Contents
Issue 55 June 2010
20 Mark
saunders:
Florence and
the Machine
We get the full story behind Mark’s
latest venture aboard the Machine
Regulars
08 the low down
Keep up with the latest new gear and news…
14 Bass to the Future: alex
loFoco
Introducing the talents of Italian bassist
Alex Lofoco
16 take Five: les claypool
The Primus frontman talks us through his
favourite bass albums
18 Bassically speakinG
We talk to bassists Freddy Feedback, Dale
Anderson, James Kennedy, George Anderson,
Tom Davison and Stu Blackwood
BassicallySpeaking
Bassically Speaking
Bassists tell us what they do in a minute or less!
James KennedyAvatar
My primary bass is a US Fender
75 reissue Jazz Special Edition,
with Lindy Fralin passive
hum-free pickups. I string all
my basses except one with
Thomastik flatwounds .043
gauge; I love the tone and
tension-free feel of these
strings. I have a Pino Palladino
Custom Shop P-Bass, a US 57
reissue P-Bass, a Tony Franklin
fretless Fender P/J Bass, a Chris
Larkin Custom fretless semi-
acoustic and a Cort A4 strung
with DR Hi-Beams. I love the
Ashdown and DOD envelope
filters and I also have Boss
Octave, Flanger, Bass Synth and
Delay pedals. At the moment
I am using a Mesa/Boogie M6
amp with a Bergantino 2x15”
for dub stuff. I also have a Genz
18 Bass Guitar Magazine
Basically Speaking~_1nw.indd 18
4 Bass Guitar Magazine
Contents 55_1nw.indd 1
Benz 2x10” combo for a more
modern sound. In the studio I
use a Summit Audio TD-100
preamp. I also have a SansAmp
DI which I sometimes use live.
The most fundamental skill
for a bassist is to be able to
listen well. Listening properly
allows a bassist to play with a
deeper groove, which is what
bass playing is primarily about.
My first bass was a very unusual
Höfner. I have never seen one
like it since. It had a headstock
like a Telecaster and had a
type of felt covering over the
body. The greatest bass player
that ever lived is ‘Family Man’
Barrett; I feel he has the deepest
groove I have ever heard.
www.myspace.com/
avatarsounds
George Anderson Shakatak  improved the strength in my
I play primarily slap/thumb
and fingerstyle for funk, soul,
jazz and pop. I use three JD GA
24 custom signature model
basses by John Diggins and
Soundtrade custom basses.
I did have a Warwick 5-string
with Bartolini pickups - very
nice sound, but the neck and
string spacing was too small for
my hands, so I use my trusty
4-string JDs, and for low notes
in the studio I just detune my
bass. My effects are a Korg
Stu Blackwood
Operation Error
I would describe my bass style
as if a lead guitarist was playing
on a guitar with much thicker
strings than usual, and one or
two of the strings have gone
AWOL. This is mainly due to
the fact that I learnt to play
guitar, specifically lead guitar,
before I took up playing the
bass. Now on the bass I can use
some techniques you would
always find in any lead guitarist
handbook and utilise them for
a different style of bass playing.
Despite owning a number of
high-end basses, my guitar of
preference onstage is a 5-string
Squier Precision tuned to B
flat. All bassists and sound
engineers I have gigged with
are always amazed about the
sound and tone I get from this
‘affordable’ bass. Also in my
Toneworks G5 bass synth
processor and a Zoom B2 bass
pedal, plus a Korg rack tuner
built into my rack with an EVA
bass preamp system. I use two
lots of SWR or Hartke 4x10”
cabs, or for smaller venues a
single 4x10” cab with a 2x10”
sub. My first bass was a Jazz
copy - maybe a Tokai - the
action was really high and you
needed strong fingers to press
the strings down. It was a good
thing in some ways, because it
© Tim Soter
collection is a 5-string Warwick
Thumb and a 5-string Fender
Jazz. I only use one pedal
when playing live and that is
the Boss ODB-3. It kicks out
the right amount of distortion
when it comes to playing heavy
chorus parts and also when I
am riffing out with the guitars.
I use a Trace Elliot 4x10" cab
with GP7SM preamp or an
Ashdown MAG EVO II 4x10"
combo. I play a 5-string bass
because having that extra lower
string gives me the chance to
hit the low notes underneath
all the higher sounds produced
in a band. The secret of playing
bass well is knowing your
role in the rhythm of a song
but always having the balls to
experiment,
www.myspace.com/operror5
hands and fingers, so when
I got my second bass, which
was a Music Man, it seemed
so easy to play. Jaco Pastorius is
and will always be the greatest
bassist ever! His ability to play
effortlessly through chord
changes and make it sound
musical was pure genius. Listen
to his solo on ‘Havona’ on
the Heavy Weather album by
Weather Report - that has to be
the most perfect bass solo ever.
www.gabass.co.uk
www.shakatak.com
Basically
07/05/2010 09:33Speaking~_1nw.indd 19
Freddy Feedback
Art Brut
I like to see myself as a solid
part of the rhythm section
along with the drums, which
allows the other parts of
the band to do their thing.
I just hope that I am able to
complement our songs – I
think it’s a case of balancing
and not blending in too
much, without being too
overpowering. I’m using a
modern Fender Precision bass
with a Telecaster body. I have a
Rickenbacker 4003 which used
to be my main instrument
but is now a backup. Amp-
wise I used to use various
Ampeg bass heads (SVT II
and Classics), but I’m now
using an Ashdown ABM 900
head with Ampeg 8x10 inchor
