Archive for August 2015

Los Angeles-based F-Pedals has teamed up with recording engineer Eddie Kramer to unveil the Robotholic. The first in their new Pulse of Rebellion series, the pedal brings together a range of effects including a clean boost, a crunchy drive, heavy distortion, and an “analog-ringmod-resembling effect.” The Robotholic has four knobs – Mix, Pitch, Drive, and Rate – for dialing in...

We’re featuring another incredible bass made by an amateur builder this week. Bassist Joe Goldsmith sent us some pictures of a stunning singlecut bass he built to suit his style. The eighteen-year-old, who mainly plays double bass, decided to make something that would make him feel more at home on an electric. “As a double bassist, I’ve found that I’m...

Charles Berthoud builds a beautiful soundscape in this solo piccolo bass piece entitled “Resurrection.” The bassist makes the most of two-handed tapping and harmonics to create a shiny, ethereal song. “Resurrection” is the second track from his new album Charles Berthoud: The New Age of Solo Bass, which also includes three completely solo tunes, five tunes in collaboration with Jim...

When Rainbow hit the road in 1979, the band looked different. Singer Ronnie James Dio had exited and Graham Bonnet had taken over vocals for the Ritchie Blackmore-led band. Guitarist Blackmore’s Deep Purple bandmate, bassist Roger Glover, had also newly joined the fold as both bassist and producer, and the reformed group recorded a commercially successful album, Down to Earth....

Looking over our newest 10 list, I’d say this was quite the week. Don’t you agree? Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. BassTheWorld: 29 Bassists in 1 Video The internet is a wonderful thing. Gregor Fris from BasstheWorld.com put together this epic bass jam with 29 bassists from all over the world for a stunning display...

After getting into the multi-scale bass market earlier this year, Ibanez is expanding their SR Fanned Fret bass line with a new finish. Available in five- and six-string versions, the bass will come in a Walnut Flat finish as well as its original black stain. The SRFF805 five-string and 806 six-string models are built with an ash body, a five-piece...

Bassist/vocalist Maddie Jay and her band the pH Collective has released their first original. “Throw Away Your Hate” was written by Jay, and offers up a nice groove and some great bass tone. We’re going to be watching for more music from Maddie and the Collective.

On July 4, 1970, the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed in front of 300,000 people at the Second Atlanta International Pop Festival, which was viewed as a kind of “Southern Woodstock.” Hendrix’s bassist for the performance was Billy Cox (who also played with Hendrix at Woodstock), who is interviewed (as is Paul McCartney) in the documentary about the show, called “Jimi...

Dunlop has introduced the MXR Iso-Brick Power Supply, featuring 10 fully isolated outputs. The compact, lightweight device can power a multitude of pedal types including digital and analog or positive and negative ground styles. The outputs are split into five sets: two 9V outputs at 100mA, two 9V outputs at 300mA, two 9V outputs at 450mA, two 18V outputs at...

Today is Meshell Ndegeocello’s birthday, so we wanted to celebrate with another video by the talented bassist/vocalist. In this clip, Meshell performs a cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”. The song was written for Nina Simone, who recorded it in 1964. A year later, The Animals released their hit version. Meshell makes it groove.

Jazz fusion/experimental bass virtuoso Michael Manring’s first solo album, Unusual Weather, is now available in a remastered and repackaged CD edition. Adventure Music is behind the reissue of Manring’s 1986 solo debut, which first appeared on Windham Hill Records, where he acted as house bassist. A student of the late, great Jaco Pastorius, Manring is also well-known for his collaborations...

Eastwood Guitars is bringing back another blast from the past with their own version of the Saturn IV Bass. The hollowbody model was originally introduced by Vox in 1968 and was only in production for one year, making it a rare instrument to come across. The bass will be constructed with a bound laminated maple body, a maple top featuring...