Archive for January 2015 - Page 8

Many bassists we cover here didn’t start out on bass. But for Thomas Melville, the path was about as unique as it gets. There’s no doubt that he found his calling. Just check out this quote from his story: There’s no greater feeling than locking in with the drummer and playing a tasty bass line that compliments the melody. Thomas...

By December, our excitement is at full throttle as we think ahead to the Winter NAMM Show in January. Thankfully, we had plenty of gear news to cover in December. Among all of that coverage, these stories were tops with No Treble readers. 1. Fender Dee Dee Ramone Precision Bass Guitar Punk bass icon Dee Dee Ramone had his legacy...

Here is another terrific video from one of my favorite shows, Studio Jams. In this episode, guitarist Oz Noy suggests Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman” as the tune this group of musicians plays for their very first collaboration. The group nails this one, with Victor Bailey on bass and Anton Fig on drums. If you want to skip ahead...

Xotic Effects has unveiled the Xotic Voltage Doubler, a power adapter that steps up voltage output to either 15 or 18 volts from a standard 9-volt power source. The compact device has a simple input and output with a switch to toggle between 15 or 18-volt output. The device, which is designed only for Xotic pedals, helps to run pedals...

Bergantino Audio Systems has announced the NV610T “New Vintage” bass cabinet, which the company describes as a “sealed cabinet with a nod toward a vintage sound.” The model is an extension of the NV610 that adds a tweeter in addition to its six 10-inch speakers for a power rating of 750 watts RMS. Its sealed design delivers a tighter and...

This week we check out the Willcox Saber SL, a bass that is set apart by its innovative Lightwave pickups. Originally built under the LightWave moniker, designer Chris Willcox created a separate guitar company to put out his instruments. Willcox invented the LightWave optical pickup and incorporates it into the Saber SL. “The LightWave Optical Pickup System uses our patented...

Johannes Pehrson shared another great video by his project, Before Yellow. “Used To Love” is a tune written by the bassist, who says “is nothing but drums, vocals and my 6 string BTB Bass…” Vocalist Katrine Kampp joins him once again on this track. “This time I’am also playing two bass solos, and using a lot of pedals to make...

Prolific Nashville-based jazz fusion/progressive bassist Jon von Boehm has released his self-titled debut as a band leader. The eponymous album came together over the course of two years and features a slew of players with whom he feels comfortable. As he says on his website: “The musicians playing on the album are cats that I enjoy working with and really...

We closed out 2014 with some “best of 2014” lists, and two of those made the weekly top 10 list for the week of December 27 to January 2. So consider this a big time bonus top 10. Happy new year! 1. Best of 2014: The Top 10 Reader Favorite Bass Amps and Cabinets We love gear. We need gear....

Red Panda has introduced the Bitmap, a bitcrusher pedal designed to work with bass, guitar, synthesizers, drum machines and more. The stompbox features fractional bit reduction with a new bit crushing algorithm that the company says adds the warmth and grit of classic 8- and 12- bit samplers. It also goes down to 1-bit resolution for grittier square wave fuzz...

Bassist Tobias Fleischer shares this video with us, of his band Mo’ Blow, a jazz/funk group from Germany. Mo’ Blow tours quite a bit throughout Europe. In this video, the band is performing at the Borneo Jazz Festival in Malaysia. The tune – “Slingshot” – was written by Fleischer and pianist Matti Klein and appears on the group’s third album,...

Chip Shearin, best known for the bass line he played on The Sugarhill Gang’s rap classic, “Rapper’s Delight,” has released his debut solo album How I Live. Shearin has made a name as a session player in the years since “Rapper’s Delight” made a splash in 1979/80. He’s worked with artists like jazz players Donald Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, Warren Hill...