Archive for November 2016 - Page 3

The extended range specialists at Strictly 7 Guitars have officially launched a new line of bass guitars. The series includes three models: the Copperhead, the Sidewinder, and the Python. “The Copperhead was the original bass model we started in 2013 with Simone Bertozzi of Mnemic,” the company writes. “We needed it to produce a low F frequency with some balls...

Q: I have been feeling a bit defeated lately. I want to be a professional bassist more than anything but whenever I watch YouTube, I feel like I just don’t have what it takes. I see nothing but a sea of players with blazing chops, piano like chordal abilities, solo players who sound like an orchestra (with loopers, etc..) and...

Be careful: Pianist Arshak Sirunyan and his Quartet Nuance get dangerous on the song “Don’t Try This at Home”, recorded live in Silver Spring, Maryland earlier this year. Bassist Cheikh NDoye kicks the song off with an insane groove that sets the mood for the song. The rest of the band includes drummer Raul Pineda and guitarist John Lee, who...

Bangladeshi bassist Bassbaba Sumon has released the first half of his debut solo bass album, entitled Soul Food (Part 1). The five-song instrumental album features culinary-inspired titles with heavy hitting guests including Felix Pastorius, Robert “Bubby” Lewis, Josh Cohen, Bob Franceschini, J.D. Blair, Mark Don and Erfan Nazezadeh. Utilizing only bass and drums, Soul Food mixes hard rock, world music,...

Meet Robert Letourneux, a bassist for the past 9 years or so following a few decades of playing guitar. He can be found playing around Central Massachusetts in a Tom Petty tribute band and having a lot of fun. Bob is this week’s reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I was born in 1954 and raised in Montreal,...

Welcome back to the third installment of Creative Bass Lines. Before we start, I’d like to take a moment to say a fond farewell to the amazing Victor Bailey who sadly left us way too soon a few days ago. Victor was an enormous influence on me, and his highly melodic yet super funky playing made an indelible impression on...

Fans of Zander Zon have been asking for him to take on music from “Harry Potter” and to make it into one of his solo bass arrangements. He just released a terrific medley from the films. “I’m actually a very big fan of the books and the films, and I think the music is just fantastic,” he shared. “And not...

Jamaica-born, Australia-based luthier Dwight Cunningham creates some stunning basses, including this gorgeous RLJ-5 Splendour Jazz Bass. The semi-hollow bass features a myrtle and alder body loaded with a Nordstrand Bigman pickup in the bridge position with a split coil in the neck position. Its seven-piece neck is crafted from Myrtle, Indian Rosewood, Maple and Mahogany. The lined fretless fingerboard is...

A little while ago, I finished the creation of a 20-week course which includes an extensive technique practice section. Students had requested videos similar to what you see in fitness videos – a way to just follow along with the video. And this became one consistent part of each week’s program: I recorded “Practice With Me” videos featuring a variety...

I stumbled upon this video a while back and then re-discovered it later. Planet MicroJam is an interesting band with an equally interesting sound. Featuring Artie Sadtler on fretless bass, the band also includes David Fiuczynski on fretted and fretless guitar, Yazhi Guo on percussion, Freyja Garbett on microtonal keyboards, and Ayinde Webb on drums. Here’s their tune “Drunken Longing”.

Time to celebrate the reader favorites of the week on No Treble, including two great columns by Damian Erskine and Dr. D, some new bass gear, popular videos and more. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Epiphone Unveils Limited Edition Korina Explorer Bass Epiphone has released a line of limited edition instruments featuring korina wood, including the Limited...

Iron Ether Electronics is continuing to redesign their pedals for 2016 with an updated version of the Xerograph Deluxe. The synthesizer-inspired stompbox now includes an expression attenuator knob for setting the sweep, top-mounted jacks, and a second footswitch dedicated to the envelope filter. “[The new] stomp switch activates/deactivates the envelope follower, allowing you to seamlessly move from envelope filter sounds...