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“There was that moment of, ‘My God! I’m recording with David Bowie!’” Bassist Tim Lefebvre on the making of David Bowie's Lazarus
By Chris Jisi published
The session for Bowie’s Blackstar album took place in early 2015 at the Magic Shop in New York

How Joni Mitchell formed an unlikely partnership with Jaco Pastorius
By Nick Wells published
Although much of his fame stems from his time with Weather Report, Jaco’s recordings with Joni Mitchell yielded some of the finest bass playing of his career

Why Prince removed the bassline from When Doves Cry
By Nick Wells published
From the beginning, Prince had an inkling that Purple Rain’s landmark single would be better without bass guitar

Fender’s elevated Player II Modified line brings the firm’s most sought-after guitar upgrades to the masses
By Matt Owen published
Speedy satin necks, upgraded pickups, expansive electronics and Floyd Rose tremolos headline the drop, which lifts the humble Player II line to new heights

Bootsy Collins is one of the all-time bass greats, but he started out on guitar. Here’s the sole reason why he switched
By Janelle Borg published
Before he became ‘the’ Bootsy Collins, William Collins was a young guitarist who desperately wanted to join his brother's band

How Cro-Mags’ Harley Flanagan went from buying a Jaco Pastorius bass on the street to fronting one of hardcore’s most influential bands
By Andrew Daly published
The Cro-Mags founder on the reason he plays Fenders despite loving Rickenbackers, learning from Lemmy and the new documentary about his struggle for survival

Dave Allen, former Gang of Four bassist and post-punk heavyweight, dies aged 69
By Matt Owen published
Allen’s work on Gang of Four’s first two albums would inspire generations and influence the likes of Nirvana, REM, and Flea, who has paid tribute to the late bass icon

20 metal bassists who took heavy bass playing in new directions
By Nick Wells published
Featuring metal’s leading low-enders – from old-school thrash to modern metal

Legendary sideman Lee Sklar reveals the studio secrets behind his incredible career
By Nick Wells published
The legendary bassist looks back at five decades of studio work on hit songs by James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, and many more

John Myung on how the return of Mike Portnoy has changed the band – and his bass playing
By Nick Wells published
Parasomnia is Dream Theater's first new album with drummer Mike Portnoy for 16 years

21 slap bass legends who made thumpin’ and pluckin’ their own
By Nick Wells published
From the godfather of thumpin’ and pluckin’ to Victor Wooten’s game-changing slap technique, we bring you the players that you must know if you want to call yourself a true bass aficionado

How Nicole Row went from a wild ride in Panic! at the Disco to laying down the low-end in Incubus – and rerecording their biggest album
By Nick Wells published
The former Panic! At The Disco bassist on the challenges she faced when replacing Ben Kenney in the alt-rock institution – and why she’s finally come around to using a pick…

Bax Music, one of Europe’s largest musical instrument retailers, files for bankruptcy and ceases operations
By Janelle Borg published
The Dutch retailer currently employs over 300 people across six brick-and-mortar stores and its online division

The bassists of James Brown reveal what life was really like playing alongside the Godfather of Soul
By Jim Roberts published
Fred Thomas, Ray Brundidge and Bootsy Collins dig into what it meant to play with Soul Band No. 1

Sterling by Music Man completes its trilogy of Joe Dart signature models with a trio of made-to-order basses that cost less than $500
By Matt Owen published
The Vulfpeck funk maestro has unveiled two all-new models that slash more than $2k off the price of his Ernie Ball Music Man basses – and revived the OG Sterling Dart I that proved such a hit last year

20 funk bass legends who took low-end groove to new heights
By Nick Wells published
A rundown of the best funk bass players of all time, featuring the trailblazers, the early innovators, and the monster groovers around today

“There’s an art to simplicity, and Jason Newsted brought that art”: The bassists of Metallica
By Nick Wells published
From Ron McGovney to Robert Trujillo, we trace the evolution of Metallica’s low-end sound

On July 3, 1973, David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust – that same day, Steve Jones stole his equipment
By Janelle Borg published
Turns out the Sex Pistols guitarist had a lucrative “side hustle” as a gear thief...