Weekly Top 10: Bass News from NAMM, Talking Technique, New Forums, Top Videos and More

This time of year is big for us – thanks to the Winter NAMM Show. The No Treble crew attended the show on a mission to find everything new in the world of bass.

But that’s not all that happened this week. Readers enjoyed Ariane’s string jumping exercises lesson, some great videos, Bass of the Week and this week’s reader spotlight.

Oh yeah. We announced our new forum here on NT.

Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting, sharing – and now, discussing everything bass.

Brian Wilson and Carol Kaye: Good Vibrations

1. Brian Wilson and Carol Kaye: Good Vibrations

Carol Kaye is a living legend of the bass who played on countless recordings with memorable bass lines. One of those is “Good Vibrations”, and we’re lucky enough to have found this clip of Kaye and Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson playing through the tune as a duet…

Bass of the Week: Evilectric Skull Bass

2. Bass of the Week: Evilectric Skull Bass

With a name like Evilectric, you might guess that the company makes some gnarly looking basses. You’d be right. Evilectric builds full 41 3/4-inch scale electric upright basses with custom designs. Only three have been made so far, and this week we’re checking out the Skull bass…

Fernando Lamadrid: Electriceratops

3. Fernando Lamadrid: Electriceratops

Whenever I see a new video featuring bassist Fernando Lamadrid, I stop whatever I’m doing to watch. And Fernando never disappoints. Recorded live in late December, here’s “Electriceratops”…

Godin Guitars Announces Passion RG-4 Bass

4. Godin Guitars Announces Passion RG-4 Bass

Godin Guitars showed the new Passion RG-4 Swamp Ash Bass at the 2016 Winter NAMM show. Following the Passion guitar line, the RG-4 features five tuned, Synchronized Resonance Chambers that are interconnected inside the body for air transfer. Godin says the chambers create “exceptional resonance and a lightweight, vibrant body”…

Talking Technique: String Jumping Exercises

5. Talking Technique: String Jumping Exercises

Bass grooves often have lines that move across strings on the same fret. To keep a smooth and legato feel, we need to focus on the technique of jumping from string to string. Here we’ll dig in on a few exercises with plenty of variations to get all your fingers in shape…

Peavey’s MiniMEGA Bass Amp Now Shipping

6. Peavey’s MiniMEGA Bass Amp Now Shipping

Peavey is now shipping their MiniMEGA 1000 watt bass amplifier. The nine pound head unit utilizes the company’s KOSMOS circuitry to provide increased bass impact. Further, the company includes exclusive psychoacoustic low-end enhancement adds bass without overburdening speakers…

Reader Spotlight: Dmitry Lisenko

7. Reader Spotlight: Dmitry Lisenko

Meet Dmitry Lisenko, a bassist and teacher who seemed to have some outside forces working against him in his early days. Despite that, he went for it and is now making his living in music. Dmitry is this week’s reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story…

Slave: Slide, Live 1981

8. Slave: Slide, Live 1981

Slave’s “Slide” was one of those songs that created a wave of new bass players, thanks to the down and dirty groove pinned down by the late Mark Adams. Get a dose of some old school funk with this performance from a 1981 episode of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert…

Making the Switch from 4- to 5-String Bass

9. Making the Switch from 4- to 5-String Bass

This week, a reader who is making the switch from 4-string to 5-string bass asked Damian for advice on how to best make the move. Check out what Damian has to say in this week’s “Ask” question…

Start the Discussions: Announcing Forums on No Treble

10. Start the Discussions: Announcing Forums on No Treble

Over the years, we’ve had many requests to launch a forum on No Treble. Today, we’re thrilled to announce our Forum Beta is here. So sign up and have at it. We’re looking forward to reading what you have to share.

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