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Bought from grunge icons and stolen before Soundgarden reunited – the story of Ben Shepherd’s 1972 Fender Jazz Bass
By Brian Fox published
Shepherd was robbed of all his music gear in 2008 just as he was about to mix his first solo album

The bass used to record The Special’s gloomy political anthem, Ghost Town, is headed to auction
By Phil Weller published
The Fender Precision was also used in Horace Panter’s supergroup with members of The Clash and Dexy’s Midnight Runners

The late Michael Rhodes provided an unshakable foundation for Buddy Guy’s 2013 salute to his home town
By Chris Jisi published
Rhodes played his ’57 Fender P-Bass for the Meet Me in Chicago session at Nashville’s famed Blackbird studios

Thundercat on getting his start with hardcore punk legends Suicidal Tendencies
By Janelle Borg published
Thundercat may best be known as a funk and R&B-oriented bassist – yet, he got his start in thrash metal and hardcore punk

Bass phenom Kinga Głyk recalls the moment her rendition of an Eric Clapton classic went viral – and made her career
By Janelle Borg published
Głyk also touches on how social media can be used as a democratizing tool for musicians to access the industry

From sleeping in tents to Woodstock, rock ’n’ roll's ‘Forrest Gump’ Leo Lyons shares the story of Ten Years After
By Henry Yates published
The Ten Years After bassist survived Hamburg’s Star-Club, sparked the blues boom, achieved immortality at Woodstock – and is still going strong at 82. “Music,” he says, “it’s a drug…”

“I was auditioning during the making of the album”: Bassist George Murray’s six-year stint with David Bowie
By Chris Jisi published
As a member of Bowie’s band, George Murray cut the studio albums Station to Station, Low, Heroes, Lodger, and Scary Monsters

How Tal Wilkenfeld taught Sting the correct way to play an Aerosmith classic
By Nick Wells published
Sting was performing alongside Steven Tyler and Jeff Beck at the MGM Grand when Wilkenfeld intervened

Fred Smith, influential Television and former Blondie bassist, dies at 77
By Matt Owen published
Smith helped define the proto-punk pioneers' sound, and had plans to return to the stage later this year

“A grave miscalculation”: Grammy Awards criticized over Anthony Jackson’s inclusion in rock/metal In Memorium section
By Nick Wells published
Jackson’s longtime manager voiced her disappointment at how the Recording Academy’s tribute was categorized

Bassist Johnny Colt reveals the inside stories behind the Black Crowes’ controversial Amorica album
By Scott Malandrone published
Colt hung around for one more album, before jettisoning himself from the band in 1997

He’s played with Lady Gaga and played on SNL – now Stu “Bassie” Brooks has officially joined Nine Inch Nails on bass
By Jonathan Horsley published
Brooks just played his first show with Trent Reznor and co. at the Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

He was schooled by James Jamerson and freaked Larry Graham out – how William ‘Billy Bass’ Nelson founded the Funkadelic sound
By Chris Jisi published
The late Funkadelic co-founder tells the story of his encounter with Larry Graham, bass lessons with James Jamerson, and life in George Clinton’s ever-changing band

William Billy ‘Bass’ Nelson, Funkadelic bassist who coined the band’s name, dies aged 75
By Nick Wells published
Flea has led tributes to the Funkadelic bassist, who was one of the founding architects of funk’s most audacious musical revolution

Marcus Miller and Pino Palladino share the stage alongside Lauryn Hill at the 2026 Grammy Awards
By Nick Wells published
The two bass legends took to the biggest stage in music for a tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack

Facing mounting debts, Nick Beggs sold off his Kajagoogoo bass – 40 years later his fans helped him buy it back
By Phil Weller published
A family intervention and the generosity of Beggs' fans reunited him with his much-loved bass – and he found a musical way of rewarding them

The best new things in bass from the biggest music instrument event of the year
By Nick Wells published
From Aguilar to Ashdown and beyond, here’s a look at the new gear that had bassists abuzz at this year’s NAMM show

Laney puts the philosophy of Nathan East’s signature head into an all-powerful, dual-input preamp pedal
By Phil Weller published
Packing all the features of the bass guru’s signature head into a portable unit, he says it’s a “game-changer” all over again

“You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return”: Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies, aged 71
By Jonathan Horsley published
Buchholz played on all the classic Scorpions records and later joined forces with his old bandmate Michael Schenker in his Temple of Rock project
