Reader Spotlight: Steve Leggett
Meet Steve Leggett, a bassist from Manchester who is a very busy guy, as you’ll see below.
Steve is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next). Here’s his story…
Bio:
I cut my teeth on Liverpool’s covers circuit before going full-time as bassist for Ukebox, a ukulele band some friends and I started as a joke in university, upon our graduation in 2013. After working our way up the ladder from humble open mic nights to weddings, stadiums, theatres, and eventually cruise ships, and visiting 55 countries in just a couple of years, I bowed out from the band to take a break from touring and work as a guitar tech instead. Since then, I’ve built a reputation as a ‘hired gun’ dep for various bands in England’s North West and divide my time between; a fulltime job making scratchplates at Tiny Tone, making ukuleles/guitars/basses under the ‘S’ Brand Instruments moniker, presenting my podcast, “Big Gig Energy” (career development for musicians), music teaching/coaching, occasional studio work, and on top of that, gigging between 60 and 80 times a year with numerous function bands. Sometimes I even sleep!
Location:
Manchester, UK
Years experience:
16 years… exactly half my life now!
Why I play the bass:
I saw a guy playing “Can’t Stop” by RHCP in my music room at school. I had no idea a bass could be played like that and thought the technicality and percussive funkiness of it was the coolest thing ever… and I’ve been hooked ever since!
Gear:
Basses: ’61 Rosetti Bass 8, ’64 Egmond Princess (previously featured here on NT!), ’83 Aria Pro II ZZB Deluxe, ’86 Westone Spectrum DX, ’86 Hohner B2A fretless, ’87 Hohner ‘The Jack’, ’98 Yamaha BBG5S, ’07 Fender Geddy Lee, ’08 Squier Standard Jazz Bass, ’08 Fender MiM Precision Bass, ’14 Kala Solid Mahogany U-Bass, ’21 ‘S’ Brand Instruments #005, ’23 Kala Spalted Maple U-Bass, ’23 Flight Mini JB, and a double bass of unknown age/origin.
Amp: Fender Rumble 500 combo, Sansamp VI Bass DI
My Influences:
Here are a few… lots of the usual suspects here:
Flea, Guy Pratt, Geddy Lee, Mark King, Tomohito Aoki, Rutger Gunnarsson, Les Claypool, Mike Dirnt, Steve Harris, Bootsy Collins, Thundercat, James Jamerson/Bob Babbit, Chuck Rainey, Don Taylor, Jaco, Marcus Miller, Mark Stoermer, Joe Dart, Nathan East, Tim Commerford, William Murderface…
My bass superpower/claim to fame:
I once learned 36 songs in 24 hours for a last minute dep gig… otherwise I’m usually known for my energy onstage, and for playing bass behind my head..!
Claim to fame… I once played a ukulele bass solo on national TV! Ukebox appeared on an episode of the BBC children’s show, ‘Show Me Show Me’ (S06E10, ‘Ukeleles and Holidays'[sic.] for anyone curious) and I got to show off a little at one point.
