Archive for February 2015 - Page 8

Boss has introduced the BB-1X Bass Driver, a compact pedal that employs the company’s MDP technology to offer sounds ranging from natural clean tone to a heavy distortion. Beyond a drive pedal, the BB-1X has EQ controls and a 1/4-inch line output to add preamp and DI functionality. The pedal’s distortion circuit analyzes your bass signal to respond to your...

I get a an insurmountable number of emailed questions asking about slap tone and technique. While I have mentioned dozens of times in various columns that I never really explored the slap side of bass, I have fiddled with it enough, in addition to knowing quite a few fantastic slappers. I know how to get the tone, I just never...

Italian prog bassist Alberto Rigoni sent in this great playthrough of “Chron” from his latest album, Overloaded. Rigoni puts on a nice, fuzzy tone to work through the odd-metered song before cooling things off to take a solo at the 3:12 mark. For those of you looking to play along yourself, Rigoni has supplied a detailed PDF with notation and...

Johnny “Spazz” Hatton, double bassist for the Brian Setzer Orchestra, lays down the basics in Rockabilly Bass: Slap Technique, Creating Bass Lines & the Rudiments of Rockin’ String Bass. Hatton, who has also played a host of styles with a wide variety of artists (including a 1967 concert with Elvis Presley) covers a multitude of bases in the title from...

Every Tuesday, we get to share one of our favorite features on No Treble: the Reader Spotlight. Sometimes when I bump into people, at NAMM or elsewhere, there seems to be confusion about how this actually works. So I’d like to clear it up. Really, we just need your story. You can submit it via our spotlight questionnaire. You don’t...

Ashdown Engineering took the opportunity at NAMM to unveil the B-Social, a desktop bass amp that’s loaded with innovative features. The 75-watt stereo amp is boasted as the first desktop amp system for bass guitarists with Bluetooth connectivity that allows the bass to connect wirelessly via an optional transmitter. The “social” aspect of the amp comes from from several features,...

Bassists Colin Edwin and Lorenzo Feliciati teamed up last year to release Twinscapes, an album that ranges from ambient drones to heavy grooving. Besides stellar musicianship, the record is tied together with clever uses of effects and techniques to create rich sonic atmospheres. The duo have now released footage of a master class in which they reveal their approaches. Taken...

If you love live records, vinyl albums, and heavy drone/psychedelic band Om, you need to take a look at Live. The band includes Al Cisneros (also known for his work in Sleep) on vocals and bass. The four-track record is intended to capture the sound of the group’s 2013 European tour. Around 1,000 copies of the album were pressed and...

January is always a good month for new bass gear stories, thanks to the NAMM show. Here are the 10 most popular bass gear stories in January, based on No Treble readers. Thanks for reading, and sorry for all the GAS. 1. Marcus Miller Teams with Sire Guitars for New Signature Basses Marcus Miller has a new line of signature...

This week we check out the Fëanor JMS6, a 6-string headless bass created by Italian luthier Giulio Negrini. The modern design also includes a multi-scale string configuration and fanned frets. Negrini built the bass with an alder body topped with flamed maple in a beautiful translucent colored finish. Its neck continues the flamed maple theme and is reinforced with carbon...

Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” seems to be a popular song to cover. But this specific cover of the tune might win the prize. Simply Three is a trio made up of bassist Nicholas Villalobos, violinist Glen McDaniel and cellist Zack Clark. And they’re all monsters. Their version of “Wake Me Up” starts out simply for Villalobos, who handles the percussion....

Longtime grindcore purveyors Napalm Death are back — this time with the band’s 15th studio album, Apex Predator — Easy Meat. The record includes “How the Years Condemn,” written by bassist Shane Embury, who has been with the band since 1987. “Musically I wanted this track to encompass lots of different rhythms and nuances in the short space of time...