NE Guitars - Dec

Jon Randle

Doctor & The Medics Bassist

Michelle Taylor

Album ‘First Dawn’ Reviewed

NEGUITARS

Dec/Jan 25/26

Issue No:12

BASS SPECIAL

NEIL MURRAY

Bass Rock Legend in

Conversation

TODD RONNING

Hillbilly Vegas & Bad Company

Star In Bass Talk

In Association With

Spomsored By & Associated With

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

NE GUITARS

Editorial

Paul George - Editor

Jane Shields - Assistant Editor &

Social Media Manager

Mark Taylor - Marketing Manager

Guest Author - Michelle Taylor

Guest Author - Lee Ethrington

Guest Author - Murdock Brodie-

Thomas

Guest Author - Ken Relton

Review Specialist - Danny Mayes

Email.

editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

Conquest Music

Alan Bambrough

alan@conquestmusic.co.uk

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cliff@conquestmusic.co.uk

www.conquestmusic.co.uk

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WELCOME...

Hey Folks, Welcome to Issue 12,

the Bass Special. Also a very Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Before I get stuck in to all the juicy stuff, I do

have to extend our apologies for the lateness of

the mag. We have had a technical issue with

our platform which has been totally out of our

control. Hopefully, it is now sorted out for good.

So, yes we have a big Bass Special to celebrate the festive season and we are

bringing you a great selections of stars of the big four-string. On the cover we have

Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Brian May Band and Gary Moore Bassist, Neil Murray.

Neil graciously had a chat with Lee and told us of his incredible career. We also

have Hillbilly Vegas and Bad Company Bassist, Todd Ronning fresh back from

playing at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame during the induction of Bad Company.

Our third guest star is Doctor and the Medics Bassist, Jon Randle who gave a great

interview just recently.

Michelle is back with her usual column which is great, by the way. I also have to say

I met up with Michelle and her partner, Maria recently for a drink and a chat at our

local haunt. What a wonderful lady she really is! Talking of Michelle, I’m doing a

review of her latest release ‘First Dawn’ which (spoiler alert!) is fabulous.

Our usual suspects are back reporting as they do. Kenny has been visiting the Blues

scene, this month reporting on Mark Harrioson at the Georgian Theatre, Stockton

and Danny, fresh back from becoming a dad, is doing a Bass strings shootout in

typical ‘Danny’ style.

Also Murdoch is hogging quite a few pages this month (only joking, mate) with a

great interview with Greg Koch plus a pullout-style feature of guitar basic lessons

for those lucky enough to get a guitar from Santa this year. Have to say a big thank

you to Murdock for his amazing work on this.

Plenty of other bits to get stuck into in this issue like the news, gig guide etc so get

reading and don’t forget to visit us on our social medi platforms and let us know

what you think.

All that’s left is for us at NE Guitars Magazine to wish you all a very merry

Christmas and a bright and prosperous New Year.

See you all in 2026

Paul & the Team

Issue No:12

Dec / Jan

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 03

Contents Dec

/ Jan Issue No:12

P08

NEW DAWN:

Michelle Taylor Band

NE Guitars Magazine reviews Michelle’s

brand new album

P26

TODD RONNING:

Bad Company Bassist

Bad Company & Hillbilly Vegas Bassist

talks Bass and his life in music

P50

JON RANDLE:

Doctor & the Medics

Doctor & the Medics Bassist in

conversation with the editor

04 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

In Focus

On The Cover Neil Murray

Whitesnake Bassist and Rock Legend in

conversation.

26 Todd Ronning

Bad Company & Hillbilly Vegas Star

talks Bass to NE Guitars

50 Jon Randle

Doctor & The Medics Bassist in chat on

his life in Bass

Reviews

08 New Dawn

The Michelle Taylor Band’s new album

reviewed by NE Guitars Editor

12 Bass Strings Shootout

Danny Mayes begins his test and review

of the world of Bass Strings

48 D’Addario XL ‘Chromes’

The editor tries out D’Addario XL’s

Chrome strings

55 Man and Machine

Steve Thompson introduces his brand new

project ‘Man and Machine’.

Features

06 NE Guitars News

All the latest international, national and local

guitar news.

10 The Blues Room

Kenny Reviews Mark Harrison

14 Michelle Taylor

Our star lady continues her journey into her

pedals collection

32 Murdock on... Greg Koch

Murdock talks to Greg Koch in a stunning

interview plus he presents his brand new guitar

playing guide.

58 Classified Ads

Our brand new classified section.

60 North East Gigs Board

The best of gigs around the North East

On The Cover

Neil Murray

ADVERTISE WITH US

With our uniquely huge coverage around the

North East, it is very easy to see why advertising

your business in our pages is so worthwhile. It

also doesn’t have to cost the earth. Check out

our low rates at our website here:

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk/advertise

Or why not give us a call or email us and talk to

us about our deals and your specific needs.

Tel: 07546 656143 Email: editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk


NE GUITARS NEWS

STOP PRESS The Latest Guitar News From Around The World STOP PRESS

Former Free and

Faces bassist

Tetsu Yamauchi

Passes Away

Tetsu Yamauchi has died. The

bassist, who was best known for

playing with bands including Free

and Faces, died on Dec. 4, his

family announced on X. He was 79.

“Tetsu Yamauchi passed away

peacefully, surrounded by family,”

the post read. “We sincerely thank

everyone who enjoyed Tetsu’s

music and offered kind words

until now.”

No cause of death was provided.

In a post to Facebook, Faces paid

tribute to the late bassist.

“We’re really sad to hear about the

passing of Tetsu,” the band wrote

alongside photos of Yamauchi.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out

to all those who knew and loved

him. He will be missed by us all.”

Free drummer Simon Kirke

also spoke out on social media,

writing, “I sadly just heard that

Tetsu passed away. He was a good

friend and a great bass player.

My condolences to his family

and close friends. May he rest in

peace.”

STONE ROSES BASSIST, MANI

PASSES AWAY, AGED 63

Gary “Mani” Mounfield,

the bassist with The Stone

Roses, has died at the age

of 63.

The musician’s brother

Greg, wrote on Facebook:

“It is with the heaviest

of hearts that I have to

announce the sad passing

of my brother. RIP

RKID.”

He later added in the

comments: “Reunited

with his beautiful

wife Imelda.” Imelda

Mounfield died two

years ago at the age of

52 after she having been

diagnosed with stage four

bowel cancer in 2020.

The couple had twin

sons, who are aged 12.

VainGloriousUK is

delighted to present

‘The Way of the

World’, the latest

album release (on CD

(as well as mp3) from

the prolific Jimmy

McKenna.

Once again Jimmy

has entered into full

on band mode with

the musicality of

Manchester-born

Mounfield was

understood to have

died after collapsing at

his home in Stockport

following a seizure, the

Daily Mail reported.

Family sources told the

Mail that an ambulance

was called, but that he

could not be revived.

Singer Ian Brown,

drummer Jay Bell

and the adventurous

playing of bassman

Gavin Bell.

The Way of the World

comprises 11 songs

written by Jimmy,

plus versions of two

celebrated songs from

the olden days.

On sale now via:

Mounfield’s Stone Roses

bandmate, wrote on X:

“Rest in peace Mani. X.”

Liam Gallagher paid

tribute to his fellow

Manchester rocker,

writing on X: “In total

shock and absolutely

devastated on hearing

the news about Mani,

my hero. RIP RKID LG.”

Local Artist Jimmy McKenna Releases

New Album

Christchurch Art

Gallery Church

Square, and the

Fishermans Arms

Headland, as well as

of course via www.

VainGloriousUK.com


Steve Cropper, Soul Guitar Legend

& Blues Brother Star Passes, 84

Conquest Music

Looking For

Original Artists

From North East

NEWS

Steve Cropper, a storied guitarist,

songwriter and producer who helped

define the Southern soul sound at

legendary Memphis music label

Stax Records, has passed away in

Nashville, according to a post on his

social media accounts. He was 84.

No cause of death was cited.

Cropper was the lead guitarist for

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group

Booker T. and the MG’s, whose

biggest hit was the 1962 single “Green

Onions.” He also played with many

other legendary R&B figures, from

Otis Redding to B.B. King to Wilson

Pickett.

As a songwriter, Cropper had cowriter

credits on genre-defining

hits such as “In the Midnight Hour”

and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the

Bay,” and he was famed for his

guitar playing on the hit “Soul Man.”

Cropper was a two-time Grammy

Award winner and an inductee into

the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Cropper reached new fame in the late

1970s when he worked with the Blues

Brothers, the musical side project

of comedians John Belushi and Dan

Aykroyd, and appeared in “The Blues

Brothers” film starring all three.

Born on October 21, 1941, on a farm

near Dora, Missouri, Cropper moved

with his family to Memphis at the age

of nine. He bought his first mail-order

guitar at age 14, and quickly formed

a band with friends. His website lists

Chuck Berry and Chet Atkins among

his earliest guitar heroes.

Cropper is survived by his wife,

Angel, along with his children

Andrea, Cameron, Stevie and Ashley.

Do you have a story to tell or have seen

something in the news or online we

should know about?

Then get in touch with us here at

editor@neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

Stay in the Loop with NE Guitars News

North East Record Label and

NE Guitars Magazine Sponsors

are on the hunt for original

artists from around our region.

Conquest Music, who have

handled artists such as

Whitesnake guitarist Bernie

Marsden, former Iron Maiden

front man, Paul Dianno, Luke

Morley, Willie Dowling and

Hillbilly Vegas, are looking

to invite local talent from

the North East around the

genre’s of Country, Folk,

Blues, traditional and Singer’

Songwriter for future inclusion

in Conquest projects.

Artist who are interested in

forwarding their recordings on

to Conquest should follow the

instructions on the ad on page

51 of this issue. All recordings

must be original and by the

submitting artist.

Conquest Music are

committed to supporting

local talent around the UK

and with a North East office,

opportunities to advance one’s

music couldn’t be better.


