Bass Gear - Page 208

We discovered so much new gear at this year’s Winter NAMM show that February was filled with news from the show. (We’re still covering it too). But only 10 gear stories can make the monthly roundup list – and here is your top 10 for the month of February. 1. Ashdown Desktop B-Social Bass Amp Ashdown Engineering took the opportunity...

This week we check out the Healy Guitars Healer Bass. Based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, the company is headed by luthier Trevor Healy, who spent years honing his craft under the legendary Roger Sadowsky, Joe Zon, and others. The Healer is a take on a classic bass and features a curvy, offset mahogany body. Its set-neck is also made of mahogany...

Zon’s booth at NAMM this year was highlighted by the release of the Billy Gould Signature BG4 Bass. The instrument has several unique features, including a tulip wood boy, a black satin finish, and a Hipshot D-tuner, but its electronics push the envelope. The BG4 is fitted with a pair of Bartolini pickups which seemingly only have a single volume...

Ibanez has introduced the BTB Volo to their conceptual Bass Workshop Series. The Volo is a fresh take on the company’s BTB model that is aimed at players looking to explore the higher registers. The five-string bass features a shorter 33-inch scale and comes factory tuned from E to C.

Aguilar introduced the Super Double Pickups at NAMM this year. The pickups feature dual rows of Alnico 5 pole pieces that the company says dishes out a “thick yet articulate tone” as well as hum-canceling performance. The pickups come in versions for four, five, and six-string basses. Aguilar builds them in their New York City factory with 42-gauge Formvar wire....

Ibanez is taking a page out of the old school with their new Talman Bass Series, consisting of the TMB300 and TMB100. The basses, which feature a retro aesthetic, share many of the same features with the 300 having an edge in features. Both models are built with a mahogany body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The TMB300’s fingerboard is...

I love checking out fledgling bass builders and self-starters, so when Alain Guiraud sent a note about his new bass, I got just as excited as he did. His friend and guitarist Bruno Régis created an axe that mixes and matches features from a handful of basses. Guiraud says it is his friend’s first order, and I have to say...

Laney Amplification has expanded their Nexus series of bass amps with the Nexus Studio Live, a hybrid tube bass amp designed for use on stage or in a session. The core of the amp includes a ECC83 tube in the preamp and a class D amps for a total output of 1,000 watts, but that’s just the beginning of this...

After introducing the EX-Bass two years ago, D’Angelico announced the solidbody EX-SD Bass at this year’s NAMM Show. The four-string bass features a chambered mahogany body topped with flame maple and a mahogany neck. Its rosewood fingerboard holds 21 frets and is adorned with mother of pearl block inlays as position markers. The EX-SD is loaded with a pair of...

Warwick introduced a new signature bass for Stuart Hamm during the NAMM Show this year. The new model is based on the company’s Streamer with extended contouring and a deeper cutaway for improved access to the higher register. The Stu Hamm Signature bass is built with an alder body and five-piece birdseye maple and rosewood neck. Its neck has illuminated...

A couple of weeks ago, Damian Erskine sent me an email filled with excitement. Here’s an excerpt: You know about my trip to pick up my dad’s bass in St Louis, right? Well, Jim Widner (who cared for it for the past 25 years) pointed out a name carved in the front. Faint but clear: “Shaw”. Apparently this was Arvell...

Dunlop’s booth at this year’s NAMM Show was buzzing with the announcement Marcus Miller had joined forces with them to create a signature line of strings. “Starting with our new Super Bright formula, we worked closely with him to develop strings that perfectly complement his sound—crisp and cutting with a big fundamental and powerful low end,” the company shared. Miller...