Archive for 2015 - Page 99
Morley Announces Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Fuzz Wah Pedal
Morley debuted the Cliff Burton Tribute Series Power Fuzz Wah at the Winter NAMM Show this year. Introduced in part with the bassist’s father Ray Burton, the pedal is a tribute that blends aspects of the 70’s model used by Burton on the early Metallica recordings and the company’s modern models. The Power Fuzz Wah’s fuzz and wah effects can...
Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play: New Stew, Opus 2
A friend sent in this video of bassist Chris Brubeck and his trio Triple Play performing their song “New Stew, Opus 2” live. Brubeck, whose father was jazz legend Dave Brubeck, brings a bubbly funk groove on his modded fretless Rickenbacker. The fun in the group’s playing is infectious. You’ll be bobbing your head to this one in no time.
Ampeg Unveils SCR-DI Bass DI Pedal at NAMM
Ampeg’s booth at NAMM this year featured their new revamped BA combo series, but it centered around the unveiling of their brand new SCR-DI. The bass-friendly direct box is their first new pedal in years and brings together an Ampeg preamp, EQ section, and their Scrambler Overdrive. The SCR-DI starts with a legacy Ampeg preamp with tone stack circuits, which...
Thinking In Modes or Scales and Constructing Bass Lines
Q: I’ve been trying to learn how to play over the changes, but I’m super confused about one particular aspect: I don’t know I should think of scales. For example when I’m playing over a G dominant chord, should I think G mixolydian or should I think fifth mode of the C major scale? In other words, should I treat...
Marco Morandi: Integral’s “Realm Of Atlantis” Playthrough
We featured the SiC Instruments Madness 6-string fretless as a bass of the week in December, and it was a fan favorite. Luthier Simon Calabrese followed up by sending us this video of Integral’s Marco Morandi using the bass to play through their song “Realm of Atlantis.” The song is straight tech metal, but takes a breather at the 4:24...
Gov’t Mule Releases 1999 Live Recording Featuring Late Bassist Allen Woody
Gov’t Mule and guitarist John Scofield have released a rarity — a live album featuring original bassist Allen Woody (also known for his time with The Allman Brothers). The music on Sco-Mule is culled from two late September 1999 shows the Mule played with Scofield in Georgia. The shows weren’t recorded by audience members, and while the live album was...
Reader Spotlight: Mike Smith
Meet Mike Smith, a bassist from the UK who keeps extremely busy with a life of music. What struck me is that Mike said he would love music to be his day job… it isn’t. But he does have a day job, and he plays in five bands (that we know of!) Mike is the No Treble reader in the...
Radial Engineering Announces the Bassbone V2
After introducing the Bassbone OD last year, Radial Engineering is updating the original Bassbone with the Bassbone V2. The second generation device features a dedicated effects loop, a combination power booster-mute footswitch, and a piezo optimized input for upright bass. “We recently launched the Bassbone OD which has gained tremendous attention from many of the world’s most prominent bass players,”...
Michael Whittaker and the Bottom 40 Band: Workin’ Day and Night
The recent wave of reharmonized pop tunes has led to some really great music. Here’s keyboardist Michael Whittaker and the Bottom 40 Band – and featuring bassist Adam Nitti – performing an updated version of Michael Jackson’s “Workin Day and Night.” Nitti gets a huge tone to fill out the bottom end while syncing up with Whittaker for some unbelievable...
Metal Group Periphery Releases Two Separate Albums Sharing One Concept
Progressive-metal outfit Periphery had too much metal for one album, so instead of releasing one, they’ve put out two — Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut:Omega. The records are really meant to be listened to as a whole concept piece, with Alpha providing backstory and Omega focusing on the main character’s journey, according to drummer Matt Halpern, who noted that the dense,...
Bass of the Week: BL Design Marozi #014
One of the first basses we featured in the Bass of the Week series was the redwood themed BL Design Barbary. After revisiting the BL Design website I found this unbelievable 5-string Marozi that centers around a stunning spalted myrtle burl top. The Marozi is one of luthier Beau Leopard’s double cutaway designs. This particular instrument was built with a...
Improving Practice: 4 Pitfalls to Avoid in the Practice Room
We learn and grow musically from a variety of sources. Teachers, performances, fellow musicians, etc. all play a role in our progress, but our most direct improvement comes from our time in the practice room. That’s why spending time practicing each day is so important. Sometimes, however, even when are putting in time daily, we don’t see results. There can...