And The Michelle Taylor Band

FIRST DAWN

The Michelle Taylor Band

Michelle Taylor - Vocals,

Rhythm and Solo Guitar

Ola Strandsjö - Drums

Björn Cruse - Bass

Martin Jönebäck - Keyboards

Thom Som Monsieurs -

Rhythm and solo Guitar

Album Review By Paul George Images Courtesy of Michelle Taylor

I

can’t tell you how pleased I am to

be writing this review. Michelle has

been a part of this team since the off

and her articles never disappoint. In fact,

I’ll go as far to say, they are a big part of

the magazine’s success story.

So when Michelle let us know that she

was releasing an album with her band, I

immediately set about the task of giving

it a review.

I know Michelle is a good friend but I

will be honest, as I always try to be, after

all reviews are not worth anything unless

thr truth is told.

So ‘First Dawn’ is a five track mini-album

which I listened to on Spotify. It is a mix

of Country and Blues tracks which is

right up my alley, especially the country

side of things.

I need to get straight in to the tracks

at this point. The album begins with

a very chilled blues number ‘Bluebird’

where a very melodic guitar solo eases

the song into its journey which I couldn’t

resist closing my eyes and relaxing

to. Michelle’s effortless playing shines

through from the word go. Loved this

one!

Second on the album is the bands

own take on JJ Cale’s ‘Call Me The

Breeze’. Although the song is instantly

recognisable the band have given it there

own spin and celebrated a classic track.

Again, Michelle’s unique playing style

shines through wonderfully.

‘Cowboy Up’ is the next track which is a

real foot tapper. A great country upbeat

feel with vocals as authentic as a real

Nashville feel. Look out for the solo’s by

our lady. The second solo to the end of

the track is stunning.

The upbeat feel keeps going into track

number four but with a more blues vibe.

‘I don’t know what I’d do’ is an amazing

number showing the tightness and

fluidity of the whole band. Seriously, this

track could be well placed on Bourbon

Street, New Orleans, it’s that good.

Michelle and the band leave the best for

last in my opinion. ‘Driftin’ is a great

Blues standard originally recorded in

1945 by Jonny Moore’s Three Blazers and

covered by Eric Clapton on his ‘EC was

ere’ album. The Michelle Taylor Band

really nail the feel and perform this as it

should be performed. It is truly fabulous.

It may seem that I have been over-nice

reviewing ‘First Dawn’ but I have to say,

I kove it. Only five tracks but that did it

for me and just left me wanting more and

looking forward to the next outing.

Try it for yourselves right here:

https://open.spotify.com/album/78Nmca

FHq3S01mX081VbL3?si=O1O2Xr9cR3-

XYoZD7UcmiQ


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Kenny’s

Blues Is Blues - The Album Review

Article & Images by Kenny Relton

Kenny Relton

Blues Room

Columnist

Mark Harrison was Live at the

Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-Tees

There’s a certain magic that occurs

when an artist is in a small room

on a quiet afternoon with nothing

but a guitar, a smile, and a wealth

of blues stories. Mark Harrison’s

solo performance in the bar of the

Georgian Theatre, Stockton-on-

Tees, was just that - an intimate

and engaging set that showed how

distinctive he is in the scene of British

blues.

Harrison’s route into music has been

unorthodox. He started performing

in 2007, and in under two decades,

he is one of the most distinct acoustic

voices on a national level.

With 99 original songs behind him,

you wouldn’t find a richer, thoughtful

catalogue bursting with British

storytelling for an engaging live

performance.

Harrison brought only two guitars for

the performance - a simple setup that

matched the pleasant bar atmosphere

of the afternoon. The first guitar was

an incredible 12-string, which he

describes as a Landula guitar, made

entirely out of a single piece of

spruce, and bright and ringing in

tone.

His second guitar, a National

Trojan resonator, added an entirely

different texture: earthy, metallic, and

unmistakably rooted in classic blues

tradition.

His playing could not be mistaken

either, played with only his thumb

and first finger!

“It seems to work for me”, he quips

with delicious understatement,

which creates easy laughter from the

audience. When Harrison slipped

into slide playing, the tone turned

warm and mellow, ringing out like an

old Chicago bluesman’s guitar, which

filled the room with a warm vintage

spread of tone.

Harrison’s music is deeply rooted

in the British style of blues. Dry

humour, acute observation, and a

deep-seated sense of place are all

hallmarks of Harrison’s songwriting.

By way of introduction to each song,

Harrison tells a unique narrative

about a character or the story behind

the song, which only added to the

experience of the audience in that

small bar. With each song, the

audience drew closer together in

audience participation and storysharing,

and the room’s informal bar

ambience created the feel of a shared


concert and perspiration.

Harrison’s performance with just two

guitars, and a focus on honest and

simple musicianship, focused on the

fact that great blues only needs the

right guitar, volume or theatrics. His

songwriting is rich without being

overly so, it is very accessible, his

guitar playing deceptively simple - yet

intensely expressive, and wrapped

around him is a tremendous warmth.

The Blues Subscribe! Room

In a world of overdone and overproduced

artists, Harrison’s afternoon

set was an experience that is

Timeless! A Good Story, a well-loved

guitar, and the right two fingers.


REVIEW

BASS STRINGS

Article By Danny Mayes

NE Guitars Magazine Technical Editor

Here ladies, gentlemen, and everything

in-between, is something a touch

differeent to my usual. We contacted/

have been contacted by a few different

brands of strings and over the course

of the next few editions I’m going to be

adding them to my list where I’ll rank

them best to worst (in my opinion)

I’ll justify to the best of my ability my

opinions and they’ll each come with

a review detailing my thoughts and

reasons!

All testing done is on my Squire Jaguar

5 string, and played directly through our

PA as well as my Ampeg PF head and

cab. All I’ll do is restring and intonate

each set between changes, this will allow

the best possible comparison I can give.

They are all played in the house and

at both an acoustic show and a show

with the rock band so they’re really put

through their paces!

Dogal Carbon Steel 5

We’ve reviewed Dogal strings before,

so by now we should really know what

to expect, they’re a consistently good

brand of hand wound strings hailing

from Italy, the packaging is simple yet

easily distinguishable from the other

brands, with their logo at the top right,

underlined by the colours of the Italian

flag. Sent to us by the guys at

I found these strings rough when I

first put them on, I could feel slight

imperfections across the wraps and

windings, especially when sliding

up and down the neck. After playing

them in for a little while, they began to

smooth out as did the sharpness/volume

of them compared to other strings I’ve

used.

They are loud, very punchy and have

a really bright tone at the beginning of

their life. I did have to adjust the amp

settings to compensate for this however

once they had mellowed out, they were

some of the nicest well rounded strings

I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.

They sounded warm, and mellow tone

and a massive amount of sustain! The

give a good amount of slap back from

the tension on the lower stings, the

tension is a little bit on the loose side,

but I must admit I am a fan. The loose

string tension does come at a cost, as

they aren’t the best at keeping in tune. I

am a heavy handed player so that might

just be down to me.

Overall these strings are for the more

avid player who values feel over price

as the price point for these ranges from

£45 to £75 online. However all things

considered these are an amazing buy

and worth the money.

Price -

Tone -

Comfort -

Durabability -

***2nd place***

DR Dragonskin+

A simply Stellar string, these are by

far one of the best strings I’ve had the

pleasure of playing. The packaging is

brilliant, draws the eye with the scales

and the brand logo, adorned with a

dragon’s head. These have been given to

us by the guys at Barnes & Mullins!

For a wound string, when fitting these


Bass Strings Subscribe! Shootout

to the bass I was surprised at how

smooth they felt right out the packet.

And once strung and intonated, they felt

astounding. These are the only strings

where I actually feel the lower notes of

the register through the strap! The string

tension on this set is rather tight, with

minimal to no slap back onto the fret

board, they produce clear and precise

notes which sustain for days and are

loud to boot! The lowest being the 135

gauge B string Which is normally a

touch muddy but not with these, clarity

across the board!

The tuning stability on these is 2nd to

none! Literally set and forget! I had a

show and needed to get these on asap,

thrown them on as quick as possible and

then into the bag and off to the show.

Once there I quickly checked the tuning

and was surprised that they were still sat

pitch perfect. They hadn’t moved a cent!

I then went on to play the show and

checked them throughout the duration

however they didn’t budge! After a few

weeks and multiple shows I’ve had to

tweak the tuning ever so slightly but

honestly these are just amazing! I’ve

even punched and hung the bass on

them and nothing happened!

As mentioned above the feel of these

is phenomenal, nice and smooth to

the touch but taught and responsive!

Though unlike the aforementioned

Dogal Carbon Steels, there isn’t much

slap back from the fretboard, so if that is

a tonal attribute you’re looking for these

may not be for you!

But if you’re looking for clarity! Look no

further!

You can pick up a set of these for

anywhere between £26-£50 however I

would recommend heading over to the

Barnes & Mullins site to get yours from

them! https://www.bandm.co.uk/

Price -

Tone -

Comfort -

Durabability -

***1st place***

Ernie Ball Regular Slinky

Ernie Ball’s Slinky range is what I would

class as a Household name when it

comes to strings, well known, does the

job, get you where you need to be and

do what you need them to without any

frill or faff. They’re the first set of strings

you buy and if you like them, you never

deviate from them! There’s a set for

everyone’s gauge preference and can be

easily identified and sourced both online

and in local shops.

Packaging is simple, a bright almost

luminous green foil packet housing

individual strings in paper packets, it’s

basic but it doesn’t need to be anything

more!

These are what I’d call Bang Average.

Tonally their great, easy shaped and not

too much bass not treble in the mix and

pretty strong contenders for the most

part, digging in you can really get them

to rattle and even distort when driving

the volume!

Tension wise, like the name suggests, I

found these to be a little loose like the

Doguls, nice amount of slap back on

the fretboard and a nice all round feel!

They do what they say on the tin. If the

regular slinkies aren’t for you, beefy

slinkies may just be the one as they’re a

touch heavier and may be more taught.

