Archive for March 2017 - Page 5

Amptweaker unveiled the Pressurizer compressor at the Winter NAMM Show this year. Suitable for bass or guitar, the stompbox compressor aims to retain the attack of your instrument while adding sustain. “Sustain without compression… a common suggestion Amptweaker receives that means ‘don’t mess with my attack,’” the company says. “The PressuRizer™ compressor accomplishes this in several unique ways, and includes...

Wandering around the halls at the NAMM Show is great for finding unique instruments. While browsing Hall E this year I saw this killer four-string fretless built by Tim Seisser of LowDown Bass Guitars. With all the interesting body work and the stunning fingerboard, I had to find out more. “This bass started as an effort to use some really...

Harness the power of these creative time tested memory tools. They will enrich your bass playing and are useful for all walks of life. A mnemonic is any idea or device that aids in remembering something. Maybe you are familiar with “Large Elephants Jump Slowly And Sink Rapidly” – helping US students remember the seven articles of the United States...

One of my favorite performances from NAMM this year was at the Bass Bash. Bryan Ladd led his band through throwback grooves and modern melodies alike. Here’s a cool clip of “Endorphin”. The jam is a killer, plus Ladd takes a slippery, filtered solo at the 5:50 mark.

Tedeschi Trucks Band is releasing on CD and DVD on March 17th. Here’s a clip from that show – and part of the release – featuring Tim Lefebvre laying it down on the track “Keep On Growing.”

Along with the launch of their micro ELF bass amp at the NAMM Show this year, Trace Elliot returned with the Transit B Bass Guitar Preamp Pedal. The versatile preamp offers a host of controls with a pre-shape to dial in the classic Trace Elliot EQ curve, a dual-band compressor, a drive section, and a 5-band semi-parametric EQ. The compressor...

Schecter introduced the Stiletto Stage four- and five-string models at the Winter NAMM Show. The basses are designed to be a stripped-down, performance-ready bass at an affordable price point. Available in white and black gloss finishes, the neck-through basses are built with a mahogany body, a carbon-fiber reinforced maple neck, and ebony fretboard. The frets are marked with mother of...

After getting the ability to groove under their fingers, many bassists struggle to learn how to take a solo. Luckily one of the greatest bassists ever is here to give you some tips. Marcus Miller sat down to make this video lesson for the Montreux Jazz Academy, which is affiliated with the annual jazz festival. From drawing to inspiration to...

Composer John Zorn has released the sixth album with his 21st-century ensemble Simulacrum, called The Garden of Earthly Delights. The powerhouse band is comprised of bassist Trevor Dunn, keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Kenny Grohowski, guitarist Matt Hollenberg, and vocalist Sara Serpa. The exploratory album celebrates the 500th anniversary of the death of renowned painter Hieronymus Bosch. “A visionary of unparalleled...

For those of you who haven’t noticed, I enjoy learning about food almost as much as I enjoy exploring the bass. Lucky for me, there are plenty of parallels between the world of food and the world of music. Both rely on unique combinations of ingredients in order to make a final product. Both can be traced back to a...

Steve Lawson’s recent album Referendum is filled with powerful music inspired by the political events in the UK last year. Each song is a stream of consciousness as the bassist reflects on Brexit, starting with the track “Vertigo.” “This is entirely live and improvised,” Lawson wrote. “Looped and layered exactly as you see it. Some pretty heavy Kaoss Pad abuse...

George Clinton has been spreading the gospel of funk around the world with Parliament Funkadelic for nearly 50 years, and bassist Lige Curry has been the group’s anchor for nearly four of those decades. Born in Flint, Michigan and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area, Curry first caught the attention of the P-Funk crew along with his cousin, guitarist Michael...