Archive for 2016 - Page 15

This month, the transcription is dedicated to French bass virtuoso Dominique di Piazza. I think Dominique deserves more recognition in the bass world. Ask any bassist today – Hadrien Feraud, Matthew Garrison, Adam Nitti, and many more – and they will swear that di Piazza has had a profound influence on their bass playing. His solo piece “Marie,” has opened...

Ivo Schot has released the fifth video in his Fortheloveofbass series, and it may be my favorite. This time the bassist teamed up with Dutch singer-songwriter PHOS (AKA Eveline Vroonland) to cover the James Blake song “Retrograde”. Schot covers the harmonic elements with his bass and a full pedalboard while PHOS pours her syrupy vocals overtop.

This week we’re checking out the D’ARCO Shakti 5-string bass by French Luthier Clément D’Arco. The striking bass has a host of beautiful, exotic woods to create a rich visual appeal. Its body is crafted from lacewood, purpleheart, wenge, and flamed maple while the 13-piece neck is made of flamed maple, wenge and a bubinga/wenge veneer. The neck is reinforced...

Q: I have read your latest column on the set-up of your bass and that you had a removable neck installed. I never had one and one of the reasons why I’m holding off on this is the fact that a removable neck also means a removable bridge. I mean: the bridge is not fixed on the bass, which is...

I often listen to The Derek Trucks Band’s , which offers up one killer performance by an equally killer band. Here they are performing “I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled And Crazy”, anchored by the sweet bass lines of Todd Smallie.

This was a tough week in the world of music and bass. Bass legend Victor Bailey passed away on Friday, and the outpouring of love for him propelled our tribute to the #1 slot on the most read list. RIP, Mr. Bailey. This week’s top 10 also includes a discussion with Damian Erskine on the pros and cons of a...

Snarky Puppy keyboardist Bill Laurance recently released , which was recorded in May 2015 at Union Chapel in London. Joined by Snarky Puppy bassist Michael League, who plays bass and Moog Little Phatty on the album, here’s the track “Never-Ending City”.

IK Multimedia has released MODO Bass, a physical modeling virtual bass instrument. The program recreates the response, feel, and tone of a real electric bass with accurate replications of 12 standard models. Beyond the models themselves, nearly every aspect of physically playing the bass can be dialed in, from playing technique (finger, slap and pick) to muting, to where you...

Epiphone has released a line of limited edition instruments featuring korina wood, including the Limited Edition Korina Explorer Bass. The bass sports the classic explorer body shape and comes loaded with a set of Epiphone’s XR and XT humbuckers. Both its body and neck are made of korina (also known as African Limba), while the fingerboard is rosewood. The glue-in...

Earlier this year, we were knocked out by bassist Christian Sturgess as he ripped through his band Brutai’s track “Onyx“. Now he’s back with another gritty play along for the song “Of Ashes” from their upcoming debut album, Born. Sturgess uses a gnarly overdrive, power chords, and tapping to keep the song super heavy.

Sadowsky has released a the 3-knob Onboard bass preamp, which is their first to be available as a prewired drop-in for J style basses without a side jack. No soldering is required to install it in your bass. “It has been designed for minimally invasive installation on most J-bass style instruments,” the company writes. “The only modification required is a...

Alter Bridge’s fifth studio album, , is a continuation of the band’s heavy-yet-melodic style. That sound is anchored by the thick bass work of Brian Marshall. The bassist, along with guitarist Mark Tremonti and drummer Scott “Flip” Philips, was a founding member of Creed before forming Alter Bridge in 2004. Vocalist Myles Kennedy rounds out the group, who spent this...