The pop artist who shaped Duff McKagan’s Guns N’ Roses bass sound

Duff McKagan He is one of the great bassists of hard rock. Even though he never presented himself as a virtuoso on the instrument, the musician of Armas e Rosas stood out for having developed a unique timbre, combining weight and a certain amount of swing.

In interviews, he acknowledges that his references are not exactly linked to classic rock. When highlighting his influences, he always mentions several punk rock musicians and bands, as well as some relatively “outside the box” names for those who like heavy sounds.

One of them is that of Prince. The singer and multi-instrumentalist who died in 2016 became notorious for having recorded several albums alone. He took over vocals, all instruments, all compositions and production. He was versatile — and a true ace at what he set out to do.

In an interview with Guitar World(via Igor Miranda website), McKagan was asked to list the seven bassists who shaped his sound. The first mentioned was precisely the author of “Purple Rain”, “When Doves Cry” and so many other hits. Initially, the musician from Guns he recalled his search for different sounds in his first moments with the instrument:

“At first I wasn’t a ‘bassist’ per se. But when I decided I was going to do this, I wanted to be different.”

That’s where the influence of Princesecond Duff.

“During this time, I was very influenced by the bass of Prince playing in the studio. He had a sophisticated sound and I incorporated that into my sound on Armas e Rosas, what you can hear already on the album Appetite for Destruction (1987). It’s all there. Prince’s incredible bass helped me when I created my sound.”

Duff McKagan’s bass sound

In another interview, rescued by the channel The Bass Channel, Duff McKaganhighlights that the sound he desired in the Armas e Rosas it was precisely more oriented towards American funk. The musician is quoted saying:

“The bass tone you hear in Appetite for Destruction It’s a funk sound. I had to find a place to fit in between the thinner guitar sound of Izzy Stradlinthe bass drum-snare drum combination Steve Adler, the thickest guitar sound of slash which took up a lot of vocals. As a bassist, it’s very important to find your place.”

Of funk, Prince understood. So much so that he instructed the bassists who worked with him on tour or in the studio to play in a specific way to achieve the ideal groove. Levi Seacer Jr. who recorded songs on albums such as Lovesexy(1988) and Graffiti Bridge(1990), explained to GuitarWorld:

“The guitar is my main instrument, but Prince taught me how to be a bassist. At first it was difficult, because I was used to guitar solos, but I had to bear it – I was part of the ‘base’ of the house. Many musicians want to be Stanley Clarke or Marcus Miller, but that had no place in our band. Unless Prince give him a solo. In rehearsals, the bassist would be next to the hi-hat and the rhythm should be a little ‘behind’ the drummer, to get that funky feel. The guitarist was kind of between the two and the keyboard was on top, adding the ‘colors’. Prince advocated that the instruments remain in his areas. And he didn’t mind repeating a part until it sounded right.”