Archive for March 2015 - Page 9

There’s a new name in the world of double bass we think you’ll be hearing a lot: Katie Thiroux. A student of John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, Thiroux has an essence on the double bass that recalls the bluesy, soulful, straight-ahead style of Ray Brown while expressing her own voice. Here’s a great clip from the Berklee College of Music...

Are you a jazz player and/or a huge Miles Davis fan? Have you always wanted to play his solos on your bass? Your book has arrived. The Miles Davis Omnibook for Bass Clef Instruments, from Hal Leonard Corp., offers transcriptions of 50 of Davis’ recorded solos. Songs featured in the 272-page paperback include: Airegin All Blues All of You Au...

We’ve featured many versatile musicians as part of the Reader Spotlight series. Iain Hodges matches up well with all of them. Starting on violin at the age of 3, he eventually migrated to the electric bass, playing everything from metal to funk to jazz – and more. Iain has at least two claims to fame that I can tell: his...

Continuing on last year’s Detroit Muscle Series, G&L Guitars has unveiled the R/T Collection, including an LB-100 model. The new instruments pay homage to classic muscle cars with four historic Mopar colors: Sublime Green, Go Mango, Plum Crazy, and Panther Pink. Each of the colors, which were honed for the instruments by Mitch Lanzini of Lanzini Body Works, is available...

Here’s a great clip of bassist Ben Wolfe swinging hard with Harry Connick, Jr. on the jazz standard “Fly Me to the Moon” from a 1989 appearance on Night Music. Connick and Wolfe keep things light by drawing out the melody and playing off of each other. The duo start with just bass and vocals before Connick sits at the...

Q-Tuner has expanded their line of neodymium pickups with the Q2.0 J-bass model. Designed for use with roundwound strings, the new pickup utilizes the company’s humbucker sidewinder technology fit into a standard J-style pickup size. The pickups uses a neodymium blade for passive, noiseless operation. Q-Tuner describes their output as dynamic and exceptionally clean, with a frequency range of 10Hz...

We discovered so much new gear at this year’s Winter NAMM show that February was filled with news from the show. (We’re still covering it too). But only 10 gear stories can make the monthly roundup list – and here is your top 10 for the month of February. 1. Ashdown Desktop B-Social Bass Amp Ashdown Engineering took the opportunity...

This week we check out the Healy Guitars Healer Bass. Based in Easthampton, Massachusetts, the company is headed by luthier Trevor Healy, who spent years honing his craft under the legendary Roger Sadowsky, Joe Zon, and others. The Healer is a take on a classic bass and features a curvy, offset mahogany body. Its set-neck is also made of mahogany...

Time for some Snarky Puppy – including the great bass work (and composition) by Michael League. This is the band performing “What About Me?”, which appears on their live DVD, We Like It Here. These guys are ridiculously good. Wow.

The second album from Black Star Riders, The Killer Instinct, is the band’s first with seasoned rock bassist Robbie Crane. Crane replaced Marco Mendoza in early 2014, bringing a sound formed during stints with the Vince Neil Band and Ratt to BSR, which was formed by members of Thin Lizzy. The Killer Instinct is available on , and as a...

Time for another one of our awesome lists jam packed full of bass greatness. This week’s top 10 list is 50% bass videos, with the other half made up of two awesome columns by No Treble’s resident experts, some bass gear news, and the Bass of the Week. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Tower of Power: “Soul With...

Zon’s booth at NAMM this year was highlighted by the release of the Billy Gould Signature BG4 Bass. The instrument has several unique features, including a tulip wood boy, a black satin finish, and a Hipshot D-tuner, but its electronics push the envelope. The BG4 is fitted with a pair of Bartolini pickups which seemingly only have a single volume...