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Archive for August 2012 - Page 10

I Wish I Knew That: Making The Music Better
I Wish I Knew That

I Wish I Knew That: Making The Music Better

Let’s face it, sometimes we find ourselves in not-so-ideal playing situations. In a perfect world, we would always have our favorite drummer on the gig and could lock in and groove all night long. We would never have to compete with the busy left hand of a keyboard player, stay alert during the 15-minute guitar solo, or back up a...

Cliff Burton: Metallica’s “Orion” Isolated Bass
Bass Videos

Cliff Burton: Metallica’s “Orion” Isolated Bass

“Orion” is a heavy metal masterpiece, mostly due to the incredible bass work by the late Cliff Burton. Released on the groundbreaking 1986 album Master of Puppets, the instrumental track is the band’s most progressive work up to that point. Burton plays “lead bass” throughout, with in-your-face distortion and wicked solos. The interlude changes the feel completely with the bassist...

Agile Partners Introduce AmpKit Version 1.4, with Ashdown Amp Model
Apps

Agile Partners Introduce AmpKit Version 1.4, with Ashdown Amp Model

AmpKit, the popular amp modeling app for iOS, has been updated with Version 1.4. The new incarnation introduces two new pedals and two new amplifiers including modeling of the Ashdown ABM-900 and its matching 8×10 cabinet. The second in AmpKit’s bass amp series, the Ashdown rig replicates all the features of the real ABM-900. Besides the company’s signature VU meter,...

Bass of the Week: Nordstrand NX5
Bass of the Week

Bass of the Week: Nordstrand NX5

I’ll admit it – I’m a sucker for boutique top woods. That’s why I had to do a double take when I saw Nordstrand’s first NX5 Bolt-on bass guitar. Its spalted maple top and matching headstock have a gorgeous textural look with striking light and dark contrasts thanks to the spalting, which is naturally created in wood by fungi. Equally...

Transcription: “No Woman, No Cry” Solo Bass Arrangement
Transcriptions

Transcription: “No Woman, No Cry” Solo Bass Arrangement

This great version of the Bob Marley classic “No Woman, No Cry” was arranged by popular YouTube bassist Viaceslav Svedov, a talented young musician known for his hard-hitting covers of popular bass-driven songs.

Won’t Get Fooled Again: John Entwistle’s Isolated Bass (Live, 1978)
Bass Videos

Won’t Get Fooled Again: John Entwistle’s Isolated Bass (Live, 1978)

Has there ever been anyone cooler than John Entwistle? I don’t think so, and here’s Exhibit A – the Ox’s isolated bass from “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, performed live in Shepperton, UK in 1978.

Arild Andersen Steps Out Front With “Celebration”
New Albums

Arild Andersen Steps Out Front With “Celebration”

For more than four decades, Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen has been a foundation in the sound of ECM Records. His recordings for the label include work with Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Motian and many others. Now, the bassist has just released Celebration, an album consisting of music from ECM’s catalog. The six track collection features Andersen as the lead...

Alembic Unveils Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe 5-String Bass
Basses

Alembic Unveils Stanley Clarke Signature Deluxe 5-String Bass

Stanley Clarke will be stretching out a bit more with the introduction of his new Alembic Signature Deluxe 5-string bass, which the company will offer in their signature series. Tuned E to C, the step from a 4- to a 5-string bass allows for playing Clarke’s songs written for tenor bass as well as everything written for traditional tuning. Clarke...

How and Why Woods Affect Your Bass Sound
Ask Damian Erskine

How and Why Woods Affect Your Bass Sound

Q: Experience and all instrument makers tell us that the choice of wood affects the sound of a bass. Of course we know and feel the difference of alder vs. ash bodies, ebony vs. rosewood vs. maple fingerboards, and so many other differences. But, do we know why exactly this affects the amplified sound? What we deal with are metal...

James Jamerson: “Bernadette” Isolated Bass
Bass Videos

James Jamerson: “Bernadette” Isolated Bass

This wouldn’t be much of an “isolated bass week” without including the legend, James Jamerson. So here’s a (mostly) isolated bass track from the 1967 Four Tops hit, “Bernadette”. There’s some disagreement about whether this is the bass on the actually released single, or if it is an out-take from the Motown vault. Doesn’t matter to us… it is still...

Top 10: The Best of No Treble – Top Bass Gear, Lessons and Stories for July 2012
Top Ten

Top 10: The Best of No Treble – Top Bass Gear, Lessons and Stories for July 2012

At the end of every month, we take a look at the most read articles on No Treble. So it only makes sense that we make a top 10 list from there. We lost one of the great bass legends of our time last month, with the passing of Bob Babbitt, who takes the #1 slot for most read in...