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...
Bass of the Week: Ele Custom Basses Puntundo 5
This week we’re checking out the Puntundo 5 by Spain’s Ele Custom Basses. This version of their El Puntundo bass was made for Fabio Lessa and features the headless version of the striking singlecut design. One’s eye is led straight to the buckeye burl top, which is accentuated with matching pickup covers. The set-neck bass is also built with a...
In Memoriam: Jimmy Bain
Bassist Jimmy Bain, who laid down the low end for hard rock icons Rainbow and Dio, has passed away at the age of 68. A cause of death has not been announced. The announcement was made by Def Leppard guitarist and Last in Line bandmate Vivian Campbell. “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I must confirm the news of...
Aguilar Amplification Introduces SL 410x Bass Cabinet
Aguilar Amplification is expanding their SL line of bass cabinets with the SL 410x. The cab is rated at 800 watts RMS and weighs in at 49 pounds, which the company states is nearly half the weight of a traditional 410. The SL 410x comes in either 4 or 8 ohm configurations and is loaded with four custom voiced woofers...
Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles: Live at NAMM ’16
Videos from this year’s Winter NAMM show are starting to roll in, and this one really caught my ear. Cory Henry of Snarky Puppy performed at the ROLI event with his band The Funk Apostles, including bassist MonoNeon. The band spins out their own jaw-dropping versions of The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back” and Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues...
Washburn Announces Sonamaster SB1 Bass
Beginning bassists have a new option with the Washburn Sonamaster SB1 bass. The entry-level instrument, which comes in Black and Tobacco-Sunburst finishes, is inspired by their ’80s models in its body shape, reverse headstock, and offset position markers. It’s built with an alder body, maple neck, and fingerboard. Washburn fits it with a P-style pickup and passive electronics for an...
Electro-Harmonix Introduces the Bass Preacher
Electro-Harmonix unveiled the Bass Preacher at the Winter NAMM Show this year. The compact compressor/sustainer pedal is designed specifically for bass guitar to manipulate its dynamics. It begins with input sensitivity ranges from -10 dBu to +2 dBu, which EHX says makes it ideal for passive and active basses. The Bass Preacher has Volume and Sustain knobs with a three-way...