An Interview With Johnny Martin Of L.A. Guns

Feature Photo by Joe Schaeffer

Johnny Martin has been at it since the ‘90s, when he secured a gig with The Cunninghams and shared the stage with Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Cheap Trick, and more.

As for what inspired him in the first place, Martin tells ClassicRockHistory.com, “I just wanted to learn everything, like rock, metal, new wave, punk, post-punk, funk, and disco. Even if I wasn’t a huge fan of a certain genre, I still found something fascinating, and even beautiful, within that genre that resonated with me.”

After hooking up with Tracii Guns and later joining a reformed L.A. Guns, Martin’s career kicked into overdrive. These days, along with L.A. Guns, Martin lends his licks to Tiffany, Gene Loves Jezebel, and others.

Now a decade into L.A. Guns’ most cohesive era, Martin doesn’t mince words when asked why things are working so well. “Plain and simple,” he says. “It’s about chemistry and respect.”

It’s with that in mind that, during a break in the action, L.A. Guns’ bassist Johnny Martin beamed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to look back on his career.

What are your earliest memories of music in your life?

My earliest memories of music would probably be hearing my mother play the piano. I can’t recall my exact age, but I remember playing the piano before I was in kindergarten. Other early memories of music were my parents’ record collection.

They had everything from the Rolling Stones to the Beatles to Carole King to the Standells to Gordon Lightfoot to Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash to everything else in between and beyond. So, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to so many different genres of music at such an early age.

When did the bass guitar come into the picture, and when did you decide what sort of player you wanted to be?

Well, I was about 10 years old and at my local record store, shopping for whatever caught my eye. I say “caught my eye” because this was pre-Internet, and most of my music purchases were based on how cool an album cover looked.

But I digress… I saw a display of a Kiss album and was immediately drawn to Gene Simmons’s whole aesthetic. I wanted to be “that guy.” And, in order to be “that guy,” I needed to learn to play the bass.

So, I pleaded with my parents to buy me a bass. They reluctantly agreed to do so because they had just bought me a six-string electric guitar the year before. Secondly, I never really set out to be any particular kind of player.

How did you make the jump from amateur to professional musician?

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and I started playing clubs in Hollywood when I was about 13. I played the clubs through the rest of my teens and into my 20s with no real success. There were some close calls, but nothing to quit my day job over.

Fast forward to January of 1997, and a former drummer of mine contacted me, saying he was managing a band based in Seattle called The Cunninghams. The Cunninghams had an album coming out the following May on Revolution/Warner Bros Records, and they needed a bass player, though their producer, Don Gilmore, had played bass on the album.

Auditions were held, and I ultimately got the gig. We got to tour with bands like Cheap Trick, INXS, and Third Eye Blind, and we played on main stages at festivals with Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Matchbox 20, and Beck.

We even got to shoot a music video with director Nigel Dick, who did Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” music video. It was definitely a fun time to start my professional career. Oh, I also met my wife in Seattle that year, so thank you, Cunninghams!

What gear were you working with early on, and what inspired those choices?

Early on, I chose gear that my idols played. My first bass amp was a Sunn 1×15 combo amp. I wanted that amp because I had a Kiss tour book, and there was a Sunn ad with Gene climbing over the amps.

Regarding the basses, my first bass was a $20 Global. But my first real bass guitar was an Aria Pro II. And the reason that I wanted that bass was because [Queen’s] John Taylor played Aria. John Taylor was a huge influence on me.

Did you grow up loving classic glam and hair metal, and did you expect to end up in that space?

I grew up loving all genres of music. But I do have my favorite glam and hair metal bands, like Hanoi Rocks, who are at the top of that list. I still listen to Back to Mystery City and/or Two Steps from the Move at least once every other month, great underrated albums.

As far as way back classic glam, [David] Bowie is one of my all-time favorites. Other notable bands that I listened to under the glam/hair umbrella were Guns N’ Roses, Faster Pussycat, and this one band called L.A. Guns. [laughs]

But did I “expect to end up in that space?” I actually never expected to be in a band that I was a fan of. But truth be told, I really haven’t ended up in any particular “space,” at least not just yet. Although, I do feel that I am exactly where I need to be at this moment.

How did you end up in L.A. Guns, and what’s it been like playing alongside Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis?

How did I end up in L.A. Guns? The short story? I got to know Tracii when my old band, The Chelsea Smiles, went out on tour with Brides of Destruction. When he needed a bass player for a “Tracii Guns solo tour,” he called, and I happily accepted the invitation.

