Archive for 2011 - Page 85

80’s supergroup Asia has announced new dates to continue their extensive Omega tour, which began last year after they released their album of the same name. Led by bassist/vocalist John Wetton, the lineup includes drummer Carl Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and guitarist Steve Howe, each being from the bands Yes, ELP, King Crimson, UK, and The Buggles. The new leg...

Our Facebook friend Jeff Kerestes shared this video with us, with Pino Palladino working his magic on the fretless, way back in 1984.

German amp makers AER has announced a new addition to their Bottom Line series of bass amps, called the Amp Three. The 200-watt combo amp has features two 8” speakers, which the company explains helps to enhance low-mids for clarity and punch for cutting through the mix. For tonal control, the Amp Three has a 3-band EQ with parametric mids,...

(This is as close as we’re getting to an April Fool’s joke). Hat tip to Gregor Fris, who reminded me of one of my favorite Tom & Jerry episodes when I was a kid, just starting out on upright.

Deep Purple have announced “The Songs That Built Rock” Tour, which will be the group’s first North American tour in four years. The trek marks another milestone as it will be the first time they perform with a symphony orchestra on the continent. The orchestra will accompany them on every date except for San Francisco. The lineup for the shows...

Ampeg is expanding their Bassamp combo series with the introduction of two smaller practice amps, the BA-108 and the BA-110. Designed as miniature versions of their siblings, the new combos have similar features, including a tilt-back design and a ported baffle for low frequency extension. Both models have a 3-band EQ, MP3/CD input with a level control, an effects loop,...

Wyn Guitars is a one-man custom bass shop run by Randy Fullmer, a man with a healthy obsession for exotic woods. An artist at heart, Fullmer got his his start as a luthier at an early age before becoming an animator and producer for Disney. He eventually returned to building instruments, switching to exclusively making basses. Fullmer just finished moving...

George Lacson shared a video with us, featuring him responding to a rainy evening in San Francisco with some solo blues bass. Or as George says, “sometimes you gotta thump n pluck your blues away…”

Bassist Jonathan Miller has left DevilDriver, according to a statement by the band. He reportedly left the tour to enter rehab in January, and has now made the leave official. “I just wanted to thank all of the DevilDriver fans around the world for their die-hard love and support for the past nine years. Yesterday, I decided to leave DevilDriver....

Pigtronix has released the Tremvelope, an effects pedal that combines a tremolo pedal with a filter to allow you to control the effects with the dynamics of your playing. With the envelope switch off, the pedal acts as an optical tremolo featuring stereo panning outputs, sine and sawtooth waveforms, and speed and depth controls. There are also a couple of...

Q: I have a question about long-term pratice routines. There are a lot scale/arpeggio exercises out there, but I want to know: what do you is the best method to really cover all types of scales/chord in all keys all around the instrument? Is it good to do an exercise in all keys an then go on to the next...

Any time a new Adam Ben Ezra video hits, I’m all ears. And Adam never disappoints. Check out this nice fretless work (and singing) from Adam, on his original tune “Tumbada”.