Archive for February 2012 - Page 9

We’ve been back from NAMM for about two weeks now, and we’re still working on the new gear stories. Good thing too… they keep dominating each week’s top 10 lists, and last week was no exception. From our exclusive video of Ned Steinberger showing off his all-new headless bass to the new amps from Markbass and Ampeg to the new...

B.C. Rich rolled out a pair of new basses for NAMM 2012: the Widow 4 Bass and the Greg Weeks Signature Bass. The 2012 Widow 4 bass is a 4-string version of their existing WMD Widow. With a radical body shape and red pinstripes, the bass is designed to resemble the killer Black Widow spider. It features neck-through construction with...

Last week, we broke the story that Jimmy Haslip was taking a year off from the Yellowjackets and would be replaced by Felix Pastorius. We just found out why. Haslip will be joining guitarist Allan Holdsworth on the guitarist’s new tour, with Virgil Donati on drums and forming Holdsworth’s “new power jazz-rock trio”. The initial tour dates have been announced...

Janek Gwizdala took the stage at TC Electronic’s booth during the NAMM 2012 show, and wowed the crowd with his solo bass awesomeness. The performance starts with a nice laid back groove, and continues with some nice soloing (and singing) on top. Janek is playing his new Fodera.

Longtime collaborators Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady are gearing up for a major 2012 Hot Tuna tour, in support of their latest album, Steady As She Goes. The new album was the first featuring new material in nearly 20 years for the group. The duo, who have performed together for over 50 years, will be joined by Barry Mitterhoff on...

Ashdown CTM Custom Bass Amp Ashdown unveiled their new Classic Tube Magnifier all tube bass amp at the NAMM show last month. The company, who is celebrating their 15th anniversary, also rolled out custom shop options and were displaying the head in standard and custom covering. Housed in 18mm Marine grade birch ply cabinet, the CTM 300 features a power...

In 2003, Pat Metheny assembled an all-star quartet including Christian McBride on bass, the late Michael Brecker on sax and Antonio Sanchez on drums. The quartet performed live in Germany for the Jazz Baltica festival. Here, the group performs the Metheny classic “James”, with a nice spotlight on McBride.

Chicago bassist Marlene Rosenberg has performed around the world with leading jazz artists, including Kenny Barron, Frank Foster, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Roy Hargrove, Marian McPartland, Cedar Walton, David ‘Fathead’ Newman, Monty Alexander, Teddy Edwards, Joe Williams and Nancy Wilson. The bassist has just released Bassprint, her third album as a leader, and one which showcases her skills as both...

Ampeg has unveiled the Micro-CL Stack, a “micro-sized SVT” rated at 100-watts. The solid state head and 2×10 cabinet resemble the company’s iconic SVT-CL at a fraction of the size. Available only as a set, the “mini fridge” have many of the same features as their larger counterparts, including a dedicated FX Loop, a stereo input, a headphone output, a...

Greetings, bass players! Although I’ve enjoyed writing about the blues for the past few months, a new year calls for a new subject, and I’ve decided to shift gears a bit. Thanks to you guys, No Treble readers, and to the nifty technological advancements that allow us to communicate in new ways, I’ve been impressed by the ongoing dialogue that...

Bassist Marco Ignacio Toba sent us a note and a few awesome videos he’s done. Marco is from Argentina and plays in a prog metal band by the name of Thabu. In this video, Marco plays “Milonga” for two basses, arranged by Bucky Arcella. You know what we say, two basses are better than one! Nice playing, Marco. Have a...

Starting this month, we’re going to highlight the best of the best from the world of bass. Here are the most popular features on No Treble in January, 2012. As always, our top 10 lists are based on readership. Thanks for reading! 1. Fender Custom Shop Introduces 2012 Bass Models Fender’s Custom Shop has announced two new bass models for...