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Archive for April 2017

Fuzzrocious Pedals Now Shipping Blast Furnace Fuzz Pedal
Pedals & Effects

Fuzzrocious Pedals Now Shipping Blast Furnace Fuzz Pedal

One of the coolest new pedals we saw at NAMM this year was the Fuzzrocious Blast Furnace, an original gated fuzz circuit with a short-timed delay. The pedal, which is a collaboration with Lehigh Mining & Navigation, is now available. “Blast Furnace expands the sound possibilities by adding a short-timed delay (via the left momentary footswitch),” a press release explains....

Mastodon: Show Yourself
Bass Videos

Mastodon: Show Yourself

I’m a longtime Mastodon fan, so I can safely say that is one of their best albums. Anchored by Troy Sanders, it’s chock-full of killer riffs and melodies that will stick in your head. Here’s a nice clip of the band performing “Show Yourself” live on Jimmy Kimmel. Sanders delivers his big, fat tone that sits right in the pocket...

TC Electronic Introduces the PolyTune 3
Accessories & Strings

TC Electronic Introduces the PolyTune 3

TC Electronic has updated their Polytune stompbox tuner with the Polytune 3. The polyphonic tuner now incorporates their BonaFide buffer for preserving your tone over complex pedal setups. It still retains the true bypass as well, and the company added a switch to toggle between true buffer and true bypass modes to suit all players. Another new feature is an...

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Paris
Bass Videos

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Paris

Yesterday’s video of Béla Fleck & The Original Flecktones performing at Mountain Jam VII took me down the rabbit hole. That brought me to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals performing “Paris” at the previous year’s jam. Catherine Popper is laying it down with some sweet, fat P-bass tone on this one. Put your headphones on for this one.

Fender Adds Options to Mod Shop Instruments
Accessories & Strings

Fender Adds Options to Mod Shop Instruments

Fender’s online Mod Shop has expanded their set of options for 2017 with new colors, a new neck profile, and new pickups. Users can pick a model to begin with (Jazz and Precision for bassists), then choose colors, hardware, woods, and more. The instruments are built in Fender’s Corona, California factory and shipped out within 30 days. Starting this spring,...

Béla Fleck & The Original Flecktones: Sinister Minister
Bass Videos

Béla Fleck & The Original Flecktones: Sinister Minister

Béla Fleck & The Original Flecktones played the Mountain Jam VII back in 2011. Here’s the band – with Victor Wooten – performing “Sinister Minister” during that performance. Vic gets the crowd going with a solo around the 3:17 mark.

Victor Bailey’s Basses Up For Auction
News

Victor Bailey’s Basses Up For Auction

The world lost one of its great bass players in November with the passing of the legendary Victor Bailey. His work with artists ranging from Weather Report to Madonna as well as his own solo albums influenced a whole generation of bassists. Now, as part of his wishes, his estate is placing several of his basses and studio other gear...

Get In The Van: Touring Tips From The Pros
Interviews

Get In The Van: Touring Tips From The Pros

Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner. That means it’s just about time to pack up the van and take your jams on the road. Before you start pounding the pavement, it’s probably a good idea to take a few notes on what to expect and what to be prepared for on the road. Gear malfunctions, lack...

Jacob Collier: Eleanor Rigby
Bass Videos

Jacob Collier: Eleanor Rigby

We’re used to featuring videos with multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier playing bass (among other things). In this video, Jacob turned to Robin Mullarkey to put together one funky version of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” The session took place at Maida Vale for BBC Introducing, and also includes drummer James Maddren.

Paul McCartney Announces New U.S. “One on One” Tour Dates
Concerts & Tours

Paul McCartney Announces New U.S. “One on One” Tour Dates

Paul McCartney fans rejoice: the former Beatle has announced a new 14-show leg of his “One on One” tour. The trek will kick off with a string of dates in July forcusing on the South and Midwest before covering New Jersey, New York, and Michigan in September and October. It will include McCartney’s first visit to New York City’s Madison...

Walrus Audio Introduces Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo
Pedals & Effects

Walrus Audio Introduces Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo

Walrus Audio is now shipping the Monument tremolo. Named after and inspired by the Monument Valley, the pedal is described as “both a harmonic, and standard tremolo that produces a rich, luscious, warm pulsating modulation capable of peaks and valleys as smooth or as jagged as the real ones that our dear mother nature created long ago.” Its controls include...

Getting Back to Basics in a Band
Ask Damian Erskine

Getting Back to Basics in a Band

Q: I’d like some advice on a sensitive issue. I find myself working with a band whose musical ambitions seem quite often to outstrip their technical abilities. While it is always a good thing to stretch yourself, I can’t help but feel that a grasp of some the fundamentals might be something worth considering. How do I broach this subject...