Weekly Top 10: A Plague Bass, an “Outlaw” Gibson, and MXR’s First Tuner
This week on No Treble, readers gravitated to new and unusual gear. Our most-read story is on Dunable’s new Plague Bass, a collaboration with Castle Rat bassist Charley Ruddell. The limited edition instrument is based on the Thunderclapper model with an unusual pickup configuration of a D-Split and a Baphomet humbucker. There were only two made available to the public.
Next up MXR announced its first tuner pedal. The Turbo Tuner utilizes the core engine of the Sonic Research Turbo Tuner for “instantaneous, fraction-of-a-cent accuracy.” It has plenty of features and is noted for its low-end tracking, MXR writes.
Our Bass of the Week is a one-of-a-kind build, and somewhat illegal. Roger Giffin’s “Outlaw Custom Shop” instruments were built while he was the chief of Gibson’s West Coast Custom Shop. He built them with input from Brett Allen, totally out of the realm of Gibson’s approval. In this instance, they took the body of a Chet Atkins SST and made it into a four-string bass with a Gold Top finish. “Gibson will never build anything like this,” Allen stated. “It’ll never be done again.”
Other highlights include Derek Frank’s new “The Basses Behind the Gig” video series debut, Iron Maiden’s surprise tour announcement, Donny Benét’s fretless wonder, and more.
1. Dunable’s Plague Bass Pairs a 35-Inch Scale with D-Split and Baphomet Pickups
2. MXR’s First Tuner Pedal Taps Sonic Research’s Turbo Tuner Technology
3. Bass of the Week: Roger Giffin’s “Outlaw” Chet Atkins SST Bass
4. WATCH: Derek Frank Debuts “The Basses Behind the Gig,” a New Video Series for No Treble
5. Steve Harris Explains Iron Maiden’s Surprise 2027 Tour Return
6. Donny Benét, the Sexiest Bassist Alive, Plays “Winter Sunset” on a Fretless Wal
7. Watch Robert Trujillo Take On “And Justice for All” at Sphere in Las Vegas
8. Watch Victor Wooten Create a Song From Scratch with Carl Verheyen and Nick D’Virgilio
9. Fender Gives Players 182 Hours to Order Mark Hoppus’s Stoned Fruit Jaguar Bass
10. U2 Announces First Stadium Tour Since 2019, Shares New Single
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
