benefits of both approaches By Richard Blenkinsop published 13 February 24 Use what you’re born with, or stick with a pick? We take a close look at the tones and techniques associated with playing guitar and bass with fingers and pick
“Cheap instruments can be amazing and expensive ones can be totally wrong. Don't let the price tag fool you.” London bassist Dave Edwards on the beauty of his Aria Pro-II Precise Bass By Nick Wells published 9 February 24 Dave Edwards on the merits of his late ‘70s “old-school Fender copy”, and the Peter Gabriel bassline he wished he’d written
Best bass cabinets 2024: achieve your best tone yet with the perfect bass cab By Ross Holder published 6 February 24 From Fender to Ampeg, pick the best bass cabinet to bring your desired tone to life
“The drum, it is the heartbeat, and the bass, it is the backbone” Listen to Aston “Family Man” Barrett’s isolated bassline on Bob Marley’s Is This Love By Chris Jisi published 6 February 24 Bob Marley’s enduring hit is rife with reggae bass Barrett-isms: quarter-note triplets, resting on one, and unison riffs
“His sound was reggae. He was an utterly beautiful force”: Tributes paid to Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, who has died aged 77 By Nick Wells published 6 February 24 Ziggy Marley, Flea, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and many more pay tribute to Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, bassist and bandleader of Bob Marley and the Wailers
“It's a disgrace to the bass player in me, but it's hard to write on the bass. Playing power chords on a guitar is much easier”: Melissa Auf der Maur looks back on a life in rock By Nick Wells published 3 February 24 As the bass player for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf Der Maur helped define the sounds of alternative music in the ’90s
“Jimi was a genius guitarist, but the recording sessions were chaos, and onstage, it was getting ridiculous”: Why Noel Redding quit the Jimi Hendrix Experience By Nick Wells published 2 February 24 After a show in Denver on June 29, 1969, bassist Noel Redding brought an end to one of rock's greatest trios
“You could play a one-string bass with a pick and still create amazing music”: Billy Sheehan disputes his reputation as “an overplaying icon of lead bass” By Joel McIver published 1 February 24 For Mr Big and Sons Of Apollo bassist Billy Sheehan, there’s more to playing rock bass than mere mechanics
“What Ace Frehley and Joe Perry do isn’t precise, there’s some sloppiness, but they know how to create a wide sound... it’s unlike anyone else”: Low-end veteran Chris Wyse on his Metallica audition and his love of the Gibson Ripper L-9 and Tech 21 SansAmp By Andrew Daly published 29 January 24 With the ability to create seemingly unending deep pockets, Wyse has landed gigs with Ozzy Osbourne, Ace Frehley, Tal Bachman, The Cult, and, most recently, the Hollywood Vampires
“Before me it was classic Fender Jazz, but I showed up with a bunch of Yamaha basses. Billy Corgan was totally cool with that… it’s never been, ‘Do what I say or else’”: How Jack Bates splits his loyalties between Smashing Pumpkins and his dad, Peter Hook By Andrew Daly published 25 January 24 Joy Division’s unique bassist wasn’t originally much of an influence to his son, who doesn’t use pedals with the Pumpkins – but needs to use ancient, unreliable ones with The Light
“Bass should stand on its own. It’s as powerful as the guitar”: Conrad Lant on his disdain for Ampeg SVTs and how he bought Andy Fraser’s Gibson EB-3 for £50 – “It was the exact one he played on All Right Now!” By Joel McIver published 23 January 24 Venom, the original black metal band, have been invoking Old Nick since 1981. On the bass, meet Conrad Lant – ‘Cronos’ to the (black) masses
“We were auditioning for bass players, but most of the guys who came in were too good. One day I just said, ‘What if I play bass?’” Shavo Odadjian on why he switched from guitar to the bass By Joel McIver published 23 January 24 Shavo Odadjian holds down the low-end in System of a Down, America’s most uncategorisable band
“I got a call from David Bowie’s people to record Let’s Dance. I became a big advocate of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the studio. Nobody else could play like him”: Session bass great Carmine Rojas shares the stories behind his awe-inspiring resume By Andrew Daly published 22 January 24 Despite suspecting he used the wrong bass on Tina Turner’s Foreign Affair, the veteran dedicates himself to being a supporting player and learning every day with the likes of Keith Richards, Joe Bonamassa and Billy Gibbons
“Slap bass got too technical. I stopped when it became all about triplets”: Preston Crump on gaining fame with Outkast and why he stopped playing slap bass By Nick Wells last updated 19 January 24 Atlanta bass originator Preston Crump has supplied the low-end for the likes of Outkast, Dr Dre and Cee Lo Green
“When you’re the bass player and it’s time for the solo, you go nuts, because you’ve been playing rhythm for everyone else for so long!” Tony Visconti on David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World By Joel McIver published 17 January 24 Spurred on by guitarist Mick Ronson, Tony Visconti’s bass playing ranged from the wildest of improvised runs to proto-heavy-metal support
“What bass would Neo play? An upright bass. He’s going to want to play some jazz. With Morpheus on drums. We’ll be a power trio with Agent Smith on keys”: We interviewed Keanu Reeves about bass guitar – and it was a musical conversation unlike any other By Michael Astley-Brown published 17 January 24 He’s one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but Keanu Reeves has had a lifelong love affair with the bass guitar. In an exclusive interview, he opens up about his weed-fueled Bill & Ted bass duels, why he doesn’t consider himself worthy of a Fender signature model, and what he really learned from Flea in that one-on-one lesson
