Weekly Top 10: Bass on a Budget, New Bass Gear, the Best How To’s and the Top Videos Featuring the Low End

1. Bass on a Budget: 12 Basses Under $500

Bass on a Budget: 12 Basses Under $500. We cover a lot of basses… some of them quite expensive. So here are 12 basses introduced this year with street prices of under $500. What do you think, should we all buy one of each?

2. Bass of the Week: Surine Basses Regency 8-String “Rainbow”

Surine Basses decided to go all out on their Regency model with this “Rainbow” 8-string bass. The hollow-body bass has a stunning 32-strip laminate top and matching headstock with a variety of exotic woods…

3. Bob Daisley Debuts Black Beauty Signature Series Bass

Bass legend Bob Daisley has teamed up with Mad Music Management to create his new Black Beauty Signature Bass, designed by the bassist himself and built in Italy by the luthiers at Utopia Custom Shop. Daisley went all out with the concept, which includes two interchangeable pickup drawers that essentially make it two basses in one…

4. Exploring Polyrhythms: A Practice Guide

Q: What is a “polyrhythm”, and how can I use them? A: Technically speaking, a polyrhythm is exactly what it says… more than one rhythm happening at the same time. This could be a Cascara rhythm combined with a Clave, or even just a swing pattern on the ride along with the hi-hat on 2…

5. Viaceslav Svedov’s Double V Project: “Sinister Minister” Flecktones Drum and Bass Cover

Viaceslav Svedov just keeps blowing us away. Here’s Viaceslav and his “Double V Projection” project, which includes drummer Valentin Tarasov. In this video, the duo takes on Bela Fleck & The Flecktones’ “Sinister Minister”. Holy smokes.

6. Weather Report: Badia, Live (1976)

Here’s Weather Report, soon after Jaco Pastorius joined the band, performing “Badia” live in 1976. This performance was recorded live on July 8, 1976 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland. Jaco’s tone is like butter. Weather Report’s line up for this performance included Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco, Alex Acuna and Manolo Badrena…

7. Thumb Position: Major Scale Fingering for Bass

There are a multitude of fingerings for any particular scale, and no single fingering is appropriate for every situation. In fact, the most effective fingering for any specific passage will be related to musical issues, not technical ones. Some scale fingerings, however, prove to be useful in a great many situations…

8. Getting to Know Your Bass: All About the Neck

In part one of Getting to Know Your Bass, we discussed the importance of knowing what the tone knobs do on your instrument. Now, we’ll continue our discussion by learning about how your instrument’s neck influences where, what and how you play. We’ll begin with scale length and how it may impact your tone…

9. AC Guitars Introduces Skelf R Type Bass and ACG EQ03 Preamp

AC Guitars has done it again with the Skelf R Type, a new model designed to be used with a fanned fret board with the scale running from 36? to 33?. Built by luthier Alan Cringean, the custom basses are available in a variety of exotic and domestic woods…

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Bass Play-Along

Hal Leonard has added a new edition to their Bass Play-Along series, with the release of Red Hot Chili Peppers: Bass Play-Along (Vol. 42). The 80 page book offers up tab for nine Flea bass lines, with the standard enhanced audio CD that is included with each book in this series…