When Michael Anthony met the self-proclaimed “greatest bass player in the world”, Jaco Pastorius
How the accidental meeting of two of the ’70s and ’80s greatest bass icons – neither recognised by the other – came about in a Tokyo hotel
Latest
The cheapest bass Fender makes isn't just useful for beginners – save a huge 20% on it this Black Friday
At just $131 this Black Friday at Amazon, this is a great deal for those who want their first four-string, a bass to quickly pick up for recording, or even a modding project to have fun with
How a hypnotic ‘Mani’ bassline propelled one of the Stone Roses’ finest moments
Mani famously played a paint-splattered Rickenbacker El Dorado bass through a Mesa/Boogie rig on this 1989 indie-pop classic
L.A. session bassist Pops Magellan walked away from stadium shows with megastars to shine the spotlight on her own material
Following career-defining gigs with Adam Lambert and Avril Lavigne, Brazillian-born Pops Magellan is forging ahead with a short-scale Fender and an MXR Phase 90
Bassists, this one's for you – 9 great Black Friday bass guitar deals with up to $250 off Fender, Yamaha, Darkglass, Line 6 and more
These 9 amazing bass savings prove it’s not just the Black Friday prices that are low
When a young Bootsy Collins joined James Brown’s band, the Godfather of Funk bought him a Fender Jazz Bass. Now it’s up for auction
Following Bootsy’s departure from the JBs in 1972, the bass continued its life on stage with Fred Thomas, another of Brown’s longtime bassists
How Juan Alderete’s infatuation with bass gear made him one of the world’s greatest authorities on pedals and effects
The Mars Volta and Racer X tone wizard imparts decades of wisdom on stompboxes and all things bass effects
Bassists
When Michael Anthony met the self-proclaimed “greatest bass player in the world”, Jaco Pastorius
How the accidental meeting of two of the ’70s and ’80s greatest bass icons – neither recognised by the other – came about in a Tokyo hotel
How a hypnotic ‘Mani’ bassline propelled one of the Stone Roses’ finest moments
Mani famously played a paint-splattered Rickenbacker El Dorado bass through a Mesa/Boogie rig on this 1989 indie-pop classic
L.A. session bassist Pops Magellan walked away from stadium shows with megastars to shine the spotlight on her own material
Following career-defining gigs with Adam Lambert and Avril Lavigne, Brazillian-born Pops Magellan is forging ahead with a short-scale Fender and an MXR Phase 90
How Juan Alderete’s infatuation with bass gear made him one of the world’s greatest authorities on pedals and effects
The Mars Volta and Racer X tone wizard imparts decades of wisdom on stompboxes and all things bass effects
How a pre-fame Stanley Clarke helped define an Aretha Franklin classic
Clarke's early session career offered tantalizing glimpses of his technical prowess and innovations, and hints of how he would transform the low-end landscape with Return To Forever and his own solo albums
Mani on gear, groove, and the making of Stone Roses classics
In this 2000 interview, the late Gary “Mani” Mounfield discusses “trouser flapper” amps, groove, the making of Roses classics, and the problems of playing with a drum machine
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, dies
The influential bassist, who helped shape the groove rock scene of the 1990s, had announced a tour days prior to his death
Anthony Esposito’s unique career alongside Ace Frehley, George Lynch and Jake E. Lee
The upright bassist with no previous experience of rock joined Lynch Mob and spent years telling it like it is to his guitar player bosses. He reveals what he’d always tried to explain to Lynch, the pain of losing Frehley and his concerns for Lee
Bass Gear
The cheapest bass Fender makes isn't just useful for beginners – save a huge 20% on it this Black Friday
At just $131 this Black Friday at Amazon, this is a great deal for those who want their first four-string, a bass to quickly pick up for recording, or even a modding project to have fun with
Bassists, this one's for you – 9 great Black Friday bass guitar deals with up to $250 off Fender, Yamaha, Darkglass, Line 6 and more
These 9 amazing bass savings prove it’s not just the Black Friday prices that are low
When a young Bootsy Collins joined James Brown’s band, the Godfather of Funk bought him a Fender Jazz Bass. Now it’s up for auction
Following Bootsy’s departure from the JBs in 1972, the bass continued its life on stage with Fred Thomas, another of Brown’s longtime bassists
John Entwistle’s Warwick bass triples in value after analysis reveals links to another rock great
The prototype's natural finish and some sharp eyes have helped it to a huge bump in value
Mike Dirnt looks back on his early bass days – as Epiphone launches signature version of his cult classic Grabber G-3
Dirnt has championed the oddball 1970s bass throughout his career. Now he's got his own signature Epiphone version
“It absolutely nails the sounds of the ‘60s when palm muted and picked”: Gretsch Electromatic CVT Bass Double-cut review
It's a reboot of the lesser-spotted Gretsch Corvette – but it's only got four strings!
Sterling by Music Man releases signature bass with two dummy knobs that do absolutely nothing for MxPx bassist Mike Herrera
The punk rock icon is serving his go-to wiring setup without harming the heritage of the StingRay design
Reviews
“It vacuum-packs superb tones and incredible utility into a compact space”: IK Multimedia ToneX One Bass Edition review
Honey, I shrunk the Ampeg! And the Gallien-Krueger, and the Sansamp, and...
“It absolutely nails the sounds of the ‘60s when palm muted and picked”: Gretsch Electromatic CVT Bass Double-cut review
It's a reboot of the lesser-spotted Gretsch Corvette – but it's only got four strings!
“It evokes a cool old Jazz Bass that's picked up some useful mods over its life”: Squier Classic Vibe Active ’70s Jazz Bass review
Is it a '70s-inspired Jazz Bass? Is it a modernised active bass? Yes to both...
“It might not be to all tastes, but its retro charm and sonic potential are compelling indeed”: Squier Classic Vibe Telecaster Bass review
Squier reissues an oddity from Fender's bass archives, complete with a Wide Range humbucker – is this its time?
“There are many reasons to love the Anagram – it’s a pretty comprehensive set of sounds, aimed at bassists first”: Darkglass Anagram review
Darkglass turns its attention to providing you with a do-it-all solution for practice, studio and live use
“Could this Dingwall convert newcomers to fanned frets? Well, why not?”: Dingwall SP1 review
This modern take on a classic design could open up new markets for Dingwall
“This bass has plenty of cutting power, and it's versatile enough to handle just about any gig”: Cort GB-Fusion 4 review
A new entry to the wallet-friendly bass market, the Cort GB-Fusion 4 combines impressive pickups and hardware with classic J-Bass style
“As a compact amp modeler/cab simulator/Capture device, this is perhaps the best option out there, screen or no screen”: Neural DSP Nano Cortex review
The follow-up to the game-changing Quad Cortex is here at last, and with its ultra-powerful Nano Cortex, Neural DSP has set its sights on challenging IK Multimedia and Kemper to offer the ultimate all-in-one rig solution