The price point on these is the cheapest

of this list! They can be picked up from

as little as £16.50 online! However that

does reflect in the durability of these

strings, I find they lose some tonal

qualities and feel quite rough after a few

weeks/months on the bass, and I found

they were tearing at my finger ends and

that I wanted to replace them much

more frequently than I would the more

premium strings.

Many artists use them including Ralph

Robinson from Asomvel! For my money

they aren’t durable enough for what I’m

looking for in a set of strings, and that’s

why their scored as such!

Price -

Tone -

Comfort -

Durabability -

***3rd place***

Come back next edition to see what

is added to the list as I work my way

through what the bass string world has

to offer!

www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 13 11


Michelle Taylor


Guitar Talk

Michelle is back with NE Guitars Magazine but this time as a guest writer

talking about her guitars and her rig. But not only that, she is here to explain

how our sound is influenced by what kit we use. Join Michelle in her regular

column and learn her music secrets

So far I’ve mainly talked about some of the singular pedals I

use from various brands that I have on my pedalboards.

For those that are not aware, it’s probably only right to

inform you that I am endorsed by a number of those

brands.

However… those that do know me and

who follow me on social media etc will

confirm that I only ever use what I

truly like,and I’m never shy to point

out the things that I dislike about

a product even if I’m endorsed by

the company.

To be quite honest most of the

companies appreciate this, as

it not only potentially offers

new insights into how to make

the product better, but it also

confirms to them and everyone

else that if I do regularly use a

product and speak warmly about

it, then it’s because I genuinely like it

more than all the other opinions.

If I don’t like a product I certainly wouldn’t

promote it, as that would be against my principles and

would damage my reputation.

I’m quite well known in the various groups online for

always offering an honest experienced opinion on things if

I can.

If I don’t know anything about it, or if I have no hands on

experience with the gear in question I simply say so, and

people seem to appreciate that.

In this article I’d like to discuss something that I have no

affiliation with at all. It’s something that I picked up recently

that contains a number of great effects.

In my previous article I told you how I

picked up a HX ONE by Line 6,

This is very unusual for me as

I’ve never been a fan of Line 6

and have walked a large circle

around their products.

After attending a few demos

of Line 6 gear when the

Helix was released, I was

both disappointed and

underwhelmed.

I distinctly remember the

guys onstage giving a demo and

playing through the Helix and that

I was thinking that it had a very “fake

amp” sound.

Then when I discovered that the Helix had a load

of menus and sub menus etc, I left the demo early and

made a mental note not to buy anything by Line 6. I even

remembered having previously tried a Line 6 Spider amp

a number of years ago and disliking it a lot too and telling

myself the same thing.

I don’t like gear with menus and sub-menus because to me


Guitar Talk with Michelle Taylor

it’s simply not practical in a live gig situation when you need

to alter something quickly. In a studio setting it’s fine, but on

a gig, gear like that has always been a no no for me.

Having said all that I recently tried the HX ONE while in

search of a “Swiss Army Pedal” that could provide a number

of effects that I only need every now and again, the type of

pedals that are not important enough to take up a permanent

position or valuable real estate on my main boards, but

would still be nice to have available to me when needed.

The Line 6 HX ONE sounded perfect for this application,

and so begrudgingly I loaned this Line 6 product from my

local music shop to take home and try with my own gear.

I didn’t expect to like it, but in all honesty I was pleasantly

surprised!

The HX One was surprisingly easy to use and it had a library

of great sounding effects to choose from.

Best of all, it only took up one pedal space on my board.

After trying it for a week or so I decided to keep it even

though it was a little disappointing not being able to have

more than one effect at a time, but it would still fulfil all my

other requirements.

A week or so later I was at my friend Jonas’s place and I

happened to notice his pedalboard. On it was a Line 6 HX

Effects.

We started discussing the unit and he was telling me how

satisfied he was with it and he quickly explained a number of

its features.

I mentioned my reluctance to Line 6 products and my dislike

of menus etc but he told me that it was in fact very easy and

quick to use after just a short time, and of how satisfied he

was with it.

We didn’t talk much more about it and we moved on to other

things, but it had planted a seed and made me curious.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t bother much about brand

names as gear can often still be good even if it doesn’t come

from my favorite brands.

My philosophy is that it’s always smart to be open minded

and “give things a try”, make your own opinion about

something instead of listening to the cork sniffing gear

snobbery that can often be seen online.

Yes well known pro players are often good sources of

information and advice when looking for great sounding

reliable gear, but keep in mind that some of them may only

have a positive opinion on something because they are

endorsed by the company, or have special discounts etc, and

so you may need to dig a little deeper for an honest opinion.

There are however people like myself that only use and

promote the gear and the brands that they genuinely love

and trust after having toured the gear internationally for


many years or from having it thrown around and working in

all kinds of temperatures and environments.

If gear can stand that kind of abuse then it’s certainly worth

looking at.

Don’t automatically presume that the good old brands “are

the best” as you would be surprised at how many of those

good old brands die in the middle of a tour or mid gig.

I have experienced it a number of times with some of those

“big name vintage brands”.

Remember that quite often the only reason your old guitar

hero’s used that stuff is that there was very little choice or

selection back then.

Anyway, I digress……

After trying the Line 6 HX One and liking it…I decided to

check out a Line 6 HX Effects unit if the opportunity ever

presented itself, and as it turned out, I didn’t have to wait

very long!

A few days later I was out driving and found myself passing

Elmelid Musik, the music shop I always use when I’m in

Sweden.

I decided to pop in for a quick look around but with no

intention of buying anything ( Yeah we all know how well

that works ).

While looking around I happened to look up at the wall and

there on the shelf was a Line 6 HX Effects unit, but more

interestingly, to the left of that one was a second hand Line 6

HX Effects unit!

I felt that I was being guided and coerced by some unknown

force, and who am I to disagree with the powers of the

universe, and so I decided that it was best and safest for all

mankind that the unit followed me home. :)

Luckily I’m on great terms with this shop and I can always

take anything I want home on loan to test, and so this little

experiment wouldn’t necessarily cost me anything, and so

with the help of the online manual, a few YouTube videos,

and Uffe (who is the shops guitar guru), I discovered that it

was actually quite straightforward and fairly easy to use, (

even for me and I’m blonde ).

Yes it has a more complicated deep dive section with menus

and sub menus with lots of great features if you want to go


Guitar Talk with Michelle Taylor

down that road, but the beauty is that you don’t have to.

The HX effects can be used as a normal stomp box style

pedalboard with separate effects on each foot switch (of

which there are 6 ). Line 6 call these “Blocks”.

However….you can even add 2 effects to each block so that

the foot switch swaps between the 2 assigned effects on each

press.

I programmed a slap delay on one setting and then a longer

delay on the other which meant that I still had 7 blocks to

play with!

In fact you could have more effects, as you are allowed a

couple of master effects to run in the background too.

So if you know that you want a reverb to be on all of the

time, you can place one in that section so that you don’t need

to use one of the 6 blocks for a reverb.

The beauty of the HX Effects is that you can have a number

of separate pedalboards stored in the unit, and you can

even name these pedalboards separately. Line 6 call those

“Patches”.

The HX Effects has a kazillion banks available too, so

theoretically you could save a separate pedalboard for each

of the songs in your set list!

I won’t waffle more about this unit but suffice to say that I

was very impressed with it and I ended up actually buying it.

If you don’t mind using multi effects pedals rather than

singular stomp boxes then it’s definitely worth checking out

if you come across one somewhere, especially if you can find

one second hand.

The Line 6 HX Effects has everything from copies of such

brilliant overdrive and distortion pedals such as “The King

Of Tone, Zen Drive, OCD, Rat, and many more, to almost

every other effect you can think of including a great tuner!

I will definitely be using this more once I become really

familiar with it. Ive already put it alongside my Blackstar

Amped1 100w power amp on a pedalboard. This means that

I can travel anywhere with only this fairly small board and

all I would need is a cab of some kind ( or a PA and monitor

system ).

Even if Im only using my combo amps together with the

HX Effects, by having the Amped1 sat alongside it on my

pedalboard, if I ever get a moody tube or problems with

an amp I can simply switch quickly to a brilliant back up

system!

If you guys have any questions or just simply want to hang

out with me and see what I’m up to, then become friends on

Facebook and Instagram and I’ll see you there.


NEIL MURRAY

We welome a real Rock Legend to NE

Guitars Magazine. From Whitesnake

as one of the founding members to

Black Sabbath, The Brian May Band,

Gary Moore to name just a few...

Lee discovers more in a

once-in-a-lifetime interview


On The Cover: Neil Murray

ON THE

COVER

Image: Fluffyjackets.co.uk


ON THE

COVER

Image: Finn Costello

Article and Interview by

Lee Ethrington

As one of rock’s most versatile

and enduring bassists, Neil

Murray has quietly shaped the

backbone of some of the genre’s most

iconic acts. Born Philip Neil Murray in

Edinburgh in 1950, Murray cut his teeth

in the late 1960s — first as a drummer,

then switching to bass guitar just before

studying graphic design in London.

Over a career spanning nearly six

decades, he has woven his deep-groove

basslines through a staggering variety of

musical contexts: from jazz fusion and

progressive rock to hard rock and heavy

metal.

Most famously, Murray was a founding

member of Whitesnake — helping

to define the band’s sound during its

rise in the late 1970s and early 1980s

— and went on to record and tour

with heavyweight names such as Black

Sabbath, Gary Moore and The Brian

May Band.

But beyond the big names and platinum

albums lies Murray’s true calling: a

consummate sideman and adaptable

musician, equally at home in gritty

blues-rock gigs, smoky jazz-fusion

sessions, or blistering metal arenas. His

journey — from first bass string to rocklegends-stage

— speaks to a rare musical

humility, tireless work ethic, and a love

for the groove that transcends genres.

Neil was good enough to answer a few

questions for us so we could give you a

little look at his journey.

NEG: How did you start out in music

and was the bass your first instrument?

NM: I had piano lessons from the age of

eight for about five years and following

that another few years of playing the

trombone but I was also playing the

drums from age 11 until 18 or so, fairly

poorly. I didn’t pick up the bass until I

was about 17, though I think playing the


Neil Murray

drums was definitely helpful. But I wish

I hadn’t given up the piano; that would

have been very useful in later life and

my career.

