Is octave fuzz the pedal your bass ’board is missing? Electro-Harmonix sure thinks so By Phil Weller published 5 June 24 The Lizard Queen has become the Lizard King, offering a dynamic, blendable octave fuzz pedal designed specifically for bass players
The Van Halen bassist discusses what Alex Van Halen's gear auction means for the much-rumored VH tribute project By Janelle Borg published 5 June 24 Michael Anthony gives his thoughts on Alex Van Halen selling all his gear
Fender just dropped the biggest Tone Master Pro update since its launch last year By Michael Astley-Brown published 4 June 24 Plus you can now control Fender’s flagship amp modeler with your phone
“It’s a very zombie, rock ‘n’ roll horror movie setting”: Pixies release first music with new bassist By Janelle Borg published 4 June 24 AA-side single You’re So Impatient / Que Sera, Sera goes from punk-infused to dark folk tale in the span of five minutes
“Shania Twain got me into alternate tunings”: What session bass supremo Derek Frank learned from playing with pop’s A-listers By Alison Richter published 3 June 24 Serving the songs of Shakira, Gwen Stefani and Orianthi doesn’t mean the bass journeyman can’t bring a bit of Rocco Prestia, James Jamerson and Pino Palladino to proceedings
Legendary guitar store Manny’s Music poised to return after Sam Ash sells trademark By Matt Parker published 3 June 24 Manny’s was so iconic it featured in a Guns N’ Roses video – and now the company behind Heritage Guitars has acquired the trademark
Is this the world’s most expensive bass guitar? By Bill Leigh published 2 June 24 The Flora Aurum – created in 2007 to mark Ritter Basses’ tenth anniversary – was priced at $100,000
How Suzi Quatro cut her teeth on Motown hit-maker James Jamerson By Nick Wells published 1 June 24 Suzi Quatro’s soul and Motown-influenced rock bass playing made her a huge star throughout the 1970s and beyond
Harley Benton has launched a new series of Fender-inspired bass guitars – and prices start from just $207 By Phil Weller published 31 May 24 Precision, Jazz and Mustang-flavored four- and five-strings headline the affordable new MV range
Plans for one final Black Sabbath show are afoot – and Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler are already onboard By Phil Weller published 31 May 24 Butler says “everybody wants to do it”, but there's still a long way to go before anything is made official
Meet husband-and-wife guitar team Spotlights, the dreamsludge tonesmiths championed by Mike Patton By Ellie Rogers published 31 May 24 Dreamsludge, doomgaze, doomsludge… Whatever you call them, Mario and Sarah Quintero are producing some of the heaviest tones in the business. They reveal how they do it – and why couples who riff together, stay together
Meet the Meowdulator, a pedal that makes your guitar sound like a cat (yes, really) By Janelle Borg published 30 May 24 The world's first guitar cat synthesizer pedal has three meow controllers and eight unique voicings, ranging from Staccato Kitten to Acid Kitty Synth
“It was the first kind of ‘bass solo’ I’d been allowed to throw on a Rush song”: Geddy Lee on the album that saved Rush By Karl Coryat published 30 May 24 After a six-year absence from the recording studio, Vapor Trails redefined Rush’s career
Chris Chaney has now landed three career-defining gigs – first with Alanis Morissette and Jane’s Addiction, and now with AC/DC By Gregory Isola published 29 May 24 Jazz-schooled bassist Chris Chaney has now secured three career-defining gigs – first with Alanis Morissette and Jane’s Addiction, and now with AC/DC
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee reunite for Gordon Lightfoot tribute By Janelle Borg published 29 May 24 Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee paid tribute to the Canadian songwriting icon in Toronto
The Liverbirds played alongside the Beatles and the Rolling Stones – and paved the way for women in rock By Janelle Borg published 28 May 24 From booting Chuck Berry’s manager off stage and proving John Lennon wrong, to touring Japan and blazing a screaming trail across Europe, The Liverbirds took Merseybeat beyond British shores, on their own terms
Phil Lynott’s 5 best basslines with Thin Lizzy and beyond By Nick Wells published 27 May 24 Six foot plus of leather and lust, Phil Lynott was the consummate rock bassist. These are his 5 best basslines
How Larry Graham invented slap bass By Nick Wells published 25 May 24 Few bassists can stake a claim to inventing slap bass more than Sly and the Family Stone’s Larry Graham
Meet Dehd, the indie-rockers building a wall of sound from ’80s shred machines and out-of-tune basses By Cheri Amour published 23 May 24 Jason Balla and Emily Kempf worship Big Muffs, reverbs and Roland amps – and are making the kind of shoegaze-informed alt-rock dreams are made of
Why Lee Sklar hand-carved his 1962 Fender Jazz Bass By Nick Wells published 23 May 24 1971’s Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon featured some of Lee Sklar’s best work with James Taylor – and Lee Sklar's “total hippie bass”
