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Bass Player

FRANCIS ‘ROCCO’ PRESTIA • The great Tower Of Power bassist, whose muted playing style made him one of the funkiest musicians of all time, leaves us.

GARY PEACOCK • We salute the great upright bassist.

VISCONTI TONY • This month’s forward-thinking bass player: David Bowie’s longtime collaborator Tony Visconti.

Introducing • New, cool, and otherwise attention-grabbing bassists whose playing you need to hear, in their own words.

Geezer Butler • We celebrate five great—and less great!—albums on which a notable bassist appears

THE LOWDOWN I WAS THERE! • A historic moment in bass world—recalled by those who were there to see it

THE ART OF MONITORING • Perfect your on-stage sound and boost your performance.

THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE • What’s the best way to send your bass sound to your amp?

CONSTRUCTING BASS-LINES

Q THE MUSIC • Kicking down boundaries like there was no tomorrow, Suzi Quatro owned the Seventies, with 50 million album sales, a primetime TV slot, and bass mastery that put most of her contemporaries to shame. But the decade wasn’t all about ‘Can The Can’, she warns: there was a whole lot of ‘Can’t’, too...

THE 70S IN BASS • “The Seventies were all about lead bass!” says the mighty Suzi Q. Let’s take a 148-bassist look back and figure out what really went on back then...

TAKING FLIGHT • Bassist Timothy B Schmit looks back on being asked to join the Eagles in 1977, just as they hit the big time.

STILL LIVES • In times of darkness we all need light, and that’s just what Camel bassist Colin Bass is hoping to bring with his meditative new album, Still...

ALL THAT JAZZ • Fender’s beloved Jazz Bass hits 60 years old this year. We meet Allen Abbassi, Senior Product Development Manager, for a look back—and forward—on the subject of the mighty J...

GEAR Reviews • Welcome to our expert road-tests of state-of-the-art basses, amps, and effects.

SANDBERG California TM Nighthawk Plus, Sandberg California VS Lionel • We review two very different Sandbergs, a state-of-the-art Nighthawk, and a short-scale Lionel. Will they find their place in today’s saturated midmarket ?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

GIBSON Les Paul Junior Tribute Doublecut • Short of scale and small of body, this old-school Gibson makes few concessions to the modern player—but there’s lots of fun to be had with it, says Joel McIver

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

PHIL JONES BASS Bass Cub II BG-110 • Small, tidy, elegant—and fully featured. Does the new PJB combo achieve the lot? Mike Brooks reports

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

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

I SPY… FUNK-HEAVY OCTAVE LINES

MASTER THE MAJOR SCALE

FINGERSTYLE: ROCK BASS

JAMES JAMERSON • The techniques and tones of the Motown master assessed

Intermediate Intermediate Lesson Lesson

DOUBLE THUMBING MADE EASY

If you only practise one thing this month...

BASS ELECTRONICS EXPLAINED • Dan Veall closes this issue with a guide to on-board electronics