NEG: Do you remember what your

first bass setup was and the story behind

getting it?

NM : I made my first bass in the

woodwork shop using some parts

of a guitar that had somehow been

converted to a bass. The end result

wasn’t terribly good and I had to take

the frets out because there was just too

much buzzing and rattling. Eventually

when I went to college to study graphics

I got my first proper bass, which was a

Fender Mustang bass. And over the next

few years, I customised it with Gibson

mini-humbucker near the bridge and a

Guild humbucker near the neck, under

the influence of Jack Bruce and Andy

Fraser, etc. to get that kind of Gibson

EB3-type sound. And as far as amps go,

I didn’t really have an amplifier until

perhaps probably Colosseum II in 1975.

The bands that I was in before that, I

think I just borrowed other people’s

gear. I really can’t remember what I was

using with the progressive fusion band

Gilgamesh in 1973; I vaguely remember

having a Fender 1x15. When I was in

the States after that doing a little bit

of club touring, an Ampeg SVT setup

would be rented for me. Following that

with Cozy Powell’s Hammer, where I

was the stand-in bass player, they had

inherited Sunn amps and speakers from

the Jeff Beck Group so that was a pretty

good setup to play through.

NEG: How did you get into live

performance and what were your early

influences?

NM: Certainly early influences were

people like Jack Bruce, Tim Bogert

who played with Cactus and then Beck

Bogert and Appice. Lots of R&B and

funk players, such as James Jamerson,

Willie Weeks and a bit of Larry Graham.

All sorts, really. But I didn’t play live

until after I’d been playing for about

five years, mostly playing along with

records while I was at college, practicing

in the evening and weekends. The

first proper gigs I did were in ’73 with

Gilgamesh, doing very complicated jazz

fusion stuff and there was no need to

put on any kind of show. You were just

concentrating on getting the notes right,

staring at the fingerboard. I think it

wasn’t until I was in Colosseum II in ’75

& ’76 that I started to feel comfortable

on stage. I certainly wouldn’t say

that I was a natural performer. It was

just something I had to learn, to feel

confident and not nervously overplay

on the first few songs of the set. Later on

with Whitesnake, because the audience

was so enthusiastic and giving a lot

back to the band rather than just kind

of sitting there rather passively enjoying

the music which had mostly been the

case in the bands I was with before, that

gave me a lot more confidence to feel

like the stage was a natural place to be.

NEG: How do you navigate different

styles of work? For example, Peter

Green and Sabbath being very different

entities.

NM: My teenage years were in the

‘60s and the music that had the biggest

influence on me in that period was the

blues boom of the mid ’60s with first

of all The Animals then John Mayall’s

Bluesbreakers, Cream, Hendrix, BB

King etc. Sabbath kind of grew out of

that period as well. They may not have

been a blues band particularly, but it

was rooted in the same kind of fairly

raw, heavy guitar music. Obviously Peter

Green later on in the ‘90s was very much

a blues band and that was something

that came quite naturally to me. It was

reverting to what I’d started off listening

to when I was first playing the bass. I

definitely like playing and listening to

lots of different kinds of music. It’s often

been the case that if I’m in one band

and always playing a very particular

style of music, I get a little bit bored. I

like things to move on and change, and

sometimes the audience, or even the

band members, don’t want that, though

obviously if a band is very successful


ON THE

COVER

with one style of music, it’s hard for

them to change.

NEG: Did you enjoy the rock and roll

lifestyle or did you find a quieter way to

enjoy your success?

NM: At times I was out and about

having late nights in the early ‘80s. I

would be out many nights of the week

seeing bands and then going on to late

night clubs but compared to the real

hedonistic rock & rollers I wasn’t in

that league at all, and I was never in a

financial position to jump on a plane

and head off to the Maldives or rent a

chateau for the weekend or anything

like that. It was enjoyable at the time but

everything moves on.

NEG: What would you say is your

approach to performance and writing

i.e. Melodic or technical and does it

change as you develop alongside artists?

NM: I would say most of it is just

instinctive. I tend to enjoy hearing parts

that have some movement to them

where the bass isn’t just plodding along

playing one note but there’s no rule

about it. That can be very satisfying too.

But in general, I’d probably like things

to have a fairly strong groove and be

powerful in the emotion that they’re

putting across. I don’t much like easy

listening music. I tend to just play what

feels right to me without thinking about

it too much. Often when I first play

along with a song or something new,

then I’ll experiment and try various

things, and maybe a busy part will work

really well or maybe something much

simpler will be better. I guess in the

earlier part of my career I was probably

trying to show off and have people

pay attention to what I was playing.

And that’s not always what the people

who you’re working with, or might

have hired you, necessarily want. I had

to learn to fit in more with people’s

requirements or the song’s requirements.

Sometimes that could be frustrating, but

not always.

NEG: Which outfit did you find the

most fun and fulfilment with?

NM: Luckily, most situations I’ve been

in have been fun. I’ve been very lucky

not to have been in bands or working

situations with unpleasant or obnoxious

people for the most part, and some

people I would work with and be friends

with on and off for, in a couple of cases,

the last 50 years, certainly 30 or 40 years.

I think the early period of Whitesnake

was a very enjoyable outfit to be with

because it was pretty down to earth

and there was lots of humour and not

much of any kind of ‘big star’ mentality,

even though there were ex-Deep Purple

members in the band. There was a lot

of jamming and just playing for fun,

including on stage. It wasn’t a case of

reproducing the same songs note for

note every single night exactly the

same way, which would have been very

boring. That situation also allowed me

to have quite a lot of freedom as far as

bass playing goes, which I discovered

wasn’t really the case in most other

situations that I was in later, which is a

shame really.

NEG: What modern artists do you

think are flying the flag these days?

NM: I’m not very up to date with the

current bands, I have to say. Mostly

because it’s kind of all been done before,

in my opinion. it’s almost impossible

to come up with something that you

haven’t heard in some shape or form

30 or 40 years ago. Certainly if you’re a

young fan you want to go out and see a

band that is more of your own age group

and that you can identify with, and you

may not think ‘Oh no, not yet another

E pentatonic riff ’. When I hear or see

bands that have come up in the last


Neil Murray

20 or 30 years, there hasn’t really been

much that I’ve particularly enjoyed.

It might also be the case that I might

tend to listen to other kinds of music

rather than rock quite a lot of the time,

and certainly when you get to the more

extreme kinds of metal, that’s really not

my scene at all. Maybe some modern

artists were really as good as anything

that’s been around before, but I’m just

not aware of them.

NEG: What kit are you currently using

and what kit do you miss from previous

generations of gear?

NM: I do very little live playing these

days. When I do I use mostly Sandberg

basses or the Bass Collection Neil

Murray bass which is a kind of tribute

to the P-Bass that I used to use, with

various modifications. Amp-wise,

generally a Aguilar Tone Hammer 500,

and a choice of Barefaced Bass cabinets,

but I get so little opportunity to use

my own gear, partly because mostly

what I’ve done in the last five years is

touring in We Will Rock You where

you’re basically on a silent stage. You’re

just playing direct so it’s much more

to do with the bass that you’re using. I

do miss the days when you’re on a big

stage with a nice loud bass stack behind

you. Everything I’ve tried in terms of

trying to reproduce that in a much lower

volume situation is not really the same.

I just miss the air moving, and the floor

vibrating.

NEG: If you could form an ultimate

group out of all the musicians you have

played with alongside over the years

(drummer, guitar, keys and singer), who

would you choose?

NM: Very tricky. Probably my

favourite drummer would have to be

Ian Paice. I just like his combination

of rock, jazz, a bit of funk, technique

and keeping you on your toes in terms

of what he might play, particularly in

terms of fills. Guitarist? Jeff Beck. I’m

not known for having played with him,

but I did a couple of charity gigs and

some rehearsing with him in the early

‘80s, and I wish I’d had the chance to

do more with him but I’m very lucky to

have even had that. Keys, I would say

my favourite player is David Sancious

who started with Bruce Springsteen but

then did all sorts of other bands with

Jack Bruce, with Sting, and released lots

of fantastic solo albums over the years.

I only played one song at a Jack Bruce

tribute concert with him, but that was

something that I could tick off my list.

Singer, very difficult to choose. I played

with Paul Rodgers a little bit, such as at

the Guitar Legends all-star concert in

Seville in 1991 and on a couple of shows

with Queen + Paul Rodgers in 2008. But

David Coverdale in his prime is up there

with Paul in my opinion.

Huge thanks to Neil for taking the time

and giving us a look into the life of a

real, honest, practitioner and performer.

Image: Aria Basses


Bass Talk


Todd Ronning - Bass Talk

TODD RONNING

Hillbilly Vegas & Bad Company

We could not have produced a Bass Special without including our favourite

band’s Bassist. A truly fantastic pedigree of playing with one of the biggest

bands to come from the world of rock, Bad Company to his recent work with a

first class Southern Rock Blues band, Hillbilly Vegas.


TODD RONNING

Article by Paul George & Todd Ronning

Images as Credited

under his belt, no

pun intended, we

would be fools to let

this opportunity pass us by.

So, I could sit and waffle for a page or

two about the life and times of Todd

Ronning which probably wouldn’t do

him any justice at all. Instead we talked

to the man himself and let him tell the

story.

Original Image

Jay Leno

When

we discussed that we

were going to do a ‘Bass

Special’, one man came straight in

to my head, Todd Ronning from

Hillbilly Vegas. The boys from

Oklahoma have become good friends

of the magazine since we began and I

always pounce on the opportunity

to get them in the pages where

ever p possible.

Todd, their bassist, as you are

probably very aware by now,

is also the bassist for

supergroup ‘Bad Company’.

With this kind of company

NEG: So when did you first start to

play Bass and who influenced you?

TR: I started messing around

with guitars when I was 10. Then I

heard Deep Purple and was blownaway,

not just from the big riffs and

screaming vocals, but also by the tone

and power of Roger Glover's bass

sound and driving style. I knew right

then, I wanted to be a bass player.

