Archive for 2018 - Page 96

During the 2018 NAMM Show, Federico Malaman and Marcus Miller got together for a spontaneous jam at a Markbass event showcasing Marcus’s signature amp. Federico said, “For me, it was PURE JOY!!!”

Our fourth installment on Bob Mintzer’s “I Start With The Blues” solo is a discussion of the crucial chord on bar 8 of a typical jazz blues. Almost always this is a vi chord – so in an F Blues like this one, it’s a D7 ( D dominant 7). In Letter A Bar 8 finds a D7 #9 chord...

While scrolling on Facebook, I came across the Owl Bass by Schorr Guitars and had to learn more. Its half-minimal, half-futuristic design exudes a funky style with a cool finish to boot. “Schorr Guitars is a one-person operation,” luthier Nicolai Schorr tells us. “I build instruments in Berlin, Germany based on my models – The Owl and Neptune – to...

Back in 2013, bassist Bart Soeters sent us an awesome clip of himself demoing 19 basses. Now he’s released “Bass Sounds II”, which has him jamming out on a whopping 34 basses. The video ranges in styles to showcase the strengths of each instrument, which range from vintage axes to modern works of art. Joris Holtackers accompanies Soeters on keys...

During the Winter NAMM Show, Pigtronix introduced the Ringmaster, an analog ring modulator synth pedal that they designed to create analog harmonizer and tremolo effects to follow the notes you play. “Expanding on the “Intelligent Ring Mod” found in the original Mothership pedal, Ringmaster adds LFO and Sample + Hold modulation sources, pitch following tremolo and well as wave shaping...

2018 marks forty years since F Bass owner and founder George Furlanetto started the company. To celebrate, the company has announced a special limited edition 40th Anniversary PJ based off of the first ever fretted F Bass. The model will be limited to four pieces each of which will be crafted, signed, and numbered by George Furlanetto. Although it’s based...

I saw a video by my friend Tunu Jumwa on Facebook recently, and I loved it. I asked if we could share it, and Tunu made it available for us. In this clip, Tunu performs an arrangement of the tune, “Malaika,” which she says is “an oldie around here.”

You don’t have to be a worship bassist to know that the Gospel Chops series features some amazing musicians. Their latest release, Bass Sessionz Vol. 3, follows suit with amazing bass played by four extreme talents. The “2-hour low-end extravaganza” features Justin Raines, Alan “Snoop” Evans, Kenneth Diggs, and Daric Bennett. Each player performs, but BSV3 is filled out with...

Tech 21 has packaged their SansAmp preamp with a Class D power amp and 12-inch driver to create the VT Bass 200 Combo Amp. The rear-ported 200-watt amp is described as lightweight, portable, and offering both vintage and modern bass tones. “Like its pedal predecessors in the SansAmp Character Series, it has a unique, continuously-variable Character control that moves seamlessly...

Adam Ben Ezra is back with a new video with his trio, and it is excellent as always. “Always a pleasure to get together with my band,” Adam shared. “Here we are performing the song ‘Silk Road’ at Luna studios in Tel Aviv.”

Stu Hamm has announced a new solo bass CD and an accompanying tour. The Diary of Patrick Xavier promises to be an intimate listen, according to the bassist. “My new project [is] a deeply personal Solo Bass CD based on my real life experiences, (and one AMAZING coincidence), that happened to me over the last few years,” he wrote on...

Aguilar Amplification has expanded their line of effects at the Winter NAMM Show this year with the Grape Phaser bass pedal. The all-analog pedal is designed for tone and simplicity. “The Grape Phaser provides lush, analog phase shifting courtesy of a simple, two-knob layout,” Aguilar writes. “RATE controls the speed of the modulation while COLOR feeds a portion of the...