Archive for 2014 - Page 99

Years after the original was discontinued, Digitech is reintroducing the Bass Whammy pedal. The updated pitch-shifting pedal is optimized for bass guitar tones and retains its classic settings while introducing new true bypass and MIDI operation. Digitech says the Bass Whammy is ideal for 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses and has very accurate pitch detection and polyphonic note tracking. It...

If the first step in acquiring control of our vibrato is to obtain a smooth motion that we can turn on or off at will, then the next step is to gain control over the speed and width of the vibrato. Being able to adjust the speed and width of a vibrato is indeed a valuable skill. Having this kind...

I hung out with Evan Marien for a while during the NAMM Show, and he told me I must check out bassist Panagiotis Andreou. I later got the chance to meet Panagiotis and asked him to send me some videos. It was nearly impossible to pick one, but in the end, I decided on this one by Now Vs Now....

NAMM week means the gear stories start flooding in. We had a handful ready in time for the show and loads more coming… And as is the case, gear coverage reigns supreme in late January. Add to that some really epic videos and some popular how-to’s, and you have one top 10 list worth checking out. Thanks for reading, watching,...

Squier has teamed up with Eva Gardner to introduce a new signature Precision bass. Gardner was the original bassist for The Mars Volta and has continued to work with artists ranging from Veruca Salt to Pink. The Squier Eva Gardner Precision Bass is built with a basswood body finished in gloss black, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard sporting...

It wouldn’t be NAMM without a performance by this epic duo. This year, Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey took the stage and did their take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”

Meshell Ndegeocello has a new signature bass from Reverend Guitars, aptly named the Meshell Ndegecello Fellowship Bass. Based on the Reverend Thundergun, the bass features set neck construction with a raised center ridge and reverse headstock. The Fellowship bass is fitted with the company’s new P-Blade pickup, which they say extends low end and clarity. Its controls include a single...

Miles Mosley is the epitome of cool. Add drummer Tony Austin and it’s an unstoppable duo. Here’s a video of the master musicians doing their thing on the song “The Mighty HRP.”

I love Opeth, so when our friend Yuval Raz sent in this video of his bass cover of “To Bid You Farewell,” I knew it was going to be good. Raz covers the whole tune, which appeared on 1996’s Morningrise, including the bass line, melody, and harmony. Overall, the version has four channels of bass recorded on the bassist’s Ken...

DragonForce’s Fred Leclercq has a new bass from ESP’s LTD Signature Series. As opposed to his previous ESP signature, the ESP LTD Signature Series Fred Leclercq FL-204 features bolt-on construction with a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and a mahogany body finished in Snow White Satin with graphics. The bass has a 34″ scale and 24 XJ frets. Its neck has...

We first met luthier Pierre Erizias at the 2010 Summer NAMM Show in Nashville. I was so floored by his basses and his story that it led us to create our Custom Shop series of interviews with bass builders. Recently, he sent me a photo of one of his latest single cut basses, and I had to find out more....

There are plenty of musicians who call themselves multi-instrumentalists, but Chuks Okpu is the real deal. Steve Bailey, who has been working with Okpu at Berklee, sent us this video for the song “Chuk for Chick,” which is inspired by Chick Corea. Okpu lays down the drums, keys, double bass, and electric bass with an incredible groove and level of...