Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in October 2020

Billy Sheehan’s signature Attitude Bass is getting a special 30th Anniversary model this year. The limited-edition model will celebrate its origins by incorporating elements of the bassists’s original customizations to his bass dubbed “The Wife.”

After replacing the American Standard Series with the American Professional Series in 2016, Fender has unveiled its next generation of instruments. The American Professional II Series builds upon the range through several years of player input.

Boss has unveiled the next generation of their looping stations with the RC-5 and RC-500, each featuring the company’s latest technology. Both pedals feature 57 onboard rhythms, 99 phrase memories for storing loops, backlit displays, and more.

Fodera has worked with bassist Tony Grey to update his signature model, resulting in the new Tony Grey Signature Monarch 6 Elite Headless bass. The instrument, which is fitted with a set of Fodera/Duncan dual coil pickups and a matching ramp, was revamped over the last year.

Ernie Ball Music Man unveiled their September 2020 releases in the Ball Family Reserve Collection, including a version of the Bongo 5HH that features a Honduran mahogany body in a Satin Honey Burst finish.

Sunnaudio has introduced the Nucleus NU-1 Dual Boost Distortion, an analog preamp designed for both bass and guitar. The pedal features a dual boost with high to low gain to go from a clean signal to full distortion.

Darkglass Electronics has announced two new amps to their lineup with the Microtubes 500v2 and the Alpha Omega 500. Each of the amplifiers is based around the company’s respective overdrive circuits and is matched with a new power section.

Traveler Guitar has unveiled a new line of acoustic instruments. The Redlands Concert Series range, which is named after the company’s hometown in California, includes a bass that features a miniature 23.25-inch scale for maximum portability.

Electro-Harmonix has introduced the Mainframe, a sample rate reducer, and bit crusher pedal that helps to create “old-school” video game and computer sounds.

Solar Guitars has announced their first bass model with the Type AB2 Series. The line includes three variations, and Solar says the AB2 is designed “for the modern metal bass player with high-quality expectations at an affordable price.”