DARK SECRETS: 4 | Rare Historical Photos

“I was playing a lot of jazz when we did Longview. I’d sit in at jazz clubs and read off the Real Book”: If you think Mike Dirnt is another clueless punk, think again

Every success story needs a behind-the-scenes hero, and for Green Day, it was bassist Mike Dirnt. He details the making of American Idiot and his forensic approach to bass tone

Guitar World · Jan 11, 2025

“Bach was one of the only guys who really understood the range of the bass. All his cello pieces are right in the 5-string bass range”: John Myung plays for one of rock’s most ambitious bands, and he’s 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…

Guitar World · Jan 1, 2025

“They’re both amazing guitarists, but Jeff Beck let you take liberties”: Rhonda Smith had been on call with Prince for more than a decade when she told the Purple One she was busy with Jeff Beck

Session ace Rhonda Smith on how her 10-year stint with Prince came to a close

Guitar World · Dec 28, 2024

“I didn’t have a bass guitar, so I had to make one. Unknown to me at the time, I built the first fretless bass, about five years before they came out”: Before the Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman needed a good bass guitar – so he created his own

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

Guitar World · Dec 5, 2024

“If there was ever a time to get off the rollercoaster, it was going to be at the top”: Being in a band is tough – just ask bassist Dirk Lance, who left Incubus at the peak of their powers

Dirk Lance’s in-your-face bass style made him one of the most emulated bassists of a generation

Guitar World · Dec 5, 2024

“When I was growing up, everyone said, ‘Oh, bass is just a second guitar.’ Bull! It's an art, man!” How Matt Freeman became one of punk’s most iconic bassists – bringing bass solos, jazz band and Carole King to Rancid

The Rancid bassist talks picking technique, chasing vintage tones, and channeling John Entwistle

Guitar World · Dec 1, 2024

“We hit the stage, and there’s Paul McCartney. He looks at me and he says, ‘Hey, Duff’. All I can think is, ‘Paul McCartney knows my name. How the hell did that happen?!’” Duff McKagan recalls his real-life Spinal Tap moment and meeting his heroes

The Guns N' Roses bassist on meeting Sir Paul McCartney, and a life-changing encounter with Prince

Guitar World · Nov 29, 2024

“Live, I like to mostly play on the E and the A strings. I could pretty easily get away with playing a two-stringed bass”: How bassist Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell found his sound with Linkin Park

Alternating between using a pick and his fingers on a StingRay and a P-Bass, Farrell tailored his bass tone to cut through the center of nu-metal

Guitar World · Nov 27, 2024

“My dad called me a ‘rhythm bassist’, but all he taught me was a power chord and an AC/DC drum beat”: Wolfgang Van Halen on calling the shots in rock’s royal family

He isn’t just Eddie’s kid – Wolfgang Van Halen is a talented bass player with his own style

Guitar World · Nov 24, 2024

“A lot of guitar players switch to bass, but I feel like I was born a bass player – it’s in my bones”: Weezer’s Scott Shriner shares his bass tone secrets

For Scott Shriner, letting loose and taking risks – including singing and playing floor pedals – is all part of the journey

Guitar World · Nov 23, 2024