Archive for October 2016

Höfner’s Gold Label series gives the company a chance to make limited runs of special designs created by their master luthiers in Hagenau, Germany. This week we’re checking out a version of their 500/2 Club bass that’s finished in a retro, 60’s paisley top. “Introduced in 1964 the Club bass has for many years only been available in Sunburst,” Höfner...

For non-musicians the winter holidays can be a time for rest, relaxation and extra time with family. For many freelance musicians, however, it is a time of early mornings, late nights, long hours playing, coffee, and lots of time in the car going from gig to gig. The upside is, of course, that it can be our most profitable time...

We can always count on Davie504 to provide some fun. For this year’s Halloween festivities, Davie put together this solo bass medley of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the theme from Ghostbusters – complete with costume. Happy Halloween!

This week, we got a nice dose of how-to’s, new bass gear, some great videos and more. Here are the top 10 reader favorites for the week of October 22-28, 2016. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Talking Technique: Changing Technique Habits – What it Takes There is a step by step process that can help you change...

BBE’s Sonic Stomp now comes in a compact pedal called the MS-92. The stompbox is a pedalboard-friendly version of their Sonic Maximizer, which is designed to improve clarity and definition in your signal. It features the same all-analog processor as the larger SS-92 with a new circuit board and control layout for a smaller chassis. It has two controls: Process...

My Facebook friend Lloyd Goldstein posted a video a few days ago, and it knocked me out. Lloyd arranged Bill Wither’s 1972 hit, “Lean on Me” for double bass. The tone, the arrangement, and the performance are just incredible. Enjoy.

TC Electronic has introduced a black version of their Polytune Clip-On Tuner. The discreet device, which works for bass and guitar, has strobe, chromatic, and polyphonic tuning modes up to +/-0.02 cent accuracy. The polyphonic mode allows for strumming all strings at once to see their tuning. The tuner also features an ultra-bright display with an adaptive screen, a stainless...

Amp builder Nick Epifani has beefed up his Piccolo bass amp series with the Piccolo 999. The 1,000-watt head utilizes Epifani’s UL series preamp including a new Vintage circuit that adds a tube-like tone to the overall output. The Class D amp and switch-mode power supply keep the amp down to just 4.5 pounds and small enough to fit in...

Rubatat Antonin has shared his latest video with drummer Romain Chenard in the duo known as Hungry Beats. He says the “tune is about Kurusan Yasuke, the black samurai.” We love the rhythms and interplay on this one.

Phil Collins has revealed he is coming out of retirement to perform in a tour he’s calling “Not Dead Yet Live!” next summer. The title, which is a play on concerns about his health, is also the title of his new autobiography that comes out this month. Collins has once again tapped bass master Leland Sklar to handle the low...

Positive Grid has expanded their BIAS amplifier processing technology into the BIAS Distortion Pro Pedal. The tone-matching distortion pedal works for guitar and bass by emulating the circuitry of any distortion. “With BIAS Distortion pedal, users can easily match their favorite distortion, overdrive, fuzz, and boost pedals’ tones,” the company writes. “BIAS Distortion integrates with BIAS Pedal’s Tone Match technology...

I’m an avid radio listener. The preset buttons in my car are heavily worn, the numbers barely legible after years of searching for the perfect song and attempting to dodge commercial messages. Sometimes it’s nice to drive in silence, but usually, the radio is what truly fuels my time spent behind the wheel. I always enjoy hearing new music, but...