Reader Spotlight: Matt Ross
Meet Matt Ross, who first thought he wanted to play the guitar (after hearing Hendrix), but realized “bass is infinitely cooler.” He has one of the most hilarious superpowers too.
Matt is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next). Here’s his story…
Bio:
Born in Detroit, I was drawn to music since my fetal days, but as a teenager who eventually found himself in North Alabama, it was a copy of Jimi Hendrix’s Smash Hits that was the catalyst for me becoming a bassist. Naturally, after hearing Hendrix, I wanted to play guitar, but my first trip to Counts Brothers Music in Muscle Shoals changed that forever. I picked up a Squier Bullet and was immediately addicted to the low end. I had it converted to left hand and became self-taught, playing relentlessly in my room for a couple of years until I was given the chance to start playing live. I have been going ever since, playing everything from small dives to arenas. No instrument speaks like the bass.
Location:
Huntsville, AL
Years experience:
35 years.
Why I play the bass:
The immediate realization that bass is infinitely cooler than guitar.
Gear:
- Left-handed basses: Fender Custom Shop Jazz Basses, my treasured lefty ’74 Jazz, ’81 Ibanez Musician, and Höfner Cavern.
- Mesa/Ampeg amps & cabs.
- Aguilar cabs.
My Influences:
Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, Bootsy, David Hood, Berry Oakley, Sting, John Paul Jones, Questlove, numerous others, and music in general.
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
I’m left-handed, so nobody can borrow my shit.
More on the web:
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