Skip to main content

Archive for July 2012

Reader Spotlight: Rafael Minerbo
Reader Spotlight

Reader Spotlight: Rafael Minerbo

Meet Rafael Minerbo, a bassist from Brazil who made us laugh pretty hard when reading his bio (you’ll see why). Rafael has been playing for about three years and says he wishes he was David Caraccio or Flea. To that, we say: “keep doing your thing, and then someone will one day say, ‘I wish I was Rafael Minerbo.'” Rafael...

Hot Tuna Cancels Remaining Tour Dates
Concerts & Tours

Hot Tuna Cancels Remaining Tour Dates

Sad news to report… Hot Tuna has canceled the last three scheduled dates for their Steady As She Goes tour. A representative for the band sent us this note today: “Jack Casady‘s wife, longtime love Diana, is in the late stages of a rare form of cancer. She has fought an amazing fight for over ten years. It is with...

Primus Announces First-Ever Traveling 3-D Tour
Concerts & Tours

Primus Announces First-Ever Traveling 3-D Tour

Primus is kicking off a “first-ever traveling 3D enhanced live musical” tour in October, featuring two sets per evening the band promises will be “a one-of-a-kind psychedelic experience”. Every show will feature Quad Surround Sound too. The 22-date tour kicks off October 12 in Poughkeepsie, NY and ends on November 10 in Miami, Florida. Primus debuted the video for “Lee...

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”: Isolated Bass & Drums
Bass Videos

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”: Isolated Bass & Drums

The 1973 studio version of “Free Bird” appeared on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s debut album, from Pronounced ‘Leh-‘Nérd ‘Skin-‘Nérd and featured Ed King on bass and Bob Burns on drums. Here’s the duo in isolation on the track, showing just how a drummer/bassist pairing should be. King is reportedly playing his 1964 Fender Jazz on the tune. Sweet.

Bill Wyman on Stones World Tour: “I don’t fly… no way I’ll go on any tour”
Player News

Bill Wyman on Stones World Tour: “I don’t fly… no way I’ll go on any tour”

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Hot on the heels of the news that Bill Wyman was rehearsing with the Rolling Stones as part of the band’s 50th anniversary comes the news that Wyman won’t be touring with the group as hoped. Following the rehearsals, guitarist Keith Richards said, “We’re playing around with the idea [of a tour] and...

J. Backlund Design Introduces JBD-800B Bass Guitar
Basses

J. Backlund Design Introduces JBD-800B Bass Guitar

J. Backlund Design has stepped into the low end with the introduction of their first bass, the JBD-800B. Modeled after the company’s versatile JBD-800 guitar, the new 4-string bass sports three Seymour Duncan Bass Lines pickups with a 5-way pickups selector for extended tonal range. The JBD-800B features bolt-on construction with a 6-bolt maple neck and either rosewood or maple...

Left Hand Dexterity Drills on Three and Four Strings
The Lowdown with Dr. D

Left Hand Dexterity Drills on Three and Four Strings

After mastering the exercises on one and two strings, you will be ready to challenge yourself with some three-string exercise, like the ones below. Some Notes: These exercises can be done pizzicato or arco. If done pizzicato, I suggest beginning each pattern using the second finger of your right hand, followed by the first (i.e. 2-1) and alternating without exception....

Pearl Jam’s “Alive”: Isolated Bass & Drums
Bass Videos

Pearl Jam’s “Alive”: Isolated Bass & Drums

Based on the huge popularity of the isolated bass tracks, we’ve decided to do our second “isolated bass week”. (Check out our previous isolated bass week, after this video.) Here’s Jeff Ament‘s classic bass line on the Pearl Jam hit single, “Alive”, from the album Ten. Such a cool line, with all the right mix of awesomeness: fretless (I believe...

Weekly Top 10: Jamerson’s Amp Mystery, New Bass Gear, The Top Bass Videos, New School and How To’s
Weekly Top 10

Weekly Top 10: Jamerson’s Amp Mystery, New Bass Gear, The Top Bass Videos, New School and How To’s

What can we say? If it is bass, we love it. If it makes the top 10 list of bass awesomeness, we love it even more. Here are the top 10 most read articles and most viewed videos on No Treble for the week of July 22-28, 2012. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. PBS History Detectives to Trace...

PBS: Jamerson Amp is Legit; Jamerson Jr.: Nope
Player News

PBS: Jamerson Amp is Legit; Jamerson Jr.: Nope

The legend continues. Last week, we reported on the story that PBS’s History Detectives were investigating an amp believed to be owned by Motown legend James Jamerson, in an attempt to determine its authenticity. Well, the folks behind the PBS show deemed the amp as legit (leaving room at the end that the evidence wasn’t conclusive). Jamerson’s son, James Jamerson,...

Mono Cases Introduces M80 Pedalboard Case Line
Pedals & Effects

Mono Cases Introduces M80 Pedalboard Case Line

Continuing their summer releases, Mono Cases has introduced a new line of M80 pedalboard cases. The series includes Club, Tour and Pro sizes that fit three respective Pedaltrain pedalboards, as well as other brands. Similar to their M80 instrument cases, the new pdealboard cases are built with a water resistant Sharkskin outer shell, steel riveted handles, industrial rubber soles, and...

Zander Zon: “Somebody That I Used To Know” Solo Bass Cover
Bass Videos

Zander Zon: “Somebody That I Used To Know” Solo Bass Cover

Zander Zon is back with a new video. This time around, he’s performing an all-bass cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know”. Zander says, “I’m using a loop pedal during the verse and a couple other parts, but not the chorus. This piece was recorded live, with no overdubs (CDEG tuning). Hope you like it!”