Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in July 2018
GAS Alert! Time yet again to celebrate the reader favorite bass gear stories for the month.
Here is your top 10 for July 2018. Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing!
1. Fender Flea Signature Jazz Bass Active Model
Fender used the Summer NAMM Show to unveil a host of new instruments, including a new signature bass with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. It’s his second bass with the company after they released a Jazz model two years ago. “Our artist signature active bass with Flea was designed to complement the Shell Pink…
2. Maurizio ?ber Basses Fretless-Only M?B-F Model
Maurizio ?ber Basses, aka M?B, has unveiled a new model called the M?B-F, a fretless-only bass they say was designed from the ground up to be “a true fretless bass as opposed to a bass without frets.” “A fretless bass is a different instrument. It is played differently, with more attention to nuances and subtleties,…
3. Squier Contemporary Series New Jazz Basses
Squier’s Contemporary Series got a little bigger at the Summer NAMM Show this year with the introduction of three new Jazz Basses: the Contemporary Active Jazz Bass HH, the Contemporary Active Jazz Bass HH V, and the Contemporary Jazz Bass. Notably, the four and five-string active models offer a more modern take on the Jazz…
4. Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special Basses
Earlier this year, Ernie Ball Music Man announced they were revamping their flagship Stingray bass. Now the Stingray Special is shipping. The model, which was originally released in 1976, has been reimagined with a host of new features while retaining its identity. The body has been contoured and the neck joint has been sculpted for…
5. Boss WL Series Wireless Systems
Boss has announced the WL Series of wireless systems for bass, guitar, and other electronic instruments. The line has three models – the WL-20, WL-20L, and WL-50 – that the company says offer “ultra-low latency and rock-solid stability.” Each unit has a built-in rechargeable battery in the transmitter that allows for up to 12 hours…
Germany’s Ortega Guitars has unveiled the QUANTUMloop. The device is a looper pedal with a built-in multi-digital percussion stompbox featuring 16 factory samples plus four customizable sample slots. The QUANTUMloop offers up to five minutes of loop time with an unlimited amount of overdubs. Other features include a solid mahogany wood housing, a trigger input,…
7. Phil Jones Bass BP-800 Bass Amp
In addition to previewing the new Cab 27, Phil Jones Bass has unveiled a compact bass amp called the PJB BP-800. The miniature unit weighs just six pounds while pumping out up to 800 watts. It has a Class A preamp and plenty of features including a five-band EQ, a mute/passive/active switch, a headphone output,…
8. Acoustic Amplification Classic Series Bass Combos, Cabinet
Acoustic Amplifiers has introduced the Classic Series of bass combos, which the company says combines “vintage vibe with modern features.” The lineup includes three models: the B25C, the B50C, and the B100C. Common features on the units are a tilt-back cabinet design, a re-engineered EQ section, a blendable overdrive, a 1/8-inch headphone output, and a…
9. TC Electronic Ditto Jam X2 Looper Pedal
TC Electronic has expanded their line of looping pedals with the Ditto Jam X2 Looper. Central to the new design is their BeatSense algorithm, which uses built-in microphones to track and sync to your band’s rhythmic elements and keep your loop track from drifting. “This makes live looping more interesting than ever and infinitely more…
10. Westminster Effects Wittenberg Bass Preamp/DI Pedal
Westminster Effects has unveiled three new preamp/DI pedals for Summer NAMM, including the bass-specific Wittenberg Bass preamp. The three-knob pedal has a volume control, a Frequency control for setting the center frequency, and an EQ control for setting how steep the EQ’s curvature is. It has a standard 1/4-inch input and output as well as…
Corey Brown is the founder of No Treble and serves in an advisory role. He’s also Head of Editorial at Muse Group. Learn more about Corey on his website and LinkedIn.
