Latest articles by Nick Wells
With Rage Against the Machine, Tim Commerford pioneered an all-time iconic bass tone. No wonder he's cagey about his setup
The toughest right hand in bass charts his never-ending quest for the ultimate tone
John Myung plays for one of rock’s most ambitious bands, and the Berklee-schooled bassist is tackling the challenge with extraordinary discipline
The Dream Theater maestro explains what every bassist can learn from Bach, how he developed the Bongo 6-string bass with Ernie Ball, and why he runs a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier on bass…
Jack Bruce on his chance meeting with Motown hit-maker James Jamerson
Speaking in 2001, the late Cream bassist recalled his encounter with Jamerson at the Record Plant in L.A.
Duran Duran’s John Taylor breaks down the group’s landmark album and his Rio-inspired signature bass
John Taylor and Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood are among the guests on a new podcast series from fanned-fret originators, Dingwall Guitars
Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson shares his 12 tips that every bass player should know
Cheap Trick’s 12-string bass legend on the joys of multiple amps, and why bass players should never use effects
Before the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman needed a good bass guitar – so he built a proto-fretless model
It's a tale as old as time: three guitarists, a need for a bass player, and no one wants the job. Eventually, Wyman took it on, and built himself a proto-fretless model in the process
“Gene Simmons used a Grabber for a reason – because they play like nothing else on earth”: Epiphone Grabber Bass review
With its classic looks and budget-friendly price tag, is the revived Grabber still as iconic?
“We hit the stage, and there’s Paul McCartney. He looks at me and he says, ‘Hey, Duff’”: Duff McKagan recalls his real-life Spinal Tap moment
The Guns N' Roses bassist on meeting Sir Paul McCartney, and a life-changing encounter with Prince
“In terms of sheer value for money, it’s hard to beat”: Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Artist Series Bass review
On paper, the Sterling Joe Dart model looks like a remarkable reproduction of Music Man’s pro-standard version. Could this be as good as it gets for a $399 bass?
Berry Oakley set the template for the Allman Brothers Band with a modified ’72 Jazz, known as ‘The Tractor’
Oakley added a Hagstrom Bi-Sonic pickup to his 1972 Jazz Bass, giving him a total of three pickups and five control knobs
“Somebody said, ‘Why don't you try slap bass?’” Chris Wolstenholme switched up his tone and technique on Muse’s The Resistance
Monstrous tones (and a massive signal chain) are just part of Chris Wolstenholme’s bass evolution with Muse
How Richard Bona found a rare Pastorius tune for his Brazilian-inspired solo album
Bass worshippers will need to listen between the layers to catch the bottom-end brilliance of Bona’s Jaco tribute
“Thrill-seekers wishing to add ear-melting fuzz to their bass will be in tonal nirvana”: Goliath FX Hornburg Fuzz review
With drive tones verging on the mythical, is this the ultimate bass fuzz?
Fretted, fretless, double bass, eight-string – Sting is unstoppable on bass. Here’s how he developed his style
Songwriter, actor, author, activist, rock star, jazz freak... Gordon 'Sting’ Sumner is quite the renaissance man. Oh, and he played bass in The Police…
Did Paul McCartney fumble a note on this classic Beatles bassline?
Recorded at Abbey Road Studios on October 16th, 1965, see if you can hear the bass glitch where McCartney “breaks” the main riff
Viral bass hero Blu DeTiger just gave the Fender Jazz Bass a radical revamp – but she started on a Gretsch she left in a taxi
We talk to the bassist with 1.4 million fans on TikTok about how DJing influenced her bass playing, and sending her new signature Jazz Bass to Flea
“David Bowie didn’t even show up”: Herbie Flowers on the making of Lou Reed’s Walk On the Wild Side
Having recorded over 20,000 sessions for the likes of David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, T.Rex, Paul McCartney and Elton John, Brian ‘Herbie’ Flowers was not your average bassist
“I couldn’t work with Lennon and McCartney. I’d end up being beaten to death”: Back in 2011 we locked horns with Lemmy
In a world full of rock ’n’ roll poseurs, Motörhead's hard-living bassist, Lemmy Kilmister, was a true original
How a late-night drinking session with Lars Ulrich almost ruined Robert Trujillo’s Metallica try-out
Robert Trujillo was announced as Metallica's new bassist on February 24, 2003, following a two-day try-out for the metal giants
“I’m like the power forward on a basketball team”: Bob Glaub might be the most famous bass player you’ve never heard of
Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Stevie Nicks and oh so many more: for 50 years, Bob Glaub has kept things moving on hit after hit
How Chick Corea bassist Avishai Cohen landed one of the most coveted gigs in jazz
Born in Israel and raised in St. Louis, Avishai Cohen followed the path of many bass players – electric to acoustic – and ended up landing in the hottest seat in the jazz circuit
Fender Vintera II ’60s Precision Bass review
Vintage looks? Timeless P-Bass tones? We size up the latest incarnation of Fender’s flagship 4-string
Flea wanted to ditch Give It Away before his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates stepped in
Rick Rubin persuaded Flea to tone down his original bassline on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1991 hit single
Slipknot’s original bassist Paul Gray on holding the middle ground in metal’s most extreme band
Slipknot are one of the most visually arresting bands still working today – but the late Paul Gray’s role was decidedly different
“The time I had with Prince at Paisley Park was life-changing”: MonoNeon on collaborating with giants
The Jacob Collier, Mac Miller and Prince collaborator reveals the bassline he wishes he'd written, and reflects on the mind-blowing experience of having Mavis Staples and George Clinton guest on his new album
