Latest Updates

Fender issues massive free update for the Mustang Micro Plus – and it’s the one bassists have been waiting for
By Phil Weller published
A total of 10 new amps and presets have been added as Fender looks to give bassists the “ultimate silent-practice accessory”

She put a video of herself playing bass on YouTube. Then Prince called
By Nick Wells published
Having caught the attention of Prince and Bootsy Collins, Alissia is riding a new wave of recognition with her debut single featuring Nile Rodgers and EarthGang

What it takes to get to the top of the bass world, according to Victor Wooten
By Jonathan Herrera published
Having overwhelmed countless bassists with his rapid-fire slap technique, Victor Wooten still has plenty of bass philosophy to share

Johnny Marr’s “mind-blowing” jam with Paul McCartney – and why he thinks Macca reinvented the bass
By Janelle Borg published
Post-Smiths, Marr developed a reputation as a gun for hire, which quickly led to an unforgettable jam session with the Beatle

How Leland Sklar went from being banned from the studio to a session legend
By Janelle Borg published
Sklar reflects on his first encounter with the legendary collective of session musicians widely known as “Wrecking Crew”

The making of Don Was, the über-producer trusted by the Stones, Bob Dylan and John Mayer (and who’s a pretty good bassist too)
By Andrew Daly published
The bassist, producer and label boss on what Iggy Pop and Ringo Starr have in common, why Keith Richards is not sloppy, and that one time he pushed to play on an album he was producing

Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones is auctioning off his gear – including his Them Crooked Vultures amp that he left at Dave Grohl’s house
By Phil Weller published
Other picks include a host of rack-mounted studio gear and a rare mechanical echo

What Brandi Disterheft learned from her studies with bass legend Ron Carter
By Chris Jisi published
The New York jazzer lifts the lid on her early lessons with the world’s most recorded bassist

Bootsy Collins was tripping on LSD when he took the James Brown bass chair to its most in-your-face level
By Nick Wells published
Unable to deal with Brown’s disciplinary code, Bootsy was gone within a year

The Aristocrats' Bryan Beller recalls the moment he met Guthrie Govan and formed a new kind of supergroup
By Janelle Borg published
As per Aristocrats lore, the power trio formed right after an impromptu jam at NAMM 2011

How the bass guitar became a crucial part of Sheryl Crow’s songwriting process
By Chris Jisi published
Already a Grammy-winning, global pop star, Sheryl Crow geeks out on bass for all the right reasons

Stuart Zender on sessioning for Stevie Wonder and supplying the funk to Jamiroquai’s first three albums
By Joel McIver published
After he quit Jamiroquai, Stuart Zender became an in-demand session bassist, jamming with Gorillaz, Stevie Wonder, and Amy Winehouse co-writer Mark Ronson

When Jimmy Haslip met Jaco Pastorius at Frank Zappa’s studio
By Nick Wells published
The Yellowjackets co-founder and then-bassist tells the story of his first encounter with bass royalty

Chris Dreja turned down Led Zeppelin, but he will be remembered as the Yardbirds’ unsung bass hero in a band of guitar superstars
By Neville Marten published
Co-founder of the Yardbirds, Chris Dreja – who supported Clapton, Beck and Page on rhythm or bass guitar, then went on to become a photographer – has died, aged 79

Höfner, maker of Paul McCartney’s legendary Violin Bass, shares statement following bankruptcy filing
By Janelle Borg published
The company filed for insolvency following a particularly “difficult period, especially since the introduction of the US tariffs”

The life and wild times of Danny Thompson, the legend of upright bass who “brought greatness to everything he played”
By Henry Yates published
The fabled upright acoustic bassist leaves us with a thousand tales of misadventure and an extraordinary body of music that weaves through the rock ’n’ roll era

Justin Chancellor explains how bass fits into Tool’s challenging brand of prog
By Nick Wells published
With their uncompromising blend of formidable time signatures and distorted guitar riffs, Tool are a band quite unlike any other

Paul McCartney pays tribute to Höfner as the legendary German brand’s future hangs in the balance
By Jonathan Horsley published
Having played a Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass since 1961, the Beatles icon is saddened to learn of the German brand's plight

Höfner, the famed instrument maker behind Paul McCartney’s iconic Violin Bass, reportedly files for bankruptcy
By Matt Owen published
The firm was founded in 1887, and designed the legendary Violin Bass that became Macca’s go-to in the Beatles and beyond

“My friend told me I couldn’t even play a 6-string bass – so I had to learn it to prove him wrong!” Meet 7-string bass wizard Dylan Desmond, whose accidental two-handed tapping powers doom’s most adventurous low-end
By Dan Bradley published
Inspired by Michael Hedges, the Bell Witch doom merchant splits his signal between guitar and bass amps, and fills up the entire frequency spectrum. He reveals the surprise influences that inspired his latest effort with Stygian Bough