Archive for November 2011 - Page 3

Dutch instrument maker Aristides has released their newest bass, the 050. The 050 is a 5-string bass with a unique design which sets it apart from most: it is made of Arium, a synthetic tone material created for maximum sustain and resonance. The body and neck are all one piece molded from the material. The 34″ scale instrument features a...

Q: I recently bought a looper after reading some of your columns. It’s for practicing, not for performing, but I’m stumped as to what I should actually do with it. Any thoughts on good (or bad) ways to use a looper for practicing? A: Good for you! Looping pedals are a wonderful tools for practice (or performance)! I’ll share some...

With the help of an ebow and a looper, Italian bassist Viz Maurogiovanni creates a beautiful solo bass rendition of Gabriel Fauré’s “Pavane,” Op. 50, proving that great music transcends time.

Writer, critic and musician George Case has penned an incredibly detailed book on one of the biggest rock groups of all time: Led Zeppelin. Case, who previously wrote an unauthorized biography of the band’s guitarist, Jimmy Page, turns his sites to the band, on a mission to uncover many of the mysteries and insiders look at the iconic band of...

Meet Glenn “SmittyG” Smith, a bassist from Texarkana who can play the spectrum of music from country to punk to jazz and everything in between. The reader spotlight is one of our favorite features on No Treble, and it is people like Glenn who really make it extra special. I’m sure you’ll enjoy his sense of humor as much as...

Our question of the week: What’s next up on your gear list? Hey, this is even a chance to dream a little. The holidays are right around the corner! Give us the scoop! Answer below in the comments, or on our Facebook page.

You guys have followed me through a few projects now and, if I?ve done my job, some of you have been inspired to take an instrument and make it fit you better in some way. This month, I want to talk about why we do this and pose some questions you should answer for yourself if you?re considering upgrading or...

Here’s an awesome studio performance by Evan Marien with drummer Dana Hawkins on the bassist’s song “Soulseek.” The duo keeps a tight groove which opens up for Marien to let loose with some blazing soloing. Evan offers a live version of the track on his Bandcamp page.

The late Wayman Tisdale, the NBA star-turned-bassist who enjoyed success in both careers, is now the focus of a newly released feature-length documentary. The Wayman Tisdale Story recounts the life of the former basketball player and jazz bassist who lost his battle with bone cancer in 2009. With interviews ranging from Michael Jordan to Dave Koz to Toby Keith, it’s...

Fender’s Musicmaster was first introduced in 1971, and in production through 1981. As with Fender’s guitar bearing the same name, the bass was a simpler version of Fender’s Mustang Bass. The Musicmaster was Fender’s budget-priced bass at the time, made from surplus parts from other Fender models. The bodies were from the Mustang production line, and 6-pole guitar pickups were...

One of the most common deficiencies bass players have when using the bow is an inconsistency of tone in various parts of the bow. There may be times when such inconsistency is musically desirable, but it should always happen “on purpose” and not merely as a result of a lack of bow control. For example when playing the passage below,...

Hearing Michael Manring and Grant Stinnett perform together is really quite an experience. Not only are they both absolute wizards on the bass, they really complement each other equally well. Here, the duo performs “Money Talks”, originally recorded on their Project M album, which also features bassists Rob Gourlay and Jim Stinnett.