Issue - 26

BGM's Top 20 Bass Players
Who’s your favourite bass player? BGM’s contributors scrap it out to nominate their top 20 greatest bass players.

Guy Pratt - Pink Floyd
A top notch bassist that makes you laugh? It can only be Guy Pratt and his other ‘Animals’ show.

Steve Firth - Embrace
Steve Harvey catches half an hour with Steve Firth of Embrace - the kings of indie super-ballads - just before going onstage in front of 10,000 sunburnt fans and talks about life on the road, football anthems and whistling milkmen.

Gary Beers - INXS
Gary Beers of INXS shares his Bass Essentials with BGM. He talks favourite musicians, gear he can’t live without and what makes him and his bass happy. 

Kai Eckhardt - Garaj Mahal
A tour de force of subtle fretless invention, sublime chordal accompaniment and killer slap solos. Enter the world of Garaj Mahal’s Kai Eckhardt.

BGM's Guide to the Session Scene
So you want to be a session player? Best to listen to what the experts say:
Chuck Rainey - Dave Marks sits down and digs deep with one of the most experienced and influential session bassists of all time.
Herbie Flowers - The legend Herbie Flowers finds time in his busy schedule to chat to Graham Hazelwood about his historic recordings.
Leland Sklar - Petra Jones talks to Leland, fresh from Phil Collins’ last tour, about his session career and his new project Barefoot Servants 2.

GEAR TESTS:

Musicman Stingray Bass
Here we have a new, much requested, take on a previous Music Man design. Does this new bass with an enviable pedigree go some way to continuing the legacy left before it?

Ampeg B200R Combo
In a bid to offer power and portability at an affordable price, the B200R has just been released. So how will it fare in this exceptionally competitive sector of the bass amp market?

Genz-Benz GBE 1200 & GB610T-XB2
Genz Benz introduce the GBE 1200 and GB610T-XB2, a new huge stack with a solid head and mega powerful cab.

Hofner HA-B03-E acoustic bass
Fancy going acoustic but not breaking the bank? This mid-price Hofner might be the solution for you.

EBS Valve Drive
BGM checks out this solidly-constructed valve distortion pedal from EBS. Ideal for getting that classic sound for a fraction of the price.

COLUMNS:

Dave Marks - Get the right sound and learn the style you need to get that gig! Style Files continues with Dave Marks talking us through how to play country bass.

Steve Lawson - Alternating melody and chord progressions in this month’s tutorial with Steve Lawson.

Stuart Clayton - Step-up your jazz soloing with Stuart Clayton in his Advanced Techniques column.

Tutorials - Exercises - Advice

and more...

Books, DVDs and CDs