As I continued playing I discovered

other players that would have a huge

influence on me like John Entwistle

and John Paul Jones. When I was 18 I

started gravitating towards prog rock

and keyed in on Chris Squire and

Geddy Lee. I have to include Andy



Fraser and Boz Burrell, two of the most

underrated bass players I know, playing

their licks and styles for Bad Company

and Paul Rodgers/Free over the years

has definitely made me a better player.

NEG: Tell us a little about your early

days?

TR: Well, like any kid back in the 70's

I started jamming with musicians from

my high school, which eventually lead

to forming a band. We went around

playing sock hops at elementary

schools getting paid in pizza. We

also won a few Battle of the Bands

contests, which lead to moving up to

High School dances and Night Clubs.

The day after I graduated I was on

the road playing every city and small

town in western Canada. My biggest

achievement in those early days

was forming a band called "KING

KARMA". We recorded our debut

album in Muscle Shoals, Alabama with

the late great Original Swamper, Jimmy

Johnson.

NEG: What was your first Bass?

TR: Now you're gonna make cry... My

first bass was a 1977 Fender P Bass,

maple neck, blonde wood grain body

with a black pick guard. I bought it

brand new right out of my local music

store when I was just 14. I regrettably

sold it in '82. I wish I kept it…

NEG: You've enjoyed success with Bad

Company. How did you get involved

with them?

TR: I first met Paul in '97 at a

Vancouver beach town called White

Rock. He had just moved to Canada

and wanted to do a secret show at a

local bar. He had reached out to some

musician friends I knew and they

brought me in to play bass. When

I arrived at the venue I had to push

myself in the door. It was packed inside

with people queued up down the block.

Obviously it was no longer a secret.

After that, Paul asked us to play more

shows around town. Those were some

exciting times. Bad Company reformed

for a tour in '99 with all four original

members and then Paul went out with

Queen and toured for a few years. I

eventually got the call to rejoin Paul

on a UK tour with Jason Bonham and

Howard Leese in 2011, which included

a show at the Royal Albert Hall. It was

while sharing a pint at the Ye Old Trip

to Jerusalem in Nottingham when his

manager asked if I would like to stay on

permanently. The following year Bad

Company started up again. Boz had

passed so Paul introduced me to Mick

and Simon saying 'here's our new bass

Jay Leno

player hope you like him'. Thankfully

they did and we kicked it off at the

Sweden Rock Festival.

NEG: Do you think Bad Company will

ever perform together again?

TR: Unfortunately a tour is unlikely,

possibly a one-off sometime

somewhere or a charity gig could be a

maybe provided everyone's healthy.

NEG: You're current band 'Hillbilly

Vegas' has been a particular favorite of

NE Guitars Magazine since we began.

How did you get involved with them?

TR: I met them through a long time

musician friend of mine, Geraldo

Dominelli. He and I go way back to

rival high school bands. He asked me

if I'd be interested in laying a bass

track down for a band he was working

with from Oklahoma. When I heard a

sample of their songs I was taken back

by just how good the tunes were. I

think the first one I recorded was "High

Time for a Good Time" and shortly

after they asked me to record some

more… I finally got to meet them face

to face when I joined them for their

2024 Winter UK Tour. And what a

fabulous bunch of guys they turned out

to be.


NEG: Are there any plans for more

tours in the UK, in particular, back up

here in the North East?

TR: There are a lot of big plans soon to

be solidified for 2026 including a new

album release. Right now touring plans

are coming together but not confirmed

so I can't say just yet. I really enjoy

playing in the UK, the music fans here

give their full support to emerging

bands. Newcastle is one of my favourite

places to visit and I love that brown

ale. I've played several times in the

North East, 8 or 9 times now, with Bad

Company and Hillbilly VEGAS. If a

tour in the UK is confirmed the North

East will definitely be on the list.

NEG: Hillbilly Vegas had a new single

release this year with 'Feels Good', how

has that been for the band?

TR: It's been keeping us in the public

ear which is great. Planet Rock has

been spinning it along with 5 other

singles they picked up earlier from the

Great Southern Hustle release. Alan

and Cliff from Conquest Music have

done great work promoting the band's

songs and live shows in the UK. You

couldn't ask for better support from

a Radio Station or Record Company.

Thank-you Planet Rock and thank-you

Conquest Music!

NEG: So let's talk about kit. What Bass

are you using today?

TR: I have a 2003 Fender sunburst

P Bass as my main bass for live

and recording. I also have a 50th

anniversary fretless P Bass which I used

for Bad Company live and recently

used on a couple soon to be released

songs by Hillbilly VEGAS. I also have a

custom made Fender style Tele PJ bass

that I had wired in stereo similar to a

Ricky 4001 configuration.

NEG: How about Amps, Pedals and

Strings. What would be your normal

stage rig?

TR: First off I'd like to give a shout out

to DR Strings. They've been supporting

me for over a decade and I love the

feel and tone of their strings. I use

stainless steel Fat Beams and Lo Riders

Courtesy of Todd Ronning / Bad Company

on my fretted basses and Nickel plated

Sunbeams on my fretless. I don't use

pedals I just plug straight in. My go to

amps are Ampeg SVT's made in the

70's by the Ampeg Company although

I do still have and use the SVT I bought

in '81 made by MTI and it sounds

great. For cabs, I use Ampeg 8x10's for

their low mid punch and clarity up top.

NEG: In your opinion, what is the best

bass you've ever played?

TR: Besides my current Fender P

Bass, there was a time while touring

with Bad Company Howard Leese

and I went to a high end guitar shop

called, Gruhn Guitars Inc. in Nashville.

They had everything a bass or guitar

player could want and there it was a

'62 sunburst P bass with a rosewood

neck in mint condition. It was light as a

feather with a warm tone and rang out

loud even unplugged. I probably played

it for little over an hour in the store.

Now I wish I had of bought it. I guess

you could say it was the other one that

got away.

NEG: We have to ask about your

recent performance at the Rock 'n'

Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony with Bad

Company. Tell us a little about your

reactions and how the night went?

TR: It was one of those nights that

I'll never forget. During the show,

backstage was packed with celebrities,

musicians and excitement. It was kind

of like a class reunion with everyone

running into each other like long lost

friends. Unfortunately Paul was unable

to travel to Los Angeles to attend due

to health reasons, so he reached out to

Chris Robinson and Bryan Adams to

fill in on vocals. They both did a great

job. Nancy Wilson and Joe Perry took

care of the guitars and Simon, myself

and Spike Edney (Queen) rounded out

the rhythm section. Live TV is always

tense with everything down to the

second and no retakes, but once we

started playing the nerves subsided.

The after party was a blast, hanging out


with Soundgarden, running into an

old touring buddy, Waddy Wachtel and

having a cool chat with Krist Novoselic

and Jerry Cantrell went by all too fast…

Like I said it was one of those nights I'll

never forget.

NEG: Todd, thank you very much for

chatting to us at NE Guitars.

So, as Todd says, there are big plans for

Hillbilly Vegas in ‘26 which hopefully

includes a visit to Newcastle. That is

something you can be sure we will

update you on as things develop. Also

look out for their new album which,

by the measure of their past hits over

the last few years, I’m sure will be

absolutely incredible.


In the meantime, why not check out

Todd and the boys online media right

here:

https://www.facebook.com/

hillbillyvegasmusic/

https://www.hillbilly-vegas.com/

https://www.youtube.com/c/

HillbillyVegas

Image by Michelle la Belle


Murdock On...

Greg Koch

This issue, Murdock Brodie-Thomas takes on Greg Koch in a one-to-one

interview and also introduces our new guitar students to the basics in

his incredible new guide.

Article & Images: Murdock Brodie - Thomas

At the age of 36 I have to be thankful

for growing up in the age of the

internet, as a guitarist.

Grabbing PDF’s online, the ever

growing sloppiness of Ultimate-Guitar

transcriptions, and the

birth of guitarists talking to their

iPhones through YouTube. Although

all of these things were in their

infancy, they provided more passable

knowledge and guitar tomfoolery to

aid any young six-stringer starting to

make their way up the mountain.

It was during these formative years

that I first discovered today’s guest.

I’m sure by now, Greg Koch, needs no

introduction - but for the uninitiated;

Greg is a tour-de-force of blues, soul

and rock & roll! He has been the face

of Fender, Wildwood, Sweet Water

(to name but a few), and has been

creating guitar method books, videos

and lessons since the mid-90s. He’s

released 12 studio albums, custom

gear (guitars, amps and pedals like

The Grizzle King and Kochness

Monster Supreme) - the man is

without shadow one of the finest

guitarists on the planet, and he was

kind enough to grant NE Guitars the

chance to interview him before his

show in Brighton.

Murdock: Hi Greg! How are you?

How’s the tour going?

Greg Koch: You know so far so

good! We’ve been over here for a

couple weeks. We flew into Germany,

Deutschland, as they say, on the 13th

of October, and we’ve been hitting it


Murdock with Greg Koch

ever since. So we flew into London

yesterday. Rocked the Half Moon

Putney and here we are in Brighton

tonight.

M: Amazing and you ready for the

Kommedia?

GK: I am indeed. We had a good time

here last time so I’m assuming it’s

going to be another banger tonight.

M: I saw a lot on your Instagram

you’ve been talking a lot about

European meats and before we get

into guitar talk I thought I’d just ask

which country do you think has the

best meats?

GK: Well, Italy wins on all fronts.

Italy’s just the best. Although, you

know, Germany does do things to

the pig that the average individual

wouldn’t do to a barn animal. So there

are some

delicious meat offerings to be had.

But overall, cuisine in Italy reigns

supreme.

M: (after laughing) Right - For this

issue one of the things I’m talking

about is this idea of “stealing from

your heroes”, I know you wear your

influences quite openly when you talk

about your playing - how important is

stealing from your heroes, to you?

