Archive for 2011 - Page 89

ESP has revamped their LTD Surveyor basses. The bolt-on constructed basses feature an ash body and maple neck, with new additions including white binding on the fingerboard and pearloid block inlays. The fingerboard wood depends which of the three finishes you pick. The Black and Three Tone Burst finishes have rosewood fingerboards, whereas a maple fingerboard accents the Snow White...

Mastodon has released Live At The Aragon, a CD/DVD set that marks the band’s first live performance package. The record captures the band’s October 2009 show at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and includes them playing the entirety of their Crack the Skye album as well as earlier fan favorite songs and a cover of the “The Bit” by The...

This should get you moving: Candy Dulfer & Funky Stuff take on Tower of Power’s “In the Slot”, recorded live in 2000. Bassist Manuel Hugas lays down a nice groove on this one, and even takes a solo break toward the end.

UK bass pioneer Terence “Jet” Harris has passed away at the age of 71, after a two-year battle with cancer. Harris is often credited as being the first British bass guitarist, and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Fender for popularizing the instrument in Britain. Harris’s career includes several hits with the instrumental group the Shadows in the late...

Markbass continues their new product announcements for 2011 with the introduction of the MVVL-HE Master module. The MVVL-HE Master is designed to fit into any MoMark amp chassis, features a master volume control, the Markbass VLE and VPF filters, and a Line Out level control. The circuitry is gold-plated in addition to all high level components, which Markbass says makes...

Pablo Motyczak, a bassist from Argentina who goes by the screen name “Motyx” blew us away with his take on Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther” theme.

For the first time since 1991, the original members of Béla Fleck & the Flecktones are releasing an album. Rocket Science, scheduled for a May 17, 2011 release date, features pianist/harmonica player Howard Levy returning to the group, alongside bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist/drummer Roy “Futureman” Wooten and banjoist and leader Fleck. In true Flecktones form, the album touches on many...

Carl Martin has released a new stompbox to their lineup, the Classic Optical Envelope. The effects company explains it is “essentially a classic envelope filter (auto-wah)” for bass or guitar with some extra tweak-ability. The pedal includes two foot switches, the first being for activating the effects, and the second for switching between modes. The pedal operates in three modes...

Based out of the Houston, Texas area, Bud LeCompte has been building basses since 2004, after acquiring a technical background and inheriting a plethora of woodworking tools. Having been interested bass playing and drawing since his teenage years, LeCompte’s designs vary from paying homage to classic instruments to unique shapes and lines that defy that same tradition. In this installment...

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a fun clip of Pierluigi Balducci playing his Irish-inspired composition “Tully More Song,” from his CD Niebla. Cheers!

The Green Rhino MkII, by Way Huge Electronics made its debut at the NAMM Show in January, and I recently took it for a test spin. Way Huge was making pedals back in the 1990’s and sort of fell off the radar for a while. Dunlop now manufactures this new series, and one of the most popular requests for a...

Q: I recently bought an iPad. Do you have any suggestions for apps that you find useful for music study and practicing? A: Hello, my name is Damian, and I’m an app junkie. Addiction aside, there are some wonderful apps that can help you to either practice more efficiently or just inspire you in new ways. Here’s a little list...