Sky Trails: An Interview with Mai Agan
Mai Agan is a bassist with an incredible story. Like every good story, it comes from tons of hard work and a little good timing. Born in Estonia, Agan started her musical career as a child, picking up the bass as a teenager. She studied music in Estonia before moving to Stockholm, Sweden to continue her education. It was there...
Phil Jones Bass Hosts Second Solo Bass Competition
Calling all solo bass players! Phil Jones Bass, La Bella Strings, MTD Basses, and Tsunami Cables are teaming up for a solo bass competition to be held June 3rd in Brooklyn, New York. The day-long event will also include a Bass Expo showing off all the best gear from the sponsors. “In the previous competition, we had multiple competitors from...
TC Electronic Introduces the HyperGravity Mini Compressor and Mimiq Mini Doubler Pedals
In addition to revamping their PolyTune pedal this year, TC Electronic has unveiled two new mini effects: the HyperGravity Mini Compressor and the Mimiq Mini Doubler. Each of the new units are compact versions of existing models with tweaks. TC calls the HyperGravity Mini Compressor the world’s smallest multi-band compressor. It features their MD3 algorithm with three controls: Sustain, Attack,...
Primus and Clutch Team Up for Summer Tour
In what may be one of the best things to happen all year, Primus and Clutch are teaming up for a summer tour that will span the entire United States. The trek starts July 18th in Charlotte, North Carolina and will tackle the Northeast and Midwest before ending on the West Coast at the Greek Amphitheater in Berkeley, California. Clutch,...
Fender Expands In-Ear Monitors Lineup
Fender has expanded their line of in-ear monitors with the CXA1 and FXA9 Pro models. On opposite sides of the price spectrum, each set is built for live performance, recording, and listening. The CXA1 features a custom 8.5 millimeter titanium micro driver in a low-profile, slimline-style package for comfort. They are also compatible with iOS and Android devices with an...
Bass of the Week: Helios Guitars Capsicum Acoustic Bass
This week we’re checking out a gorgeous instrument made by Helios Guitars called the Capsicum acoustic bass. Made by hand in Italy, the bass features a stunning body crafted from mahogany for the back, Italian walnut for the sides, and white spruce for the top. As beautiful as it looks, each part of the bass was designed with function in...
Ayal Tsubery Trio: Blackbird
Bassist Ayal Tsubery sent in this killer cover of the famous Beatles tune, “Blackbird”. The trio decided to create their own arrangement by mixing up some of their favorite cover versions of it. “The arrangement is sort of a hybrid between the Jaco solo version that I love so much, utilizing chords in the upper register of the bass, and...
Iron Ether Updates the Polytope Quad-Voice Detuner
Iron Ether’s Polytope Detuner/Chorus/Vibrato pedal has gotten an update for 2017. The new version of the flexible pedal has an expression jack input for detune amount or chorus/vibrato depth while the filter is now switchable between high-pass and low-pass. Further, its smaller detuning range is even smaller now, which the company says makes it easier to dial in subtle, musical...
Vanderkley Amps Introduces Spartan Bass Amp and 210LNT Neolite Cabinet
Vanderkley Amps has unveiled two new products: the Spartan bass amp and the 210LNT cabinet. Unveiled at the London Bass Guitar Show, the Spartan was designed for “tone, power, and simplicity.” “The Spartan is the perfect match for my Neolite bass cabinets, which offer effortless power handling and are able to very clearly project the entire delivered range of frequencies...
Chowny Bass Introduces the Fuzzster Bass Fuzz Pedal
Chowny Bass has gotten into the pedal world with their new Fuzzster bass fuzz. The stompbox offers Fuzz, Tone, Sustain, and Clean controls for dialing in your tone. It runs on a 9-volt power adapter and features a blue LED ring around the footswitch to indicate when it is active. Blue dot lights on each knob also visualize how the...
Lenny Kravitz with Gail Ann Dorsey: Prince Tribute
This year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was pretty epic. Besides Geddy Lee joining Yes for “Roundabout”, Lenny Kravitz performed a killer tribute to Prince accompanied by a full choir. With bassist Gail Ann Dorsey laying down a thick groove, Kravitz and company performed the Purple One’s “When Doves Cry” and “The Cross.” Get a load of...
In Memoriam: Sal Cuevas
More sad news to report today: latin bass legend Salvador “Sal” Cuevas has passed away. He was 61 years old. Cuevas was born and raised in New York City to Puerto Rican parents, as such identifying himself as a “Newyorican”. The city’s musical and cultural blend was a big influence on his musical start in middle school. “Being from New...