Top 10: New Bass Gear from Fender, Warwick and Sandberg, Plus the Top Bass Videos and Lessons of the Week

1. BassGirl: Swingin’ ‘Till the Girls Come Home

It has been a while since we featured a video by BassGirl, the 14 year old bassist who has caused many jaws to drop around here. Oscar Pettiford and Jon Hendricks tune “Swingin’ ’Til the Girls Come Home”, with vocalist Chris Humphrey, pianist Ryan Parker and BassGirl’s father on drums (cool family)…

2. Bass of the Week: Norton Guitars Wraith Bass

Norton Guitars takes a unique approach to building instruments by utilizing what they call the “Norton Mainframe” – a skeleton made of T6061 aircraft grade aluminum. The bass is then built with wood and electronics from there. A prime example of their work is their Wraith model bass…

3. Harmonizing the Major Scale: Using a Number System on Bass

This week, I’m kicking off a new lesson focusing on the foundation of music – the major scale. Read over this lesson and then be sure to check out the video for a demonstration. Western music harmony is mostly based on the 7 steps of the major scale, and the chords built on the major…

4. Larry Graham and Graham Central Station Play Maroon 5?s “Moves Like Jagger”

Yep, you read that right. During an appearance on the Dutch radio show GIEL to promote his European tour, Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station took current pop music head on by tackling the Maroon 5 tune “Moves Like Jagger”. Armed with his iconic white bass and some gnarly effects…

5. Rotosound Introduces Bass String Cleaner

Rotosound has introduced a new string cleaner for bass that wraps around the strings for 360 degree cleaning. Designed to fit all 4- and 5-string bass guitars, the BSC1 uses microfiber pads to remove sweat and debris to extend the life of your strings. The device also cleans the fingerboard at the same time…

6. Godin Introduces Shifter Classic 4 Bass

Godin has added a new model to their Shifter bass series named the Classic 4. The new model, which sports a new Crème Brulee high gloss finish, has Godin’s passive PJ pickups for a more retro style and sound. The Shifter Classic 4 is built with a Canadian Laurentian Basswood body…

7. Sandberg Introduces Electra Vs 4 Bass at Musikmesse

Lots of exciting things are showing up this year for Europe’s Musikmesse trade show, including the Sandberg Electra Vs 4. While the wood, routing, and varnish processes take place in Korea to keep prices down, the bass is assembled and checked for quality control at the company’s headquarters in Germany…

8. John Scofield Trio with Steve Swallow: “Someone To Watch Over Me”, Live (2010)

A perfect video and song for a Sunday afternoon (or any time, really). In November, 2010, John Scofield took the stage with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Stewart at Forum Leverkusen. Here’s the trio performing “Someone To Watch Over Me”. So great to see the master bassist still bringing it after all these years…

9. Warwick Unveils Two New Robert Trujillo Signature Basses

Warwick has introduced the Artist Series Robert Trujillo NT and the Rockbass Artist Line Robert Trujillo basses. The new models are built with similar specs to his existing signature Streamer bass, but are built in different factories to keep the price point down. Available in 4- or 5-string versions…

10. Fender Upgrades American Standard Series for 2012

Fender has raised the bar for 2012 by upgrading their American Standard series of instruments, including the Precision and Jazz basses. The main change is the inclusion of Fender Custom Shop pickups for each model, while other slight adjustments and a new finish also help to update line. First up, the American Standard Precision…