Bass Player is the world's most comprehensive, trusted and insightful bass publication for passionate bassists and active musicians of all ages. Each issue delivers the latest tips and techniques that are guaranteed to make you a better player.
Welcome to issue... deep breath... 400 of Bass Player. That’s right—for 30 years (and change) this magazine has been chronicling the peaks, progressions, and pitfalls of the industry surrounding the world’s coolest instrument. This celebratory issue takes a look back over the years, and we’ve taken it upon ourselves to reprint the congratulations of a whole galaxy of bass stars—for which we’re immensely grateful, as well as deeply moved. As always, though, BP’s mission is to make you the best possible bassist you can be, so this issue isn’t just about us congratulating ourselves on making it to 400 issues. Our objective—just as it has been every month since 1990—is to equip you with the skills that you’ll need to maximize your potential. With that in mind, we’ve gathered as…
I WAS THERE! A world historic —recalled moment by in those bass who were there to see it "When I think about my 30 years at Bass Player, interviewing over 400 bassists, two aspects come to mind. The first is that we were born at a critical time in the burgeoning bass world. Before BP there was no magazine devoted solely to bassists, but suddenly we were a cornerstone of an explosion of bass media. Among other talented people, I worked alongside Karl Coryat, an awesome copy editor who set BP’s style and tone, and art director Paul Haggard, who set all of BP’s looks. And, of course, founder editor Jim Roberts. “You could read about your favorite players and new gear in each issue—heck, some players’ careers were launched…
"Ronnie Wood from the Small Faces let us sleep in his house..." ROCKABILLY HEROES RETURN The Stray Cats unleash new, bass-packed live album The Stray Cats, one of the most badass bands on the planet by anyone’s standards, are releasing a new album on September 11 via Surfdog Records. The 23-track Rocked This Town: From LA To London was recorded completely live on the veteran trio’s 40th Anniversary Tour in 2019 and has been produced by the band themselves—Brian Setzer (vocals, guitar), Lee Rocker (bass) and Slim Jim Phantom (drums). The mix comes from Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). It’s been a long and productive 40-year run for the Stray Cats. Remembering the moment that the Cats left New York in 1980 for pastures new in the…
"Start with a traditional nickel-plated Slinky set of strings." "We have an amazing team of nearly 350 people who are responsible for the manufacturing of our strings. They really are the lifeblood of the company, are our family, and are an extremely talented collection of individuals who take great pride in making strings for some of the world’s best musicians. Our classic nickel-plated Slinky Bass strings are still some of the most popular in the world. Our Slinky Flat-wound Cobalt and Slinky Cobalt lines also sell very well for us. The Cobalts have a really cool mid-scoop that accentuates the lows and highs. “Designing new strings is one of the most fun parts of our job. We really get to focus on things like alloy development, core-to-wrap ratios, tension ratios,…
MUST-HAVE ALBUM PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED Metal Box/Second Edition (1979) “It’s iconic, isn’t it?” Wobble notes of this album, not unreasonably given its immense stature among fans of leftfield post-punk music. “It’s got its own unique sound and it really is ‘me’. I’ve used Ovation Magnums for the last few years then went back to a Fender Precision recently. It makes me play like I did back then. The bass-lines are very fresh, I was full of enthusiasm—and I still am.” The P-Bass, Wobble adds, makes him naturally reach for octaves and chromatic work in his lines. String-wise, he’s graduated over the years toward flatwounds and nylons, finding them less harsh on the fingers over a three-hour set. “If you’re doing loads of sixteenths, or faster, you can soon wear your…
john Wardle became Jah Wobble, it is said, courtesy of a drunken mispronunciation of his name by the late Sex Pistol Sid Vicious, and duly became the bassist in that band’s singer John Lydon’s new project, Public Image Limited, after the Pistols’ implosion. An oft-troubled character, Wobble left PiL in 1980 and spent the rest of the decade on various projects including Invaders Of The Heart. His jobs at the time included working for the London Underground, but by the 1990s he had recommitted to music. Wobble was always more than a mere post-punk grappler, and he has collaborated with a host of diverse musicians from Brian Eno to Baaba Maal. One of his most-acclaimed recent projects was the stunning 2008 LP, Chinese Dub, a hybrid of original music from…
