Schecter Teams Up With Michael Anthony for Signature Bass
Ex-Van Halen and current The Circle bassist Michael Anthony has a brand new signature bass from Schecter Guitars. Available in production and custom shop versions, the bass is a take on their Model T with updates to suit Anthony’s playing style. The Diamond Series Michael Anthony Bass is built in South Korea with an Alder body, maple and walnut neck,...
Armin Metz: Swifty
Armin Metz is back with another beautiful bass song set in nature. “Swifty” is a solo bass piece with swirling rhythms and harmonic twists. Metz gets a sweet tone out of his ’77 Fender Jazz, which completes the theme with a custom floral pickguard.
Bass of the Week: PRS Guitars Private Stock Hollowbody Bass 4
PRS Guitars began their Private Stock series 20 years ago, and to celebrate they’ve brought back their guitar of the month showcase. They kicked it off with a jaw-dropping Private Stock Hollowbody Bass 4, which is our bass of the week. The short scale bass features a solid center block with hollow body wings. The neck is curly maple while...
The Who Announces Tour with Tal Wilkenfeld Band
2016 is turning out to have some incredible tours for bassists. The Who will be continuing their “The Who Hits 50!” tour with a new North American leg, and they’ve tapped Australian bass phenom Tal Wilkenfeld to open the shows. Between Pino Palladino in the The Who and Wilkenfeld’s band, these shows are going to be bumping. Wilkenfeld shared her...
Ibanez Introduces SR Cerro Singlecut Bass
Ibanez has expanded their Bass Workshop and Soundgear models with the SR Cerro, a singlecut bass available in Natural and Deep Twilight finishes. The Cerro’s body connects to the neck from the 24th fret all the way to 13th fret for increased stability and sustain. Built with neck-through construction, it’s built with a mahogany body, poplar burl top, a five-piece...
Tech 21 Unveils Bass Fly Rig at NAMM 2016
Tech 21 introduced a Bass version of the Fly Rig 5 at NAMM this year, fitting five of their famed pedals into one. The Bass Fly Rig includes a SansAmp, Octafilter, Chorus, Compressor, and a Boost rolled into one pedal with extra connectivity for versatility. Each effect has its own controls. The SansAmp is complete with a 3-band EQ, level,...
Journey Instruments Introduces Collapsible Carbon Fiber Acoustic Bass Guitar
Journey Instruments has expanded their line of collapsible carbon fiber instruments with its first bass, called the OB660 Overhead Carbon Fiber Acoustic Bass. The bass has a compact design with a removable neck that allows for it to be folded up and fitted into an airplane’s overhead compartment. “The TSA-approved travel case safely encloses the bass guitar within 22″ x...
Giving Notes: An Interview with Rufus Philpot
Rufus Philpot is a bassist that has perspective. Born in London, he cut his teeth in England before taking his career to New York City and all the adventures that entails. A move to L.A. several years ago has further cemented him into an in-demand musical director and session player. Along the way he’s seen the rest of the world...
Ernie Ball Music Man Unveils 40th Anniversary “Old Smoothie” StingRay Bass
Ernie Ball Music Man kicked off the NAMM Show this year with a press conference to reveal new products, including the 40th Anniversary “Old Smoothie” StingRay Bass. The bass is modeled after a 1976 prototype featuring a 10 pole piece pickup design that gives it a smooth tone. “Since its introduction in 1976, the Music Man StingRay bass has been...
Craig Butterfield and Jesse Jones: Pisces
The amazing Craig Butterfield is back with another jaw-dropping video. He’s once again teamed up with mandolinist Jesse Jones for an upcoming album, entitled Pisces. Here’s the duo tearing through the title track, with Butterfield burning up the fingerboard. The bassist gets creative during the breakdown with a pizzicato line punctuated by hand percussion on the bass’s body.
Peavey Reintroduces the Cirrus Bass
Nineteen years after it debuted, Peavey reintroduced the Cirrus bass to their instrument lineup at the 2016 Winter NAMM Show. The neck-thru design will once again be available in four-, five-, and six-string models featuring a 35-inch scale maple and mahogany neck. Its alder body wings will be topped by either red oak or walnut. Similar to the previous versions,...
Reed James Engineering Introduces VVN NEOA5 Pickups
Reed James Engineering was at the 2016 Winter NAMM show to introduce the VVN NEOA5 set of pickups. Based on their VVN RJNEO set, the new pickups differentiate themselves by creating a relationship between the neodymium magnets and vintage Alnico 5 rod magnets. “We mated precise amounts of each magnet material to create the magnetic pull and field in order...