Archive for July 2017 - Page 8

Jeff Berlin posted an update on Facebook yesterday announcing that he’s working on a new recording of his tune, “Joe Frazier.” That made me think back to the 80’s when Jeff’s album Pump It! was on my turntable quite often. That tune, in particular, got a lot of attention. And so I went on the hunt for some videos of...

Our new Facebook group has been great for connecting with bassists. One of the early posts was by Hernan Gordon from Argentina, who shared a pair of basses he built for himself. They are called Astor and Lautaro in dedication to his children. This week we’re checking out the Astor bass, which Gordon created based on a Fodera design. The...

Ever play a bass duet? It is actually super fun to do and of course great for your technique! In this episode, we have some Bach for you, but don’t worry; we are taking it easy for starters. We have a variety of charts (including TAB) and easy instructions on what to do with all these markings – phrasing and...

Miki Santamaria always impresses with a combination of remarkable musicianship, technique, and feel. All three are on full display in this live clip of Miki performing at the Yamaha BB launch in Milan a few days ago.

We all love the new gear stories. For the ones we published in June, 2017, here are the top 10 reader favorites. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar Fender has introduced the Classic Design series that they say is aimed at the company’s acoustic tone and aesthetic at an affordable price. The lineup includes...

After introducing the Sub ‘N’ Up octaver last year, TC Electronic has announced a new mini version of the pedal. The Sub ‘N’ Up Mini retains the same tonal characteristics of its big brother while stripping it down to the bone for a small footprint. The pedal has Dry mix, Sub octave, and Up octave knobs. It is also Toneprint-enabled,...

Death was one of the biggest metal bands in the world for a reason, and here’s one of them. This clip of “The Philosopher” was taken from a 1998 performance at the Dynamo Open Air festival. It was the first performance of the band’s “Sound Of Perseverance” lineup, including Scott Clendenin on bass. The song is filled with killer riffs...

F-Pedals has introduced the PunQmonk, a classic dynamic envelope filter they say is inspired by and dedicated to Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The compact stompbox is pared down to a switch to toggle between two frequency range modes (OM and HUM) and a potentiometer for setting the filter response. It also has a jack for plugging in their...

We recently launched a Facebook group to connect even more bass players. It’s been incredible to see the conversations and ideas presented. No Treble columnist Ariane Cap posed the question “What tunes are – or were at some point – difficult for you technically?” Roy Eraca responded with Grand Funk Railroad’s “I’m Your Captain,” which led me to check it...