Archive for 2012 - Page 59

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. Equally impressive is the 7-piece thru neck made of rock maple and purple heart, which is topped by an ebony fingerboard. And if that’s not enough,...

For Kevin Brubaker, an aesthetic mod led to a lifetime of luthiery. Coupling his need to tweak his bass with his background in woodworking, he soon started building his own basses. Since his start nearly 30 years ago, Brubaker has created over a thousand custom instruments. Brubaker Guitars often feature distinctive book-matched tops with exotic woods and extraordinary finishes that...

Tribal Tech took on Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof” in this live performance. And it grooooooves. As an added bonus, there’s plenty of focus on bassist Gary Willis‘ technique, which is as impressive as always.

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. The audio provides the opportunity to hear the bass...

3Leaf Audio has refreshed their product line with the introduction of the Wonderlove Envelope Filter, which takes place of the company’s flagship GR2. The new stompbox benefits from four years of tweaking the original design and offers the same basic filter sound of its predecessor while making it “deeper and juicier.” Powered by a 9V DC adapter, the Wonderlove has...

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 and 4. I find African,...

In my opinion, “Little Wing” is one of the greatest tunes of all time. Covered so many times, here’s another guitar legend, Jeff Beck – who experienced the magic of Hendrix live at the Isle of Wight – performing his tribute at the same venue. Bassist Rhonda Smith lays down the perfect bass line behind Beck, with some seriously gutsy...

Lick Library is now shipping a new instructional DVD by Phil Williams entitled Learn to Play Rock Basslines. Aimed at beginner to intermediate players, the video guides you through 20 rock songs ranging from Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” to Muse’s “Hysteria.” “It’s 20 of the classic rock basslines that I consider to be landmarks in bass playing,” Williams explains. “A...

Meet Chris Robinson, a bassist from New Hampshire who has played in bands as diverse as we’ve seen. Chris is our player in the spotlight for the week of June 19, 2012. (You can be next!) Bio: I’ve been playing bass since I was twelve. Since I picked up my first four string, I’ve played in almost every setting and...

Guitarist Mike Stern’s new record All Over the Place features a veritable smorgasbord of bass talent: Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Victor Wooten, Anthony Jackson, Dave Holland, Tom Kennedy, Will Lee and Victor Bailey. Like a kid in the rhythm section candy shop, Stern audibly delights in playing with these guys. Further, the quality of Stern’s writing, the variety of grooves...

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. Hard to believe this is 36 years...

Medeski, Martin and Wood have announced a Fall tour covering the Northeast U.S. Kicking off at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Massachusetts, the trek takes the jazz-infused jam band through Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The trio will be performing acoustic sets throughout, with Chris Wood laying it down on the...