Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Nick Wells

“Most bass players are boring, standing at the back. I’m not like that because I was a guitarist first”: Lemmy, the godfather of heavy rock, on why he switched from guitar to bass

Phil Campbell and Lemmy Kilmister (R) of Motorhead perform live on stage at Sonisphere Festival on July 10, 2011.

From his beginnings as a guitarist and roadie, through his initial experience playing bass guitar in Hawkwind, to the leading figure in British heavy rock outfit Motörhead, the much-missed Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister had done it all.

His famously filthy bass sound – not, as he revealed to us a couple of years back, the result of any effects, just wide-open mids and volume – isn’t for everyone, but for millions of Motörhead acolytes the world over, it’s nothing less than the sweetest sound ever committed to vinyl.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.