Archive for 2016 - Page 88

B&G Handmade Guitars has unveiled the Big Sister, a bass to support their Little Sister guitar model. The semi-hollow bass, which comes in fretted or fretless, was designed for old school flair. “This Big Sister idea was born with the release of the Little Sister guitar,” B&G writes. “We wanted to apply the same traditional materials & techniques, unique chambered...

Our friend David Piggott shared this awesome clip of Haji’s Kitchen bassist Derek Blakley playing through a medley of his band’s tunes, and I’m glad he did. Blakley brings real tenacity to his bass lines. The clip was put together to show the “flashiest” parts in the songs as a demo to play at the NAMM Show. “This medley is...

Metalcore band Asking Alexandria has released its fourth album, The Black. The record, the band’s first with new vocalist Denis Stoff, appeared on the heels of a harrowing accident involving bassist Sam Bettley, who, in March, flipped a van after blowing a tire. Bentley shared photos of the accident on Instagram, saying he was “lucky to be alive.” Check out...

Jens Ritter’s basses have a style and finesse that makes them instantly recognizable. This week we’re checking out one of his R8 Singlecut models featuring a stark black and white contrast as its motif. The 5-string bass is built with a swamp ash body and maple top, all finished in white. Its three-piece maple neck is also finished in white,...

Similar to our last lesson, we’re working on exercises designed to shed your scales and build your technique at the same time. This time we’re focusing on tetrachords, which are four-note groups found within scales. You can also turn these exercises into speed training exercises by adding a few beats every time you play, but be sure not to go...

I stumbled upon this video of Perry Gordon & His Rhythm Club thanks to the group’s bassist Nicolas Dubouchet. What a great band, bassist and tune!

Robin Trower, the guitarist known for his work in Procol Harum, his own power trio, and collaborations with Bryan Ferry and Jack Bruce, has released Where You Are Going To and announced a spring tour of the U.S. East Coast. Trower handles guitar and vocals on the record and shares bass duties with Livingstone Brown (The Climax Blues Band, Tina...

Usually a cause for celebration, this week’s top 10 list kicks off with some sad news of the passing of James Jamerson, Jr. This week, readers enjoyed lessons and how-to’s from Joe Hubbard (Advanced Bass), Dr. D (on learning the double bass fingerboard), and Damian Erskine (dealing with sound engineers). Add to it some great bass videos, new bass gear...

ESP has unveiled a new signature bass for Dead Daisies bassist Marco Mendoza. The Marco Mendoza LTD MM-4FM Bass is modeled after the ESP Vintage-4 with a set of EMG X-series P/J pickups. The bass is built with an alder body topped with flamed maple finished with a Dark See-Thru Green Sunburst. Mendoza opted for a five-piece neck and maple...

Today we’re celebrating the birthday of one of our long time favorites, and a bassist in our thoughts: Victor Bailey. Here’s a great clip of Victor with pianist Beka Gochiashvili’s Quintet performing at the 2012 Black Sea Jazz Festival. The rest of the quintet includes Lenny White on drums, Jaleel Shaw on sax and Lionel Loueke on guitar. Happy birthday,...

French bass player and composer Olivier Babaz has released his third trio album, Odd Light, with guitarist Francois Jalbert and drummer Mark Nelson. The album, a follow up to Midnight Caffeine (2012) and Virages (2014), explores textures and architectures in a space where jazz, world music, folk and progressive rock intersect. A grant from the Montreal (Canada) Arts Council and...

TC Electronic is now shipping the Bonafide Buffer. The unit, which is their first dedicated buffer pedal, is 100% analog and offers a 1M ohm input resistance and 1K output resistance. This, the company writes, allows for the instrument signal to flow “untroubled through the entire signal chain.” It also has an intelligent relay system that automatically switches to true...