This article series is about the tools of popular guitarists or bassists.. What are their favorite guitars or basses and how is it related to them? This time with Leo Lyons (Hundred Seventy Split, Ten Years After).
When you start bass playing and do you remember your first bass?
Yes. I started playing bass in 1958. I played bass on the bottom four strings of my Framus six string guitar until I could afford to buy a bass. My first bass was a Hofner Senator.
What are your influences and which bass players are your favs?
When I started playing nearly all bassists were upright players. My influences were first and foremost Bill Black who played with Elvis followed by Ray Brown and Scott La Faro. Over the past sixty years I’ve listened to all styles of music including classical and all have been an influence on me.
How many basses do you own and what are your favorite models?
I own 26 basses and I enjoy playing them all. Playing a different bass sometimes sparks off new ideas. My favourite bass is my original 1962, Fender Jazz bass but it‘s too valuable to tour with so I mostly use a Leo Lyons Heritage bass (built for me by The Bass Centre, London.) and a Warwick CV5 bass.
What do you think makes the perfect bass and amp?
A difficult questions. It‘s down to individual choice. You can never sound like your favourite bassist just by playing with the same gear. The tone changes by the way you finger the notes and strike the strings. Even which finger on the plucking hand has a slightly different tone. I’ve spent my life searching for the Holy Grail of bass tones. As mentioned earlier I have 26 basses and I love them all. I have several bass rigs but for my style of playing I like a rig that produces a fast transient response and a clear tone. I currently use a Warwick LW1000 amp powering one 12 inch cab and one four 6 inch cab . I also use a Kemper profiler.
Which basses and amps were used on the new album or for recordings?
Warwick Star bass, Leo Lyons Heritage bass, Kemper Profiler.
When you only can choose one bass, which one will you take?
My Bass Centre -Leo Lyons Heritage bass,
photos by: https://www.facebook.com/jack.moutaillier