4x12 inch cabinets. With
My approach to the bass is
simple, unique and melody
driven, which gels tightly
around heavy rock or punk
riffs. I use a Fender USA
Precision 4-string and a
Warwick RockBass 5-string
with a Boss Overdrive and
a few exceptions, I usually
don’t use any effects. I used to
have a distortion pedal for a
few songs when playing live,
but the low-end frequencies
dropped considerably
whenever I switched it on, so I
stopped using it.
My bass heroes are Kim
Deal, Kim Gordon and
Krist Novoselic. The secret
of playing well is trying to
support and lock in with the
drums and rhythm guitar.
I think it’s important to
understand your role in the
band – if you want to play
solos, you should play guitar
instead. I have never tried
5-string bass – I suppose I
already have enough to do
with four strings… I’ve never
Dale Anderson Starseed
a Bass Limit Enhancer. Any
Trace Elliot or Ashdown bass
amp will do. I play a 5-string
bass because it gives you a
warm, deeper and heavier
tone, especially on the low
B string, which is great for
heavy rock music. I also use
a Fender 4-string because it
gives you a real solid tone and
treble quality, which you don’t
seem to find on many other
basses. The secret of playing
bass well is taking from music
which has inspired you. Let
your influences inspire you
and make you creative, and use
this to develop your own style
and technique. Use different
chord and rhythm patterns to
found a situation where I’ve
thought “if only I had a low-B
string!” Five- and six-string
basses might have their place,
but I don’t think that place is
in our music. I’m really happy
with my Precision. Even
though it was quite cheap
it has a great tone, and the
people in the shop set it up
fantastically, so it’s really nice
to play. I’ve tried out various
more expensive basses for
recording purposes, but in
the end I’ve always come
back to my own one, despite
it being a “cheap” bass. I have
been really lucky with it, and
I suppose it shows that it’s
always good to shop around
and play instruments when
you’re looking. Two basses
of the same model and make
can be completely different to
each other, particularly when
you’re looking at the cheaper
end of the market. Don’t be
intimidated in music shops – if
they condescend to you then
just go somewhere else.
There is an endless amount
of great basslines, so it’s
difficult to decide which the
best ones are – but off the top
of my head, in no particular
order: “Cannonball” (The
Breeders), “Pretend We’re
Dead” (L7), “The Lost Art Of
Keeping A Secret” (Queens
Of The Stone Age), “Gigantic”
(Pixies), “Reach Out I’ll Be
There” (Four Tops).’
www.artbrut.org.uk
what the guitarist is playing.
The bass can have many
different styles and varieties to
implement which are different
to the guitar, which will blend
well and give your songs more
depth. My bass heroes are Flea,
Mike Dirnt from Green Day,
Cliff Burton from Metallica
[RIP], Fat Mike from NOFX
and Matt Freeman from
Rancid. The greatest bassist
that ever lived is Les Claypool!
I don’t slap much because it is
not necessary in our style of
music; I prefer to smack the
strings with those extra-large
bass plectrums.
www.myspace.com/
starseedrock
Interviews
36 JiMMy haslip
Rick Suchow meets one of the bass world’s
24 MalcolM Moore most pioneering players
We sneak backstage for a chat with one of the
BassicallySpeaking
UK’s most wanted players
28 andrea Goldsworthy 40 GeorGina ‘GroG’ lisee
Tom
Davison
Dakota
Jack Stevens meets Andrea Goldsworthy, We track down Grog, who’s back with a
I really enjoy either keeping
my bass playing funky or
the harder, fast attack of
a plectrum and playing
something that you can span
genres: you could hear it at a
gig or at a club and it would
currently plying her trade with Paloma Faith brand-new album with Die So Fluid
fit in both instances. I think
Muse have headed in that
direction and I’m a big fan. I’m
still influenced fairly strongly
by moving from lead guitar to
bass, but I’ve combined those
influences to keep it interesting
rather than just playing the
root notes – or, at the other
end of the spectrum, being a
‘lead guitarist on bass’. With
Dakota I like to keep it fairly
simple and straightforward,
32 adaM Blackstone 42 roB kearns
with some flair thrown in
during the transition between
different sections of the track.
I use a 1990 Fender American
Jazz Standard and a 1970s
Fender Precision through a
Big Muff distortion and MXR
compression into an Ampeg
SVT-Cl. I have a craving for
an Ampeg Dan Armstrong
ADA4 and an old Gibson Les
We talk to the man pulling the bass strings for The Southern rock legend tells all about his time
Paul bass. I played one while
we were recording at Battery
Studios in London and loved
it. The secret of playing bass
well is practising and playing
music you enjoy! Pretty
straightforward really… I don’t
slap because the style doesn’t
the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem and Janet Jackson with Lynyrd Skynyrd
suit the music I currently play,
and although I think it’s a great
technique, I doubt I’ll be using
it for a while.
www.myspace.com/
dakotabandofficial
Bass Guitar Magazine 19
07/05/2010 09:33
07/05/2010 11:52
 44 Marleaux
Gear consat custoM
Reviews This custom-made boutique bass from
Gerald Marleaux aims to offer the very best
in pro-bass performance
48 sQuier l classic
viBe precision ’50s Bass Techniques

