2 Cents is a column that collects all the unsolicited questions and the ones that, as bass players, you hope you will never be asked.
In the fifth episode, I interviewed Jon D’Auria Editor-In-Chief of Bass Magazine. Low bass, higher spirits.
Clicca QUI per la versione in italiano
PARENTAL ADVISORY ⚠️ EXPLICIT CONTENT: All the information provided below is purely illustrative and reflects personal opinions. The reality you’re reading might simply be the result of an illusion. Red pill 🔴 or blue pill 🔵 ? What you think you know is a deception… the bass doesn’t really exist (or does it?).
Track 1. Introdutions
Hey bassplayer—who are you? Give us the rundown: bands, projects, side hustles. Got a podcast? A YouTube channel? Social content? Drop your links.
I am Jon D’Auria, Editor-In-Chief of Bass Magazine. I play bass for a number of acts including Tesoro, Belinda Esquer, Roth D’Lux, Steven Sera, InSound, and a few others. Bass takes up a very large chunk of real estate of my life. Check out what I do here: www.bassmagazine.com
How did you get into electric bass?
I was an athlete my whole life until the end of high school. I needed something to fill the void that sports left, so I got into music. I thought about playing guitar, but my best friend, who is an amazing guitarist, said that my fingers were too wide for the small high frets on the guitar neck and that I should play bass. I saved my money from bussing tables and bought a bass. That day we started a band.
Be honest—did you choose the bass, or did it choose you (on some higher, slightly mystical plane)?
The bass absolutely chose me. The second I put it on it presented a new path for me and a new part of my identity.
How old were you when you started?
18
Is it ever really too late to pick up a bass and start playing?
Never. Ever, ever, ever, ever.
Are you secretly a failed guitarist?
Not really. I tried acoustic guitar for a minute, but the bass came to me pretty instantly.
The bass is often treated like the invisible instrument—the guitar’s less attractive sibling. The one nobody notices… until it’s gone. A tired stereotype, but still alive. Fair or total nonsense?
That’s fact. We are the glue of the band and we marry the rhythm and melody. However, not a lot of people can even identify the bass within a song. Go figure.
Which bassist made you want to pick it up in the first place?
Early on for me it was Preston Crump (Outkast), Stefan Lessard (DMB), Eric Wilson (Sublime), and Les Claypool.
From the low end, does the world look upside down? [Musically, philosophically—take it where you want.]
It looks upside down, right side up, and overall entrancing, grounded, balanced, and connected.
Track 2. Nightmare Fuel
Let’s get uncomfortable.
Okay. Let’s.
Can you actually hear the bass?
Always. I hear it even in silence.
Ever played a live show where you couldn’t hear yourself at all?
100%. One artist I play with has a super soft singing voice and she likes low volume instruments. At one show I got so frustrated with being asked to turn down, I turned my amp off. She didn’t even notice it.
Does your bass talk to you?
Constantly. We’re inseparable.
Have you ever talked to your bass—and did it talk back? So… what did he said?
Everyday. We tell each other secrets. I tell my basses I love them.
Do your basses have names?
Most of them do. Right now, sitting behind me is Gila, Jasmine, Woody, Papa Burgandy, and King Welter.
Are they male, female, or non-binary? [For reference: I own a Jackson that identifies as a Rickenbacker.]
A little of both. And I know the Jackson you speak of. Love that shade of green.
4 or 5 strings?
For 20 years I played primarily 4-string, but in joining a flamenco band I switched to 5-string for that low B, and that’s the bass I use most now.
Jaco only needed 4: discussion closed?
Any number of strings is perfect. Whatever each individual player is most comfortable with, go for it. The people who get their undies in a twist over the debate are silly.
At what point does a bass stop being a bass and turn into a freeway? [Where’s the string limit, really?]
No limit. You see Elwood Francis of ZZ Top rocking that 17-string bass, and you also see Mark Sandman playing a 2-string bass to perfection. Whatever floats your boat. Life is too short to judge other people.
Technique or “feel”?
Feel. Proper technique exists for a reason, which is to provide physical ease and longevity to playing, but it isn’t important to me beyond that.
Can technique AND feel coexist, or does combining them create some kind of musical “singularity”?
Absolutely. The greats seem to all have amazing technique where their left hands move like a typewriter with huge economy of movement. Same with their right hand attack.
Let’s address it: is technique just another word for “cold-blooded”? Take John Myung in Dream Theater: precision machine or misunderstood human?
Myung is a machine. I’ve interviewed him a few times and he’s a very sweet guy, but I do believe he is a robot created to play bass.
Is the bassist the serial killer of the band? A little “American Psycho” energy?
Quite the opposite. The bass player nurtures and takes care of the rest of the band and pretty much anyone around them. We’re too peaceful and zen to have a bloodlust.
On that note: coldest bassist of all time?
Probably those who live in cold climates. It wreaks havoc on the hands.
And the hottest? [You can’t pick yourself.]
