Top 10: Top Bass Gear from NAMM, Plus the Week’s Most Popular Bass Videos, News and Music
Winter NAMM kicked off last week, and with it, plenty of gear news. We’re back from Anaheim and not ready to rest just yet. Be on the lookout for tons more gear news starting today.
Last week was a great bass week with all the gear news, some unbelievable bass videos, plus a few other goodies.
Here is the top 10 most read features on No Treble for the week of January 15 – 21, 2012.
1. Ritter Instruments Introduces R8-Singlecut Bass
Jens Ritter has introduced the R8-Singlecut, a new design featuring a single cutaway and bolt-on construction. The new instrument also introduces the luthier’s new C-3-S electronics, an active/passive switchable 3-Band EQ with custom adjustable frequencies and integrated boost, all controllable by the bassist. The new model was debuted with four pieces, and though each has…
2. Höfner Reissues Updated Shorty Bass
Höfner has reintroduced the Shorty Bass, a model they ran in the 1980’s featuring an extremely short scale and body. The updated version bumps the scale up from 28″ to 30″ for easier playability, as well as utilizing better string spacing, similar to that found on their trademark Violin Bass. Available in black, the Shorty…
3. Bass of the Week: Reverend Decision
Mixing retro and modern, Reverend’s Decision bass is their take on the “P/J” style, with the company’s Split Brick pickup in the neck position and their J-Rails in the bridge position. The pickups are blended with a Pan knob, which Reverend says let you go from “funk to thump and all points in between.” The…
4. Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (December 2011)
Our featured bass videos in December broke all kinds of records for views on No Treble in a single month. The top 10 featured many familiar faces, plus some newcomers to No Treble HQ and readers. Bassist Nick Mason (no, not the drummer), took the #1 slot with his solo bass arrangement of Randy Newman’s…
5. Craig Butterfield: Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee” on Double Bass
Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee” is just one of those tunes that acts as a benchmark for skill. Ever since Jaco’s take on it from his debut album, bassists have been giving it a shot. Here’s an one mind-blowing version by University of South Carolina double bass professor Craig Butterfield, playing along with Parker’s original recording….
6. Rhythms and Transcriptions: A How To Guide to Notating Rhythmic Patterns
Q: I have a question about transcribing. I’m a pretty skilled player and can read, but I have a lot of problems writing down the rhythms that I hear either in my head or from a particular song. Any suggestions on how I should go about learning to notate more difficult rhythms? A: Rhythms can…
7. Johan Hansén-Larson: Note-for-Note Bass Performance of Cannonball Adderley’s Solo on “Minority”
Bassist Johan Hansén-Larson sent in this video of him playing along on Cannonball Adderley’s sax solo on the tune “Minority”. On bass. Johan writes, “…some mistakes, but playing Cannonball solos on bass is sort of like trying perform brain surgery with a tractor.” Well, whatever it is, we’re stunned.
8. Mike Portnoy’s New Band Announces Debut Album, Featuring Dave LaRue
Flying Colors, a new band consisting of ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, Dixie Dregs bassist Dave LaRue, guitarist Steve Morse, keyboardist Neal Morse and vocalist Casey McPherson, have announced details of their self-titled debut album, set for a March 27th, 2012 release. The band utilizes elements from each member’s experience and background, according to Portnoy….
Note: For Left Hand Thumb positioning, check out the previous installment. When there is excess tension in the hands, the source is often improper use of the thumb and its corresponding muscles. The thumbs of both hands, just like all the fingers, should use minimum effort and pressure to achieve any particular technical goal. Pressure…
10. Samuel Haynes: “Rapture” Solo Bass Tap Performance
Our Facebook friend Charles Hoernemann shared this video with us, with a word one comment: “Awesome!” This is bassist Samuel Haynes, who wrote this tune named “Rapture”, for solo bass and programmed drum accompaniment. Samuel’s bass is strung with piccolo strings. Have a video to share? Send it to [email protected]
