Archive for October 2014 - Page 2

U2 bassist Adam Clayton has teamed up with Fender to create a new signature bass. The veteran rocker’s new axe is take on his 1965 Jazz with a few tweaks. “I played (my Sherwood Green 1965 Jazz Bass) a lot on the ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ tour and I really love it,” Clayton said in a press release....

We’re celebrating the birthday of Richard Bona today at No Treble HQ, and this video is just perfect for it. So upbeat, so impressive… and like everything Mr. Bona does – so musical. Enjoy this live performance, filmed during the 2014 Safaricom International Jazz Festival. Happy birthday, Richard!

Led Zeppelin’s year-long releases of remastered versions of its studio albums continue with the iconic (also known as Zoso to many) from 1971 and from 1973. The remastering and assembly of the sets were overseen by Zeppelin guitarist/producer Jimmy Page. These albums show the band, featuring superstar bassist John Paul Jones, at what some would argue was its height —...

This week we take a look at the MIA, a custom fretless P-style bass built by Serbian luthier Milos Tomisic. The design is the brainchild of bassist Marko Cvetkovic, who put his work talents to use for his musical endeavors. “After some planning, [Tomisic] decided to start his own model line and that’s where we started to cooperate,” Cvetkovic writes....

Back in January, bassist Josh Cohen shared his terrific story in our Reader Spotlight series. Josh is back with this new video of him performing a solo bass arrangement of the Toots Thielemans standard, “Bluesette”. “Bluesette” was first recorded by Toots in 1962, with him whistling and playing guitar in unison. Here’s the original from The Whistler & His Guitar:

After introducing it at the NAMM show this year, Keeley Electronics is now readying to ship the Bassist Compressor. Described as an affordable studio-grade dbx compressor in stompbox format, the pedal is built around the THAT Corporation 4320 integrated circuit that utilizes voltage controlled amplifiers, an on-board true-RMS detector, and high performance op-amps. The Bassist works as a compressor as...

The word of the week on No Treble was gear. No Treble readers enjoyed stories on the new Federico Malaman Signature Bass by Laurus, the updated Vox amPlug G2 Bass Headphone Amp, Kevin’s review of Fender’s American Standard Dimension Bass IV HH, and the Bass of the Week. Dr. D and Damian Erskine shared their expert advice in their columns,...

A classic bass is getting a limited edition contemporary makeover. Höfner has announced two new versions of their German-built Violin Bass featuring composite material in place of their typically rosewood fingerboards. “Traditionally most fingerboards have been faced with Rosewood or Ebony, but these are becoming restricted in use in some countries as world wood resources dwindle or there is a...

Renaud Garcia-Fons never ceases to amaze me. Here’s another fantastic performance of his song “Bajo de Guia,” taken from his DVD The Marcevol Concert. Garcia-Fons has an insane amount of facility on the bass, especially in thumb position. His gypsy/flamenco style proves his rhythmic mastery, which is taken even further with his foot-tapping pattern.

Nothing seemed to work at Joy Division’s February 28, 1980 performance at The Warehouse in Preston, England. The amps failed and instruments went in and out. But somehow, the band coaxed an inspiring performance out of rotten circumstances. The rough bass sound created by Peter Hook that night is one of the performance’s selling points. It’s a latter-day performance from...

If you’ve been enjoying Vulpeck’s latest album, Fugue State*, I bet you’ll really enjoy watching the guys recording the album too. “First Place” is their fourth video released in support of the album. The tune was written by the multi-talented Jack Stratton, who plays piano on the track. As always, Joe Dart is laying it down on bass, with some...

We have lost one of the titans of music and bass. Jack Bruce has passed away at the age of 71, reportedly of liver disease. According to BBC, Bruce’s publicist has confirmed the news, and the family has issued this statement on the bass legend’s official website: “It is with great sadness that we, Jack’s family, announce the passing of...