Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 495

Stevie Wonder has had a legendary career, and for over 40 years he’s been backed by the one and only Nate Watts. Here’s a great video of two fantastic bass lines with “I Wish” and “Isn’t She Lovely.” The clip comes from a live 2009 performance in London. Even after playing these songs for four decades, you can tell Watts...

Ibanez has announced they will reissue the famed 2609B, also known as the Black Eagle bass. Admitting they are not apt to reissue many instruments, the company says the limited edition run marks the 40th anniversary of the classic model.

Danny McCulloch, who played bass for the second incarnation of The Animals, has passed away from cardiac heart failure. He was 69 years old. McCulloch was born in West London in 1945 and got his musical start in his teens. His first band was The Avro Boys, who went on to become Tony Craven & The Casuals in the late...

Gruv Gear introduced the SoloStrap Neo 4.0 and 2.5 at NAMM this year. The new straps are a more economical version of their existing straps and comes in a four-inch wide version to accommodate bassists. “We had our DuoStrap Signature and then made the Duostrap Neo as an affordable version of it,” Gruv Gear’s Jay Baldemor explains. “Then we had...

Part of the fun of the NAMM show is finding all the oddities that are tucked away into the booths for different vendors. One of the coolest discoveries for us this year was an intricate striped bass at the Hipshot booth. After a minute we got to talking with its creator, Pete Hilton of Hilton Guitars, and I got to...

Divinity Roxx is back with a new single called “We Are,” and we’ve got an exclusive lyric video for it. Inspired by the trying times and situations surrounding us, the song is a call for us all to make positive changes, one person at a time. The video’s description sums it up: “From the abduction of young girls by extremists...

Warwick expanded their lightweight bass amp lineup with the LWA 500 at NAMM this year. Rated at up to 500 watts, the compact amp weighs in at only 2.42 pounds. The LWA 500 combines a preamp based on the Class A/Low Z circuitry found in the WA series with a Class D power amplifier to keep the weight down. It...

One of the many new basses at Ibanez’s booth this year was the SRFF, a fanned-fret version of their flagship SR bass. Available in five and six-string models, the bass features a multi-scale setup to optimize the tonal performance of each string. “The goal of the fanned-fret system is to even the tension of each string,” Ibanez explains in a...

Rickenbacker launched a pair of new takes on their classic 4003 bass this year with the 4003S and 4003SW. The new models take the current 4003 and 4003W basses and give them a vintage aesthetic made popular by the ’60s 4001S bass.

Jason “Jay” James has exited Welsh metal outfit Bullet Form My Valentine, the band announced in a statement. James, who also handled backup vocal duties, had been in the band since 2003. “It is with regret that Bullet for My Valentine has to announce that Jay James is no longer a member of the band,” the group wrote. “Jay has...

We’re continuing Isolated Bass Week 5 at No Treble with one of the greatest metal bassists of all time: Steve Harris. The British four-stringer’s distinctive style and punchy tone shine on this isolated bass version of Iron Maiden’s iconic “Run to the Hills.” Harris is credited with writing the song, which should help explain why his bass line is about...

Eden Amplification was showing off its new CaliforniWAH bass filter pedal at the Winter NAMM Show this year. The new pedal is designed for versatility with two different voicing settings and four effect parameters. The Californiwah has four control knobs: Low Point, Sensitivity, Resonance, and Effect Level. Low Point adjusts where the effect starts in your sound, where Sensitivity controls...