Archive for April 2013 - Page 6
Joshua Pickenpaugh: Threelle
Joshua Pickenpaugh sent us this video of a tune he recorded back in 2011, while in his cabin aboard the largest cruise ship at sea, the Oasis of the Seas. Armed with his Vintage Modified Jazz bass, his Chapman Stick (1997 Purpleheart #1397) and GarageBand on the iPad, Joshua put together a pretty interesting tune. And at times, a very...
Fender Unveils Cabronita Precision Bass
Fender has announced the Cabronita Precision bass, a take on their original bass model with a flair from their Cabronita series. The bass sports an alder body that comes in 2-color sunburst, black, or Candy Apple Red. The Cabronita Precision Bass is fitted with a single FideliTron humbucking bass pickup with classic Volume and Tone controls. Its maple neck has...
Ashdown Introduces Dr. Green Series Bass Effects Pedals
Ashdown has introduced the Dr. Green series to their lineup of bass effects pedals. The lineup includes five effects: the Octa Dose (Octaver), the Bearded Lady (Fuzz), the Doctor’s Note (Envelope Filter), Bass Verb (Reverb), and the Aspirin (Compressor). Handmade in the UK, the pedals are housed in steel stompboxes and feature true bypass. Ashdown Dr. Green Octa Dose Bass...
Refresh Yourself: Some Thoughts on Musical Growth
As we grow and develop as bassists, we tend to go through different stages of learning. Sometimes we feel inspired and creative, other times we feel as if we’ve plateaued or burnt out. During the good times, it’s easy to find new concepts to work on, specific ideas to write about, or ways to make headway during practice sessions. During...
Adam Ben Ezra: “Can’t Stop Running” Collaboration with Gianni Bardaro
Last July, we shared Adam Ben Ezra‘s impressive solo performance of “Can’t Stop Running“. Adam created a new video from that one, thanks to a long distance collaboration with saxophonist Gianni Bardaro, who is based in Denmark. Once again, Adam blows us away with his playing, his creativity and his amazing video productions.
Alfred Music Releases Two New Led Zeppelin Platinum Bass Titles
Alfred Music is getting the led out with two new titles in their Platinum Bass Guitar series. Led Zeppelin: I Platinum Bass Guitar and Led Zeppelin: II Platinum Bass Guitar combine to offer up transcriptions of John Paul Jones’ bass lines on 17 across both albums. Both books include both standard notation and tab for the bass lines, plus the...
Bass of the Week: SimpleBass e4 Fretless Bass
After 20 years of playing a fretless Jazz Bass, Italian bassist Roberto Musso decided it was time to spice things up. That’s when he designed the SimpleBass e4, a 4-string fretless model with an extended fingerboard and a sleek body shape. The result is a lightweight, balanced bass. “Having some more fret space would have been a real help in...
Old School: 1958 Fender Precision Bass
When we first met Phil Smallwood, he mentioned to us something about his old gear. The next day, he showed up at No Treble HQ with a 1958 Fender Precision Bass. We tried to figure out a way to ask him if we could borrow it, but opted instead to get some photos and the story behind it so we...
Marta Altesa: Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go Away” Play-Along
When we first featured bassist Marta Altesa, she knocked us out with her Jamiroquai play-along. The video showcased her great playing, but what really blew us away was the fact she started playing bass less than three years ago. Marta stunned us again with a new a new video of her playing along to Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go Away”....
Marcus Miller Selling Personal Basses For UNESCO Project
Just when you thought Marcus Miller couldn’t get any cooler, he tops himself. The legendary bassist was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace last month, and is now selling off several of his personal basses to help fund a special project with the organization. “Several years ago I decided against using my primary bass on tour,” Miller explained on his...
Bergantino Introduces CN Series Bass Cabinets
High-end bass cabinet manufacturer Bergantino Audio Systems has announced their new CN Series of bass cabs, consisting of 1×12? and 2×12? configurations. The line marks the company’s return to lightweight designs as the cabs feature woofers with neodymium magnets. Other common features include a high intelligibility tweeter, a custom phase-coherent crossover, a tweeter control, and a frequency response of 40Hz...
Do I Really Need to Go To Music School?
Q:I’m a bass player from Mexico and I am currently studying in Paris and looking for some gigs. I am a little overwhelmed right now by school, which is a jazz-oriented school. I like jazz, but I feel a little forced to learn licks and that stuff. I’m not saying I’m the greatest bass player or anything, but I don’t...