Archive for April 2013

Meet Charley Sabatino, a bassist from New York who has an impressive resume and a great answer to the “superpower” question. We love his story for why he plays the bass… thanks to John Entwistle. Charley is our player in the spotlight for the week of April 29, 2013. Bio: I am a veteran bassist with more than 35 years...

Another month ends, but that means good news around here: it is time for another top 10 gear list! Our usual disclaimer applies: may cause G.A.S. Here are the top ten most read, commented and shared bass gear stories on No Treble for the month of April 2013. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Fender Unveils Cabronita Precision Bass...

There’s just no way to describe just how epic Christian McBride is on bass. This video does him justice though. Herbie Hancock was featured on Elvis Costello’s “Spectacle” TV show back in February 2009. As part of the show, Herbie took the stage with McBride and drummer Karriem Riggins and performed “Watermelon Man”. The music starts around the 3:53 mark....

Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton has left the band’s current tour due to illness, Yahoo reports. The bassist got a chest infection and has flown home to recuperate while the veteran rockers carry on with David Hull in his place. Hull, who previously sat in for Hamilton in 2006 while he was recovering from throat cancer, is expected to finish out the...

DBZ Guitars is now shipping the Hailfire bass, available in Standard and Flame Maple versions. The company describes the new model as “classic-meets-modern”, with an old school body shape that’s been reshaped with modern contours and balancing. The Hailfire features neck-thru construction with a 34? scale. Its body and neck are mahogany, while the fingerboard is rosewood with block inlays....

For quite some time, my go-to tuner app for iOS has been ClearTune (see my earlier review). So when I was asked to check out insTuner, I figured that if nothing else, I would be able to write a review about it. As it turns out, I’m switching iOS tuners. insTuner is a fantastically pleasing tuner to use. Not only...

No Treble reader John Stam sent us a video by Aram Bedrosian, remarking how Aram “is a master of chords, and hauntingly melodic playing…” The video he recommended was Aram’s performance of his original tune, “A Dark Light”, which we shared about two years ago. But that took me down the path of exploring more by Aram, and I stumbled...

The United States Air Force Band has announced an immediate vacancy for the bass chair in their premier jazz ensemble, the Airmen of Note, as longtime bassist Paul Henry steps down from his tenure. The position requires that bassists play both acoustic and electric bass in a big band setting in a variety of styles, including swing, bebop, latin, and...

Squier is adding to their Affinity Series this year with a new Precision Bass PJ model. Building on a traditional P-bass style, the new bass includes a single-coil Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge position for further tonal variety. Other new features include a two-color headstock logo and a three-ply black/white/black pickguard. The Affinity Series Precision Bass PJ is built...

Jeff Berlin has followed up his last release, High Standards, with another standards-focused album. Low Standards offers up lesser-known charts, with acoustic bassist/pianist Richard Drexler and drummer Mike Clark. This is a record which finds Berlin stretching out. “I wanted to play on a four stringed electric bass as a guitarist or pianist might play in the same situation,” Berlin...

Back in December, we shared the story of a new project with Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy and Richie Kotzen. We now know the group’s name is The Winery Dogs, and their debut album will be released next month in Japan. Dates for the rest of the world are to be determined. The band has released their first video, performing the...

Here are the top 10 most viewed stories and videos by No Treble readers for the week of April 21-27, 2013. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Fender Introduces Classic Series Precision and Jazz Basses with Lacquer Finishes Fender has expanded their bass lineup with the Classic Series ’60’s Jazz Bass Lacquer and Classic Series ’50s Precision Bass Lacquer....