“I’d cover the strings in cheeseburger grease, barbecue sauce – even blood. I didn’t want the bass to sound like a friggin’ guitar!” Crosby, Stills & Nash’s 1969 debut took bassist Stephen Stills on an unlikely tone journey

Stephen Stills plays a Fender Precision belonging to left-handed Steve Miller Band bassist Gerald Johnson.

Nicknamed ‘Captain Manyhands’ by longtime bandmates David Crosby and Graham Nash for his ability to play just about anything, Stephen Stills ranks among pop music's finest unsung bass talents.

Though he's best known as one of three namesake singer/guitarists in Crosby Stills & Nash, Stills played bass guitar on all of the band's records. His loping, Latin-flavored basslines also grace his nine solo albums, as well as records by Joni Mitchell, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Richie Havens, and Judy Collins.