Archive for 2011 - Page 99

The hopes for a full Black Sabbath reunion seem to have come to a halt, according to a post from bassist Geezer Butler. In a statement on his website, Butler wrote, “I would like to make it clear, because of mounting speculation and rumours, that there will be definitely NO reunion of all four original members of Black Sabbath, whether...

Warwick has announced the Star Bass II Single Cut bass, a modified version of their retro-styled Star Bass II. Available in either laminated Flamed Maple or Tigerwood, the hollow body bass features a set Flamed Maple neck and Wenge fingerboard. The new Single Cut also differs from its predecessor with the introduction of passive MEC humbuckers and passive MEC electronics....

For the final session of Euro Bass 2004, bassists Matthew Garrison, Darryl Jones, Mike Pope, Linley Marthe and Pippo Matino took the stage, with drummer Claudio Romano for this bass-powered performance. Marthe’s solo at the beginning is the bomb.

Anchored by Chris Squire, the veteran prog-rockers in Yes will be hitting the U.S. with a new string of tour dates. The “Rite of Spring Tour” starts March 6, 2011 at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas and works its way around the East Coast and Midwest before ending in Washington, DC on April 4, focusing on clubs and...

Here’s a fun blues jam from Guitar Wars featuring John Paul Jones on bass. The band also includes Paul Gilbert, Steve Hackett and Nuno Bettencourt.

Motörhead has released The Wörld is Yours, the trio’s 28th album. Led by icon Lemmy Kilmister, the group is releasing the CD in celebration of their 35th anniversary, with the bassist/singer being the sole constant member. The new album is the follow-up to 2008’s Motorizer, and is also the first record to be released on their new Motörhead Music label....

In addition to the new Yin Yang Standard Bass, Fodera was showing off their new Mike Pope Signature Viceroy at their NAMM booth. The 6-string bass has some very innovative features, including a removable fingerboard extension that’s held in by strong magnets. The extension allows for the bass to transition between 20 and 24-frets, which Pope explains makes a big...

This week, we continuing the series on the making of Orchid, a custom bass by Rick Toone. If you missed it, check out Part 1 and Part 2. Trapezoid Neck Profile Ebony facing is glued to the headstock. Next, the fretboard, headstock and contours are precisely shaped, including the patented Trapezoid Neck Profile used on these two basses. We’ve all...

Here’s a pretty cool solo bass piece by upright bassist Hartmut Kracht, who adds a little to the performance by playing his upright like a bass guitar. I used to get in trouble for this in orchestra class back in the day!

Evan Marien has just released his newest EP, Here We Are, a 5-track album of original material written and mostly performed by the bassist himself. Marien laid down bass, keys, vocals, and computer programming, while getting help from drummer Louis Cato and guitarist Iakov Kremenskly for the tune “Hill,” and drummer Dana Hawkins on “Bloke” and “OC.” The music is...

Les Claypool has finally revealed some clues about the new mystery bass he was sporting during Primus’ New Year’s Eve shows. “What I played at those shows was a semi-finished prototype bass that I designed and had built by my old pal Dan Maloney,” he wrote in a Primus update. Maloney is also responsible for building Claypool’s banjo bass, called...

Q: When I’m in jam situations and someone asks me to “kick it off” or start something, I just freeze and draw a blank. How do you know what to play? A: This is something we’ve all dealt with at some point. The problem is all in our minds. Our analytical and critical minds see the myriad of possibilities and...