Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in April 2017
GAS attack! Here is your monthly dose of the most popular bass gear stories covered by us in April, 2017.
Enjoy.
After introducing the prototype last year, Markbass has unveiled the final version of the EVO 1 bass amp. The innovative head unit offers six amp tones over two channels: one clean and one distorted…
2. Fender’s New Options for Mod Shop Instruments
Fender’s online Mod Shop has expanded their set of options for 2017 with new colors, a new neck profile, and new pickups. Users can pick a model to begin with (Jazz and Precision for bassists), then choose colors, hardware, woods, and more…
3. Ibanez’s New SR Premium Series Basses
Ibanez freshened up their SR Premium line with two new finishes for 2017. The SR1400-MLG and the SR1405E-GWH are the first in the series to feature gloss finishes and come in Mojito Lime Green and Glacial White, respectively…
4. ESP’s New Frank Bello Signature Model Basses
Anthrax’s Frank Bello teamed up with ESP again this year to create a new signature bass, resulting in the custom shop Frank Bello J-4 and the LTD Series FB-J4. Each bass is a take on a classic P/J design in a sleek black color scheme with red accents…
5. Italia Guitars Maranello Cavo Bass
Italia Guitars unveiled a handful of new instruments at Musikmesse this year including the Maranello Cavo Bass. The short-scale, semi-hollow four-stringer is described as “packing an enormous punch in a very comfortable package…”
Luthier Shawn Shannon was showing off his production bass prototypes at the NAMM Show this year, and now the first model is available for order. The SVS Designs Adapt is a four-string bass designed to provide tonal clarity in standard, drop, and sub tuning…
7. Kiesel Guitars Aries Bass Series
Kiesel Guitars has expanded their bass lineup with the Aries series, which comes in four-, five-, and six-string versions. The made-in-the-USA model is based on their Aries guitar and carries similar aesthetics in a bigger package…
8. Rainger FX Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass Distortion
London’s Rainger FX has introduced the Dr. Freakenstein Dwarf Bass Distortion, a compact pedal with some cool features. Its distortion is controlled with a large overtone knob to dial in different tones, but it can also be affected by the Igor pressure pad controller for real-time expression…
9. ESP Fretless and 5-String LTD Thinline Series Basses
ESP expanded their Thinline acoustic bass series this year with the TL-4Z Fretless and the TL-5SM. The models are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that feature modern aesthetic with exotic tops…
10. Hartke Bass Attack 2 Preamp Pedal
Hartke has announced the Bass Attack 2 preamp and direct box. The pedal unit combines their classic preamp with an overdrive section and plenty of connectivity. The pedal has three footswitches: one for on/off, one for the Shape circuit, and one for the overdrive…