stu hamm: the

Hammer-on
Bass Place
With Hamm
more, my fearless readers
and hopefully hammer-on
-hankering Hamm
fans.

This offering from Squier looks to

Greetings once
of the phrase
playing the 1st note
with your 1st finger down to get the next
note to

T
like to continue my and the pinkie hammering
his month I would and
series by discussing sound.
‘Funk Techniques’ used and
of the most widely
demonstrating one bass
can use in slap-funk Exercise 3 you play the
useful tools that you cool it sounds when
Now check out how from a high
playing: the hammer-on. you invent going down the neck

capture the look and feel of the original

‘What is a hammer-on,
Well…uh…no
it?’ I hear you cry…
I sure ‘borrowed’ other
the technique, but
style and tried
of said
and expansions.
A ‘hammer-on’ is a
way of getting a note
stu hamm as being
old ‘fret the note with
your right hand’
Stu Hamm is recognised
it with
finger from your fretting to sound.
to sharply bring a
bass
one of the world’s biggest
the fingerboard behind
the world
talents. He has toured If you are new to this
with the likes of Steve
Vai, Joe
Satriani and Frank Gambale,
and
resulting sound a
your middle and ring
little weak at first.
his innovative solo albums
pushed bass technique
have
to new
finger to give it more
I’ve even seen some
Mr Hamm? And did same series backwards, e are
, of course I didn’t invent G String to the open low E. Uh-huh…ther notes
E on your those basic
bass players’ use tunes written using
about 5,799,354 funk t will you
with variations goof around…wha
to make it my own and patterns. Experiment…
come up with?
a different
phrase used to describe Bass Techniques
the traditional
to sound rather than
pluck, pop or slap
Exercise 4 and incorporate slides
and triplets
your left hand and
ball and chain. The
concept here is
down on
Let’s kick it up a notch
to get melodically down
the neck. There are
the high G
two hammer-
and the first
hand Pluck or pop
ons in the first bar. pull off to get the
back to the G and
Andrew MCK
a fret, causing a note
E, then hammer on playing the
find the that you are only actually the same
practice, you might E to sound again so
InneY:
It really helps to use with your right hand.
Use
finger in concert with
mass and stability
your little
and strength –
first note of the triplet
pattern for the rest
of the exercise.
How To Read Music TuITIon TIp
students tape those
how to act as one!
three fingers
I have also
Exercises 5 & 6
Ok, enough with the
exercises, let’s incorporate
these The eleventh in: Lesson 11
a series on reading

