Archive for January 2012
Reader Spotlight: Kosta Kapellas
Meet bassist Kosta Kapellas, a six-year vet of the low end currently studying double bass at Central Michigan University. Kosta is our player in the spotlight for January 31, 2012. Bio: I am 19 years old. I play any type of music, any time. My time is split between Mt. Pleasant, where I attend Central Michigan University as a double...
NS Design Unveils NS Bass Guitar at NAMM 2012
Ned Steinberger and company introduced the latest addition to the NS Design bass line with a new headless bass guitar design. The NS Bass Guitar features a new “patented self-clamping tuning system” that allows for using regular single-ball type strings. As you tighten the tuner, it clamps onto the string; loosening the tuner detunes the string and eventually releases it....
Amy LaVere: Damn Love Song
My good friend Aaron shared this video with us (he’s a treble-maker, but we overlook it when he sends us cool bass videos). This is bassist/vocalist Amy LaVere and her band performing “Damn Love Song” at the Music Fog Marathon 2011 at Threadgill’s South in Austin, Texas. This was recorded during SXSW 2011. The tune comes from LaVere’s 2011 album,...
La Bella Expands Super Alloy 52 Strings Line to Bass
La Bella has expanded their Super Alloy 52 Series of strings with the addition of four new electric bass sets. Available in Extra Light, Light, Standard Light, and 5-string Standard Light, the new strings are described as bright and tarnish-proof. The line gets its name from the string’s outer wrap, which contains 52% nickel to prevent tarnishing. The other 48%...
Markbass Unveils New Bass Amps at NAMM
Markbass rolled out four new amps at the NAMM Show this year: the Big Bang, the TTE 800, and the MoMark Black 500 and 800. Markbass The Big Bang The Big Bang is the newest model in Markbass’s Little Mark series. The compact head features a solid state preamp and digital power amp that pumps out 500 watts at 4...
Felix Pastorius Joining the Yellowjackets
About an hour ago, bassist Felix Pastorius posted an announcement on Facebook that he’s going to join The Yellowjackets, replacing bassist Jimmy Haslip. “I guess its official, I’m a yellowjacket!,” Pastorius said. “Thnx to jimmy for his blessing and the rest of the guys for this great opportunity. Time to practice.” Updated: 5:45pm EST The Yellowjackets first reached out to...
Preparing for College Auditions
As someone who has taught at the University/Conservatory level for a number of years, I get many questions regarding undergraduate music school auditions. Some questions are specific to my school, but many are general requests for advice. As I am currently deep into audition season, I thought I would summarize some of my more common suggestions. Although much applies to...
In Memoriam: Henry E. Davis
Henry E. Davis, bassist for the ’70s R&B group L.T.D., passed away at the age of 63. A mainstay of the West Coast disco scene, he also played on the Diana Ross hit “Love Hangover.” Davis started his career in the ’60s with Friends of Distinction before hooking up with L.T.D. in the early ’70s. The band eventually split up...
Viaceslav Svedov: “No Woman, No Cry” All Bass Cover
Viaceslav Svedov typically offers super high energy takes on a variety of all-bass cover tunes. Here, he shows a more laid back style with one terrific cover of Bob Marley’s beautiful “No Woman, No Cry”. Is there anything Viaceslav can’t do? Editor’s note: We loved this so much, we decided to transcribe it. Check it out.
Top 10: The Most Popular NAMM Gear Announcements, Videos, Lessons and Features of the Week
Last week proved two things: the No Treble readers are as diverse as they come, and the No Treble crew is having a harder and harder time recovering from NAMM as the years roll on (not that we’re complaining. At all.) Our NAMM coverage continued to generate lots of readership and comments last week, with new gear announcements making up...
Parker Guitars Introduces New Maxx Fly Bass
Parker Guitars announced their newest bass, the Maxx Fly Bass at the NAMM show earlier this month, one the company says is the “culmination of Parker Guitars’ finest work in a bass.” The new Maxx Fly sports a swamp ash body with Parker’s trademark carbon glass epoxy wrap. Electronics include an EMG P-style split-neck pickup with an EMG MMCS bridge...
Peavey Unveils All-New MAX Series Bass Combos and Practice Amps
Peavey debuted their new MAX Series of bass amplifiers during the Winter NAMM Show earlier this month. This is a redesigned lineup of amps from the company, with power ratings of up to 300 watts and Peavey’s DDT speaker protection and exclusive tone enhancements. The Peavey MAX 115, MAX 112 and MAX 110 bass combo amps offer the company’s “psycho-acoustic...