Archive for 2016 - Page 5

Nordstrand Pickups has introduced the BigRig, a new hum-cancelling bass pickup that grew from a conversation with bassist Alberto Rigoni. “A dual 51 P-style pickup, one pole per string, was the initial concept,” Nordstrand explains, “but offset pole pieces are iconic for Nordstrand. What developed is a hum canceling pickup where the coils sense different parts of the string movement,...

The Sligo Jazz Project shared this excellent video of Federico Malaman with his trio performing “Caravan”. Check out the solo by Federico! The trio also includes pianist Gwilym Simcock and drummer David Lyttle.

Funk legend George Porter, Jr. is celebrating his 69th birthday in style on December 26th with a concert at the Maple Leaf in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The party/concert will feature Porter’s trio including keyboardist Michael Lemmler and drummer Terrence Houston. Porter will also be celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Ara. Porter was an integral...

Kiesel Guitars has introduced two new multi-scale versions of their Vanquish bass. The VM49K and VM59K are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that are the Kiesel custom shop’s first multiscale bass instruments. The design includes fanned frets and offers some technical improvements. “The advantage of a multiscale bass over a traditional instrument is that the lower strings have a greater...

Metallica made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on December 14th in support of their new album, . They performed “Atlas, Rise!”, from the new album in the first segment before going old school in the second with “For Whom The Bell Tolls”. Hardwired… to Self-Destruct, which features Robert Trujillo, debuted at #1 worldwide.

Forty years ago, Rush released one of the most epic albums of all time. Now Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are celebrating with a special 40th Anniversary Edition of 2112 that features extensive liner notes, outtakes, and previously unreleased live tracks. “Although [2112] was the band’s fourth album, it’s generally considered to be the one on which the...

The octave pedal specialists at Cog Effects have unleashed a new octave/fuzz called the Rogue One. The flexible pedal combines two of the company’s Grand Tarkin bass fuzz channels with a third parallel sub-octave channel found in their T-70 for a huge sound. “Each fuzz channel is supplemented with additional controls to further refine the sound as well as how...

Sometimes a simple shift in accent or change in the length of a note can really mark a particular style or genre. In this episode, I’m taking a very recognizable Dominant 7 line and shifting accents and note length to demonstrate how the exact same harmonic material sounds different in Blues, R&B and Quartet music. Follow along with the transcription...

It is always great to get a new video from Adam Ben Ezra. In this one, Adam performs his tune “Sunny Shades” at London Live TV.

Joe Dart and Vulfpeck have announced a spring tour that will take the band around North America in May and June. The trek kicks off on May 1st at First Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will include a pair of dates in the city as well as Chicago and Toronto before heading back out west. It will wrap up June...

Gigs tend to dry up for bassists during the winter months (besides holiday work), making it the perfect time to start composing new music for the spring. Whether you’re a seasoned composer or just starting out on the bass, writing music will help you grow as a player and musician. We compiled some advice from the world’s top bass players...

Here’s another great video by The Funky Knuckles and bassist Wes Stephenson. This high energy tune brings all the goodness: great bass (and bass faces), horns, and all the rest.