John Patitucci: “My gratitude for Wayne Shorter is boundless” By Nick Wells published 7 March 23 John Patitucci, Robert Trujillo, Flea, Felix Pastorius and many more pay tribute to jazz legend Wayne Shorter
Bruce Foxton: “We once butchered some Rickenbackers, putting in P-Bass pickups to make it sound like a Precision. But all it did was screw up a lovely guitar” By Henry Yates published 7 March 23 The former Jam bassist checks in to discuss his tonal experiments, writing with Paul Weller and why the Beatles can't sue him for the Start! bassline
Mr. Big announce farewell world tour By Jackson Maxwell published 6 March 23 At each show, the band will perform their 1991 album, Lean into It – including the album's sing-along, chart-topping smash hit single, To Be With You – in its entirety
Glenn “Spot” Lockett, producer for legendary punk label SST Records, dies aged 72 By Matt Owen published 6 March 23 Spot, who would “assume an Elvis-like stance” behind the mixing desk, helmed some of punk's most influential records, working with Black Flag, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü and more
Michael Rhodes – prolific session bassist for Joe Bonamassa, Mark Knopfler, J. J. Cale and more – has died aged 69 By Matt Owen published 6 March 23 The esteemed bass player performed with some of the guitar world's biggest names, and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019
Hear the first snippet from Roger Waters' re-imagining of The Dark Side Of The Moon By Jackson Maxwell published 3 March 23 The former Pink Floyd bassist has released a clip of his re-working of Us and Them
“I don’t buy the idea that the bass player is the quiet one”: The 5 most notorious bass guitarists in rock By Nick Wells published 3 March 23 From Mötley Crüe hellraiser Nikki Sixx to GN‘R’s Duff McKagan
Fender doubles down on denim as it launches Wrangler guitar cases, straps and picks By Michael Astley-Brown published 3 March 23 The second Wrangler x Fender collaboration melds denim aesthetics with guitar classic accessories – and yes, that hardcase does feature a jeans back pocket
Steve Mackey, longtime Pulp bassist, dies at 56 By Jackson Maxwell published 2 March 23 With the help of Mackey (who was also a successful producer) and his dance-influenced low-end approach, Pulp found huge success in the mid-90s with seminal hits like Common People
Why Flea’s bass track had to be fixed in the mix on Alanis Morissette's hit record By Nick Wells published 2 March 23 Mix Engineer Chris Fogel: “Flea was way out of time on You Oughta Know”
Moog’s Moogerfooger plugins are now available to buy individually By Matt Parker published 2 March 23 You can now pick up standalone plugins from the series starting from $59
Watch a band of Afghan refugees cover Won’t Back Down with the help of Joe Walsh, Matt Sorum and Timothy B. Schmit By Matt Owen published 1 March 23 Vocalist Blake Shelton completes the lineup, which has teamed up in support of The Miraculous Love Kids charity
Fender teams up with Mastodon's Troy Sanders for well-spec'd Silverburst signature P-Bass By Jackson Maxwell published 28 February 23 The Mastodon low-end ranger's new four-string is outfitted with a custom Jazz Bass single-coil bridge pickup, a Split-Coil P-Bass unit in the middle, and eye-catching custom graphics throughout
Zoom unveils new B2 Four bass multi-effects pedal, with Multi-Layer IR, 300 patches and a 60-second looper By Matt Parker published 27 February 23 The bassist‘s answer to the firm’s feature-packed G2 Four has arrived
50 years ago: The Runaways’ guitarist Lita Ford was invited to replace John Paul Jones in Led Zeppelin By Nick Wells published 24 February 23 Lita Ford: "Robert Plant says to me, ‘You’re really good on guitar. Would you like to play bass for Led Zeppelin?’”
Behringer’s new ring modulator will literally fill the gap left by Moog’s Moogerfooger By Matt Parker published 22 February 23 The MF-102 clone follows some four years after Moog discontinued the original pedal
The Rolling Stones are reportedly working with the surviving Beatles for an upcoming album By Matt Owen published 22 February 23 Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are said to be contributing bass and drums to the upcoming Stones album, which will reportedly be produced by Andrew Watt
Jeff Berlin explains why playing bass is like playing kazoo By Nick Wells published 21 February 23 Jeff Berlin enters the Dave Mustaine kazoo debate: “He’s right! What makes things interesting are the notes that we choose to play on this kazoo”
“To be honest, I'm not really a bass player. I've scammed people all this time…” The world of Jean-Jacques Burnel By Scott Rowley published 21 February 23 The Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel looks back on his playing style and sound, his habit of punching basses, fighting Paul Simonon and where he ranks in the bass players of punk
D’Addario reckons it’s cracked the code for improved fretting hand strength with its new Dexterity Bands By Matt Owen published 20 February 23 The latest addition to D'Addario's collection of practice gadgets promises to help players increase their hand strength and stamina “anytime, any place – with or without an instrument”
