Archive for April 2012 - Page 4

Without a doubt, Curtis Mayfield was one of the most influential soul artists that walked the planet. His remarkable compositions included some of the grooviest bass lines. A new all-star cast of musicians calling themselves Jazz Soul Seven is now honoring the late guitarist/vocalist’s music with Impressions of Curtis Mayfield, a 12-track album of jazz interpretations of his music. Rooted...

We’ve heard from a lot of readers who think that Paul McCartney is one of the most underrated bassists of all time. Well, you can judge for yourself in today’s isolated track, which includes both McCartney’s bass and Ringo Starr’s drums on “A Day in the Life”, the last track on the 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band....

Aerosmith will be hitting the road this summer for their first U.S. trek since 2010. The “Global Warming” Tour kicks off in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 16th and will take the “Sweet Emotion” rockers throughout the States with a single date in Canada. “After touring Japan and South America last year we’re psyched about bringing it all back for the...

New for 2012 is the Ibanez SGBE series acoustic bass guitars, available in Natural and Sunburst finishes. Also fit for electric sets, the basses feature under-saddle piezo pickups and Ibanez’s AEQ202T Preamp with a 2-band EQ as well as an onboard tuner. Featuring a grand concert body shape, the SGBE series is constructed with a mahogany neck, back and sides,...

Eric Czar has been wowing bass lovers on YouTube with his phenomenal compositions and arrangements. Often overdubbing several instruments, Czar isn’t scared to step out and play on a 7-string bass, strung E to Bb. We caught up with this exciting bassist to get the story behind what makes him want to push the boundaries of the low end. What...

Better strap in for this one. John Entwistle really laid it out for this live performance of The Who’s “My Generation” at the Live at Leeds festival in early 1970. Here’s The Ox in all his glory… isolated bass goodness.

Alfred has expanded their Ultimate PLay-Along series with a volume dedicated to Radiohead. Ultimate Bass Play-along Radiohead: Authentic Bass Tab includes a 56-page book with musical notation and TAB transcriptions offering up Colin Greenwood‘s bass lines for eight of Radiohead’s most popular songs. The book is accompanied by two enhanced CDs containing sound-alike recordings for each tune. The CDs have...

This week we take a look at the Skjoldslayer by Skjold Design Guitars, which luthier Pete Skjold came up with the design as a take on one of his singlecut models. “The Skjoldslayer came about after the Damian Erskine Whaleback,” Skjold explains. “I basically made a doublecut version and that was the inspiration for it. It has become one of...

For nearly 30 years, David Ellefson has been a dominating force in the world of metal bass. As a founding member of Megadeth, he’s toured the world, been nominated for 7 Grammys, and has continued to inspire the bass community. His Rock Shop series of instructional videos on YouTube has been an informative ride for musicians around the globe as...

The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” is another iconic bass line, and here it is, isolated in all its glory. And like the Geddy Lee track we shared yesterday, not without a little controversy. For starters, there’s been some debate on who actually played bass on the track. The consensus pick is Wilton Felder.

Phish have some extensive touring lined up for the summer, with legs kicking off in both June and August. With several three-night residencies at popular venues, the band will begin their trek in Massachusetts and tackle the East Coast and Midwest before heading west and wrapping up at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. It will also mark...

Swiss company Schertler has introduced the LaFaro Deluxe, a 2-channel, 280-watt bi-amplified combo amp designed specifically with double bass in mind. The amp’s name and image are a tribute to jazz bass icon Scott LaFaro, who revolutionized jazz bass in his short career. It sports an 8? woofer designed specifically for the amp with a long linear extension for strong...