Rewind: Bootsy Documentary, Old School Teisco Bass, New Bas Gear and The Best Bass Videos of the Week

Last week, No Treble readers enjoyed the story of Bootsy Collins, via the TV One documentary, as well as meeting bassist Rebecca Johnson, our player in the spotlight.

On the gear front, we got an inside look at May Custom Basses, a look back at and old school, 1965 Teisco bass, and a first look at new gear from ESP and Kustom.

Here are your top 10 for the week of August 7 – 13, 2011.

Unsung: The Story of Bootsy Collins

1. Unsung: The Story of Bootsy Collins

Here’s TV One‘s documentary on Bootsy Collins, sharing the highs and lows of the funk legend’s life. There’s so much great stuff here, from Bootsy’s start with a guitar strung as a bass, to James Brown and more. Interesting to hear the difference between “Bootsy”, the funk legend, William Collins, the regular guy.

Player Spotlight: Rebecca Johnson

2. Player Spotlight: Rebecca Johnson

A few weeks ago, we shared bassist Rebecca Johnson and her band in our daily video feature, and reader feedback was terrific. So it was easy to pick Rebecca as our bassist in the spotlight for the week of August 9, 2011. Meet bassist Rebecca Johnson… Bio: Rebecca Johnson is a bass player/singer with 29…

Viaceslav Svedov: Hump de Bump Bass Cover

3. Viaceslav Svedov: Hump de Bump Bass Cover

Always great to see videos from Viaceslav Svedov. Here’s a recent one, with his all-bass take on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Hump de Bump”. What kind of coffee do you think Viaceslav drinks? I’ll take some.

Old School: 1965 Teisco Del Rey EB-200

4. Old School: 1965 Teisco Del Rey EB-200

Bassist José Correa shares his 1965 Teisco Del Rey bass with us in this installment of Old School. Teisco was a Japanese instrument manufacturer who built affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969. In addition to basses, the company built guitars, keyboards, amplifiers, drums and microphones. The company’s name stands for “Tokyo Electric Instrument and…

Custom Shop: May Custom Basses

5. Custom Shop: May Custom Basses

Shawn May of May Custom Basses started playing as a teen and got interested in building after a chance visit to the local library. Inspired by the distinguished luthiers who came before him, he eventually turned his interests into a business. Intrigued with exotic and “intense” looking woods, May focuses on creating one-of-a-kind instruments for…

Competitive Nature

6. Competitive Nature

Q: I am a very young bassist who plays in a band with some other young musicians. I’m having an issue with respect and competitiveness. Most of my bandmates say I’m the best musician among them. Our guitarist assumes he’s the best musician in the band, though his knowledge of theory isn’t there. How do…

ESP Adds to LTD B-Series Bass Guitars

7. ESP Adds to LTD B-Series Bass Guitars

In addition to their new LTD J-Series basses, ESP has introduced two new basses to their LTD B-Series: The B-50FM and B-55FM. The 4- and 5-string models share the qualities of their siblings, but are distinguished by their flamed maple tops. Available in three different sunburst finishes, the flamed maple top covers the basswood body….

Krzysztof Scieranski: Live Looping Bass

8. Krzysztof Scieranski: Live Looping Bass

Marcin Suchodolski shares this video with us, featuring bassist Krzysztof ?ciera?ski, who knocked us out with his cool bass loop performance (and late 60′s Fender Jazz). Thanks Marcin! Krzysztof submitted this video as part of the BOSS loop contest, and came in 2nd place for central Europe. Have a video to share? Send it to…

How to Play Heavy Metal Bass!

9. How to Play Heavy Metal Bass!

Alfred Music Publishing and Guitar World have teamed up to release How to Play Heavy Metal Bass!, an instructional DVD by Matt Scharfglass. The DVD contains more than 70 minutes of lessons and includes tab files to follow along. Scharfglass covers tone, fretboard patterns and techniques, chords and progressions, playing fingerstyle vs. playing with a…

Kustom Unveils KXB500 Bass Amplifier

10. Kustom Unveils KXB500 Bass Amplifier

Kustom Amplification has introduced the KXB500 bass amp, a no-nonsense amp built for a big sound while staying compact. The amp is rated at 500 watts and has a total of five control knobs, and weighs in at five pounds. The KXB500’s input stage accommodates for a range of signal levels features a clip LED…

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