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Archive for June 2010 - Page 3

Gear Watch: Gold Tone PBB and BB-400+
Bass Gear, Summer NAMM

Gear Watch: Gold Tone PBB and BB-400+

While checking out all the great new gear at NAMM, the Gold Tone booth really caught our eye with some great twists on the bass. New for 2010 is their PBB model, a resonator bass with an extending aluminum endpin allowing it to sit in an upright position. The bass has a 32″ scale, with a mahogany body and maple...

Ask Damian Erskine

Ask Damian Erskine: Chord Voicings

Q: Can you help me get away from the standard root position chords that I already know? A: Hopefully, yes! The following will presume an intermediate level of understanding of chords and basic theory. But, if you’re working on this stuff, you’ve probably already got at least enough of a grip on it to follow along. Give this a shot!...

Bass Videos

Ninefingerbass: Rainy’s Song

I don’t know who “Rainy” is but I do know that it’s someone that Youtuber Ninefingerbass wrote this nice solo bass tune about. Some nice harmonics and tapping work going on here.

Concerts & Tours

Sublime with Rome Announce Tour

Sublime with Rome have announced an extensive tour as a follow-up to their debut 6-date trek in April and May. The group continues to perform popular songs from Sublime’s self-titled album, which was released just after original singer Brad Nowell’s death. Bassist Eric Wilson explained earlier this year, “Many of our songs have never been performed live, most notably our...

Reader Spotlight: Justin Williams
Reader Spotlight

Reader Spotlight: Justin Williams

Meet Justin Williams, our bass player in the spotlight. We had the chance to meet up with Justin at the Warwick booth during Summer NAMM. Bio: Justin Williams is one of NYC’s upcoming bassists in the Underground Hip-Hop/R&B, Electronic scene. For six years he’s been supporting some today’s hottest acts (Joya Bravo, KalaeAllDay, C. Devone) holding down the low end...

An Interview with Thomas Risell, the Man Behind MarloweDK
Interviews

An Interview with Thomas Risell, the Man Behind MarloweDK

If you’re a bassist who spends any time on Youtube, there’s no doubt you’ve run into at least one video by MarloweDK. After watching all his great playalongs and lessons for over a year, we decided it was time to find out more about the man himself, Thomas Risell. Here’s our interview… We know you attended the Copenhagen Music Conservatory....

Bass Videos

Fingersmoran: Bass In Yo Face

Shawn Moran, aka Fingersmoran, titled this tune “Bass In Yo Face”, and appropriately so because that’s exactly what it is!

Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project
New Albums

Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project

Herbie Hancock’s latest album, The Imagine Project, is a project that in many ways mirrors Hancock’s 2005 mega-hit, Possibilities. The album blends pop and jazz together with the help of a large and all-star cast of musicians such as Dave Matthews, Pink, John Legend, Seal, Jeff Beck and many others. Several bassists contributed to the project, including Marcus Miller (tracks...

Gear Watch: EMG X Series Pickup Sets for Jazz Bass
Bass Gear, Summer NAMM

Gear Watch: EMG X Series Pickup Sets for Jazz Bass

EMG has released Jazz bass versions of their X series pickups: the JX, JAX, and JVX sets. The brand’s X-Series is made to provide increased headroom, giving the voicing an organic and open tone while keeping great clarity and response. EMG describes them as “bridging the gap between passive and active tone.” The JX retains the jazz bass tone while...

Columns

Seeing Through Hearing

I’m an ear player… By that I mean I’m good at hearing something and responding intuitively to it on my bass, without necessarily knowing exactly what I’m doing. This has been both advantageous AND a disability to me. Below I’ve listed some of the pros and cons of being this kind of a player. See if you identify with any...

The Temptations & the Funk Brothers Rare Studio Rehearsal Video
Bass Videos

The Temptations & the Funk Brothers Rare Studio Rehearsal Video

Here’s some super rare footage of the Motown Studio known as the Snakepit, with James Jamerson on bass. Given the fact that Motown had not been conducting Live sessions with the vocalists and instrumentalists recording at the same time since at least 1963, this session was clearly staged for the CBS News cameras that were doing a brief piece called...

Weekly Top 10

Rewind: The Top 10 Bass Gear, Videos, Player News and Columns of the Week

1. Player News: Tal Wilkenfeld Breaks from New Album to Tour with Herbie Hancock After announcing her work on several upcoming albums, Tal Wilkenfeld revealed that she will be joining Herbie Hancock on the road as he tours in support of his newest effort, The Imagine Project. 2. Video: Keith Horne: Bass Solo on Miles Davis’ “All Blues” This is...