Archive for 2016 - Page 28

The Bassart Guitars Phönix is a handmade bass from Braunschweig, Germany created by master luthier Matthias Meyer. This week we’re checking out a Phönix (German for Phoenix) in a dazzling blue sparkle finish. It’s built with a curly maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and an alder body, although the model can also be built with a swamp ash or mahogany body....

String Spacing My string spacing at the nut is approximately 8 millimeters between each string and my string spacing at the bridge is about 22 millimeters between each string. By contrast a more traditional setup might be 10 mm at the nut and 28 mm at the bridge. Although this particular change may seem small (8 vs. 10 and 22...

When I grow up, I want to play bass just like Tim Lefebvre. His lines are just fantastic, and check out his massive tone on this clip of the Tedeschi Trucks Band performing “Made Up Mind”. This performance took place at the Théâtre Antique in Vienne, France on July 4, 2014.

Metal band Charred Walls of the Damned has released it third studio album, Creatures Watching Over the Dead, which bandleader Richard Christy (drums) composed over the past five years. “When I write for Charred Walls I never really plan anything out. I just start playing riffs and if something sounds really cool, I’ll build a song from there. My only...

Happy Sunday. Another great week from the land of the low end. Check out the top 10 reader favorites this week. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Talking Technique: The Pistol Grip If you’ve followed this column for a while, you know we place a lot of emphasis on good technique. In this lesson, Ariane discusses the disadvantages...

Filmmakers Eric Hamburg and Rick English have announced a project called Darryl Jones: Like a Rolling Stone. The documentary will focus on the bass legend’s career as well as follow him during the making of his debut solo album. Jones has played with Sting, Miles Davis, Madonna, and more, though he is currently best known as bassist for the Rolling...

Our thoughts are with Victor Bailey as he struggles with serious health issues. Yesterday, Wayne Shorter shared a video of Weather Report performing in Japan in 1985. This particular clip of “D Flat Waltz” really took me back to a time spinning vinyl and admiring Victor’s work as a teenager. And it wasn’t just his work with Weather Report, but...

Jazz bassist Steve Swallow (Carla Bley, Gary Burton) has once again worked with guitarist John Scofield on the jazz-country album, Country for Old Men. The album sees Scofield, who produced, and his band paying homage to country artists like George Jones, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, James Taylor, and Hank Williams, as they transform country tunes into jazz pieces. Here’s a...

September is in the books, so it is time to look back at the most popular gear stories for the month. Here are the top 10 most read bass gear stories, as voted by reader views. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Gibson 2017 EB Bass T Model Gibson has unveiled their 2017 instrument lineup, including the new Gibson...

Bassist Frank Brunot and guitarist/vocalist Joris Brunot teamed up to play make this awesome musical mixture of “Pulling Me Through” by Todd Dulaney and “Beautiful” by Mali Music. The tone of the music is gorgeous, and Frank’s bass playing is beyond fantastic.

Ethan Iverson, pianist for The Bad Plus, always wanted to make an album with the prolific bassist/cellist/composer Ron Carter. And so now he has on The Purity of the Turf, which sees Iverson working in a trio with Carter and drummer drummer Nasheet Waits. The record is on Criss Cross records, which releases jazz recordings made by groups working together...

Earlier this month, the Dillinger Escape Plan announced they will be taking an indefinite hiatus after the release of their upcoming album, Dissociation, and its accompanying tour cycle. Now the band has revealed the list of seemingly final tour dates that will take them across the U.S. from coast to coast and back. Anchored by bassist Liam Wilson, the band...