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Archive for June 2017 - Page 3

Bassics BPA-1 Preamp Now Shipping
Accessories & Strings

Bassics BPA-1 Preamp Now Shipping

Diffusion Audio is now shipping the Bassics BPA-1 analog bass preamp. Designed by studio equipment designer Malcolm Toft, the BPA-1 packs a preamp, tone controls, and compression into a floor unit with footswitches for each section. It has two inputs with two low-noise pickup amplifiers with individual level controls. The three-band EQ has Low Bass, Mid Bass, and High Bass...

Should I Quit the Bass? A Discussion on Burn Out (and More)
Ask Damian Erskine

Should I Quit the Bass? A Discussion on Burn Out (and More)

Q: I’m a semi-pro bassist of 15 years and have been playing for about 25 now, I’ve been with my current band for nearly six years and are about to release our second album. For the past two years, I’ve not been very happy playing, and it is a real conflict because of how much time I’ve invested into music,...

Whose Hat Is This?: Untitled
Bass Videos

Whose Hat Is This?: Untitled

The musicians in the Tedeschi Trucks Band can throw down on some southern soul grooves, but they also have a love for free improv. Four members of the group – including Tim Lefebvre, Kebbi Williams, J.J. Johnson, Tyler Greenwell – formed a project called Whose Hat Is This? to let their creativity run wild. Here they are performing an untitled...

James Jamerson Bass Sold at Auction
News

James Jamerson Bass Sold at Auction

If you’ve been online recently, you’ll know the most talked about story in the bass community in the last month has been the auction for a bass previously owned by James Jamerson. Owned by the Motown genius from 1962 until approximately 1968, the 1961 Fender Precision was reportedly given to fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes around that time. Hayes used...

Cort Introduces the GB74JJ Bass
Basses

Cort Introduces the GB74JJ Bass

Cort has expanded their GB7 series of guitars and basses with the GB74JJ, a jazz-style bass that they describe as integrating both modern and classic aspects. That blend is centered in its pair of VTB-ST pickups that are fitted into a swamp ash body. “Crafted with winding materials that maximize high and low frequencies, the refined design of these pickups...

Damian Coccio: Cliffs of Aquinnah
Bass Videos

Damian Coccio: Cliffs of Aquinnah

Damian Coccio is back with a new tune, called “Cliffs of Aquinnah,” which is planned to be part of his next solo bass album coming out this year.

Rancid Returns with “Trouble Maker”
New Albums

Rancid Returns with “Trouble Maker”

Legendary punk band Rancid has returned with their ninth album, Trouble Maker. Anchored by bass freak Matt Freeman, the 19-song collection runs from blistering riffs to ska-infused jams. Freeman’s lines continue to be rooted in driving the song while bringing a melodic element to the grooves. For proof, check out the band playing the album (in the video below). Trouble...

Bass of the Week: Bogart Bass Sport V Headless
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Bogart Bass Sport V Headless

This week we’re checking out a slick headless, five-string version of the Bogart Bass Sport model. Built for Michael Klöckner, the bass is a modified version of their already lightweight Sport, which features a carbon fiber neck and an interesting body design. It’s a Blackstone synthetic body shell that is injected with a light weight filling foam. This particular bass...

Talking Technique: Why Practice Technique?
Talking Technique

Talking Technique: Why Practice Technique?

As musicians, wouldn’t it make sense to focus exclusively on musical applications and learn by practicing mainly songs? Why isolate technique drills and put so much focus on the mechanics, seemingly devoid of any musical context? Why waste an opportunity to build ears and creative skills at the same time and instead reduce practice to apparently mindless, non-creative and non-musical...

Franklin Peredo: Rhythms From The Hippocampus
Bass Videos

Franklin Peredo: Rhythms From The Hippocampus

If you’re friends with Franklin Peredo on Facebook, you know he’s had a new video in the works, featuring a brand new tune. Well, today is the day. Here’s Franklin performing “Rhythms From The Hippocampus,” which as always showcases his impressive right hand technique (and composition skills). Enjoy.

Stuart Clayton: Giants of Bass – Mark King
Bass Videos

Stuart Clayton: Giants of Bass – Mark King

Stuart Clayton released Giants of Bass – Volume 2 back in March, and the videos keep coming. In this one, Stuart takes on the Level 42 bassist Mark King in this track he wrote for the book. “This complex, slap-driven piece was written in the style of Mark’s early work with Level 42, and features all of his trademarks: sixteenth...

Fender Unveils CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar
Basses

Fender Unveils CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar

Fender has introduced the Classic Design series that they say is aimed at the company’s acoustic tone and aesthetic at an affordable price. The lineup includes the CB-60SCE, an acoustic bass guitar featuring a slim-taper neck profile and rolled fingerboard edges for playability. Its concert-bass body is built with a solid spruce top with mahogany for the back and sides....