Archive for August 2017 - Page 6

As there was a very positive response to last month’s transcription of “Oliver’s Army,” I thought that the No Treble readers might like another chance to have a look at Bruce Thomas’ work. This track contains a much busier bass line than “Oliver’s Army”, and Bruce tips his hat to some of his influences within the course of the song....

Our friend Lloyd Goldstein shared this video on Facebook, saying “Two of my most favorite expressive artists in the whole world. I hope you enjoy this!!!” We love it. Sébastien Dubé and his band perform “The Wrong Suitcase.” That bass tone! Sébastien Dubé

Musicians interested in looping have a new option with the Nu-X Loop Core Deluxe. Building upon their original Loop Core, the deluxe model steps things up with frequency compensation, 24-bit recording, switchable buffer bypass/true bypass and cab simulation output. It can record up to 8 hours with unlimited layers with 99 phrase memories to save your tracks. Dual outputs allow...

Amptweaker has grown their distortion pedal line with several new, compact JR Distortion models. The new set includes the Bass TightFuzz Jr and the Bass BluesFuzz Jr. “Like the other JR pedals, they’re housed in a smaller lightweight ‘phase 90’ sized package, but still include most of the popular tones available with their big brothers,” Amptweaker writes. “The bass versions...

When Billy Sherwood first formed the band World Trade with Guy Allison, Bruce Gowdy, and Mark T. Williams in 1988, he probably didn’t know that it would help lead him to his current musical situation. The band’s demos caught the ear of Yes’s Chris Squire, leading the two to work together throughout the years. The legendary bassist chose Sherwood as...

Lemmy Kilmister may be gone, but he’ll not be forgotten. Motörhead is gearing up to release a cover album called Under Cöver in September, and they’ve just released this incredible video for their version of David Bowie’s “Heroes.” The band was keen to put their own spin on their favorite songs through the years, putting them through the “Motörizer.” “It’s...

Jeff Berlin’s classic song “Joe Frazier” has always been an inspiration for bassists. Originally released on his album “Pump It”, the track features killer unison riffs and an amazing bass solo. Now Berlin is celebrating the track with a 30th-anniversary edition 12-inch vinyl that will feature the original recording plus a completely reimagined version. “My new version of ‘Joe Frazier’...

Q: So I reach a point now and again where I feel like I’m not practicing musically or in a creative way. Instead, I seem to be practicing things that are useful (technique, location of notes on the fretboard, arpeggios, inversions, and scales) but the way I’m going about it feels rote and not much fun. I don’t want to...

Our good friend Marcelo Yakko shared his latest video with us, and it is beautiful. Marcelo took Queen’s “Love of My Life” and turned it into this amazing solo bass piece. Enjoy.

The innovative minds at Fuzzrocious Pedals revealed their latest invention at the Summer NAMM show this year with the LunaReclipse. It centers around a 12-position rotary that features twelve unique ways to clip your signal. “If you want a more vintage distortion/overdrive sound out of your modern, high gain distortion, turn the lunaReclipse rotary to 2:00 and allow a pair...

Meet Gaines Cooper, a bassist-turned-guitarist-turned-bassist who got his start when he was 10 years old. He now stays busy playing in two bands. Gaines is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: The first thing I ever learned on bass was when I was 10. After that, I started playing guitar and in 6th grade,...

Nordstrand Audio has expanded their P-style pickups with the Power Blade. The pickup is built with a thick steel blade, optimized wind, and ceramic magnets that the company says provide an authoritative low-end punch. “With half of its tonal DNA being derived from the classic P design, its character is inherently reminiscent of that hard-hitting P bass vigor we all...