Kiesel unveils the A2, a future-forward offset electric guitar and bass that marks the dramatic evolution of the Aries By Jonathan Horsley published 22 March 23 The A2 guitar and bass debut a refined body shape and contouring to enhance ergonomics and offer players a speedy ride
NAMM 2023: Darkglass seeks to shake up the noise gate market with mysterious and “cutting-edge” new NSG pedal By Michael Astley-Brown published 21 March 23 It’s got one giant knob, it works with guitar and bass – and that’s about all we know
Rudy Sarzo: "Randy didn't live long enough to be the best Randy Rhoads. There was so much more inside of him that we never got to see" By Andrew Daly published 20 March 23 The LA bass legend reflects on the legacy of his Ozzy Osbourne bandmate, 40 years of Quiet Riot's Metal Health, and explains why you can't compare Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads
Remembering the Boss TU-1000 – the gigantic, pedalboard-dwarfing tuner pedal that launched a hundred memes By Michael Astley-Brown published 20 March 23 One of the largest pedals ever released, the enormous tuner quickly became the subject of guitarists’ ridicule – but it did eventually find an audience
The Lowlist: Jamiroquai’s Emergency on Planet Earth was a solid platinum gem for all bass players By Mike Brooks published 18 March 23 An appreciation of the album that introduced the young Stuart Zender
Jet Harris was Britain’s first bass guitar player, the first to own a Fender Precision, and its first rock’n’roll hellraiser too By Tom Poak published 18 March 23 Fights, car crashes, affairs with starlets – Jet Harris set the template for British bass players and bad behaviour, and along the way inspired everyone from McCartney to Lemmy
Andy Fraser: “It was me trying to impersonate Pete Townshend, who was, to me, the all-time greatest chord king” By Nick Wells published 17 March 23 How Free’s worst ever gig inspired one of the most iconic bass solos in rock
The Mu-Tron III: “Without it, there ain’t no Bootsy” By Nick Wells published 17 March 23 Everything you need to know about the iconic stomper from Musitronics
KHDK and Slipknot’s V-Man promise a “gritty as f**k” tone that will “change your life” with their new Totality overdrive By Matt Owen published 17 March 23 The limited-edition pedal is designed for both guitar and bass and boasts none-more-metal artwork crafted by Luke Preece
JHS Pedals responds to DigiTech Bad Monkey price hikes: “Learn to listen with your ears and not trends, and you will be a much happier guitarist” By Matt Owen published 16 March 23 Brand founder Josh Scott posted a statement after Bad Monkey price tags soared to $650 seemingly in response to his latest demo video, which compared the discontinued DigiTech to the Klon Centaur
Slipknot’s V-Man: “At first the mask was a bit weird, but the LEDs make the sides of the bass neck easier to see!" By Joel McIver published 15 March 23 Slipknot’s Alex ‘V-Man’ Venturella reveals how he got the (literally) hottest gig in metal
Les Claypool: “The Pachyderm bass has one knob on it, a volume knob: I don’t want any tone” By Joel McIver published 10 March 23 Primus’ bass wizard tells us all about his Pachyderm bass and exactly what naugahyde is
Epiphone Newport Bass review By Nick Wells published 9 March 23 All of the vintage Epiphone charm without the hefty price tag?
NAMM 2023: Worried about switching to wireless? Shure might have just released the most reliable system on the market – and Tim Henson is already a fan By Matt Parker published 9 March 23 The firm’s new wireless system represents a big leap for cable-phobic players, including a certain Polyphia guitarist
How a Victor Wooten bass odyssey provided the unlikely inspiration for one of Lianne La Havas’ biggest hits By Michael Astley-Brown published 8 March 23 The bass virtuoso inspired the neo-soul artist and Prince collaborator to approach her trademark Harmony Stratotone in a whole new way
Watch Pedalpocalypse, Season 1 By Scott Rowley published 7 March 23 Every episode of "the Desert-Island-Discs but for pedals", starring Vai, Trout, Smith, Krasno, Fletcher, Grossi and McKeon, in one binge-able place
Fender joins forces with U2's Adam Clayton for its first ever signature bass amp, the ACB 50 combo By Jackson Maxwell published 7 March 23 Boasting 50 watts of power, the ACB 50 is also the first new all-tube bass combo amp Fender has produced in over four decades
Paul Simonon: “I couldn't hear the bass on The Who, but with reggae I could work out the basslines and play along” By Tom Poak published 7 March 23 The former Clash bassist chats with Guy Pratt about how he learned to play, Norman Watt-Roy, negotiating with Tony Allen and John Entwistle's watch
John Patitucci: “My gratitude for Wayne Shorter is boundless” By Nick Wells published 7 March 23 John Patitucci, Robert Trujillo, Flea, Felix Pastorius and many more pay tribute to jazz legend Wayne Shorter
Bruce Foxton: “We once butchered some Rickenbackers, putting in P-Bass pickups to make it sound like a Precision. But all it did was screw up a lovely guitar” By Henry Yates published 7 March 23 The former Jam bassist checks in to discuss his tonal experiments, writing with Paul Weller and why the Beatles can't sue him for the Start! bassline