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THE GODFATHER OF METAL BASS SPEAKS, WE LISTEN
CHARNETT MOFFETT THE MAESTRO DAVE POMEROY ROOTS LEGEND RUTH GOLLER JAZZ INNOVATOR NIKKI SIXX MÖTLEY MADNESS
PREMIUM TOOLS FOR TONE www.allparts.com
GEAR
Welcome to our expert road-tests of state-of-the-art bass gear ehold our world-beating bass gear review section, where we bring you the crop of each month's new, interesting, or otherwise relevant bass guitars, bass amplifiers, bass cabs, and bass effects. Occasionally we'll review a guitar effect if it's useful for bassists, but generally speaking, this zone is reserved for bass-specific gear. We take our reviews seriously. BP is the last English-language print magazine devoted solely to bass in the world, and we have readers all over the planet, so we're responsible about our conclusions. If a product is worth your time, we'll say so; if it's flawed, we'll make that clear. We're not answerable to advertisers in any way, and our tests are independent of the views of musicians, manufacturers and distributors. Let us know what you think of our conclusions. Did we get it right? Joel McIver, Editor
FUSION 800S AND NEO-IV 410 CAB $1249, $1399, www.gallien-krueger.com
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Bass Player (ISSN 1050-785X) is published 13 times a year, monthly plus a Holiday issue to follow the December issue, by Future Publishing Limited, 11 West 42nd Street, 15th floor, New York, NY 10036. Periodicals Postage Paid at New York, NY and at additional mailing offices. Canadian GST No. R13288078, hen I was 17 in 1988, I bought my first bass guitar, a $50 Fender Precision copy. It was terrible, and my rudimentary playing was even worse, but in my head, of course, I sounded exactly like Paul McCartney, John Taylor, Geezer Butler, and most of all, Cliff Burton, who had died just a couple of years before.
As a teenage Metallica fan, I was intrigued by the unexpectedly melodic nature of Cliff's playing. Nowadays we know that this was the result of his study of Geddy Lee, Steve Harris, and Johann Sebastian Bach, but back then, all
I knew was that he was playing great-sounding lines and fills, often through a barrage of distortion. I gave it my best shot, and several decades later I should really thank my long- suffering parents for putting up with it.
Here we are in 2022, and Cliff's legacy is― if anything-stronger than ever. Long-time disciples like me have never forgotten the wizardry of his bass playing, or the bitter injustice of his early death, for that matter, which makes it all the more fulfilling to be able to celebrate him on the cover of BP, literally the best magazine on the planet for that purpose.
We also meet Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go's, Rick Savage of Def Leppard and Randy Jackson of Journey, one of the best-known bassists in the world thanks to his tenure on American Idol. We look back at a legendary interview with Jack Bruce, test bass gear from Gibson, Gallien- Krueger, and Luna Guitars, and we provide you with the best bass education on the planet.
I think you're going to enjoy it.
Pioneer, innovator, and survivor Kathy takes us between the lines of her newautobiography.
THE WOODSHED
Ace luthier Rob Elrick reveals the tech beneath your bass gear's surface.
I SPY
GIBSON GENE SIMMONS T-BIRD The Demon has a new signature Thunderbird. Amit Sharma discovers if it works for more than just Kiss fans.
Ryan Madora takes us deep into our fave tunes in search of bass marvels.
New bass gear, new stories, and everything else that's essential in the cool world of the low end.
In this classic chat from 2003, the late Bruce takes a deep career dive with Joel McIver and reveals which guitarist he rates higher, Clapton or Hendrix.
THEORY OF THE MONTH Master a chunk of bass theory at three levels of ability with Nik Preston.
BEGINNER Kickstart your learning with the great Steve Lawson.
THE ALBUMS
RICK SAVAGE, THAT MADE ME
Plug the new G-K 800-watt head into a Neo IV cab, and watch Kevin Johnson go. We pity his neighbors.
