Archive for 2014 - Page 96

Radial Engineering has updated their ToneBone series of pedals with the Bassbone OD, a bass preamp with two input channels and a built-in overdrive. The new pedal builds on the original Bassbone with several new features in addition to the overdrive such as a mute footswitch and the option to keep the effects loop active at all times. Each channel...

Songwriter Simon Wood Harris has been busy working on a project with some awesome musicians and goals. Described as “the pursuit of dynamic energy, the hope of the edge of perfection and the promise of an insight into the minds of the great musicians,” SWH’s Unidentified Flying Project has put out their first video. “[I] started to consider the idea...

Jazz fusion band The Funky Knuckles has a true Dallas sound, according to bassist and band leader Wes Stephenson. “It’s the feel for funk, hip-hop and gospel, to which we add the elements of jazz and improvisation,” Stephenson tells The Dallas Morning News. The second album from the group composed of seasoned music industry sidemen (Stephenson has performed with Erykah...

Each year, Warwick releases the latest in their Limited Edition series of basses, and this year the company has announced the 2014 Limited Edition Fortress Bass. The model, which comes in 4- and 5-string versions, is limited to only 100 instruments in the world. The bass is built around a swamp ash body with a stunning 3/8″ birdseye poplar top...

Q: I’m a bass player in Chicago. I’m 17 and have been playing for 10 years. I’ve always wanted to be a bass player and I always will be. I wanted to ask you about being a bass player in today’s society. When you listen to interviews with older bass players, they say they played in a couple bands, did...

Bassist Marcelo Yakko sent us this wonderful tune he wrote and recorded on his album, Pulse. As a bonus, the great Stuart Hamm plays on the track as well, including taking a solo. Marcelo indicates through the video which bassist is taking the lead. Such a great tune, with double the bass goodness. Check out more from Marcelo on his...

So what do you call a group with one bass, one guitar, and a beat provided by a tambourine-type thing? You’d call it Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang, composed of Primus leader/bass monster Claypool and guitarist Bryan Kehoe. It’s a departure from Primus’ freewheeling, iconoclastic funk — kind of. Duo de Twang’s first album , is, as you would imagine...

This week, the spotlight is on a musician named Jonny Southern. Jonny is a man of few words, as you’ll see. But his words cracked us up. His attitude impressed us too. So this was an easy choice for us to make him the No Treble reader in the spotlight for the week of February 3, 2014. Bio: My name...

Today we’re going to dive in to some more intermediate level slap bass techniques. This lesson builds upon topics we’ve covered in the past, including beginning slap bass patterns and techniques, the double thumb technique and shakes. Follow along with the video and the transcription – standard notation and tab included. For the gear heads, I’m playing my Sandberg MarloweDK...

Our Facebook friend Ricardo Franco sent us this killer video of bassist Alissia Benveniste leading a band with her song “Let it Out.” The super catchy tune features her on bass and vocals. Alissia has got some serious groove!

The music community is coming to the aid of jazz bassist Doug Potter, who was left in a coma after a brutal attack in New Orleans. Potter had just finished playing a gig at Cafe Beignet on Bourbon Street when two men assaulted him as he carried his bass back to his car. The incident was caught on video and...

Yamaha was showing off their new TRBX series of basses at this year’s Winter NAMM show. Combining elements of their former TRB and RBX lines, the new basses come in 300 and 500 levels with differing controls and pickups. All of the instruments sport a mahogany body and a five-piece maple/mahogany neck. The 500-level basses include the TRBX504 and TRBX505,...