Then, about halfway through that tour, Tracii comes to me and says, “Philip and I are reuniting as L.A. Guns. Do you want to be in the band?” It was definitely a right place at the right time moment for me.

And what has it been like playing alongside those guys? It’s been one of the best experiences of my life. Some of the other projects that I’m involved with today have stemmed from the fact that I’m a member of L.A. Guns. And I am forever grateful that I was given the opportunity to be in this band.

What have you learned from being in L.A. Guns as far as playing goes, and how have you seen your role evolve?

I’ve learned that playing with great players makes you a better player. At least, in theory. Okay … at least in my theory. [laughs] And my role in Guns has always been more than just a hired bass player. They’ve given me free rein to play what I want since day one. They listen to my ideas.

Sometimes I have way too many ideas. But, again, they listen, which is key. Because everyone in this band matters. As far as my role evolving, in a way, yes… but I see it more as the band is evolving. We try not to get stuck in a rut.

Unfortunately, a lot of bands fall victim to just going through the motions and phoning it in during live performances. Within the past nine and a half years, we’ve released five studio albums, two live albums, and a Christmas EP.

And fans genuinely dig hearing the new songs live. Usually, when a legacy artist plays new songs, the audience decides it’s time for a drink and/or smoke. But the Guns fans are right up there singing along to every word.

Where does your rig stand today, and what goes into your choices?

I’ve got a few rigs in my arsenal, but I have two that are my main “go-tos.” First rig is a Bugera Veryon Mofet amp head, which is a compact seven-pound head with 2000-watts of fun fun fun. And I run that through two Bugera 4×10 bass cabs.

But if I have fly dates and can’t acquire Bugera cabs for the backline, I’ll plug my head into an Ampeg SVT 8×10 cab. And my second rig is a Blackstar Unity Bass U500 500-watt 2×10 combo amp.

I couple that with a Blackstar Unity 250ACT 250-watt 1×15 powered cab. Fun Fact: The Blackstar Unity Bass U500 amp has some super-duper neat built-in overdrive/distortion/fuzz/chorus/sub octave effects.

None of my current gigs (Guns, Gene Loves Jezebel, Tiffany) requires any effects. But if I do get called for a gig that requires effects, I’ll use my HeadRush MX5 or my Solo Dallas Schaffer Replica Bass-X and/or Solo Dallas Orbiter fuzz pedals.

What goes into my gear choices? I prefer to play gear that looks, feels, plays, and sounds the way I feel it should. That is, unless the artist who hires me asks for something specific.

What’s the story behind your signature Sawtooth bass?

I play my wonderful Sawtooth basses through all of my rigs. My favorite is the Sawtooth Johnny Martin Leopard Skin Signature Bass. The Leopard Skin Bass specs are as follows: the body is basswood, and the neck is bolt-on Canadian maple with a D-shaped profile.

And the fretboard is rosewood with dot inlays with a 34-inch scale length, 42mm nut width, and 20 frets. As for the finish, it’s leopard print on the body, and satin finish on both the neck and the body. And then, the pickups are Seymour Duncan P-Style Quarter Pound pickups.

The bridge is a chrome top-loaded Badass Model II, the tuners are Grover Titan Tuners with a 23:1 ratio, the pickguard is black aluminum, and the controls are a single master volume and a single tone control with CTS pots.

What’s next for you and L.A. Guns in all lanes?

As far as L.A. Guns is concerned, we have a bunch of shows coming up for the year. Starting with the Rainbow anniversary party on April 19th. Also on that bill are Armored Saint, Pentagram, and Alien Ant Farm. Then, a U.S. tour starting in May.

Most of the mid-summer shows will be with Tom Keifer. Then, we’re going back to Europe and the U.K. in the fall. We haven’t been since before the pandemic. My schedule (aside from the Guns dates) will include a couple of acoustic sets with friends on the upcoming Monsters of Rock Cruise.

I’ll also be a counselor at the next Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp with Tommy Lee and John 5. There are so many other shows coming up this year with Gene Loves Jezebel, Tiffany, Donnie Vie, and Alex Kane. Please visit my socials for more info on everything Johnny Martin-related. And you can look at pictures of my awesome cats! [laughs]

Check out similar articles on ClassicRockHistory.com Just click on any of the links below……

An Interview With Ace Von Johnson Of L.A. Guns

An Interview With Shawn Duncan Of L.A. Guns

Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview

Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain Creative Commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.