Weekly Top 10: Learning to Jam, Jaco’s Birthday, Top Bass Videos, New Gear and More
Happy Sunday. Time for the best of the best from the world of bass (according to No Treble readers).
Here are the top 10 stories, lessons, videos and more for the week of November 28-December 4, 2015. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing.
A self described “old rookie bass player” sent a question to Damian Erskine asking him for advice on learning to “jam” in a band setting – not just playing the songs. Check out what Damian lays out in this week’s “Ask” column…
2. Jaco Pastorius: Third Stone from the Sun
On December 1st, 1951, Jaco Pastorius – the man many of us consider the greatest bass player ever – was born. “We all say it: He’s our Hendrix,” Juan Alderete said in the recently released film, JACO. In honor of Jaco’s birthday, we revisit a classic solo from a 1978 Weather Report concert…
3. Reader Spotlight: Frescia Belmar
Frescia Belmar has always been drawn to music, despite being part of what she describes as a “non-musical family”. The path to bass was not a quick one for her, but that eventually became her instrument of choice. Frescia is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s her story…
4. Jesús Rico Pérez: Peace Prayer
Jesús Rico Pérez is one of our favorite solo bassists around here. So it is always thrilling to see a new video from him. In this video, Jesus performs his composition, “Peace Prayer,” for piccolo fretless bass…
5. Blackstar Amps Unveils Tone:Link Bluetooth Audio Receiver
Blackstar Amps has unveiled the Tone:Link, a Bluetooth audio receiver that allows any amp or device with a line-in jack to use Bluetooth for streaming. It works with bass amps, guitar amps, PAs, home stereos, headphones and car speakers…
6. Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in November 2015
Time flies when you’re having fun, and as each month comes to a close, it means it is time for our monthly bass gear roundup. Here are the top 10 reader favorite gear stories for November, 2015…
7. Bass of the Week: Ramos Guitars Gotham
This week we’re checking out a sleek black custom bass called the Gotham by Spain’s Ramos Guitars. The seven-string brute is built with a mongoy body and fretless ebony fingerboard for a dark theme and an air of mystery…
Adam Nitti sent me this video saying, “[Here’s] another project i’m involved with, called ‘The Bottom 40’. kind of on the Dirty Loops tip, but in a different style. (I even snuck in a sweep lick, LOL…) This band has been creating some heavy momentum online lately…” The tune is Katy Perry’s “Firework”…
9. The Lightbulb Moment: Check This Out
For her newest “Lightbulb Moment” column, Ryan Madora talks about music discovery – then, now, crate digging and algorithms… and what’s important…
10. Cog Effects Introduces T-16 Analog Octave Pedal
Cog Effects has launched the T-16 Analog Octave, a pedal they say is “engineered to provide huge octave down tones in a tiny enclosure.” The UK-built stompbox offers level controls for clean and octave down signals as well as a variable Filter control to adjust the octave down signal voicing between synthy and subby…
