Archive for January 2013

In 2009, Carvin teamed up with Sekou Bunch to create the SB4000, a bass the company says was designed with “vintage vibe.” The U.S.-made bass is a 4-string, though a 5-string SB5000 is available with many of the same specs. Standard features on the SB4000 include an alder body, eastern hard rock maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard, though they only...

Dean unveiled several new basses at NAMM this year including a 5-string version of the John Entwistle Hybrid bass. Sharing many of the features of the 4-string Hybrid, The Ox’s new signature model sports bolt-on construction with an alder body and a maple “C”-shaped neck. Other features include a pair of EMG HZ Humbucker pickups, a dual purpose die-cast bridge,...

This is cool. Dirty Loops, anchored by bassist Henrik Linder, is already inspiring other bands to take on tunes and make them their own. Here’s Alfons Åberg Fusion, a trio featuring bassist Oskar Alex, keyboardist/vocalist Andreas Eklundh Pejler and drummer Oscar Lundström, performing their arrangement of a Swedish kid’s TV show theme song. Tight!

ESP has introduced a new line in their products called the LTD Elite series, which splits the difference price and quality between ESP’s high-end instruments and their more affordable LTD line. The new line is built in Japan and are based on the company’s most popular ESP models, including two basses: the J-4 and J-5. Four and five-string models perspectively,...

Q: Is there any benefit in mastering two (or more) types of basses? I have a 5-string fretted that is my primary instrument, and that’s the one I take out of the “shed.” After finding a great deal on a fretless 4-string at a pawnshop, my thought was this bass would be perfect for playing jazz, and I started studying...

Sometimes some really great musical moments can come out of just jamming along to a backing track. Here’s Johan Hansén-Larson having some fun with an Aebersold recording of the classic Clifford Brown tune “Joy Spring.”

Orange Amplification has released the DIVO VT1000 Valve Tester, an automatic tube tester that performs a host of diagnostics on both preamp and power amp tubes. The unit has one octal and two nine pin valve sockets to fit different types of tubes. Once inserted, the user presses the start button and the tests are run. The Orange DIVO VT1000...

Bassist Olivier Babaz has released his first trio album entitled Midnight Cafeine. Featuring pianist Sylvain Ransy and drummer Mark Nelson, the 10-track effort includes lots of creative interplay between the musicians. Babaz, who composed all the songs on Midnight Cafeine, utilizes both upright and electric basses throughout the album to create unique textures in the soundscape. “[My] electric bass playing...

Ampeg has expanded their Portaflex Series with the PF-800. At 800-watts the bass head is the strongest in the line while only weighing 11.8 pounds. Similar to the rest of the line, its compact design allows it to be stowed inside the Portaflex PF flip-top cabinets. Features on the new amp include classic hi/lo boosts, a 3-band EQ with a...

When playing the bass, flexibility is far more important than strength. In fact, if body mechanics and gravity are used intelligently it takes surprisingly little strength to play our instrument. Flexibility, however, is paramount to many of the things we must do well. In the left hand (or fingering hand for the lefties!) it is especially important. Lack of flexibility...

Tower of Power rocked the 2013 NAMM Show with an incredible performance on Thursday, January 24th. It was so good to see Rocco Prestia moving and grooving with the band, which was tight, tight, tight.

No surprise, our weekly top 10 was dominated by gear coverage from the 2013 NAMM Show. A few other things made it into the mix too, with a couple of popular videos and Damian Erskine’s weekly column. Here are the top 10 most viewed articles and videos on No Treble for the week of January 20 – 26, 2013. As...