I
from the
together to train them and hammer a few grooves. Hammering great in E music notation
extremes. For more
info visit players give up early hammer-ons into – 16th notes and
seen a lot of bass your ring the A and E strings
sounds n BGM issue 53 rests
m.com their middle fingers, but this puts 5th to 7th frets on we had our
www.stuham down with
off the fretboard and makes referred to as semiquaver first look at 16th notes (also
minor…
and little fingers completely half of the s). These rhythms being ‘nearly right’
bass player. Why sacrifice a big challenge
to the novice reader present
until it is perfect
, or say ‘that’ll do’
. Work on each
you a two-fingered your rhythm
digits available to
you? Get started strengthening strong like Exercise 7 movement going us old hands too!
There are a staggering
and can trip up
practising how
and effortless –
otherwise you
it will grow big and same 5th–7th-fret will just be
This groove uses the one at completely
possible permutatio number of to be sloppy. There’s
pinkie now and eventually you out a great deal! So let’s neck. Try playing this ns when it comes practice shouldn’t no reason why
and help up and down the sounds cool playedmakes the job of reading to rhythms, which be beneficial to reading
your other fingers feels… Sure, it them very difficult playing, such as other aspects of
we…? different tempos and slow/bluesy 6/8 kind the space of one at times. Within the all-importan your
‘hammer-on’, shall try swinging it in a beat, there are it helps, use a loop t timing/groove
really fast, but also tempo with a pick.
that, with practice, some common
rhythms or drum machine factor. If
or with a rock-solid you we can learn to – this will that plays 16th-notes
recognise help
Exercise 1 funk bass scales, the
of feel
month’s column has
given We looked at
six common rhythms very quickly. to make sure you
bread and butter of I am hoping that this in the before, that I referred in the bar accurately. are hitting the
right point
Let’s start with the
Andrew
a pentatonic scale ways to use hammer-ons the to as 16th-note As you get more
rhythm units. Once
Need I mention that an overview of different that you will ‘take with the we are comfortable try going back
to
confident, though,
E minor pentatonic. by the (maj playing, and sound just one
MCKInneY
click per beat,
notes – the root, followed up nicely in context of funk bass an American
of these rhythms metronome. This like a normal
is made up of five moves … Sorry, I guess that’s reading them in individually we
can start will help you to
and maj 6th – and ball and run with it’ pond it’s OK toWhile use a sequence within rhythm, and not become independen
or min) 3rd, 4th, 5th that just seem to invite
you to
See, over on this side of the these rhythms
bars of music. rely on a rhythmic t with
boxes expression. Andrew McKinney are very helpful, your notes. ‘cushion’ on which to sit
two-fret whole-step football! is Head of full story. The main they are not the
your hands in Bass at Bass Guitar-X, factor that has There are 15 rhythms
use hammer-ons. part ofhouse is silence – in music not been accounted
Tech of hammer- notation this is for presented in the
Music Schools
Hamm’sinhumorous Introducing rests represented by unfortunately these table, but
Well, that’s it from London, and is ta-ta…! are not all of the
Exercise 2 increases the number a ‘rest’.

