2023.12.01 - Reverb - Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan on His Music Gear Evolution, From Early Days to Today

Excerpts from Guitar.com:
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Duff McKagan has named the one thing in early Guns N’ Roses’ routine that made their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, such a success.

In a new interview with Reverb, the bassist opens up about the amount of hard work the members poured into the making of their seminal record, saying [via Ultimate Guitar]: “What’s maybe not known totally about early Guns N’ Roses, and still to this day, we rehearsed twice a day. That’s all we fucking did.”

“So, we worked on parts, where Slash’s guitar would go in that part, and where Izzy [Stradlin]’s guitar [would go]. Everybody would find their piece, and Steven [Adler, drums] wouldn’t fill through somebody else’s lick. Every little piece of Appetite for Destruction was super thought out. And then, ‘Just play it and be a rock band.'”

“But we were prepared. And it sounds fucking raggedy, ferocious, and loose,” McKagan explains. “And because we rehearsed so much, we were able to get the first and second takes on Appetite. Like, that’s it — why do three? We’re good!”

The rocker also touched on the role of bass in Guns N’ Roses’ early music, saying: “In picking those parts, the bass had its own place, like playing off of those two guitar players, and without just playing a root note through a whole thing.”

“It’s just not interesting, you know, and Paul Simonon [from The Clash] wouldn’t do that. And I think we all understood and appreciated each other’s backgrounds.”

Elsewhere in the chat, McKagan shares how the Ibanez CS-9 Stereo Chorus cemented its place as one his pedalboard essentials, saying “I used an Ibanez Stompbox Guitar Chorus throughout Appetite. I got that because of this band, Magazine, which I got to see, and the bass sound in this band was incredible. And I asked my friend, Kurt Bloch, he’s a legend in Seattle, ‘How do you get that sound?’ He goes, ‘It’s a chorus box.’ ‘What is that?’”

“And so, I got one for, like, 30 bucks, and I still have it. That’s the one I use. I don’t stomp on it anymore. I got a tech, and that really changed a lot of things. McBob, who I got as my tech in 1987, is still my tech. But at some point, he took the stompbox away from me, like ‘You’re gonna kill this thing!’, [with] my cowboy boots. Just because it’s called a stompbox, doesn’t mean [you should stomp on it]; you could just press it.”

https://guitar.com/news/music-news/duff-mckagan-guns-n-roses-routine/

And from Ultimate Guitar:
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Duff McKagan reflected on the extreme dedication that allowed Guns N' Roses to record their seminal album "Appetite for Destruction" in one or two takes and named one of the key stompboxes he still employs in his on-stage arsenal.

There are countless stories about the debauchery and rock 'n' roll lifestyles of the beloved Los Angeles band, and they often tend to overshadow the blood, sweat, and tears that made one of the biggest careers in rock history possible.

Speaking to Reverb in a recent interview in light of his new solo album "Lighthouse", Duff said that not many people know about the rigorous rehearing routine he and his bandmates stuck to before making it big (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

"What's maybe not known totally about early Guns N' Roses, and still to this day, we rehearsed twice a day. That's all we fucking did. So, we worked on parts, where Slash's guitar would go in that part, and where Izzy [Stradlin]'s guitar [would go]. Everybody would find their piece, and Steven [Adler, drums] wouldn't fill through somebody else's lick. Every little piece of 'Appetite for Destruction' was super thought out. And then, 'Just play it and be a rock band.'"

"But we were prepared. And it sounds raggedy, ferocious, and loose, and because we rehearsed so much, we were able to get the first and second takes on 'Appetite'. Like, that's it — why do three? We're good!"

Going on, Duff commented on the role bass had in the early Guns N' Roses sound:

"In picking those parts, the bass had its own place, like playing off of those two guitar players, and without just playing a root note through a whole thing. It's just not interesting, you know, and Paul Simonon [from The Clash] wouldn't do that. And I think we all understood and appreciated each other's backgrounds."

As for backgrounds, Duff notes how he brought that punk rock edge and Prince's delicacy, Axl Rose was a fan of Thin Lizzy, Izzy Stradlin was obsessed with Rolling Stones. Slash brought his eclectic mix of influences, which, to Duff's surprise, included The Germs, while Steven Alder had a thing for late '50s music, the bassist notes.

Elsewhere in the interview, Duff went over some of the essentials from his pedalboard, singling out the Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus:

"I used an Ibanez Stompbox Guitar Chorus throughout 'Appetite'. I got that because of this band, Magazine, which I got to see, and the bass sound in this band was incredible. And I asked my friend, Kurt Bloch, he's a legend in Seattle, 'How do you get that sound?' He goes, 'It's a chorus box.' 'What is that?'

"And so, I got one for, like, 30 bucks, and I still have it. That's the one I use. I don't stomp on it anymore. I got a tech, and that really changed a lot of things. McBob who I got as my tech in 1987, is still my tech. But at some point, he took the stompbox away from me, like 'You're gonna kill this thing!', [with] my cowboy boots. Just because it's called a stompbox, doesn't mean [you should stomp on it]; you could just press it."

At one point, Duff attempted changing to a "rack chorus", but the outcome wasn't what he expected:

"We went for some sort of rack chorus, and it just wasn't my sound. It was probably good for something else, just not for my bass sound."

https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/duff_mckagan_speaks_on_what_people_may_not_know_about_early_gnr_names_one_key_pedal_from_his_appetite_for_destruction_rig.html