Best of 2013: The Top 10 Reader Favorite Bass Strings, Pickups & Accessories
Ah, the all-important bass accessories. From strings to pickups to headphones and more, we typically geek out when we find the latest and greatest items for the gig bag. Plus one or two harder-to-categorize gear.
These 10 stories were the most popular in those categories on No Treble in 2013.
1. Fender Precision and Jazz Bass Replacement Bodies and Necks
Fender has announced a new line of replacement bodies and necks, produced at their manufacturing facilities in both Corona, California and Mexico. The parts come with the exact specifications as those used in their full American and Standard series instruments…
2. Misa Tri-Bass MIDI Controller
Australian company Misa is all about enabling live bands to play electronic music, and their new Tri-Bass is a great example of that. The Misa Tri-Bass is a MIDI controller built for use with synthesizers or computers while fundamentally feeling like a bass…
3. Expanding Hands Music and Tony Levin Funk Fingers
Funk Fingers are available once again thanks to a licensing agreement between Tony Levin and Expanding Hands Music. Levin invented the Funk Fingers after mimicking his intro to Peter Gabriel’s “Big Time,” in which drummer Jerry Marotta played Levin’s bass strings with his drumsticks while the bassist fingered the notes with his left hand…
4. DR Strings K3 NEON Hi-Def Multi-Color Bass String Sets
DR’s NEON string series is now even more colorful with the introduction of the K3 NEON Hi-Def Multi-Color Bass String sets. The coated strings are bright in daylight as well as black light active and glow under UV lighting. DR points out that besides visual appeal, multi-colored strings are a good tool to improve learning…
5. Sadowsky Onboard Bass Preamp Assembly
Sadowsky has introduced a new onboard bass preamp that comes prewired and offers the same controls and preamp as all Sadowsky basses. The controls include Volume, Pan, Vintage Tone Control, Treble, and Bass. Pulling up on the tone control bypasses the preamp…
6. Phil Jones Bass H-850 Headphones
Phil Jones Bass has introduced the H-850 headphones, a pair of headphones designed with bassists in mind the company says bridges the gap between “high-quality music and deep clear bass.” Designed for practice, studio and casual listening, the set utilizes 40mm neodymium magnets and closed back acoustic loading for clear sound reproduction…
7. DR Strings White NEON Hi-Def Bass Strings
DR Strings has added to their NEON line of bass strings with the NEON Hi-Def White set. The strings, which are white in color, are black light active for a bright appearance and feature DR’s K3 coating for extended life. DR is offering the strings in Lite and Medium gauges for 4- and 5-string basses…
8. EARasers Instant Fit Musicians Earplugs
EARasers has a new set of earplugs for musicians which provides an instant fit to your ear. The plugs’ design features a soft medical-grade silicone that creates a “smart seal” instead of requiring impressions of your ear to be made…
GFS Pickups has announced new REDactive series of pickups, including Jazz and P Bass styles. The pickups are low impedance, noiseless models with internal preamplifiers. Each pickup is vintage voiced and “position calibrated” by their coils and the internal preamplifier…
10. Headway Music Audio EDB-2 and EDM-1 Preamps
Headway Music Audio has expanded their range of acoustic preamps with the EDB-2 and EDM-1, a pair of preamps that will replace the company’s flagship EDB-1 EQ Direct Blend Preamp. Both of the new preamps are designed for acoustic instruments, including upright bass and acoustic bass guitar…
