Archive for April 2014 - Page 4

I’ve said it before… by far, my favorite work by John Mayer is with his trio, thanks to Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan backing him up. Here’s the trio in 2005 performing a bonus jam at the end of a concert, including “Chicken Grease” and “Cissy Strut”. Each band member gets his own showcase, making this even better.

A live performance from the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, led by double bassist John Clayton, his sax-playing brother Jeff and drummer Jeff Hamilton reveals the distinct pleasures of not only listening to the orchestra, but also two beloved L.A. vocalists. The pair — Ernie Andrews and Barbara Morrison — are the treasures referred to in the album’s title, The L.A. Treasures...

Carvin has unveiled a new line of basses called the Vanquish Series, which the company calls a “radical departure from traditional bass guitars.” Available in 4-, 5-, and 6-string versions, the new model is built with a beveled body for comfort and a 5-bolt neck for increased body/neck contact. Standard features on the series include an alder body, a tung-oiled...

Willy González is one of my favorite bassists. His unique approach draws from traditional Latin American folk styles with strumming and fingerstyle techniques on his 6-string bass. Here’s Willy performing the song “29 Mineros de San Albino”:

There comes a time for every bassist where they feel they’re in a rut or have hit a plateau in their playing and creativity. It happens to the best of us. Bassist and No Treble contributor Damian Erskine’s new book The Improvisor’s Path is a surefire way to get yourself back into high gear. While Erskine’s first instructional book, Right...

Our good friend Sylvain Gros-Desormeaux delivers once again with a incredible video he’s shared with us. “This band Patax has some serious stuff. DIG THAT TONE!!! The bassist is really amazing. I hope you guys will enjoy watching this an share it to the readers.” That bassist is Alain Perez, who also handles vocal improvisation in this performance of their...

Deathcore band Emmure has released its seventh album, . The record from the New York-based group, featuring bassist Mark Davis, is being billed as the “most aggressive, brutal and devastating of their career.” You can hear if that’s true on the album track, “Like LaMotta”: Eternal Enemies is available on and as a digital download ( and ). Eternal Enemies...

This week we check out the Evolution 4 Custom by Helios Guitars. Made in Italy, the bass is completely handcrafted to benefit its tonal qualities. “Various instruments benefit the typical industry process of precision (in the cut, calibration, painting etc.),” Helios writes, “but suffer the stress of the prime material through the carving phases: high temperatures can be reached by...

After featuring a beautiful 1969 Fender Precision Bass in our Old School series, Tim Wolfe, Jr. sent us a note about his 1962 Precision. Not only is this one great looking bass, the story is equally terrific. Tim’s grandfather gave him the bass after playing it for years. Here’s the story… How long have you owned it? Around a decade...

Armin Metz has created a piece of art with his latest video for his song “Infin.” Using harmonics and a long reverb, Metz builds an ethereal soundscape with a minimalist video of just himself and his bass.

Three years after selling Lakland Basses to a private investment group, Dan Lakin is getting back into the bass building business. His new company, D. Lakin Basses, is launching two new models that with his signature artists Joe Osborn and Bob Glaub. The Joe Osborn 4 is defined by a pair of single coil D. Lakin pickups with a 1.5″...

Q: I’ve been having some trouble with time. I can keep time and play in time with a metronome or with drummers I know well, but when I play with other drummers who are a little more ahead of me, it’s harder for me to keep time. It happens too when I’m playing Latin music. What do you recommend? A:...