Weekly Top 10: February 3-9, 2023

by Corey Brown Sunday, February 11th, 2024

News from the 2024 NAMM Show continues to roll – and continues to be popular. Add to that, Paul Thompson’s excellent breakdown of Percy Heath’s iconic bass intro on “Blue Haze,” our exclusive interview with the great Bobby Vega, and other bass goodness, and you have this week’s top 10 list.

1. Thumb Fin Offers a Fresh Take on the Thumb Rest

Many products were launched at NAMM, from monster rigs to elegant new bass guitars. However, one new gadget that caught our eye was the Thumb Fin. The thumb rest uses suction cups to easily be placed and removed on any bass without any alterations.

2. Rob Zombie Announces Lineup Change for Solo Band

There’s been a shakeup in Rob Zombie’s band. On January 30th, bassist Piggy D announced that he had departed the group. Rob “Blasko” Nicholson, the band’s original bassist from 1997 to 2006, is back in the fold.

3. Sterling By Music Man Introduces Sterling Bass, Updates StingRay Short Scale for 2024

Sterling By Music Man was at NAMM this year to introduce a new bass and revamp a classic. First is the limited edition Sterling Bass, followed by an updated StingRay Short Scale bass model.

4. Bass of the Week: JClef Basses Heirloom Bass

This week, we’re checking out a beautiful Heirloom model bass from New York’s JClef Basses. Billed as their most exclusive bass build yet, this bass celebrates the company’s fifth anniversary.

5. Brad Williamson: “Thoughts and Prayers” All-Bass Cover

I ran into Brad Williamson at this year's NAMM Show, and I'm glad I did. Here’s his fantastic all-bass arrangement of Animals as Leaders's "Thoughts and Prayers," which he performs on his FM 12 String Bass.

6. Darkglass Electronics Launches Digital and Analog Combo Amps at NAMM

Darkglass Electronics has expanded their lineup of bass amps with four new combos this year including two analog models and two digital models. Each amp type has two configurations – 2×10? and 1×12? – while all four models are rated at 500 watts.

7. Ashdown Revamps The Rootmaster Series with EVO III

Ashdown introduced several new products at NAMM 2024, including the Rootmaster EVO III range of bass amps. The latest update to the Rootmaster series adds rackmount options to the head units, which come in 500 or 800 watts.

8. Ernie Ball Adds to Flatwound Bass Strings Line

Ernie Ball is expanding their lineup of Flatwound Bass Strings for 2024 with three new gauges including two short scale sets. As part of the line, they feature polished stainless steel ribbon winding and a custom core-to-wrap ratio.

9. Blue Haze: Breaking Down Percy Heath’s Iconic Bass Intro

In this episode of “From The Bottom,” Paul Thompson celebrates the genius of the late, great bassist Percy Heath. He breaks down Heath’s iconic walking bass intro to Miles Davis’ “Blue Haze” (1954) and the six reasons he loves it.

10. What Cha Got: An Interview with Bobby Vega

In this new interview, Bobby Vega gave us the low down on his new album, “What Cha Got,” his take on playing guitar, his plans for helping bassists, and – of course – his glorious gear.