Archive for October 2017 - Page 8

Extended range bassist Jean Baudin has released his third solo bass album, entitled 2600. The bassist recorded the entire 27-track album using only his 11-string Kenneth Lawrence bass and a pedalboard. “Having recorded my previous two solo ‘bass’ albums with a strict set of boundaries (no overdubs or edits), I wanted to try something different for my third album,” Baudin...

Suhr has announced the Alexa, a multi-wave dual channel analog chorus and vibrato pedal. The flexible unit can be used with bass, guitar, or keyboard. Featuring an all-analog signal path, the Alexa offers six selectable waveforms with independent Speed, Depth & Delay controls for each channel. It also has an assignable chorus/vibrato switch for Channel A. Other features include Selectable...

So I just came home from a recording session and the conversation I had before I split had me thinking for the entire drive home. We were speaking about a few other bassists that the band had tried to use, and the various issues they encountered. The songwriter chimed in at that point with a story about one of the...

First Fragment, featuring bass monster Dominic “Forest” Lapointe, has just released a new music video for their song “Le Serment de Tsion”, and it’s brutal. Lapointe kills it with a biting tone and insane chops to add extra fire to the track.

Meet Dave Siff, a bassist and dad who takes playing bass and gigging seriously while also having a lot of fun. And he gets the role of bassist. Dave is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight (you could be next!) Here’s his story… Bio: I’m pretty much your run-of-the-mill suburban dad who refuses to grow up. Music is...

Dwarfcraft Devices has expanded their effect lineup with the Grazer, which they describe as a granular repeater and glitch machine. “[It] builds sounds by continuously taking tiny samples from the input audio,” they explain. “The sounds range from off-kilter echoes to curious “buffer overload” skips, all the way up to harsh machine glitches.” The Grazer has a Size knob to...

Vulfpeck has announced their 2017 album, Mr Finish Line and released the first track from the upcoming release. Joe Dart lays down a groovy line behind this mellow tune, which also appears to feature Jack Stratton on the pancakes. For more on the album (and how to get it), check out Vulfpeck’s website..

Hot on the heels of Emperor of Sand, Mastodon has returned with a new EP entitled Cold Dark Place. Anchored by bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, the four-song album is compiled from previously unreleased tracks. Three of the four songs are from the album were recorded during the sessions for 2014’s Once More ’Round the Sun while the fourth track, “To to...

Bassists looking to take care of their own instrument have a new set of tools to choose from. The D’Addario Bass Maintenance Kit includes a set of tools and cleaning equipment to keep your bass in shape. The case itself contains individual component compartments with pockets for extra strings and a magnet to hold loose screws, nuts, or washers. Inside...

Matias Crom sent us photos of his Romantic Warrior model, and I dropped everything I was doing. The 34-year-old, Italian-Argentinian luthier has been making baroque instruments like lutes and viols for the past 10 years, but he started making basses when he was 18 after hearing Primus. His unique influences are melded together in the bass, which features a beautifully...

I love all the footage from this 1971 performance by King Curtis & The Kingpins. The whole band is fantastic, and Jerry Jemmott shows us how it’s done. Here’s “Soul Serenade”. Be sure to also check out “Ridin’ Thumb” (my favorite of this excellent concert) and “Memphis Soul Stew“.

September was a great month for new bass gear stories, as evident by all the reader interest in what we covered during the month. Here are the top 10 reader favorites for September. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Chowny Bass Retrovibe EVO Davie 504 Signature Chowny Bass has introduced another artist signature model by teaming up with YouTube...