Bill Leigh
Latest articles by Bill Leigh

Recorded for Metallica’s Master of Puppets, Cliff Burton’s bass masterpiece has earned its place in the pantheon of great rock solos
By Bill Leigh published
Recorded for Metallica’s genre-sparking Kill ’Em All, Burton’s complex snarl of notes has captivated bassists for years. Dial in your favorite fuzz-wah tone and let it rip

Bob Rock made bass history on Metallica’s St. Anger – quite a feat, since he “never really played bass” before
By Bill Leigh published
Producer Bob Rock on making St. Anger, the legacy of Cliff Burton and why he used Loverboy’s bass guitar on every track

Larry Graham explains how his unorthodox six-string style invented slap bass
By Bill Leigh published
How the father of slap bass drove the world’s grooviest band

The late Mick Karn on his first tour with David Torn and Bill Bruford
By Bill Leigh published
Few electric bassists have a style as singular and strong as Japan’s fretless sorcerer

How Cameo bassist Aaron Mills provided the backbone for two of OutKast’s biggest hits
By Bill Leigh published
There was no need for looping when Word Up bass veteran Aaron Mills tracked with the Grammy-winning hip-hop duo

Is this the world’s most expensive bass guitar?
By Bill Leigh published
The Flora Aurum – created in 2007 to mark Ritter Basses’ tenth anniversary – was priced at $100,000

Bootsy Collins piled on the effects on Parliament’s P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)
By Bill Leigh published
Bootsy Collins piled on the effects on Parliament’s P-Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)

“When Michael McDonald first played it for me, I had him slow down and just show me his left hand”: Tiran Porter on The Doobie Brothers’ Minute By Minute
By Bill Leigh published
Tiran Porter played the “cowboy-movie-theme-meets shuffle-feel” on a B.C. Rich Mockingbird with twin DiMarzio P-style pickups

“I dig playing that bassline, and I love the beats”: Tina Weymouth on the Tom Tom Club’s The Good The Bad And The Funky
By Bill Leigh published
Tina Weymouth talks through the ins and outs of Tom Tom Club’s rhythmically intense fifth album… track by track
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