Bass Gear Roundup: Old School Fender, Roland Field Recorder, Arium 050, New Pigtronix Pedal and The Bass of the Week

The latest bass gear coverage, all in one spot.

Roland Introduces R-26 Field Recorder

1. Roland Introduces R-26 Field Recorder

Roland has released the R-26 Portable Field Recorder featuring dual built-in stereo microphones, two XLR/TRS inputs, and an input for a stereo plug-in powered mic. The device allows for up to six channels of simultaneous recording and has Roland’s patented IARC circuitry on the inputs to reduce interference. While the R-26 supports 24-bit/96 kHz linear…

Old School: 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass

2. Old School: 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass

Fender’s Musicmaster was first introduced in 1971, and in production through 1981. As with Fender’s guitar bearing the same name, the bass was a simpler version of Fender’s Mustang Bass. The Musicmaster was Fender’s budget-priced bass at the time, made from surplus parts from other Fender models. The bodies were from the Mustang production line,…

Aristides’ New and Unique Arium “050” Bass Now Available

3. Aristides’ New and Unique Arium “050” Bass Now Available

Dutch instrument maker Aristides has released their newest bass, the 050. The 050 is a 5-string bass with a unique design which sets it apart from most: it is made of Arium, a synthetic tone material created for maximum sustain and resonance. The body and neck are all one piece molded from the material. The…

Bass of the Week: Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy

4. Bass of the Week: Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy

While this bass may conjure images of ZZ Top, the idea for the Bas-Extravaganza Fluffy actually came to proprietor Bas Wittenberg on a trip through IKEA. The luthier saw a rug and immediately decided to put it to use as a “finish.” “This is a real party bass,” he writes. “Women love it, and men…

Pigtronix Releases the Dual Expression Pedal

5. Pigtronix Releases the Dual Expression Pedal

Pigtronix has teamed up with Mission Engineering to produce the Dual Expression Pedal, a unit with two outputs to simultaneously control the parameters of two pedals with expression inputs. A polarity switch also allows for controlling effects in opposite directions, for which Pigtronix gives the example of increasing the speed of a phaser while decreasing…

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