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Archive for February 2016

Bass of the Week: Duesenberg Guitars Fullerton Bass
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Duesenberg Guitars Fullerton Bass

This week we’re checking out a sultry hollowbody called the Duesenberg Fullerton Bass. Built after they introduced the Eagles Signature Bass, the company calls the bass a “dynamic brother to the Fullerton Series.” Its body features a laminated spruce top with flamed maple top and sides with cream binding to add a touch of elegance to its smoky finish. The...

Talking Technique: Introduction to Pull-Offs and Hammer-Ons
Talking Technique

Talking Technique: Introduction to Pull-Offs and Hammer-Ons

Hammer-ons and pull-offs are extremely handy techniques that add variety to your groove and tone. They each utilize the left hand to perform the next note to allow for some slick fretwork. For this lesson, we have some technical and musical exercises that will strengthen your left hand and get you used to each technique. Don’t miss the tip of...

YYNOT: A Rush Inspired Instrumental
Bass Videos

YYNOT: A Rush Inspired Instrumental

Guitarist/keyboardist Billy Alexander, drummer/percussionist Anthony Morra, and bassist Tim Starace don’t live near each other, but they share a common interest – the music of Rush. The trio got together and recorded this Rush-inspired instrumental, which is a remarkable tribute.

Sister Hazel Goes Country on Latest Album
New Albums

Sister Hazel Goes Country on Latest Album

Alt-rock band Sister Hazel has shifted musical gears a bit, to country, with its ninth album, Lighter in the Dark. The band, which formed in Gainesville, Florida, includes Jett Beres on bass. Beres also has a co-production credit on Lighter in the Dark album closer, “Ten Candle Days,” which he also sang. Nashville producer Chip Matthews produced the album as...

Weekly Top 10: New Bass Gear, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Learning Difficult Lines, Advanced Bass Lesson, Top Videos and More
Weekly Top 10

Weekly Top 10: New Bass Gear, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Learning Difficult Lines, Advanced Bass Lesson, Top Videos and More

Time for your weekly list of reader favorites from No Treble. This is a good one, too. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Orange Amplification Launches O Bass Guitar Orange Amplification took to NAMM to launch the O Bass, a vintage-styled bass that comes in Teardrop Sunburst, Off-Black and Orange finishes. The bass first made an appearance at...

Phil Jones Bass Introduces Session 77 Bass Combo
Amps

Phil Jones Bass Introduces Session 77 Bass Combo

Phil Jones had a handful of new bass goodies at the NAMM Show this year including the Session 77 combo. The 100-watt bass amp, which is PJB’s most affordable offering to date, features a pair of seven-inch drivers tweeter and a three-inch tweeter. The combo’s controls begin with a three-way switch at the input that toggles between a mute, high...

Nik West: Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends” Cover
Bass Videos

Nik West: Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends” Cover

Nik West shared this on Facebook, and it knocked me (and a lot of other people) out. In this video, the bassist/vocalist takes on Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends” with lots of style. “I wanted to try out this new Fender Jazz Elite Bass,” she shared. You made it sound great, Nik!

Alissia Benveniste Releases Debut EP
New Albums

Alissia Benveniste Releases Debut EP

Bassist Alissia Benveniste, who The Huffington Post called “the future face of funk music” and leader of a 14-piece funk project called Alissia & The Funketeers, has released her debut EP, Back to the Funkture. “My vision for my music is to inspire people and spread positivity by pairing authentic funk music with a twist of modern pop,” Alissia said...

Fender Unveils American Elite Series Basses
Basses

Fender Unveils American Elite Series Basses

Fender’s new bass offerings at the NAMM Show this year revolved around their new American Elite series of instruments. The lineup includes each of the company’s main models with the American Elite Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, Jazz Bass, and Dimension Bass. Common features for the series are Fender’s fourth generation Noiseless pickups, compound neck shapes, new cases, and new finishes....

Matt La Maida: “Ziggy Stardust” Solo Bass Arrangement
Bass Videos

Matt La Maida: “Ziggy Stardust” Solo Bass Arrangement

Matt La Maida just shared this with us, and I was impressed. This is Matt’s tribute to David Bowie, with the bassist taking Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” and making it a terrific solo bass arrangement. [Editor’s note: Matt has published the transcription for this solo bass performance here on No Treble.]

Bartolini Unveils B-Axis Pickups
Pickups

Bartolini Unveils B-Axis Pickups

Bartolini unveiled the b-axis series of bass pickups at the 2016 Winter NAMM Show. Based on the company’s original HI-A design from the ’70s, the b-axis pickups feature a fully encapsulated Alnico V exposed pole piece design that fits as a replacement set for J-style basses. “The main design principle was to provide a highly asymmetric magnetic field in order...

TC Electronic Introduces Ditto X4 Looper
Pedals & Effects

TC Electronic Introduces Ditto X4 Looper

TC Electronic’s Ditto series of loopers got a little bigger at the NAMM Show this year. The Ditto X4 Looper builds on the simplicity of the original Ditto by adding two loop tracks, two loop modes, seven loop effects, loop decay, MIDI sync, loop import/export, and stereo inputs and outputs. The list of options and effects offer the option to...