How a modified Precision bass transformed the role of the rock bass player
In short: Most bassists provide the rhythmic foundation, but Billy Sheehan plays like a lead guitarist. Through radical instrument modifications and a unique multi-finger technique, he redefined the instrument's capabilities, moving it from the background to the melodic forefront of heavy metal and jazz fusion.
Born in 1953, American musician Billy Sheehan developed a 'lead bass' style that utilizes chording, two-handed tapping, and three-finger picking. This approach was famously realized through his heavy modification of a Fender Precision bass, an instrument he affectionately nicknamed 'The Wife.' To achieve a more guitar-like presence, Sheehan scalloped the five highest frets and added a neck pickup to create a 'super deep low end,' inspired by the tones of Paul Samument-Smith and Mel Schacher.
His technical setup is equally complex, utilizing two amplifiers simultaneously. One amp provides full distortion and high-pass filtering to mimic a guitar's timbre, while the second remains super-clean to capture the low-end frequencies of the neck pickup. This dual-signal approach allows him to navigate genres ranging from the proto-thrash of Thrasher to the jazz fusion of Niacin, a group he formed in 1996 with drummer Dennis Chambers and keyboardist John Novello.
Sheehan's career is a map of rock history, from his early days in the Buffalo-based power trio Talas to touring with icons like David Lee Roth and UFO. While Talas achieved cult status in the US and Canada with hits like 'See Saw,' the band remained unsigned due to management issues. Despite this, Sheehan's influence persisted through supergroups like The Winery Dogs and Sons of Apollo, earning him five 'Best Rock Bass Player' titles in Guitar Player magazine polls.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Billy Sheehan
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