GK: Well I think one of the best ways

to get your own style going, because

nowadays everything is so if there’s

transcriptions everywhere! You can

find actual transcriptions of the stuff

off the record. You have people on

every online orifice playing the stuff,

if not the actual person who played

it themselves showing you how to

do it! So there are multitudinous

ways to learn how to play the stuff

off the record. But part of the charm

of back in the day of figuring out off

the record was that you figured it out

incorrectly. And so when you’re sitting

down figuring out something by ear,

sometimes you might get the lick

exactly right or you might just kind

of, as you’re doing it, come up with

something that you prefer. So I think

that it’s important to find different

moves and licks and stuff that sound

cool to you, that you want to add to

your own arsenal, but not to be too

concerned with the absolute verbatim

timing of solos of other people. That

to me is a little bit of a waster-of-time.

But if that’s what somebody’s into?

“?My dream of guitar playing is being

able to play note for note of whoever”,

well then, let the good times roll. But

if your goal is to have an individual

voice, then it’s more about calling the

stuff you think is cool that you want to

add to your own sangria, if you will.

M: Absolutely!

GK: As I said, don’t be so worried

about getting the timing exactly right,

but just kind of do your own thing

with it.

M: When you think about the players

that do do the verbatim guitar solos,

and you can put these guys in any

category, the Noel Gallaghers to the

Slash to the Larry Carltons, these

guys are playing it note for note, but

each time they do there’s also a little

something - a new nuance they’ve

added just for THAT performance.

Keeping it fresh.

GK: Exactly! Those guys are still doing

it pretty much by the record every

time they get to it. But even in those

instances, they tend to muck about

with it a little bit or flirt with it a little

bit more.

M: So when you were growing up who

were the special players? Any magic

moments that sent “the shiver: down

your spine?


GK: Well, it varied. I would just hear

stuff. Sometimes I’d be riding in the

car and hear stuff. But to me, the

records that I grew up listening to, you

know, Electric Ladyland and Access

Bold as Love and Band of Gypsies and

Live Cream Volume 1, Live Cream

Volume 2, Fresh Cream. You know, it

goes on. Led Zeppelin 1 was a huge

one. And the other ones too, but Led

Zeppelin 1 was something I learned a

lot of stuff from. You know, Jeff Beck

Truth? (M:Yeah!) But B.B. King Live at

the Regal was a huge one. I’ll Play the

Blues for You, Albert King. It goes on



and on and on. Live at the Fillmore,

Allman Brothers, Live at the Fillmore

East was like a bible.

M: For those players talking about

Hendrix, you’re talking about Dwayne

Allman, talking about Clapton,

particularly Cream Clapton. Do

you have stuff that you’re still doing

today that you’ve stolen from those

chappies?

GK: Oh, absolutely. Yeah, a lot of the

way I phrase and approach things are

indicative of those early influences

because that’s people that I always

wanted to use as templates for what I

did and then kind of kick the feet and

kick the ball down the field a little bit.

But also I also, when I would listen to

these people, I would want to know

who they got their stuff from. And

then when I would connect that, that

I’d even go farther back. So I tried to

get a good historical framing of where

these people got it from. So I would

just kind of, have a good timeline of

how to put it all

together. I think there’s a lot to do

there.

M: So with that in mind, what

would be some “gateway” albums for

you? Like if we start with “Band of

Gypsies”, what would be the logical

steps backwards through the best of

Hendrix’s influences, for example?

GK: Well, I guess, you know what

would be a good one is to take like

a Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood

record. If you listen to that I would

say, “well, definitely listen to Albert

King!” You know, and listen to any

Albert King, but you know - the

earlier stuff was great, you know, Born

Under a Bad Sign, the one before

that Big Boss, Big Boss Blues, that

it was called. Uh, but the early, uh,

you know, the, the kind of middle

period Stax stuff! The live version of

Sky is Crying is pretty devastating.

But also Lonnie Mack was a big

one from Stevie Ray. He was a huge

Lonnie Mack fan. When people hear

Scuttlebutton, they’re like, oh my god,

Scuttlebutton. But that’s almost like a

souped up version of a Lonnie Mack

lick. And so I would say the Wham

of that Memphis Man is a record that

everyone should get by Lonnie Mack.

And also his record that he did later

on on Alligator Records is Steve Ray

played on, Strikes Like Lightning is a

great record.

M: Is that the one with the Oreo

Cookie Blues?

GK: Indeed it is. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And that live record that he put out

during that period was the Attack

of the Killer V. That’s a great record.

And then as far as the different

Hendrix influences from that One

of my favorite things that now you

can get, it’s been released, but when I

was a young’un, it was a bootleg! You

get a hold of the BBC sessions. He

did those two versions of Drive and

South. Okay. And they’re just chock

full of classic Hendrix-isms that are

not... Because it’s just an instrumental

tune, but he builds it and builds it and

builds it. It’s fantastic. Even to this day,

it’s like I’ll listen to it after I haven’t

listened to it for a while. It’s like, no,

it’s still devastating.

M: I have the exact same feeling

whenever I listen to tons of Sobs the

Free album. There’s just something

about Paul Kossoff being angry with

a big fat Les Paul and cranking it that

just works.

GK: Yeah, absolutely. Terrifying,

absolutely terrifying every time you

switch it on. It’s like I put it on to be

terrified by this man. That’s why I’m

listening. Yeah, yeah, yeah, perfect.

M: When you were a kid and you told

yourself that you were going to do

music and you wanted to do music,

how does the world look compared

to what you thought you were getting

into? And what do you think the

benefits are of having things like

Instagram and YouTube?

GK: Well, I think it’s kind of the

golden era of learning guitar and

having all the resources to both listen

to all the different things and to be

instructed by all the different things.

The problem is the landscape... I do

think about this. If I was my 12-yearold

self now, would I be into guitar

playing? I don’t know.

M: Yeah, right? That’s interesting. Do

you know why?

GK: Well, because music meant

different things back then. And so

when I was a kid growing up, music

was way cooler than just about

anything. You know what I mean?

Movie stars, sports people, there was

no gaming. You know what I mean?

It’s like music was “Yeah!”. You know?

And I was the youngest of seven kids,

so I would see my older siblings and

just the way that they would talk

about music and talk about going

to concerts. And plus, it was pretty

underground. You know what I mean?

It’s like, if they would do like a history

of rock and roll thing on TV, first of

all, that was like that they would even

do that in the 70s because it was still

like just “devil’s music” You know what

I mean? (M: PTA-mums!) Exactly.

And you would see like, you know,

a 15-second clip of Hendrix playing

and you’re like, “What was that?” So

it was still this very underground.

Of course, the bands that were still

around, you can go see them. But the

other ones, I mean, you’d have to go to

the funky music theaters at midnight

on a weekend and go see The Song

Remains the Same or Jimmy Plays

Berklee or Yes Songs or any of that

kind of stuff. And so it was kind of a

form of rebellion as well as it was just

I mean, it was just super cool! And it’s

not the same way anymore. Like my

youngest son, I asked him when he

was in high school, I was like, “hey,

what kind of music do your friends

listen to?” He goes, “oh, I have no

idea.” I go, “what?” He’s like, “yeah, I

don’t know what they listen to.” I go,

“do you realize that you would have

entire friend groups based on what

kind of music they listen to?” He’s like,

“that’s not even a thing.” And everyone

told me my dad was not thrilled with

the idea of me being a musician. But


he was supportive. I mean, he made

sure I had all the opportunities to

study and so on and so forth, but still

pursuing it as a profession he was not

thrilled about. But I just knew that

that’s what I wanted to do. And so I

would not take no for an answer. But

over the years of it being I don’t know

how many years ago now. I mean, I

think it’s been doing it for 40 years.

It’s been one of those things where

it’s had its ups and downs, but the

love of doing it has not diminished.

I mean, that’s what I enjoy doing.

Yeah! I wouldn’t change anything for

anything. And I enjoy everything I

get to do. But certainly what I viewed,

what I would be doing at 12 versus

now, I think I would think it was

cool, but I think I’d probably be, you

know, riding in the limousines (used

to be a thing). It was like, “Oh my

God”, you know, you drive to a gig in

a limousine. And that’s happened to

me like twice in my life. Haha! Yeah.

And usually with old school, they did

this James Burton guitar festival and

everywhere we went, it was like the

limousine would come and get you

and pick you up. It was like, well, you

play with Elvis and that’s what they

did. You know what I mean? Yeah.

They don’t tell you that the nine-piece

travel in the Vauxhall.

M: You’ve touched on something

interesting there. I think there’s a lot to

be said about how we consume music

now, too. An album coming out used

to be an event! You and your friends

would get the album, new t-shirts, gig

tickets etc! It was a big deal! The age

of Instagram and YouTube diminishes

quite a lot of that, don’t you think?

GK: Exactly! Because the album

would come out and you’re like,

the tour’s coming, there’s a new

t-shirt I need to buy, like there was

a whole thing. And yeah, it isn’t

consumed in the same way anymore.

But by the same token, what’s good

about it is that you can foster your

followingmand have immediate,

no gatekeeper contact with those

people that are there, you know? You

can get people to do all those things

we just mentioned. They got a new

record coming out, they got a new

t-shirt, they got a new design. So you

can, it’s just not as like universal and

impactful. But as I like to say - You

don’t need a million people. You just

need enough.

M: Absolutely. And you are somebody

who has built an absolutely incredible

online persona. You are every bit of

your branding. (Greg chuckles.) You

are. You really are. You wear it and

you turn up to “Greg”, you’re getting

“GREG!”

GK: Well, that’s right. Let’s just put it

this way. It’s not an act. Haha!

M: Let’s do a little bit of guitar talk

and we’ll wrap this up because I

know you’ve got to get back to work.

(GK: No worries). Thank you, I do

appreciate your time. Guitar wise, is it

all customs that you’ve brought with

you or have you brought anything

else?

GK: I just bring my Reverend

signature guitars. They’re the same.

I don’t get special ones. They’re the

same that everybody else gets. The

only thing I do is I turn around the

string tree because Reverend likes the

string tree that covers the top three

strings. And I only like the top two

strings covered because I like the

G to be unfettered so I can do the

behind the nut rustling, as they say.

