"I thought, 'Wait a minute – we never practiced this…'" Jimi Hendrix bassist Billy Cox remembers Woodstock By Richard Johnston published 19 May 23 From the archive: Billy Cox on Hendrix, Band of Gypsys, his influences and that Woodstock show
Kate Bush on John Giblin: “We’ve all lost a great man and an unmatchable musician” By Nick Wells published 18 May 23 Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Guy Pratt and many more pay tribute to bassist John Giblin
Rolling Stone Darryl Jones, Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton (and an actual Beatle) to lead next Rock ’N’ Roll Fantasy Camp in New York By Jonathan Horsley published 17 May 23 Yup, a rhythm section comprising 'fifth Beatle' Pete Best on drums, with Jones and Hamilton on bass, is just the thing for playing Stones, Aerosmith and Beatles classics onstage in NYC
Best jazz bass 2023: recommended J-Bass guitars to suit all levels, budgets and tastes By Chris Corfield published 17 May 23 There’s a jazz bass for everyone. Here's our expert pick of iconic offsets from Fender and beyond
Mike Watt: “I think for every 7-string bass they should make a 1- string!” By Karl Coryat published 16 May 23 The patriarch of punk unravels his punk rock roots and the making of his 1995 solo album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?
Fender debuts limited-edition British Racing Green finish – but you’ll need to be quick off the line to bag one By Matt Parker published 16 May 23 The firm has launched a European-exclusive Fender Special Run batch – including a Player Series HSS Strat, Tele and P-Bass, alongside a Blues Junior IV amp
Gene Simmons: “Eddie Van Halen talked about being a fan of Eric Clapton. I’m sorry, I don’t see that. What he did was closer to classical music” By Matt Parker published 15 May 23 The Kiss frontman has been fretting over the guitar hero’s legacy, sharing concerns that “millennials need to know about the most important musician since Jimi Hendrix”
Paul Simon's Graceland: Fretless bass playing would never be the same again By Bass Player Staff published 14 May 23 1986's hit album that opened people's ears to African music and the free-flowing fretless lines of Bakithi Kumalo
Sting, Nikki Sixx and Paul McCartney to guest on new Dolly Parton album By Nick Wells published 12 May 23 Rockstar sees McCartney reunite with Ringo Starr for a cover of The Beatles Let It Be, with Mick Fleetwood and Peter Frampton also making up the numbers
Listen to Paul McCartney’s isolated bass on Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds By Nick Wells published 12 May 23 Paul McCartney: “That probably ended up being my strongest thing on bass”
Larry Graham on when you really need to use a 5-string bass By Nick Wells published 11 May 23 The godfather of slap bass says “I actually love playing a 5-string for other artists, but not for live shows”
Jeff Berlin: “Look at Jaco Pastorius: clearly a genius, but misunderstood” By Nick Wells published 9 May 23 Jazz bassist Jeff Berlin debunks a myth surrounding Jaco’s early years
Best bass amps 2023: killer low-end amplification options for bassists By Jonathan Horsley last updated 9 May 23 Give yourself the gift of thunder with the best bass guitar amps money can buy – featuring Trace Elliot, Hartke, Ampeg and more
Tony Levin: “D’Angelo’s Voodoo made me want to go back to school as a bassist” By Joel McIver published 8 May 23 The King Crimson bassist names four albums that shaped his sound
Crown Lands’ doubleneck devotee Kevin Comeau on his fearless guitar/bass multitasking, recording with Alex Lifeson’s acoustic and why Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream is a tonal benchmark By Amit Sharma published 8 May 23 Comeau unpacks his multi-instrumentalist approach on the Rush disciples’ impossibly expansive sound, and explains just exactly where he got that super-cool doubleneck
The Lowlist: Primus' Sailing The Seas Of Cheese – a weird mix of twisted basslines, warped lyrics and general weirdness By Tom Poak published 7 May 23 For the second Primus album, Les Claypool decided that he was bored with the 4-string and his playing needed something to "blow it wide open". Cue 6 string fretless mania…
“Reggae carries that heavy message of roots, culture, and reality. So the bass has to be heavy and the drums have to be steady”: An interview with Aston “Family Man” Barrett By Bill Murphy published 6 May 23 How Aston “Family Man” Barrett brought reggae bass playing to the world with Bob Marley & The Wailers
The 5 Nirvana basslines you need to hear By Joel McIver published 5 May 23 From Smells Like Teen Spirit to About a Girl, here are Krist Novoselic’s five greatest basslines
Lee Sklar: “If the drummer doesn’t swing – let him serve French fries in McDonald’s" By Nick Wells published 4 May 23 Session legend Lee Sklar was asked to name his studio pet hates: sequenced basslines, Pro-Tools and lacklustre drummers came out on top
Mike Dirnt: “Even Flea told me he wanted to play a P-Bass live” By Nick Wells published 4 May 23 Green Day’s Mike Dirnt reveals why so many top bass players switch back to Fender