Latest articles by Nick Wells
“Sunshine of Your Love should be in the dictionary under the best-known bassline of all time”: Chris Squire on the five bass players that shaped his sound
Back in 2012, the legendary Yes bassist revisited five classic albums – and his final pick might surprise you
“Sometimes the simplest bassline is the most difficult to play!” How Richard Bona developed his percussive right-hand technique
Richard Bona may have the chops to pull off superhuman solos, but his strengths as a sideman lay in keeping things simple
“On Longview I used a Gibson bass. Then I broke the neck in half”: Mike Dirnt on the making of Green Day’s breakthrough single
Despite his legendary status with Fender, Mike Dirnt’s most memorable bassline was recorded on a mid-’70s Gibson
“Ultimate control” over your bass overdrive tones, and your entire backline in a pedal? Ashdown has lofty aims for its latest bass stompboxes
Ashdown adds to its big trunk of tone with the Triple Shot and Pro-DI
“We mic’d one of Steve Howe’s old Gibson guitars and mixed it with the bass. That’s what gave it such a bright sound”: Listen to Chris Squire’s isolated bassline on Roundabout
Learn the tone secrets behind Chris Squire’s iconic bassline on the Yes classic, Roundabout
“I grabbed a diaper and shoved it under the strings near the bridge”: How Tony Levin came up with his muted bass tone on Peter Gabriel's Don't Give Up
Peter Gabriel called it the “super wonder nappy sound”
“It sounds like Lindsey Buckingham meets The Clash!” That time Duff McKagan played bass for the Manic Street Preachers
Nicky Wire on working with Duff and why Guns N’ Roses are the best band ever
“I think a bass solo can be as exciting as a guitar solo – if not more”: Listen to John Entwistle’s live bass solo on The Who’s 5:15
John Entwistle proves why bass solos aren't always a bad idea
The next step in the evolution of Ampeg? The new Venture Series promises a welcome return for Super Grit Technology – and starts at $499
Ampeg looks to enter modern overdrive territory with its new Venture Series of amps and cabinets
“Red-blooded overdrive without shaking the foundations”: Is Ashdown's upgraded CTM-15 desktop bass amp the ultimate recording rig for tube fans?
A “low-wattage powerhouse,” the Ashdown CTM-15 now features a built-in load and headphone output
“The bass world has lost a giant”: Dave Roe, the all-rounder who played with Johnny Cash, has died aged 71
As the last member of the Tennessee Three, Dave Roe defined the groove of Nashville's country music scene
“The best way to get the bass sound I wanted was to play like Larry Graham. But it wasn’t fast enough for me”: Victor Wooten sums up his game-changing slap technique
Victor Wooten’s double thumb technique is unlike any other – and he has Larry Graham to thank
Fender Adam Clayton ACB 50 review – Fender’s first-ever signature bass amp is a greatest hits of all-tube tones
Designed in conjunction with U2’s Adam Clayton, the ACB 50 is Fender’s first all-tube bass combo amp for over four decades – we put it through its paces
“It’s a dialogue between the right hand and the left hand, with the right hand doing most of the talking!” Michael Manring explains the origins of his slap technique
How the world’s ‘leading solo bassist’ fused slap bass with the rhythmic studies of Indian music
“I tell Bob Marley, this is the bass player I’m bringing up – let him play”: How Robbie Shakespeare wound up playing bass on The Wailers’ Concrete Jungle
Concrete Jungle is one of the only Bob Marley tracks not to feature Aston 'Family Man' Barrett
Richard Davis, legendary jazz bassist who worked with everyone from Van Morrison to Charles Mingus, dies at 93
He recorded with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon, but it was Davis’ bass playing on Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks that was described as “the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album”
“Quincy Jones said, ‘Man, this song sounds just like Stevie!’” The Richard Bona song Stevie Wonder turned down
How Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona found the perfect place for a track he’d written for Stevie Wonder
One of the most famous names on a bass guitar pickup, electronics expert, Bill Bartolini, has died aged 84
Gary Willis, Michael Manring, Lee Sklar, and many more pay tribute to Bill Bartolini
“I credit half of that bassline to James Jamerson. I’ve always been proud of knowing him”: Listen to Chuck Rainey’s isolated bass on Kid Charlemagne
Chuck Rainey tips his hat to Motown legend James Jamerson in this 1976 Steely Dan classic
“Rocco Prestia could have held that 16th-note pattern in his sleep – it’s airtight” Halestorm bassist Josh Smith picks his top 5 bass albums
From Tower Of Power to The Beatles, Josh Smith reveals the influences that helped shape his heavy-riffing bass style with Halestorm
“Hetfield would say, ‘Dude, get that bass s**t happening!’ It was a breathin'-down-your-neck type of thing...” Jason Newsted on the making of Metallica’s Load album
The ex-Metallica bassist recalls the making of Load and why James Hetfield had a lot to do with the bass
"Like wrestling an octopus": How to play bass like Les Claypool
Even if you're not playing double-stops tapped on a fretless 6-string bass there’s still a lot you can learn from Primus frontman Les Claypool. We asked him to break down some of his craziest basslines...
“Ozzy Osbourne gets in my face and we're doing this dance. Sometimes Kirk and I do it during For Whom the Bell Tolls”: Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo explains the origin of his iconic crab walk
Robert Trujillo thanks Ozzy Osbourne for helping turn on his stage performance with Metallica