But I bring the T-style ones. That’s



the Gristle Master. There’s the Gristle

90, which is the set neck one, Gibson

scale, with the Bigsby and the P90s.

And then the new Gristle ST, which is

more of the Strat style, S-style guitar

with those new funky pickups, which

I dig. (M: Yeah, are they custom with

Fishman again, are they?) They are

indeed. They’re cool. They do a thing.

Yeah. Great, great, great, great. They

do a thing. And then I bring my

little jam pedal, Kochness Monster

Supreme, and I just plug that thing

in and I’m good to go. The only extra

thing I bring is a little sonic research

tuner. Because a lot of people look at

the jam pedals like, “oh, you’ve gone

digital?” I was like, “no, it’s all analog!”

And when I’m in mainland Europe,

my tour manager Klaus gets stuff sent

to him from Tone King. Amazing!

And that’s what I end up using over

there as well. So it’s nice. I mean,

it’s, you know, my whole thing with,

when you’re doing signature gear and

stuff like that, a lot of peopleget very,

very cynical about both observing

what musicians do and musicians

themselves who are in positions where

they’re just going to the next easy job,

or easy mark as far as making money.

And to me, it’s always about solving

problems and having sh*t I want to

use. And so everything that I have

from the Fishman signature pickups

to the Reverend guitars, that was all

for, “hey, I would really like this thing

to do this!” And so now this is all, this

is kind of the pinnacle of all that!

is for a new guitar owner, because I

didn’t know when I was a kid, is that

you’ve got to change your strings.

Immediately. Well, even after you’ve

been playing for a while, it’s like

when I was a kid, I was like, “well,

you just change them when you break

them?” Yeah. And then you’re like,

“oh, I better change strings. These

are really gross.” And then you put

the new ones on. It’s like, “God, this

sounds like sh*t. It’s all bright and

sounds horrible.” And I was like,

“no, that’s the way they’re supposed

to sound!” With all of that dirt and

sh*t on the side. So, you know, you

got to change it depending on how

much you’re playing. For me, I change

strings after every three gigs, but I’m,

you know, I’m treating it like farm

animal. But if you’ve been, you know,

I would say change your string every

month, you know, change your strings

every month or so if you’re starting

out. It’s just a good practice to get

into so you know what the guitar is

supposed to sound like it’ll help with

intonation And also if you’re playing

electric guitar - as much as it’s useful

to practice unplugged, especially

when you’re playing after hours and

so on and so forth, if your goal is

to play electric guitar live in a band

situation? You should spend most of

your time being plugged in because

the whole way that you’re playing as

far as dynamics and touch and the

whole nine yards is. It’s dependent on

that relationship with the guitar and

the amp. Yeah. So definitely practice

plugged in even if you’re putting the

earphones on. So that’s three good

tips!

M: That’s three solid tips, Greg. Thank

you so very much for your time.

Looking forward to the show tonight!

GK: My pleasure.

They say you should never meet your

heroes - those people never met Greg

Koch! Be sure to checkout the playlist

for some of Gregs music -

https://open.spotify.

com/playlist/37i9dQZF-

1DZ06evO3wdWbb?si=zE-

1KuOk2Q7aySEng5YRLp&nd=1&dlsi=7ae85c3e084249e6

FOR MORE NEWS, INFO, LESSONS AND LOT’S MORE

GOODIES, CHECK OUT MURDOCK AT THIS LINK

https://murdocksketchbook.substack.com/

OR SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW

M: Amazing. And finally, just before

we go, as I mentioned, it is going to be

the Christmas issue and we want to be

inspiring all the six stringers that are

getting going this Christmas. What

would be two or three just great tips

for people that are starting on their

guitar journey? What would you say

to them?

GK: Well, it’s important to practice

every day as opposed to saving up for

the weekend. You know, even if it’s a

half an hour every day, that beats not

playing all week and playing for two

hours on a Saturday. Yeah. So I would

say a little bit every day. Another tip


Murdock On...

Godzilla & Pedals

This issue, Murdock Brodie-Thomas jumps in to the pedal board theme

and goes through what he is using for the new lesson, Brian Setzer’s

‘Go Go Godzilla’.

Article: Murdock Brodie - Thomas - Images: Licenced free to use

Tone chasing has always been a

rabbit hole that guitarists can spend

years refining, building those “dream

pedalboards” and hunting for the

saucy tone secrets of their 6-string

wielding idols - only to find the

answers usually range from boutique

rarities to racks that need their own

roadies.

Mine is a lot simpler: six core pedals

that cover almost everything I

want to do - CryBaby Wah, fuzz,

RAT distortion, chorus, flange, and

analogue delay.

At the center of it all is fuzz. I’m using

a Caught by the Fuzz (volume around

11 o’clock, fuzz at 2 o’clock)—thick

enough to roar, but not so overblown

that it loses definition. That’s always

on, giving me a foundation of grit.

When it’s time for a solo, I kick in the

ProCo RAT (distortion just below

noon, filter at about 2 o’clock). That

setting gives me extra beef while

keeping the low end intact, so leads

punch through without thinning out.

The CryBaby Wah sits at the front of

the chain, and I use it dynamically

rather than leaving it cocked - it’s

there to make lines snarl and scream

34 40 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

Murdock Northern On... Godzilla Guitar & Pedals Shows

swinging, but with fuzz always on,

and the Princeton tuned dark and

heavy, my version stomps around

more like the kaiju namesake in the

title - bigger, heavier, and a little

unhinged.

when the moment calls for it.

Modulation is split between chorus

and flange: chorus is dialled for a

faux-Leslie/Wurlitzer shimmer that’s

great for comping behind other

soloists, while the flange is set super

low - just enough to add motion and

width without going full jet-plane.

Finally, the analogue delay is my

wild card: long, spacey repeats that I

stomp in for big “epic” moments or

to channel some Roy Buchanan-style

ambience. Paired with the flange, it

veers into that EVH/Nuno territory

where the guitar feels larger than life.

For the guitars, I’ve been switching

between an ESP Les Paul-style and

a Harley Benton Pro Series Fusion

T HH (an absolute steal at £360 for

a flame roasted maple neck!)- both

with coil taps, which makes them

versatile enough to flip between

snarling humbuckers and more

chimey, single-coil tones depending

on the section.

Everything runs into a Fender

Princeton Reverb, with the treble

rolled way back (around 9 o’clock)

and the bass up at about 2 o’clock.

Those settings shift slightly from

room to room, but that scooped

balance helps tame the fizz of

the fuzz and makes space for the

modulation.

This rig gave me the perfect excuse

to reinterpret Brian Setzer’s Go-Go

Godzilla. His original leans surfy and

You can follow along with the tabs

and backing track included here, and

if you want to hear how these pedals

shaped the sound, check out the

video demo. If you’re curious about

the gear, I’ve included links so you

can explore the same pedals yourself.

Honestly - this stuff doesn’t matter

too much as long as you’re getting the

sound YOU want. It’s always a subtle

mix of “oooo shiny!” and “fit for

purpose”, with just a sprinkle of gear

envy when someone is in possession

of a shiney you had previously

believed unobtainable?! Why would

the guitar shop clerk lie to me? Is he

hoarding the good stuff for himself?

(Of course he is…)

Thanks again guys,

See you next time!

Murdock

Guitars

- ESP Les Paul-style (coil taps)

- Harley Benton Pro Series Fusion T

HH (coil taps)

Amp

- Fender Princeton Reverb

- Treble: ~9 o’clock

- Bass: ~2 o’clock

Pedalboard Chain

1. Dunlop CryBaby Wah – used

dynamically for snarls/screams -

https://amzn.eu/d/6SyKBtH

2. Funny Little Boxes “Caught By

The Fuzz” – Vol ~11 o’clock, Fuzz

~2 o’clock (always on) - https://

funnylittleboxes.co.uk/products/

caught-by-the-fuzz-pre-order

3. ProCo RAT – Distortion ~11

o’clock, Filter ~2 o’clock (for solos,

extra beef without losing

lows) - https://amzn.eu/d/bXlLlgg

4. Mooer Chorus – dialled for faux-

Leslie shimmer (great for comping) -

https://amzn.eu/d/570dh7J

5. Mooer Ninety Orange Flanger

– always on, super low sweep (just

movement, not

jet-plane) - https://amzn.eu/

d/0gF4nIC

6. Mooer Analogue Delay – long

space-echo repeats, stomped for epic

moments/Roy

Buchanan homage, pairs with flange

for EVH/Nuno textures -

https://amzn.eu/d/aD1obSp


Go Go Godzilla

Brian Setzer

Demo Track Without Guitar

https://neguitarsmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Go-Go-Godzilla-Without-Gtr.wav

Demo Track With Guitar

https://neguitarsmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Go-Go-Godzilla-With-Gtr.wav

Demo Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhFvPEDDqcE


Murdock On... Go Go Godzilla





And now for the Harmonies...





Budget Pedals - Are They Worth It!


D’Addario XL Chrome Strings

D’ADDARIO XL CHROME FLAT WOUND STRINGS

REVIEW

Reviewed by Paul George

So, here’s a inpromptu review for

you on probably the strangest set

of string I’ve ever used.

I popped in to East Durham Guitars

a while ago to collect my monthly

supply of D’Addario XS’s for my two

Gretsch’s. As readers may be aware, I

swear by these strings and have done

my best to endorse them over the past

18 months since first trying them out.

However, right next to my chosen

babies were a packet of XL ‘Chromes’.

I have to admit, it was the first time

I’d seen these and after a brief chat

with EDG boss, Dave, I decided to try

them out, prompted by the picture of

a Semi on the packaging. Hmm, that

was a promising first impression.

So back to my gaff , drag out my

5120 and open them up. From the

off, they are packaged in typically

attractive XL packets with a little

‘retro’ looking Gretsch style semi in

dark monocolour printed behind the

Orange XL logo.