Gear
G on the 3rd fret currently Enjoy, be creative…and within one beat variations possible
hammer down the ons for this month…touring with the James therefore there of possibilities, – bet you’re really
Hit the open E and your index finger to
is more to learn. and For some of the pleased about
in association with finger. Now move Taylor Quartet. able to memorise Expecting yourself rhythms there that!
with your middle will be fingered and instantly recall to be presenting the is more than one
rest of the exercise permutation is every possible same or a very way of
the G, and all of the unrealistic. You
will get better
rhythm variations occur similar thing. The
For the full Tuition with time, but at doing this in how consecutive main
Tip archive to start with, the main and in the duration rests are grouped,
Exercise 1 including sound ‘I can work this thing to tell yourself of the notes used.
files and videos, out!’ is: presented with, Whatever you
visit www.bassg use the methods are
uitar-x.co.uk - where the notes I have described,
to you in Interact – Tuition Method For Reading land on the rhyme work out
Stu’s column is brought Tips. Each issue The key to reading 16th-Note Rhythms get it. It might
just take time.
and you will be
able to
Stuarts amp Andrew will be
association with Hartke; featuring a specific counting rhyme
16th-note rhythms
is to use the
class taught at the and work Exercise 2
of choice. school, giving The count for 16th-notes, out where the notes fall on
you a bite-size chunk in case you have it. Exercise 2 contains
of the & a 2 e & a 3 forgotten, is 1 mainly rhythmic
e & a 4 e & a.
Contact: lesson, and an insight where the notes When you’ve established e very complicated
, so try and focus
information. This
can get
into what land on the rhyme, bar is. If it helps, on where each
Korg UK it’s like to be on running through it is simply a matter use a pencil to beat in the
a course. the rhythm at of draw lines
Tel:01908 857100 matter how slow, a manageable beats, dividing each bar in between the
In AssoCIATIon and teaching yourself tempo, no
practice, although
into four sections.
This stuff is great
www.korg.co.uk wITh you start to get
a handle on the
how it goes. When unfortunately it
sounds a bit like
www.samsontech.com in question, you overall sound of code! Morse
can start to increase the rhythm
reach the desired the speed until
tempo. you Exercise 3
Andrew’s column This exercise consists
is brought to you Exercise 1 of more ‘realistic’
in association with 16th notes and basslines that use
Bass Guitar-X. Work through rests. These are
www.bassguitar-x.co the table of 16th-note and just do one quite tricky, so
.uk Use a metronome rhythms with rests. exercise at a time go slowly
020 8749 3131 set at a comfortable perfect – there’s until you’re confident
and say the 16th-note tempo, eg 55 bpm, no rush. It’s better it’s
count out loud. nailed than four to have one completely
the rhythms, or You can clap or that are almost
play them on your tap I hope you are right!
rhythm continuous bass. Either repeat enjoying this series
ly on every beat the the Bass Guitar-X so far. As ever,

52 Breedlove passport plus

beat rest in between in the bar, or allow website updated I keep
each repetition. a articles. If there’s with all the previous
Magazine number of times Loop each rhythm anything you’d
84 Bass Guitar until you feel
06/05/2010 13:58
confident with a have any questions, like me to cover,
or if you
At this point it it. email me on andrew@gu
is very important See you next time. itar-x.co.uk.
that you don’t
settle for
1
Stu Hamm_1nw.indd

We audition one of Breedlove’s more

cost-effective electro-acoustics 72 Bass Guitar
Magazine

Andrew McKinney_1n
w-1.indd 70

Techniques
06/05/2010

56 aMpeG Micro-vr
17:41

This diminutive bass rig is all about great-value

Ampeg tone
72 andrew Mckinney
Tuition Tip: Reading Notation
60 hartke ha3500 & ak410
We check out a roadworthy amp from Hartke

Regulars
74 Franc o’shea
paired with a new range of paper-coned cabs
Bass Beyond: The Tempered Scale

64 east-uk p-retro 68 the woodshed 76 Janek GwiZdala

Andrew McKinney leads the charge with this
We meet German luthier Gerald Marleaux Modern Bass Improvisations
versatile preamp from John East

66 MarkBass 86 essential eFFects 78 dave Marks

Black Russian Big Muff Pi Style File: Ghosts
super di &
radial Jdv
Mk3 88 But this Goes to 11... 82 stu haMM
Two fantastic The first in a brand-new series The Bass Place!
DI boxes go
head-to-head 90 on review 92 JaMie wilkins
We preview the latest bass-related CD and book releases ICMP Scholarship Diary
from the likes of Somi and Avishai Cohen

Bass Guitar Magazine 5

Contents 55_1nw.indd 2 07/05/2010 11:53