Archive for December 2012 - Page 7

Here’s a sweet video of bassist Pete Griffin playing along with the track “Cornelius Drives a Truck.” The song comes from the debut album of Griffin’s band, Gryphon Labs. Griffin, who was a member of Zappa Plays Zappa and recently sat in with Dethklok, utilizes lots of cool techniques while keeping it musical. For the gear heads, the bass is...

Bassist Eric Beaule 30+ year run as a bassist has found him playing a wide variety of music in a variety of settings. But it was during a four-year stint with a recording studio that Beaule started really focusing on the art of transcribing tunes. That was out of necessity, as the studio’s band was tasked with recreating loads of...

The Gus Guitars G3 is an awesome bass with futuristic aesthetic. First introduced as a 4-string model in 1996, the G3 follows the company’s G1 guitar and is constructed using a special carbon fiber over cedar technique for the body with chrome plated aluminum tube for the horns. While the features are extraordinary, they’re far from arbitrary. Gus Guitars proprietor...

Mastodon is one of my favorite bands to see live, mostly due to bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders’ incredible, raw energy and beastly tone. Here’s a great clip of the group on Later… with Jools Holland, performing “Black Tongue” from The Hunter.

Demeter Amplification has introduced VTBP-201-800D and HBP-1-800D, a pair of powered preamplifiers that take the company’s existing HBP-1 and VTBP-201 bass preamps and match them with 800 Watt Class D amplifiers. The units feature Jensen transformers to completely isolate the pre and power amp sections, which they say allow for noiseless operation. The preamp can also still be used on...

Evan Marien brings the bass goodness once again with this soulful bass cover of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights”.

Spector has reintroduced the NS-5 to their USA Neck-Thru Series of basses. First made between 1987 and 1990 during the company’s Kramer era, the new NS-5 retains the same features while offering current Spector build options. Its neck is a 3-piece laminate of Rock Maple fitted with AAAA figured maple body wings or optional exotic top wings (Buckeye Burl shown)....

Few names are as ubiquitous in the jazz community as John Clayton. As a prominent bassist, arranger, and composer, Clayton’s incredible musicianship has kept him busy since he was a teen with artists like Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Queen Latifah, DeeDee Bridgwater, and Dr. John, just to name a few. Most recently he collaborated with Paul McCartney for Macca’s Kisses...

Andres Rotmistrovsky has shared one of his latest videos with us, where he teamed up with vocalist Angela Watson and performed this nifty arrangement of “Change The World”. (The tune, of course, is a cover of the one by Eric Clapton and Babyface). Andres’ bass is the perfect accompaniment to Angela’s vocals, proving yet again how incredible versatile our instrument...

The holidays will be getting a little funkier with the release of Merry Christmas from the Jayme Lewis Band. The four-song EP is the bassist’s offering to spread a little cheer. “We through this fun little project together for you to enjoy this holiday season!” Lewis wrote. “We hope you like these classic Christmas tunes that we took a few...

Q: I have been playing upright for about a year and wanted to know what I can do about developing speed. I mostly play jazz and at the college I go to it seems like everyone wants to play uptempo tunes (Charlie Parker, Rhythm Changes, etc.) I feel as though I’m falling behind trying to stay with the tempo and...

Adam Nitti recently shared this video on his Facebook page from a concert with the Tom Hemby Band at Nashville’s Third & Lindsley. Nitti and drummer Keith Carlock add all the grease to the tune with a laid back yet compelling groove. The rest of the band is filled out by guitarist Hemby, saxophonist Mark Douthit and keyboardist Michael Whittaker.