When Duff McKagan of Guns N’Roses wrote a certain bass solo...

What’s the world’s most important bass-line? Ask the late Mr Edwards.

We admit it, all right? It’s probably impossible

BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE MOVES FULLY ONLINE

News and views from the bass world, collated by BP's team of newshounds

Josh Smith

The rock bassist du jour discusses his band Halestorm’s five albums to date...

COMPRESSION: YES OR NO

Do you need a compressor when you play live shows?

YOU DESERVE THE BEST...

...but what really makes one bass better than another?

STUDY LINE TRANSPOSITION

Joe Hubbard takes us through three ways to

THE MOST IMPORTANT BASS‐LINE IN HISTORY?

Chic’s immortal ‘Good Times’ wasn’t just a stroke of disco genius and a dancefloor anthem for the ages: the late Bernard Edwards’ finger-twisting bass part was sampled for ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and many, many other songs. We tell its story, with a little help from Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Jerry Barnes as well as ‘Rapper’s Delight’ bassist Chip Shearin.

SECRET SAUCE

The great Guy Pratt takes Ellen O’Reilly on a tour of the incredible bass gear that his current world tour with Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets requires. Be warned, your mind may be blown...

DUB STORM

OM and Sleep bassist Al Cisneros gathers his solo singles into a collection, Sinai Dub Box, discusses the role of flow states and the universal groove, and reveals which bass is so heavy he needs pain relief to play it...

PASSING NOTES

Dylan Flynn nearly died in a car crash more than two decades ago. His injuries were so bad that he had to give up playing bass – so now he lends his bass out to professional bass players to raise money for charity. Lee Marlow tells his unique story.

COPING STRATEGIES

Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich of Aussie rockers Camp Cope had a tough start on bass, but persevered. Read and learn!

COUNTRY WAYS

Wilco bassist John Stirratt looks back at decades of struggle – and a trajectory that has made his band a modern alt-country institution.

KEY MOMENT

Be a musician, or take the safe route? Solo bassist Juna Serita weighs in on a tricky decision...

THE SOUND OF METAL

Soreption’s Rickard Persson nominates 10 bassists who are taking metal playing to the next level

GEAR Reviews

Welcome to our expert road-tests of state-of-the-art bass gear

MUSIC MAN DarkRay 5

The DarkRay saga continues with the addition of a five-string model. Chris Gill goes low

Pro-Mod San Dimas PJV

Charvel’s new five gets a new DiMarzio: Joel McIver gets nostalgic

Bullhead Mini 500 and Mini 112 Cab

Think small, think cool: can this agile amp match its competitors? Steve Lawson finds out

Bass Lessons

Making you a better bass player in every issue, our state-of-the-art team of educators will guide you every step of the way. Say hello to them here!

BP Notat on Legend

The following is a guide to the notation symbols and terminology used in Bass Player magazine

CONNECTIVITY! PART ONE

In session and stage bassist Ryan Madora’s amazing new column, we discover a stack of useful secrets hidden inside our favourite bass-lines

LEGATO PLAYING MADE EASY

The great Steve Lawson is dealing with health issues this month, so let’s revisit this classic lesson from a while back...

MASTER MINOR 7TH FLAT 5 ARPEGGIOS

Phil Mann is a stage and session star and educator extraordinaire. Get ready to step up your bass game!

STUHAMM: CHORDS LESSON

Ace bass educator Stuart Clayton takes us deep into the work of Stu Hamm for an advanced masterclass.

DIGITECH XBW

A lean, green, fighting machine