Flea names the one bassline that he would “go back and fix” from the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 1995 album, One Hot Minute By Scott Malandrone published 31 May 23 Flea on the making of One Hot Minute: “I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky!”
Duff McKagan: “I discovered my acoustic guitar as a refuge during Covid. It lessens the panic attacks” By Alison Richter published 31 May 23 The Guns N’ Roses bassist and songwriter speaks candidly about how trading the bottle for playing acoustic has helped his panic attack and mental health struggles
"Bewildering technique that went way beyond any standard root/5th ideas": Listen to John Entwistle’s isolated bass on My Generation By Nick Wells published 30 May 23 “You can’t talk about classic bass playing without mentioning The Who and Live at Leeds”
The legend of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is that James Jamerson was so drunk he played the bass lying down By Mike Brooks published 28 May 23 And yep, most of us can’t play those basslines standing up and completely sober
Tina Weymouth: “I know Bono used me to taunt Adam Clayton when U2 were starting out” By Gregory Isola published 26 May 23 One of the bass world’s most influential female figures talks gender stereotypes and why her small stature was “almost like a dare to boys”
Robert Trujillo: “We have more riffs than we know what to do with. With every handful of riffs we get out of Kirk, there’s another 500 we didn’t hear” By Amit Sharma published 26 May 23 Now a 20-year veteran as Metallica bassist, Trujillo details the secret weapons that locked in with James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett's guitar tones on 72 Seasons, and the key to getting extra grit from fingerstyle bass
In 1965 Elvis Presley was playing bass guitar, with a little help from Paul McCartney By Nick Wells published 25 May 23 Paul McCartney: “He was trying to learn bass, so I was like, ‘sit down, let me show you a few things’”
Primus's Les Claypool names 7 bassists who shaped his sound By Andrew Daly published 24 May 23 The alt-rock innovator on "one of the most underrated bass players ever", who he sees as the instrument's Jimi Hendrix and that time a low-end hero "f**king kicked my ass" in a jam
“The phone rings and it's Jaco Pastorius. He says, 'I’m in room 265, come up here and get your lesson!'” Marcus Miller on an encounter with the self-proclaimed ‘greatest bass player in the world’ By Nick Wells published 24 May 23 Marcus Miller on what he learnt from Jaco Pastorius and why replacing him in Weather Report was “a beat down waiting to happen!”
The Yes Album: When Chris Squire created one of the most recognizable bass tones in rock By Mike Brooks published 21 May 23 The Lowlist – celebrating longplayers with low-end – doffs its cap to Chris Squire
Andy Rourke: “If I wasn’t eating or in the bath, I had a bass in my hand. I played it constantly” By Joel McIver published 19 May 23 In this interview from 2016, the late low-end legend reflects on an influential career with The Smiths and beyond, why the Fender P-Bass won his heart, and how he developed his distinct playing style
"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
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?
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
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