Bass Gear Archives

Q: I’m a fairly busy bass player working with five or six different bands ranging from funk to soul to hip-hop/neo-soul to jazz to disco to metal and a few function bands which encompass just about everything else! For the last four years, I’ve mainly used one sound (neck pickup, flatwound strings) on one bass for everything. But I recently...

This week, we’re taking a look back at the top 10 most popular bass gear stories for September, 2010, based on No Treble readers. 1. Music Man Roasted Maple Necks Music Man introduced roasted maple necks as an option for their instruments. No Treble readers voted with their visits and said they love this the best. 2. EBS Fafner II...

As a follow up to Obbligato’s bass modeling system for Jazz basses, the company is releasing the P-Bass version of their passive analog modeling system, the Turnstyle. The Turnstyle uses the magnetic pickup on the bass and rotary switch so bass players can select from five different tones. No modifications are required. The Turnstyle is stock friendly. The Turnstyle includes...

Bass amp manufacturer Markbass just launched a video contest on Youtube. If you own a Markbass rig and perform live, you’re pretty much eligible to enter for a chance to win a MoMark amp with the features of your choice. Official rules from Markbass: Video must be of a live performance. In other words, in front of an audience. The...

Ibanez Electronics demoed their new Promethean Pro bass amp line at Winter NAMM 2009 with the help of bassist Rufus Philpot. The new amps will once again be on display for their unveiling at Summer NAMM in Nashville, this July. The P5110 Promethean Combo includes a 10″ woofer and detachable 250 watt head and lists for $933.32. The P500H 250-watt...

Kustom has just announced their newest series of bass heads, combos and cabinets. Deep End is a hybrid tube amp, featuring a 12AX7 preamp with a Tube Gain control. Combos are available in 50-, 100- and 200-watt models. A 300-watt head and four speaker cabinet configuration is also available. “Kustom originally made its mark with bass amps back in the...

AXL Guitars just announced their new bass, the AXL Marquee Capricorn, will be available this summer. The new bass features an offset Alder body with a 34″ scale maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and two single-coil Alnico pickups (designed by EMG). Finishes include classic black, Olympic white, Lake Placid blue, electric red, sunburst and natural. The Marquee Capricorn (model AJ-800)...

Cambridge, England-based Rees Electric Guitars is releasing a new, lightweight bass guitar. The Rees F-Light bass is a 4-string, 34-inch scale bass guitar, weighing in at just 6 pounds. The bass uses Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound P-Bass pickups and comes in a variety of wood colors and fretboard wood options. Rees is promoting this as a highly portable bass, perfect...

Peavey first announced the VB-3 all-tube bass amp back in in January, at Winter NAMM ’09, for delivery in Q1, 2009. The amp is now shipping. The VB-810 cabinet, designed to match the VB-3, will be available in the next three months, according to the company. The VB-3 is a dual-channel amp, combining three 12AX7 and two 12AT7 pre-amp tubes...

CE Distribution has released Sica Speakers, a new line of bass speakers produced in the same factory as Jensen speakers. These replacement speakers are offered in three configurations: Premium Lite, Standard Lite and Classic. Premium Lite is the top of the line, made using neodymium magnets in 10, 12 and 15 inch aluminum frames. The Standard Lite also uses neodymium...

For the last 12 months, Acoustic Image has been doing a lot of design work on their new line of products. The company has just announced their 2009 offerings, including the new 800W Coda+ and Corus+ combos and Ten2 combo/cabinet. The Ten2 will be available mid-year and pricing is not yet available. The Coda+ and Corus+ models will be available...

Obbligato, Inc. has released their first custom shop Turnstyle system, an analog bass modeling device for Fender Jazz and other similar basses. The system utilizes the bass’s existing magnetic pickups and a rotary switch to switch between six tones. The Turnstyle product is designed as a low cost alternative to digital processors and can be installed with basic soldering skills...