Archive for September 2017 - Page 7

Vox Amps has unveiled the VX50 series of amps including the VX50 BA, a compact vacuum tube bass amp. The 50-watt amp is fitted with a new tube called the NuTube. “By using Nutube, the new vacuum tube, this amp achieves 50W of high output power while being more compact, lightweight, and power-efficient,” Vox writes. “You’ll enjoy the rich overtones...

Doug Johns is a beast of a bass player. In fact, it’s hard not to mention his name and have the words “funk master” and “groove beast” follow suit. He is a master musician who composes some of the richest bass lines that you will ever hear. His albums have all become bass classics. From his self-titled debut to Pocket...

Back in 2014, Snarky Puppy released We Like It Here. Here’s a live performance of one of the songs on that album, entitled “Shofukan,” which as always features band leader Michael League on bass. As we shared when the album was released, the album was recorded live in Kytopia Studios in Utrecht, Holland from Oct. 7-10, 2013, and the record...

Holger Czukay, who co-founded and played bass in the experimental rock band Can, has died from unknown causes. He was 79 years old. Czukay was born in what is now Gda?sk, Poland in 1938. He worked at a radio repair shop where he became interested in electrical engineering and the sound of radio broadcasts. This led to an interest in...

Truetone has expanded their 1 Spot line of power supplies with the 1 Spot Pro CS6. The new unit is billed as the “first low-profile power brick to be able to put out up to 1600mA of pure, silent power.” Its thin profile allows it to be mounted under flat pedalboards like the Pedaltrain Nano or Metro series. It has...

Q: I have a job which a) takes up a lot of my time and b) doesn’t pay very well. I’ve been thinking about something you’ve mentioned before about when you quit your job and made your music career your job. Do you have any advice on how to manifest that? A: I will preface this by saying that it...

Get ready to chill out. Olivier Babaz offers up a nice relaxing arco version of the jazz standard “On The Sunny Sunny Side Of The Street” in this new video. Besides some nice phrasing, Babaz gets a big, warm tone that matches the song’s chill vibe.

Mogwai has released their ninth studio album, entitled Every Country’s Sun. The Scottish band’s new record is part instrumental, part vocal with a post-rock sound that blends ambient sounds with electronica. Dominic Aitchison pins the album together with melodic bass lines and big tone. Check out the song, “Party in the Dark” in the video below. Every Country’s Sun is...

Meet Colin Nee, a bassist who works by day in a job he says is “not rock & roll,” but manages to make time for music on nights and weekends. Among his musical life, Colin performs in a Johnny Cash tribute band, who regularly plays in a former prison. How cool is that? Colin is this week’s No Treble reader...

Epiphone has unveiled two new Pro design basses: the Embassy Pro Bass and the Thunderbird Vintage Pro Bass. The new instruments are inspired by models from the 1960s with modern updates. The Embassy Pro commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Epiphone joining Gibson. It’s built with a mahogany neck and body that’s been rebalanced for comfort. It also has improved...

Fresh off their big debut concert in LA, here’s our favorite Rush-inspired band and their latest original, “Invisible Heart.” Tim Starace as always lays down some seriously gritty bass.

Bill Evans was one of the most influential jazz pianists ever, and he always played with top tier musicians. Now Resonance Records has released another example of that with Another Time: The Hilversum Concert. The album is a rare recording featuring his trio with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. While Gomez had played with Evans for two years at the...