Archive for 2018 - Page 10

Berlin’s Kleissonic Boutique Pedals has announced a new two-notch phase-shifting pedal called the Howl. The unit has volume, Gain, and Sweep controls, but no Rate control commonly found in phasers. “The Howl is not another common phaser, it has no built-in LFO and it is ideal for any instrument. It’s also extremely useful for audio engineers and DJ’s both for...

Nothing tears up my heart more than the moment I realize an obvious flaw or inconsistency in my playing. I mean, what have these ten-thousand-plus hours amounted to anyway? If you’re the kind of person who strives for precision—clean playing, the perfect execution of a favorite bass line, or the ability to effortlessly play a musical idea—then you probably spend...

Shaun Munday has a knack for putting together some stellar bass and vocal covers of epic tunes. (Check out his cover of Bill Wither’s “Use Me.”) In celebration of Jimi Hendrix’s birthday on November 27th, Shaun posted this video of him performing “Bold As Love.”

Founding Accept bassist Peter Baltes revealed that he will be leaving the band’s ranks. The German heavy metal band has been rocking off and on ever since 1976 with Baltes along for every lineup. “To all Accept fans: I hereby like to announce my departure as Bassplayer from ACCEPT,” Baltes wrote on the Accept Facebook page. “I have been with...

Q: I’m 58 and a semi-pro bassist (I have a day job but have gigged for the past 30+ years and consider myself a very good player). I wanted to ask your thoughts on me trying to focus on becoming a session musician. I’m semi-retired and have a lot more time on my hands but have less interest in trying...

Tim Lefebvre shared this fan-shot video on Facebook recently, saying “Cool jam I co-wrote with these fine folks…” The jam took place at the Beacon Theatre on October 6th.

Dream Theater fans rejoice! The progressive metal band has announced their 14th studio album, Distance Over Time, will be released on February 22nd, 2019. The new record, which is their first in three years, is described as “showcasing a newfound creativity… while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe.” The whole band, including six-string bass...

Meet Lucas Fernandes, a bassist from Brazil who first picked up the bass in school and said it was “love at the first low note.” Lucas is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I have studied bass with some great names of the local scene, like Oswaldo Amorim, Hamilton Pinheiro, and Alexandre Macarrão. I...

Dwarfcraft Devices has released a new take on one of their earliest effects. The HAX2 is described as “light years beyond” the original and adds the option of a square or sine wave ring modulation. Each of the waveforms has a broad frequency range, which Dwarfcraft says ranges from subsonic tremolo to laser blaster highs to a warm chorus-like effect....

Cory O’Brien sent us this video with a note that says it all: “This video is a few years old. I just discovered it. I can not get enough of it. In a time of turmoil and unrest, I’m so grateful for videos like this. It reinvigorates my hope and imagination. Can you believe that someone not only conceived of...

2017 marked the centennial of the influential jazz pianist Thelonious Monk’s birth. Frank Kimbrough has celebrated the occasion by releasing an incredible six-disc album called Monk’s Dreams that features performances of all 70 of the late legend’s compositions. “The recordings form a fantastically diverse collection,” the liner notes read. “On the six-CD set, Monk’s compositions are played in various configurations,...

This week we’re checking out a total monster of a bass built by Dimitris Matkaris, who says he likes to build “weird” basses to test his building skills. This instrument, which he dubbed The Bass of Navarone, has a multi-scale neck with a behemoth 47-inch scale B-string. For comparison, that’s 13 inches longer than a standard bass scale. “Electric guitars...