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How bassist Tony Butler helped relaunch The Pretenders with this 1982 rock classic
Having fired bassist Pete Farndon for his erratic drug-fuelled behaviour, The Pretenders tapped Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner and bassist Tony Butler
Bill Laswell survived Buckethead, John Lydon, Ginger Baker and Eddie Hazel – and made it sound easy
The bass journeyman, soundscape creator and producer recalls having his P-Bass stolen the night before his first Brian Eno session, making PiL classic Rise, and hoping illness hasn’t ended his surprisingly fight-free career
11 real-life Spinal Tap moments from bass playing royalty
Bass legends Victor Wooten, Thundercat, Duff McKagan and more share their own moments of outrage, downright stupidity and absolute genius
How Hugh McDonald became Bon Jovi’s uncredited recording bassist
Hugh McDonald was at New York’s Power Station when he was asked to lay down a bass part for the band’s 1986 working-class anthem
“I have long harbored a slight obsession with this hugely underrated guitar. The new finish doesn’t help with that one bit”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including... an urn that fits inside an acoustic?
A whole load of new Jacksons, Charvels, Yamahas and Gibsons headline the last seven days of guitar gear drops
How Yungblud bassist Silke Blansjaar got the gig of a lifetime – despite not playing bass
The Gibson Grabber-wielder was actually a drummer when she went from playing to a room of 100 to an arena of 6,000 overnight. She explains the golden rule of session work and why she likes to keep her rig old-fashioned
How Eddie Van Halen led to Les Claypool picking up the bass – and how he nearly joined Kirk Hammett’s band
The Primus bassist and Metallica lead guitarist attended the same high school – and very nearly ended up in the same band
Spinal Tap play Big Bottom on Jimmy Kimmel with Tal Wilkenfeld and Thundercat
David St. Hubbins led a legion of bassists out onto the Jimmy Kimmel stage for a rendition of Spinal Tap’s 1984 track
Adrian Younge reveals the inspiration behind his half-fretless Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass
Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar, Younge joined forces with Master Builder Vincent Van Trigt to recreate his favourite bass sound
The Boss PX-1 Plugout FX backlash has gone viral – but is it justified? We put the biggest criticisms to Boss
We leveled 5 of the internet’s most common issues with the divisive PX-1 to its maker. Now Boss has set the record straight
Sting's legal representatives claim Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland may have been “substantially overpaid” following lost royalties lawsuit
Summers and Copeland claim that Sting owes them “in excess of $2 million” for income made from the “digital exploitation” of the Police’s back catalog
Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart on the priceless bass advice he got from Flea as a teenager
Dart’s ultimate fan dream came true when he received a letter from Flea in the mail
The remarkable story of Paul McCartney’s Höfner 500/1 bass – which went missing for 50 years – to feature in new documentary
McCartney's 'Violin' bass was stolen in London in 1972 and was the subject of a global hunt before being returned to him in 2024
Nikki Sixx recalls his decadent early days with Mötley Crüe
The legendary glam-metal bassist looks back on the crazy times he enjoyed with one of the most notorious bands ever
Brian Wampler of Wampler Pedals on why digital modeling could be Napster for traditional pedal makers
The man behind Wampler Pedals discusses the impact of digital modelers and amp profiling technology on the traditional pedal market – and addresses how tariffs are affecting his business
Blackstar’s Beam Solo takes on Fender and Boss – is this the new headphone amp to beat?
Blackstar is calling the Beam Solo the ultimate headphone amp for guitarists. But what sets it apart?
Elton John bassist Matt Bissonnette looks back on one of his best gigs – playing on the Friends soundtrack
Despite playing with bona fide stars, Bissonnette reveals that playing on the hit show was his most lucrative gig
All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – and is that a new Epiphone double-neck?
New launches from Boss, PRS, Fender and Third Man Hardware headline the biggest guitar gear drops this week
