Weekly Top 10: Cliff Williams Retiring, Flea Signature Bass, Guide to Improvising, SVS Designs, Self Promotion and More
Another big week in the world of bass. Here are the top 10 reader favorite stories, columns, videos and more.
Thanks as always for reading, watching, commenting and sharing.
1. Cliff Williams Announces Retirement from AC/DC
After 40 years holding down the low end for AC/DC, bassist Cliff Williams has announced he will retire after the band’s current tour. Williams, who replaced Mark Evans in mid-1977, cites the recent departure of other longtime members guitarist Malcolm Young, drummer Phil Rudd, and vocalist Brian Johnson as part of the reason…
2. Fender Unveils Flea Signature Jazz Bass
Fender has teamed up with bass legend Flea to release the Flea Signature Jazz Bass. The new model is a recreation of the bassist’s Shell Pink 1961 Jazz Bass he received from a fan and used to record the Red Hot Chili Peppers albums Stadium Arcadium and The Getaway…
3. Franklin Peredo: Funktopia Robotica
Franklin Peredo never ceases to amaze me. His latest video is for the song “Funktopia Robotica” and it features the bassist’s crazy right hand technique to make the music sound like the title suggests. It’s not that he’s strumming, thumping, popping and tapping – it’s that he does it so fluidly…
4. Gretsch Announces Tom Petersson 12-String and 4-String Signature Basses
Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson and Gretsch teamed up to announce a pair of signature basses at this year’s Summer NAMM show in Nashville, Tennessee. The models include the USA Custom Shop Tom Petersson Signature 12-String Falcon Bass and the G6136B-TP-AWT Tom Petersson Signature 4-String Bass…
5. Getting Started: A Beginner’s Guide to Improvising a Bass Line
Whether you are a beginning bassist, or an accomplished musician who is simply accustomed to reading written music, it can be daunting when first asked to improvise a bass line. In this “Lowdown” column, Dr. D shares a beginner’s guide to improvising a bass line…
6. Promoting Yourself as a Bassist
This week, a reader asked Damian Erskine for advice on how to go about doing self promotion for his musical career. Check out what Damian has to say in this new “Ask” column…
7. The Claypool Lennon Delirium: Breath of a Salesman
Les Claypool’s latest project with Sean Lennon, aptly named The Claypool Lennon Delirium, is everything you’d imagine it would be. Built upon the bassist’s unmistakeable style, the band has a mind-altering style of rock and psychedelia. Check out this clip of “Breath of a Salesman” taken from The Late Late Show with James Corden…
The Mike Stern Band always seems to feature an impressive lineup, and this one is no exception. In this clip, the band performs “KT” at the Blue Note Milano on November 4th, 2015. The group this time features Stern on guitar, Janek Gwizdala on bass, Randy Brecker on trumpet and Steve Smith on drums…
9. Bass of the Week: R. Hyde Guitars Long Scale Nuvo
After releasing the prototype last year, Ryan Hyde of R. Hyde Guitars has created a new full-sized version of the Nuvo. The sleek and seductive revamp is our bass of the week…
Many basses tend to have similar body shapes, but that’s not the case with SVS Designs. In this edition of “Custom Shop”, we talk with luthier Shawn Shannon of SVS Designs on his unique take and story…