I live in the southwest of America where it gets to 120 degrees in the summer, so I’d probably be on that list. Strong deodorant is paramount.
Basslines: less is more?
In many cases.
Pick or fingers?
Fingers.
Acoustic basses—underrated or unnecessary?
I currently possess three of them. I’ve always loved acoustic basses and do a lot of songwriting on them. Something so appealing about just picking it up and playing.
Pure tone or pedalboard madness?
I typically go straight into my amp, though I do have a wild pedalboard that I bust out on occasion.
Be honest: does playing bass get you laid? [Rumor says no.]
Switch that “l” to a “p” and then yes.
Female bassists-extra gear, 4×4 all-wheel drive energy, or just two-wheel drive? [In Italian, there is a pun here: the expression “avere una marcia in più” means literally “to have an extra gear” and it is also commonly used in English in a similar sense (“to have an edge” or “to have something extra”). In this playful framing, I compare it to cars: a 4×4 or “four-wheel drive” (which suggests extra power and traction) versus a “two-wheel drive,” (implying a more standard setup). This question comes with this warning written: choose your answer wisely.]
I’ve always said that I believe the bass is a maternal instrument. No matter what style of music–from the heaviest of metal, to the deepest of hip-hop–when the bass line comes in it brings comfort like a warm hug from your mother. Additionally, most of my favorite bassists are women. So yes, I do believe women harness extra power through low end.
Augmented 4th or major 3rd? [This is another slightly provocative Italian pun that I’ll try to translate. It asks whether you prefer an augmented or diminished interval, ironically referencing bra sizes. An “augmented fourth” is a musical interval (sharp 4 / #4) = full D cup. A “natural third” is roughly a “third” (3) or major third = C cup]
I’ll have to go with a natural third on this one. But really, any shape or size (of interval) is great.
Do materials and components really matters—tonewoods, string alloys… or is all of that just mythology?
I definitely think that they all play a role in the sound of the bass, but I don’t think many casual listeners would ever notice it sonically outside of bass players.
Speaking about strings: flatwound or roundwound? Pick a side. [Here again we have another Italian pun. It refers to ‘smooth’ or ‘ridged’ strings. We have SO many types of pasta in Italy, both in terms of shapes and varieties like spaghetti, penne, farfalle, ditalini… pasta can also be “ridged” or “smooth”, and this question playfully borrows that expression. The question is asking if you prefer flat (liscia) or round (rigata)]
I typically play roundwounds in the form of D’Addario NYXL strings. But I do have a couple of basses strung with flats including a fretless and a couple of hollowbodies.
Favorite bass brand?
It’s hard to beat Fender, as Leo knocked the design out of the park back in 1951. But I also love my Moollon, Nelson, and upright bass.
Which one you just can’t vibe with?
I’d hate to say it, but I’ve just never vibed with Rickenbackers. I believe it’s mainly because of the pickup positions in relation to the comfortability of my hand placement. No offense to Lemmy or Paul.
Your dream setup? [no limits.]
Probably a Carl Thompson Scroll bass through two 8×10 cabs with a powerful amp.
What’s the one thing you absolutely can’t stand about the electric bass world? [Feel free to start a fight.]
The necessity of social media to success. Everyone is trying to post their best 60-second clip, which is not the essence of bass usually.
Track 3. The Future of Low End
We’ve spent years questioning the bassist’s role… so let’s say it out loud: is the bassist actually useful?
Not only is it useful, but it’s also imperatively necessary. Music without bass is not the same. Unless you’re Prince. He could do anything he wanted.
With digital production, backing tracks, plugins, sequencers, loop stations—machines are doing more than ever. And yet, bassists are still here. Why? [I mean, for real]
Because the world needs us and always will. AI can’t make stanky bass face. Nor can it provide a human touch to music, which is essential to existence.
How do you see the role evolving?
Nowadays bass players have to be able to play electric, upright, synth bass, and sing backup vocals to land all of the gigs they want. It’s all low end, just extended in many directions thanks to studio production and the need to replicate it live.
AI [AI is very similar to the onomatopoeia “ahi,” used to indicate that someone has been hurt, and it is also used in comics. In this case, I’m making a joke for the reader by writing here “I didn’t hurt myself.” Of course, here we are talking about AI — artificial intelligence.] —yeah, not a typo. Tool or threat? Assistant or replacement?
As Anthony Jackson said at the popularization of synth bass, the world will always need electric bass players. AI is making a proper muck of the music world right now, but we’ll endure and outlast it.
Between human groove and generative AI—who really owns the pocket?
Humans. No question.
Track 4. Last Words
Shout out your people, say goodbye to the readers, and leave a piece of advice for the next generation of bass players. Stay low. Or don’t.
I enjoyed the interview! So much love to the big bass family. Keep grooving and loving on each other. And remember why you started playing music in the first place and never forget that.
Well done! If you’ve made it all the way to the end of this interview — that officially makes you a true bassist. Thanks for sticking with it… here’s your well-earned reward for the patience! 🏅