Archive for 2015 - Page 102

No Treble reader and bassist Craig Strain sends us this video of his band Pickpocket having fun doing live rehearsal recordings of some of their tunes. This one is called “North by North West” and was written by Craig, about his time living in Vancouver. Love the groove, that bass tone, and the horns. Craig said “Unfortunately the bass cam...

No Treble readership keeps climbing, and for that, we’re quite grateful. For the week of January 10-16, 2015, we all enjoyed some pre-show news from the upcoming winter NAMM, watched some killer bass videos, and were inspired by columns by Damian Erskine and Donovan Stokes. Thank you as always for making this site one of your places to hang. 1....

I don’t watch The Late Show a lot, but I know that when David Letterman goes on about how great the band is for two whole minutes before letting them play, it’s going to be good. In fact, it’s so good that Letterman has them start the song up again after they finish. St. Paul and the Broken Bones is...

Italian string instrument maker Alter Ego has introduced a tunable tailpiece for the double bass. Rather than tuning the strings themselves, the tailpiece allows for tuning the afterlength portion of each string. “There are many valid theories on how to tune the afterlength portion of the strings, but we believe there is no ideal formula as many factors may come...

AC Guitars is introducing a new compact model called the Border Reiver Travel Bass. Hand-built in Scotland, the headless bass takes its name from a piece of local history. “Border Reivers were bands of raiders that operated on both sides of the English/Scottish border from the 13th to 17th century,” luthier Alan Cringean explains. “So crossing borders seemed like an...

Pitchfork has a great new concert series called Nightcap, where they feature independent artists in late night concerts around the United States. They’re off to a great start with bassist Thundercat, who performed “Tron Song” and a brand new track called “Them Changes.” Not to be confused with the Buddy Miles song, “Them Changes” is a mid-tempo groove that blurs...

IK Multimedia has revamped their popular mobile instrument interface with the iRig 2. The new version adds several new features including a versatile gain control, a 1/4-inch amplifier output, and Android compatibility. The iRig 2 has a 1/4-inch input that can handle guitar, bass or other line level instruments. Its variable gain thumbwheel lets you adjust your input level to...

Electro-Harmonix has announced a bass-specific version of their Soul Food natural overdrive and clean boost pedal. The company describes the pedal as designed to enhance the original sound of your instrument while retaining its essential character. The Bass Soul Food is set apart with a gain stage, treble control and signal path optimized for bass guitar with more low-end definition....

During the 1993 MTV Music Awards in September 1993, John Paul Jones joined Lenny Kravitz on stage to perform Kravitz’s hit song, “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

Norwegian jazz bassist Terje Gewelt has released his latest album, Steppingstone. Gewelt, who took private lessons with the late bass legend Jaco Pastorius and is known for his upright acoustic and electric playing, is the leader of a trio on Steppingstone, his eighth album as a bandleader on his own label, Resonant Music. The album, recorded in February 2013 during...

ISP Technologies will be unveiling a new pedal version of their popular bass preamp at the Winter NAMM Show this month. The Beta Bass Preamp Pedal is powered by an external 9-volt AC adaptor that is then internally multiplied to provide plus or minus 15-volt power supply for a “full 30 volt signal swing.” Its EQ section includes a bass...

Nathan Navarro has been a favorite on No Treble for several years, and it’s obvious why. His innovative videos and incredible use of effects have captured the attention of millions of viewers with popular covers and originals. The bassist’s sound has evolved over several years, and that sound can be heard on his new EP, . Born and raised in...