Weekly Top 10: The Best in Bass for November 30 – December 6, 2024

Here’s your weekly roundup of the reader-favorite stories on No Treble.

This week’s top 10 includes our retrospective on Jaco Pastorius’s first year as a recording artist, bass gear (including a bonus top 10), a great Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe video (with Jeff Berlin), Ryan Madora’s new lesson on mastering blues bass, our podcast episode with Brian Wheat, and more.

1. Celebrating Jaco Pastorius: A Look Back at His Prolific First Year as a Recording Artist

Today is Jaco Pastorius's As usual, I spent the morning listening to his music. Sifting through my collection, I was reminded of the significance of 1976. Let's look back at his prolific first year as a recording artist.

2. Bass of the Week: Disher Rattlesnake Bass

This week, we’re looking at the Disher Rattlesnake Bass, a cool bass packed with tonal options. The body is fitted with an Artec mudbucker and a Wilkinson P/J pickup set. The bass takes its name from the political cartoon carried through its design and is available in natural, metallic cherry red, or metallic blue.

3. G&L Adds ASAT Bass to Fullerton Deluxe Series

G&L has added a new member to their Fullerton Deluxe family with the ASAT Bass. The new model puts the design, originally introduced in the late ’80s, into their USA-made deluxe series.

4. Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe: Starship Trooper (Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA 1989)

Bill Bruford shared another terrific ABWH video, and a heartfelt story with it. In this clip from their performance at their 1989 Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, in the band performs “Starship Trooper.”

5. Master Blues Bass By Learning “One Way Out” (and Understand What Most Players Get Wrong About Blues)

You'd be surprised to know just how crucial blues music is for the development of most genres today. Ryan Madora shows us how to master blues bass with The Allman Brothers Band's "One Way Out."

6. Bass Gear Roundup: The Top 10 Gear Stories in November 2024

Another month has come to an end, and so it is time for our recap of the top 10 bass gear stories. Here are the reader-favorites for November 2024.

7. Janek Gwizdala Publishes “The Bassist’s Book of Scales and Arpeggios”

Janek Gwizdala has published a new comprehensive book on learning the fundamentals of music. “The Bassist’s Book of Scales and Arpeggios” compiles methods and exercises for putting the musical alphabet to use.

8. Michael League Focuses on Fretless Acoustic for “Keeping Company” with Bill Laurance

Bill Laurance and Michael League have been playing together for over 20 years in Snarky Puppy as well as other ventures. Last year they teamed up for a duo album and now they’ve followed it up with "Keeping Company," which features Laurance on piano and League on oud and fretless acoustic bass.

9. Groove – Episode #120: Brian Wheat

Brian Wheat has always been a storyteller, whether through his bass lines with Tesla or his lens as a photographer. Known as the bassist for the multi-platinum rock band Tesla, Brian’s career spans decades. He's our guest for this month's Groove Podcast.

10. Gene Simmons Band Announces Spring Tour Dates

KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons is headed out on the road in 2025 with his eponymous solo band. Simmons is joined by guitarists Brent Woods and Zach Throne and drummer Brian Tichy.