Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 469

Good music transcends instruments. Knowing this, Brazilian bassist Trovão Rocha picked up his bass and created a bass arrangement of the classic guitar song “Se Ela Perguntar” by Dilermando Reis. The bassist does the song justice with lush chords and soulful phrasing that will pull at your heartstrings.

UK’s Barefaced Audio has revealed the next bass cabinet in their amplification lineup with the One10. Weighing in at 15 pounds, the cab is their most compact offering, but that doesn’t make it sound small. “The magic ingredient is our unique 10CR250 driver, which can handle 250W continuously, pushes twice as much air as most 10″ woofers and has a...

Extended-range basses have become a huge trend in the last few years with instruments having anywhere from five to twenty-four strings. While Russian custom shop Padalka Guitars has built several seven and nine-string basses, they decided to take a more minimalist approach with the Ennea Hotchkiss, a three-string bass with bold contours. A riff on their flagship Ennea model, the...

TC Electronic has expanded their RS bass cabinet lineup with the RS115. Fitted with a 15-inch Eminence driver, the cab is described as having a warm and deep sound while delivering 600 watts at 8 ohms. It’s built with handcrafted plywood construction including 18mm plywood side panels with a 18mm rounded, carved hardwood corners. As part of the RS series,...

ESO Strap has launched their brand with their self-titled product, the ESO Strap. Made in Seattle, the strap features a contoured “S” shape to avoid pressure points on the shoulder, neck, and back. The strap length adjusts from 46.5″ – 54″, while its width varies from 1.5″- 2.5″. The ESO Strap is constructed with a high density foam core, interior...

Malekko Heavy Industry has unveiled the Scrutator, a sample rate and bit reduction pedal built around the company’s new DSP platform. It offers external control over any combination of Rate, Bit, Filter, and Q controls via expression pedal or control voltage as well as a switchable 2-pole bandpass or lowpass filter. The pedal begins with a Preamp control for controlling...

Double bass virtuosos Christian McBride and Edgar Meyer are teaming up for a duo tour this October. The tour begins in Edmonds, Washington at the Edmonds Center for the Arts before bouncing around the country over seven dates including several college appearances. The final performance is slated for October 30th at Emerson University’s Schwartz Center for the Arts in Atlanta,...

Parliament Funkadelic and Maceo Parker bassist Rodney “Skeet” Curtis has teamed up with Brubaker Guitars to create the a signature bass called the JXB-Extreme II Skeet Model. The bass, which was developed over two years, is based on the company’s JXB series and comes in four-, five-, and six-string versions. It features a buckeye burl maple theme for the body’s...

If you haven’t seen the James Brown documentary Mr. Dynamite yet, you’re missing out. It follows the iconic soul singer’s rise to the top of charts with incredible interview segments with his musicians. Of course, one of the film’s highlights is the introduction of Bootsy Collins into Brown’s band. Collins offers deep insight into his relationship with Brown as well...

Dwarfcraft’s new Paraloop is a utility pedal designed for adding flexibility to your signal chain. The stompbox features two effects loops that are “normally closed,” which the company explains as meaning a buffered clean signal comes through each. It has a single Send level knob that allows for boosting each loop or – if both loops are empty – acting...

Sometimes it’s not the notes you play, it’s how you play them. Kate Davis proves that point in this beautiful duet with guitarist Rob Moose on her song “Keep An Open Heart,” filmed for the One On One Sessions at City Winery in New York City. Davis keeps a simple beat with roots and fifths while playing up on the...

Andrew Gouche recently posted a set of videos from his time playing with Chaka Khan. “I’m very proud of my time as Musical Director with CK, We had a great team!,” Gouche wrote. Here’s a great clip of the bassist laying it down with Khan on the Rufus song “Stay,” live in 2011. Gouche sets up the groove with a...