Weekly Top Ten: The Best in Bass for the Week of January 19th

NAMM week means the gear stories start flooding in. We had a handful ready in time for the show and loads more coming… And as is the case, gear coverage reigns supreme in late January.

Add to that some really epic videos and some popular how-to’s, and you have one top 10 list worth checking out.

Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing.

Chuks Okpu: Chuk for Chick

1. Chuks Okpu: Chuk for Chick

There are plenty of musicians who call themselves multi-instrumentalists, but Chuks Okpu is the real deal. Steve Bailey, who has been working with Okpu at Berklee, sent us this video for the song “Chuk for Chick,” which is inspired by Chick Corea…

Transcribing Hard-to-Hear Bass Lines

2. Transcribing Hard-to-Hear Bass Lines

In this week’s Ask Damian Erskine column, Damian shares some advice – and tools – for transcribing those tricky bass lines and recordings…

Gheorghe Postoronca: Crazy Train

3. Gheorghe Postoronca: Crazy Train

No, it’s not the famed Ozzy Osbourne song, but Gheorghe Postoronca’s “Crazy Train” is epic. The bassist combines a deep pocket with some extended techniques to make a catchy solo bass tune…

Guild Unveils New M-85 Bass Models

4. Guild Unveils New M-85 Bass Models

Guild is reviving the M-85 with two new models this year: the Newark St. Collection M-85 bass and the GSR M-85 II bass. Each of the instruments is a take on the vintage bass, which was the companion to the Guild M-75 Aristocrat guitar…

Lesson: Getting Funky with Trills on Bass

5. Lesson: Getting Funky with Trills on Bass

In our last lesson, we focused on using vibrato to your bass lines for better phrasing. This time around, we’re going to spend time working on trills on the electric bass. As you’ll hear in the video, playing a line without trills is not bad. But when you add those trills, the line comes to life…

EMG Introduces Geezer Butler Signature P and PJ Pickup Sets

6. EMG Introduces Geezer Butler Signature P and PJ Pickup Sets

EMG Pickups has unveiled the GZR-P and GZR-PJ signature bass pickup sets for Black Sabbath 4-stringer Geezer Butler. Designed with Butler, the pickups are made to reproduce the bassist’s tone during his earlier years in the band. The vintage style sets offer old school vibe with a few modern touches…

Jeff Berlin and Cort Announce Signature RITHIMIC Bass

7. Jeff Berlin and Cort Announce Signature RITHIMIC Bass

Jeff Berlin has teamed up with Cort for a new signature bass for 2014. Dubbed the RITHIMIC, the model features an alder body with a striking padouk and spalted maple top with a matching spalted headstock…

ESP To Unveil E-II Series Basses at NAMM

8. ESP To Unveil E-II Series Basses at NAMM

ESP will be unveiled the first batch of products from their new US factory at NAMM this year. The instruments are part of the new E-II series and will be built in North Hollywood, California. Among the new basses will be the ESP E-II AP-4 and AP-5 models…

Blake Branch: “For Once In My Life” Bass Line

9. Blake Branch: “For Once In My Life” Bass Line

It has been quite a while since we’ve featured a video by Blake Branch. This one is actually over three years old, but is well worth sharing. Blake transcribed the complete bass line on Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life,” which of course was masterfully played by James Jamerson…

Bass of the Week: Erizias Basses 6-String Singlecut

10. Bass of the Week: Erizias Basses 6-String Singlecut

We first met luthier Pierre Erizias at the 2010 Summer NAMM Show in Nashville. I was so floored by his basses and his story that it led us to create our Custom Shop series of interviews with bass builders. Check out one of his newer basses, which is our Bass of the Week…

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