JOELA BASSISTA Session bassist Joela explains her career path, influences, and preferred gear, with low-end advice.
Five key albums recalled by Obscura/Pestilence bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling.
Decades into a stadium-sized career, Sav reveals to Amit 'Animal' Sharma how he's stayed on top of the bass business for so long.
INTERMEDIATE Take the next step up with the mighty Phil Mann.
CLIFF BURTON The late Metallica bassist, who died in 1986 long before his time, left us with a recorded catalog whose greatness grows year by year. Robert Trujillo digs into Cliff's bass sound and style, and we visit a Swedish museum in his memory.
I WAS THERE Remembering the rise of the young Esperanza Spalding. We predicted it!
ic (Savage), Raphael Meert (Kerns), Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty (Bruce
76 ADVANCED
Rich Brown takes us all the way to the top end.
Forty million American Idol viewers will find Randy's face strangely familiar... but we're here to talk about his long career as a bass player.
LUNA TRIBAL ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC Match great tones, woods and electronics with an unexpectedly low price tag and you have the E/A bass of the year, says the editor.
Ellen O'Reilly meets the most dedicated man in rock, and learns how he backs up the Man In The Hat.
THE LAST NOTE Dan Veall's new column signs off each BP with a cool bit of bass gear.
LOW LIFE Hone your live skills with BIMM performance tutor Antonio Angotti.
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ipso.) Regulated
Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird
Shout it out loud! Amit Sharma deuces with the Kiss Demon's new Gibson
GIBSON www.gibson.com
The laser-engraved skull logo on the pickguard may not be to everyone's taste, so you'll either love it or hate it, though it does tie in with the rock'n'roll aesthetic associated with Kiss and therefore has its merits. More importantly, however, this feels like a real Thunderbird- and being handmade in the USA, it very much is one, with an incredibly resonant mahogany body that rings loud acoustically before you've even plugged it in.
Once you do, the ceramic magnets in the Rhythm and Lead T-Bird humbuckers pack a powerful and immediate response, with no shortage of punch and depth, making for a bass that sounds, much like the American group's landmark 1975 release, truly alive. Unlike the EMG PJ set typically found in Simmons' Punisher and Axe, however, these high-output humbuckers aren't active, so there's no need to worry about battery power. The two volume controls allow for a blend of either or both pickups, with the rhythm unit alone bringing a wonderfully articulate sound that has enough brightness to retain definition and clarity. More highs can then be cut using the master tone knob, allowing for softer, jazzier tones when dialled in clean-a nice option to have, even if Simmons himself tends not to go there.
ene Simmons has played all sorts of instruments over the years, from the Charlie LoBue custom bass heard on the early Kiss albums to his own Punisher and Axe signatures, although for a while in the mid-Seventies Simmons did experiment with Gibson Grabbers and Rippers. Last year's news that he was launching his own G2 brand-pronounced 'G squared' - through the American giants nevertheless came as a surprise, the new collaboration pledging to release a whole range of guitars and basses built with the Demon's personal seal of approval.
On first glance, this debut in the series-not in the form of a Grabber or Ripper, but a Thunderbird, interestingly-is certainly impressive. The contrast between the ebony nitrocellulose lacquer finish against the mirrorplex pickguard and truss-rod cover is eye-catching, treading the fine line between modern edge and classic finesse. As well as the pearloid reverse split diamond inlays, it's also nice to see the Gibson logo on the front of the headstock, with the G2 logo on the back side near the nut a reassuring consideration given this instrument's price.
VOLUME
VOLUME
The ceramic magnets in the Rhythm and Lead T-Bird humbuckers pack a powerful and immediate response, with no shortage of punch and depth
Congratulations to Frank Bello and Anthrax for 40 Years of Revolutionizing Thrash Metal
See Frank and Hartke HL cabs on tour this summer: anthrax.com/tour
Hartke
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