Archive for 2011 - Page 16

German luthier Jens Ritter has just announced a new model to his Artist Series. The Bone was designed with bassist/producer LaMarquis Jefferson, whose credits include bass lines for OutKast, Goodie Mob, Society of Soul, TLC and more. “The Bone” features a German Alder body, a three-piece maple bolt-on neck, and a maple fingerboard, all decked out in white. THe Carrara...

Check out Fredrik Owman, aka bassowman, a bassist from Sweden who just nails Chuck Rainey’s bass line on Steely Dan’s “Peg”. We couldn’t help but envy Fredrik’s all-original 1966 Fender Precision either.

King Mob, a new group featuring ex-Sex Pistol bassist Glen Matlock, has released their debut album, Force 9. The group is a departure from Matlock’s punk rock background, instead focusing on classic rock and roll and listing their influences as wide ranging as Duke Ellington and Jimmy Page. The band is filled out by drummer Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers, singer...

In conjunction with the release of the new Explorer Bass, Gibson has introduced a new Flying V Bass. With a 30.5″ scale, the bass is a “mean and meaty” instrument that the company says perfect for players with shorter arms and hands, as well as beginners, students, and those more familiar with six-string guitar lengths. The Flying V body is...

After many months of rumors, the original members of Black Sabbath have finally fessed up that they’ve reunited for a new album and world tour starting in 2012. The band made the announcement on today (11-11-11) with a press conference and YouTube video: Though bassist Geezer Butler dismissed rumors earlier this year, it appears he’s on board with the group...

Here are three more feels to have at your fingertips whenever you’re stepping into a blues gig or jamming situation. As I’ve mentioned in previous “feels” columns, bandleaders enjoy putting their own spin on certain tunes and will often deviate from the recorded version of the song by changing the feel. It’s also nice to break up the monotony of...

Editor’s note: Bass play-along week continues! If you have one you’d like to submit (by you or someone else), send it to [email protected]. Ah, YYZ. Geddy Lee’s bass line on this iconic tune has to be one of the most popular challenges and play-along’s out there. No Treble reader Troy Hughes sends us this video of him pulling off the...

Tango master Pablo Aslan has released a new album with his quintet, Piazzolla in Brooklyn. For the project, Aslan took a failed 1959 album by Astor Piazzolla called Take Me Dancing and re-interpreted it to prove its musical worth. The result is influenced by Aslan’s “immersion in the Brooklyn scene.” “I was attracted by the idea of recreating this damned...

Some basses are a piece of history, and then some are made from pieces of history. As part of their Master Builder Collection, Polish company Mayones unveiled the Elegance 5 Paper, a limited edition 5-stringer covered with reprints of newspapers, some dating back 100 years. The clippings are from all over the world: Poland, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and...

In this installment of our new bass lesson series, we’re focusing on a slap-based, percussive bass technique widely known as “Double Thumbing” or the “Victor [Wooten] style”. This technique involves an approach to slap where you hit the string with your thumb and follow through, landing on the next string. So the first note – an open E – would...

Editor’s note: Bass play-along week continues! If you have one you’d like to submit (by you or someone else), send it to [email protected]. Bassist Adrian Bartol sends us his bass play-along of John Mayer’s live recording of “Who Did You Think I Was?”, which also includes Jimi Hendrix’s “Power of Soul” at the end. In the original, Pino Palladino really...

In a complete 180 from his recent big band album, Christian McBride has released an album of duets called Conversations with Christian. The project began as podcasts in 2009, where the bassist got together with his musical companions to interview them, as well as play through some songs. The podcast eventually led to the bassist’s popular Sirius-XM radio show, The...