Archive for January 2015 - Page 3

Aguilar unveiled a new pedal at this year’s NAMM Show this year called the Fuzzistor. The bass fuzz pedal features a classic silicone transistor distortion circuit for a retro, fuzzy ’70s tone. The Fuzzistor allows for dialing in your tone with Level, Blend, Tone, and Fuzz controls. Aguilar says the Fuzz control ranges from “subtle to crushing,” while the Blend...

I’ve run into bassist Or Lubianiker a few times during the NAMM Show and Bass Bash. He’s always been one of our favorite bass players around here, now he’s one of our favorite humans. Or just shared the latest from Project RnL – an ambitious band with a ton of talent. This is “Twisted Truth”, which takes many forms throughout...

Every now and then, the car radio takes me by surprise. A station spins just the right song to pique my insatiable curiosity as I sit in traffic, easing the pain of running late by distracting me with a sing-along. An Elton John song is no anomaly when it comes to commercial radio, and for good reason… a tune like...

Brazilian fusion trio No-Metric is back at it with a new video for their song “Risk Factor.” Anchored by bassist Fernando Molinari, the song keeps you on edge with a mix of heavy riffs and ear bending harmonies. Molinari takes a ridiculous solo starting at the 2:04 mark with some insane tapping and lightning fast licks.

Orange Amplifiers has announced the OB1 Series of class A/B rack mountable bass amplifiers. The amps are based on recent bi-amping trends, the company says. “For years bassists have been combining guitar and bass amps to remarkable effect, adding harmonics and layers of overdrive from a guitar amp to their core bass tone in pursuit of the ultimate live sound,”...

Every once in a while a product comes along that totally reimagines a piece of gear that most of us take for granted. In the world of gig bags, that product is the Gruv Gear GigBlade. The main idea behind the GigBlade is economy of space and weight distribution. Most gig bags have backpack straps for carrying on your back,...

The No Treble Crew is in Anaheim, California to cover all the bass-related news from the 2015 Winter NAMM Show. Be sure to check in throughout the show and in the days following for the most complete coverage from the world of bass.

We’ve featured plenty of great videos from Craig Butterfield over the years, so when the double bassist sends an email I get excited. This video is a bit of a different context from his previous ones and showcases Butterfield in a duo with mandolinist Jesse Jones on the tune “Gas Station.” The duo find a nice groove with a warm,...

Jazz bassist Steve Swallow has released his latest album, , in a trio with tenor sax player Ohad Talmor and drummer Adam Nussbaum. The record was recorded back in June 2012. Swallow (known for his work as a composer and band leader and with Carla Bley, Gary Burton and the John Scofield Trio) has three compositions on the album, one...

Q: I have been practicing two-handed taping and can’t get independence between left and right hand. Specifically, I can’t play rhythm patterns with my fretting hand and independently play harmony with the plucking hand. Can you suggest some workout for this kind of problem? A: While I have very limited experience with two-handed tapping, I do have experience with working...

Anthony Jackson is an absolute master of the bass. Besides creating some of the most memorable bass lines ever, he has deeply explored harmony and timbre on the instrument. Here’s a jaw-dropping performance of “Water Ways Flow Backward Again” with pianist Akiko Yano and drummer Cliff Almond from 1999 that proves the depth of his understanding. Yano and Jackson kick...

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ second album, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo, has been . The 1991 instrumental album, which hit the top spot on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, features the always amazing Victor Wooten on bass in the band led by banjo virtuoso Fleck. The vinyl reissue also includes a free MP3 download of the record. Unfamiliar with...