Opening the packed and feeling

them for the first time was a bit of

a surprise to say the least. In fact,

my first thoughts were ‘What the

bloody hell have I bought here?’ But

I needn’t have worried. After fighting

with my guitar for half an hour to get

the strings on (Not the strings fault,

restringing with the Bigsby is a real

pain in the arse) But finally I got

them on and it was up

to my studio to plug in

and test them out.

The feel of them is

nothing like I had ever

felt. They felt soft!

Kind of a cross between

steel and nylon with a

coating of mercury on them, maybe

even a little like lead. They do take a

bit of getting used to but I have to say,

not in a bad way, just different.

Tonally, these babies are gorgeous!

Ultra warm and gentle to the touch.

I have to say, these are more suited

for Jazz guitarists, Rockabilly / Rock

‘n’ Roll tones and for those acousticy

tones which are great for my Gretsch.

If you’re rock God’s like Danny, Mark

and Lee then these may not be the

ideal strings. Although they are

10-48, the 3rd String (G) is a bugger

to bend a full tone. That being said,

I think common sense prevails here

when you choose your strings. But

if you’re looking for the softer, warm

tones then these are the fella’s for you.

I did a bit of research around the old

tinterweb and specifically looked for

reviews on them to see how other

people found them. Looking at

Amazon, 87% of people that bought

them gave them 5 stars which kind of

tells the story of how good they are.

So in summary, first impressions are

really good. They sound really good

when using them for their intended

purpose. Whether I’m prepared to

swap them with my XS’s is probably

a bit of a stretch at the moment but I

will give them a fair chance and keep

them on for a while, at least to test

out their longevity of which, I’ve read,

they are lasters (Mind you, so are the

XS’s).

Pro’s:

They sound really good. They are

very comfortable and forgiving on the

fingers. Of course, they are also made

by a very class string manufacturer so

quality is assured and as previously

stated, they do last.

Con’s:

They’re about £20 a pack which is a

little more than the XS’s. Bending can

be an issue on the 3rd, and as I sid

they do take a bit of getting used to.

Nothing serious in the con’s but if

you play Jazz or Rockabilly. these are

definitely for you.



Bass Talk

JON RANDLE

Doctor &

The Medics

Article & Interview by Paul George & Jon Randle

Images Courtesy of Jon Randle

Growing up through the 70’s/80’s/90’s was a fantastic time

for music and experimenting with the multitude of genre’s

infused with Rock ‘n’ Roll, Glam, Punk and Rock. It truly was

a time of great music expression.

The early 80’s also saw the rise of such a band, Doctor and

the Medics. fronted by ‘The Doctor’, Rev Dr Clive Thomas

Jackson who created the band from a £5 bet which was only

meant to be a single show apparently plucking the name

from random based on his previous look into the world of

medicine.

Of course the band are famed for their 1986 hit ‘Spirit in the

Sky’, a remake from the 1970 Gordon Greenbaum hit which


Jon Randle

sent the band to No:1 in 32 countries.

This indeed marked theirplace on the

global music industry.

As many bands do, line-ups change

over the course of time and in

1998, Bassist Jon Randle joined the

line up. Thanks to our Marketing

Manager, Mark, we managed to

grab an interview with Jon to find

out a little more. Here is our recent

interview. I must state right at the

start that due to inaccuracies of our

wonderful online media world, I

was misinformed about one of the

questions I asked but the answer

made me laugh so I’ve left it in. Sorry

Jon :)

NEG: So when did you start getting

into playing Bass and who influenced

you to start?

JR: I started playing when I was

about 12. My dad dragged me—

against my will, I might add—to

see Level 42. I was expecting a quiet

night of sulking, but then Mark King

walks onstage with his bass tucked

under his chin like it was welded

there, and suddenly I’m thinking,

“Yep… that’s what I wanna do.” It

was like a religious experience, only

louder.

NEG: When did you get your first

bass and what was it?

JR: My first bass arrived in 1987

from a local music shop: an Aria

SLB2, courtesy of my old man who

struck some mysterious “deal” for

it. It came with a giant Vox 15-

inch combo that, for reasons still

unknown to science, picked up radio

stations. Nothing says “rock star” like

accidentally broadcasting the traffic

report mid-rehearsal.

NEG: Tell us about your early days

of playing?

JR: Like most people, I started by

jamming with mates—Beatles tunes,

whatever we could vaguely stumble

through without falling apart. From

there it turned into auditions and

eventually playing covers gigs. I’ve

always loved playing covers, actually.

The only originals band I’ve ever been

in is the Medics… which probably

explains why the world is safe from

my songwriting.

NEG: We see that you are the bassist

for Doctor and the Medics. How did

you get involved with them?

JR: Classic “right place, right time,

right someone-who-knows-someone”

story. I was playing in a band in

Nottinghamshire when someone put

my name forward for an audition.

They mailed me a cassette tape—yes,

a physical cassette, I truly am that

old. I turned up, plugged in, and the

rest started in 1998. We did a run of

gigs for Brannigan’s pubs. They’re no


longer trading, but I assure you that’s

purely coincidence…

NEG: Do you have many gigs or

festivals coming up?

JR: We’ve got a few lined up for next

year—mainly festivals. We’re great

for a ready-made audience who don’t

mind waiting in the rain for badly

dressed old timers!

NEG: We also see a bunch of top

bands on your resume such as

Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Level

42…

JR: My what? Resume? Where is this

mythical document and why does it

contain lies? Sadly, I’ve never actually

played for any of those bands. I mean,

how could anyone step in for Mark

King? Or out-cheekbone Spandau

Ballet? I do love them, though. I’m

definitely an 80s child—neon, synths,

questionable trousers… the whole lot.

NEG: So let’s talk about your rig.

What basses are you using these days?

JR: I’m an old-school, retro creature.

My main weapons are a Status S2000

(1988) and a Status Series 2 (1989). I

absolutely love Status basses—they’re

my go-to.

NEG: How about amps, pedals,

strings?

JR: For amps, I use a Mark Bass

CMD102P combo—nice and light

for my aging, creaking rock-and-roll

spine. For effects, I run a Kemper

Stage, which is basically witchcraft.

You can download any sound, which

means fewer pedals cluttering the

floor and fewer chances for me to

accidentally stamp on the wrong

thing mid-song. Strings I’m lucky

enough to have an artist deal with

Barry at the Bass Centre, so I use

Elites Stadium Series 30–90s. Lovely

strings. Very bendy. Very zingy.

NEG: If you were offered any bass in

the world, what would it be?

JR: Well I kind of already have it.

I’m lucky enough to own an Ex-

Mark King Alembic which is my

pride and joy. If I had to choose a

new one, Easy: an Alembic Series 2

in cocobolo. Something luxurious,

exotic, and completely over the top…

much like myself on a good day.

NEG: Over the years, who have

been your influences?

JR: Aside from the mighty King,

I’m a massive fan of Nick Beggs,

Stanley Clarke, Stu Hamm, and

Stuart Zender—all the funky, groovy,

musical wizards who make you

wonder if they’ve got extra fingers.

NEG: Do you have any particular

memories that stand out?

JR: Plenty—although some of them

aren’t suitable for print unless your

editor enjoys being sued. But the

highlights include playing Top of the

Pops—always a surreal, wonderful

thing—and any TV gig, really.

Oh, and obviously, my greatest

achievement: winning a Golden

Gavel on Bargain Hunt this year. I’m

still waiting for Sotheby’s to call.

NEG: Where can readers follow

your adventures?

JR: They can catch me on Facebook

(other social media platforms are

available), or at doctorandthemedics.

com where all our glitter-soaked

antics are on display.

NEG: Jon, thank you so much for

chatting to us at NE Guitars and

the very best to you and the guys in

Doctor and the Medics for 2026.

Keep your eyes peeled for dates in

2026 for Jon and Doctor and the

Medics. We will keep an eye out and

let you know of any gigs that may

happen in our area.

Until then why not hit youtube and

relive their greatest moments or visit

their website and check out the very

latest.

https://doctorandthemedics.com/


Jon Randle


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40 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk 34 www.neguitarsmagazine.co.uk

43

Steve Thompson

STEVE THOMPSON IS BACK

MAN & MACHINE #1

I’m not particularly bothered about downloads, streams

or sales. I’m not even bothered about hit records any more

(and I’ve had a few).

If anything, this phase of my career is about

something else entirely. I’m documenting 50+ years of

songs, stories, tools and journeys — and releasing

music because it deserves to exist, not because it needs to

sell.

I’m hoping YOU can contribute to this by giving my

music some airplay. Man and Machine #1 is the first

chapter of that process. This project began almost

accidentally. After revisiting early Bullfrog demos (my

band from the seventies) and rediscovering lost tapes

from my pro songwriting years, I started pulling

at threads — half-written songs, abandoned verse ideas,

old cassette worktapes, even fragments sung into a phone

on long walks. Some of these songs survived through the

decades. Others were waiting all this time.

I’m using modern tools the same way I once used a

tiny portastudio or, later, a Commodore 64 running the

world’s first music sequencer. As I worked through the

archives, new songs started arriving too. Quite a few, it

turns out.

So here we are: Man and Machine #1 complete, while #2

and #3 quietly brew in the background.

Alongside them is a completely organic, human-only

album, “The Cry of the Autumn Crow” — sung, played,

recorded the old way. And not forgetting Bullfrog 2025, a

mixture of the old and the new.

I’m not trying to make a statement. I’m simply following

the songs. Some are old. Some are new. Some have been

waiting half a lifetime. What ties them together isn’t

nostalgia — it’s continuity.

If you’d like to hear where this is going, you’re welcome to

listen here:

Man and Machine #1

https://soundcloud.com/stevie_t-1/sets/mam1

Bullfrog 2025

https://soundcloud.com/stevie_t-1/sets/bullfrog2025

Ultimately these will be on all the usual digital platforms,

but for now they’re on SoundCloud.

If you’re a broadcaster and want the Radio Pack —

including all MP3s — just drop me a line:

mail@steve-thompson.org.uk or call 07795 826 953

The albums will arrive in their own time. For now, this is

just the next page in the story — andI’m enjoying writing

it.

Steve Thompson


ALAURA

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