Top 10: Focus on Fretless, The Top Bass Videos, and The Most Popular New Bass Gear of the Week

Turns out last week had a bit of a fretless focus to it, with the first two of the Top 10 most read features focusing on that very subject. Damian Erskine kicks things off with his take on making the switch to fretless (with some great commentary added by No Treble readers). Plus, the announcement of Duesenberg’s new D-Bass Fretless generated lots of buzz.

In videos, Dane Alderson’s bass solo on “Liberty City” took top honors in the video category, followed by Sharay Reed’s incredible Gospel music jam.

Gear dominated the list once again, with news from Genz Benz, Mike Lull and Reverend, plus our Bass of the Week and the Custom Shop story on Kinal Guitars.

In lessons, MarloweDK helped readers expand their fretboards with major triads.

Check out these and the rest of the top 10 for the week of April 1-7, 2012. Thanks for reading!

A Guide to Making the Switch Fretless Bass

1. A Guide to Making the Switch Fretless Bass

Q: I’ve just removed the frets from my first bass, and this is my first experience with a fretless bass. What advice do you have to start out? A: There are two areas of focus for making the switch. At a glance, these might seem to contradict each other, but one applies to practicing and…

Duesenberg Introduces D-Bass Fretless Bass

2. Duesenberg Introduces D-Bass Fretless Bass

German instrument builder Duesenberg has introduced a fretless version to their D-Bass line of basses. Available in Black and Coral finishes, the D-Bass Fretless carries the same specifications as its predecessors, with the exception of its fretless ebony fingerboard. The D-bass sports an alder body with a hard rock maple neck. Combining vintage-vibe with modern…

Dane Alderson: Bass Solo on “Liberty City”

3. Dane Alderson: Bass Solo on “Liberty City”

Here’s an incredible video of bassist Dane Alderson taking a solo on Jaco Pastorius’ “Liberty City” during a gig at the Ellington Jazz Club in Perth, Australia. Alderson and drummer Andy Fisenden start off with simmer before building into a raucous finale with the band. The bassist says the performance is a bit of a…

Bass Lesson: Expand Your Fretboard with Major Triads

4. Bass Lesson: Expand Your Fretboard with Major Triads

In this new lesson, we’ll break down the concepts of utilizing triads in expanding your fretboard knowledge and control. We’ll explore triad inversions, different fingerings and using triads as target notes to achieve this goal. The video starts with a demonstration of a solo over a G Major chord. I’m playing a G Major triad….

Reverend Now Offering New Finishes on Decision and Justice Basses

5. Reverend Now Offering New Finishes on Decision and Justice Basses

Reverend has expanded their Decision and Justice bass lines with the addition of some new finish options. The “PJ” styled Decision (which was profiled as a Bass of the Week in January) now comes in Deep Sea Blue; a color that had been previously reserved for the company’s Rick Vito Signature model. The Reverend is…

Custom Shop: Kinal Guitars

6. Custom Shop: Kinal Guitars

With a career spanning over 40 years, Vancouver-based Mike Kinal knows a thing or two about luthiery. Trained as a cabinetmaker, Mike got into building basses early in his musical career and has since made hundreds of instruments. His basses have evolved over the years from following the pattern of large manufacturers to creating his…

Bass of the Week: Noguera Expression

7. Bass of the Week: Noguera Expression

This week we take a look at Noguera Basses’ flagship model, the Expression. Designed to produce a “rich sound with accurate low end,” the bass is hand made in France. Available in 4-, 5- and 6-string models, the Expression features bolt-on construction with a bubinga body, maple neck, and wenge fingerboard. The elegant bridge is…

Sharay Reed: Chicago Gospel Musician Jam

8. Sharay Reed: Chicago Gospel Musician Jam

I stumbled across the video by random chance. And then I watched it about six times in a row. This is Sharay Reed, defining the phrase “laying it down”. I love how the audience reacts to Sharay’s lines too, especially around the 2-minute mark. There’s even guys with basses in the audience!

Genz Benz Introduces Shuttle Max 12.2 Bass Amp

9. Genz Benz Introduces Shuttle Max 12.2 Bass Amp

Genz Benz has expanded their Shuttle Max series of bass amps with the Shuttle Max 12.2 bass. The new amp features the company’s proprietary “3 Dimensional Power Management” circuitry (3DPM), which adds heft and girth to each note while increasing responsiveness and headroom. Weighing in at 6.75 pounds, the Shuttle Max 12.2 pumps out up…

Mike Lull Releases Bryan Beller BBM5 Signature Bass

10. Mike Lull Releases Bryan Beller BBM5 Signature Bass

Mike Lull Guitars unveiled their newest signature bass at the Winter NAMM show this year, based on the instrument and specs of bassist Bryan Beller. The BBM5 is based on Lull’s M5 bass, modified to suit Beller’s playing style and wishlist. The bass is a 35? scale 5-string bass active jazz bass with a Bartolini…

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