GK`s have a punchy, and tight tone quality to them. He first used an 800rb, and later a 2000rb amplifier. Galien-Krueger amps have been a staple in most of Duff’s career. Later, he started to use Fender AMPs, utilizing both a 300w Super Bassman and a Fender Bassman 6x10. In the earlier days of his career, Duff McKagan used Galien-Krueger amplifiers with both Guns N` Roses and Velvet Revolver. 73 Yellows What AMP does Duff McKagan use? Thus, for Duff who picks his strings relatively hard and plays moderately fast basslines from time to time, his unconventional pick choice makes a lot of sense.Ĭurrent prices for Dunlop. This will however not be too noticeable if you have a controlled picking technique where you pick the strings with just the tip of the pick. It will meet some resistance from the heavier strings, meaning that the pick will bend slightly before the string is picked. 73 can allow for some fast and effortless picking. Thus, Duff’s tone sounds fuller than most bassists when combining his effects and aggressive picking, despite the thickness of his picks.Īs for playability, The Dunlop Tortex.

However, Duff picks with a good bit of force and aggression when he plays.

I could in fact ‘live’ without them, but I’d be grumpy as f***” Duff McKagan on his pick choice – Interview with DunlopĪ thin pick can produce a slightly hollower sound than a thick one, but it can also sound brighter and clearer. 73 pick is on the thinner side, even for a guitar pick. While bass picks differ from guitar picks in thickness, his. McKagan uses a thinner pick than most bassists.

While Duff occasionally plays with his fingers, his signature tone comes from playing with a pick. He mainly uses Dunlop Tortex picks and has shown a preference for playing with yellow picks. 73 guitar picks as his bass pick of choice for most of his career. What pick did Duff McKagan use?ĭuff McKagan has used. While the precision bass is a newer addition, it`s based on Duff`s classic tone and combines old and new into a more developed sound. Thus, the best basses for emulating McKagan’s tone are the PJ Jazz Bass Special or his signature Precision bass. He also goes on to explain why he prefers the P bass, how he gets his tone, and his philosophy on being a bass player: This bass emulates his iconic jazz special bass sound from his early days well, despite being a precision bass.īelow is a clip of Duff playing his Signature 4-string. While Jazz and Precision basses sound different, he retained his iconic tone despite the switch.ĭuff has continued to play the precision bass, which is a signature Duff McKagan model by Fender. However, when Guns N`Roses reunited in 2016, Duff played a Fender Precision Bass. Here he has also used a Musicman Stingray and occasionally a Fender Aerodyne. When playing with Velvet Revolver following the breakup of Guns N` Roses in 1997, Duff continued to use the Fender Jazz Special. He also used this bass in the following years and on “Use Your Illusion”, where he also used a custom JBS. He switched the bridge pickup to a Seymour Duncan and has shown a preference for these pickups since. This is a PJ bass, with a precision bass body and jazz bass neck, with both jazz and precision pickups. On Guns N` Roses’ iconic debut album “Appetite for Destruction”, Duff played a Fender Jazz Bass Special. Duff has also shown a preference for the Fender Aerodyne and Musicman Stingray. In later years he has gravitated towards playing his signature Fender Precision Bass. What type of bass does Duff McKagan play?Īt the early stages of his career, McKagan played a Fender Jazz Special. Lastly, we will take a look at what makes his playstyle unique, so that you can emulate his techniques. Then, I`ll show you what strings, picks, and gear he uses. I will show you what bass guitars he plays, and how he has set these up. That`s why I`ve written this easy-to-use guide for you to sound just like Duff. So how do you get Duff McKagan’s bass tone? It`s not a complicated puzzle, but it is important that you fit the pieces together right. This is reflected in both his bright chorus-driven tone and his creative use of variations in his basslines. While some rock bassists like to keep things simple, Duff tends to mix things up. Whether in Guns N` Roses or Velvet Revolver, Duff McKagan’s bass tone creates a punchy backdrop that makes the whole band shine.

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