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Archive for September 2012

Bass Gear Round-Up: The Most Popular Gear for September 2012
Top Ten

Bass Gear Round-Up: The Most Popular Gear for September 2012

Our bass gear coverage made up a good part of the top 10 most read stories overall in September. Here is your complete list of top 10 gear stories for the month. As always, these lists come with a warning… may cause GAS. 1. Gibson Announces Grabber 3: ’70s Tribute Bass Gibson first introduced the Grabber bass in the 1970?s,...

Höfner Unveils Limited Edition Black Violin Bass
Basses

Höfner Unveils Limited Edition Black Violin Bass

As part of their 125th anniversary celebrations, Höfner has unveiled a limited edition Black Violin Bass. The new bass shares many of the specs of the company’s ‘61 Cavern bass but utilizes closely spaced single coil “Toaster” pickups that were only used in 1960. Finished in a sleek thin coat gloss black, its dark motif is complimented with a black...

Lee Rocker: “Rockabilly Boogie” Animated Video
Bass Videos

Lee Rocker: “Rockabilly Boogie” Animated Video

Slick back your pompadour, get your leather jacket and check out former Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker’s new animated music video for the song “Rockabilly Boogie.”

Chris Minh Doky and The Nomads Announce Worldwide Fall Tour
Concerts & Tours

Chris Minh Doky and The Nomads Announce Worldwide Fall Tour

Bassist Chris Minh Doky has announced a Fall tour with his group the Nomads, which includes drummer Dave Weckl, guitarist Dean Brown and keyboardist George Whitty. Starting October 1st at the Iridium in New York City, the tour will take the quartet across the world with further stops in the U.S., Mexico, Denmark, Norway, and Italy. Doky lays it down...

Electro-Harmonix Adds Utility Pedals to Next Step Series
Pedals & Effects

Electro-Harmonix Adds Utility Pedals to Next Step Series

Electro-Harmonix has added to their Next Step Effects series with three new utility pedals. Similar to the rest of the line, the new volume, expression and pan pedals have no moving parts and feature a smooth rocking chassis to control the effect. The Next Step Volume Pedal controls the volume of an instrument. Powered by either a 9V battery or...

Play Other Instruments! Such as… Guitar
I Wish I Knew That

Play Other Instruments! Such as… Guitar

In the previous column, we introduced an exciting concept: the importance of learning your way around on a few other instruments. Aside from being able to sit down at a piano or pick up an acoustic guitar, a bit of musical variety can influence your approach to the bass. Having some basic knowledge of piano can be a huge advantage,...

Mathieu Verlot: “Little Wing” Live Double Bass Arrangement
Bass Videos

Mathieu Verlot: “Little Wing” Live Double Bass Arrangement

Bassist Mathieu Verlot really impresses with this video he shared with us, taking the Hendrix classic “Little Wing” and turning it into an epic bass-fest. All four of the bass parts were improvised by Mathieu, and the drums were added after the bass recordings were completed. Mathieu said he’s working on his solo project, and “exploring all the faces of...

The Bad Plus Release “Made Possible”
New Albums

The Bad Plus Release “Made Possible”

The Bad Plus have released their eighth studio album, Made Possible, on the Entertainment One Music label. The effort may mark a new era for the band as they chose to include electronic percussion and synthesizers, which is a first for their traditionally acoustic sonic palette. The new layer was brought in mostly by bassist Reid Anderson, who played synthesizer...

Bass of the Week: Aural II by Meridian Guitars
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Aural II by Meridian Guitars

Based in Avezzano, Italy, the luthiers at Meridian Guitars know a thing or two about style. That’s evidenced in their Aural II bass, and though each one is built to order, this particular Aural II really struck me. The pickups include a pair of Meridian’s magnetic pickups as well as a Roland GK-3 MIDI controller. The control layout, which looks...

Playing with Words and Music: An Interview with Victor Wooten (Part 2)
Interviews

Playing with Words and Music: An Interview with Victor Wooten (Part 2)

Since his first solo album, released in 1996, Victor Wooten has been intimately involved in the recording, producing and mixing of all his albums — part of a growing trend among musicians. From the mid-nineties forward, more and more artists have been getting their hands involved in the recording process. The introduction of the ADAT recorder in 1991 made home...

Nathan East and David “Fingers” Haynes: NAMM Jam
Bass Videos

Nathan East and David “Fingers” Haynes: NAMM Jam

Nathan East took the stage at the TC Electronic booth at the 2012 Winter NAMM show, teaming up with the phenomenal David “Fingers” Haynes. The duo proceeded to lay it down. If you look closely, you’ll see a cameo of the No Treble guys behind the stage. We were hanging out with Uriah Duffy and chatting, heard Nathan’s playing, and...

Tom Tom Club Releases “Downtown Rockers”
New Albums

Tom Tom Club Releases “Downtown Rockers”

Tom Tom Club has returned with their first new material in 12 years, entitled Downtown Rockers. Founded by the husband-wife team of bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, the Talking Heads shoot-off group’s latest offering stays true to their quirky, danceable style while paying homage to the music scene of downtown New York in the ’70s. “The reason why...