Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 126

In 2014, three legendary bands came together for a one-night celebration of Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s 50th birthday. That event, called “Cinquanta,” has expanded into a fully fledged tour for 2024, which will mark the singer’s 60th birthday.

Ernie Ball Music Man is throwing it back to their earliest years by introducing a new model called the Retro ’70s StingRay Bass Guitar. The new model comes in black, white, vintage sunburst, and heritage natural colorways with mostly classic-inspired features.

Jack Bruce had a unique sense for bass lines and ended up creating some of the most iconic riffs in rock history. The late bassist’s YouTube channel released this archival clip of him playing and singing “Politician” on his own, allowing fans to see how he did it.

Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls has announced a new deluxe version of his debut album, “Smalls Change.” Originally released in 2018, the new version will have two new live tracks recorded in 2019 with the Hungarian Studio Orchestra.

Hal Leonard has expanded to their series of Play-Along packs with “Rush - Bass Play-Along Volume 61.” The new pack contains eight sound-alike recordings of Rush tracks with artist-approved transcriptions to get you feeling like Geddy Lee.

Pigtronix has introduced a new pedal tuner cleverly called the 2NR Chromatic Tuner. The company calls it a “no-nonsense, high-precision” tuner for guitar and bass.

TWA is getting in the spirit of Halloween with their latest pedal, the Octoverdrive Overdrive. Suited for bass or guitar, the has a dual channel setup that utilizes “undead” components.

Just in time for the holiday, Duran Duran has released “Danse Macabre,” a Halloween-themed album that includes three new songs as well as covers and revamped numbers from the band’s earlier works.

There’s always something exciting about seeing elements from different bass styles coming together. This week we’re checking out a bit of a Frankenstein with the Thunderstang by Island Instruments.

Ciara Moser has been blind since birth, and that part of her identity is at the center of her debut album, “Blind. So What?”

The mighty Iron Maiden will be returning to North America for an epic arena tour. The newly announced leg of their Future Past world tour will cover Canada and the U.S. in October and November of 2024.

Guild has reintroduced the Starfire Bass II in a bold Black finish for a limited run alongside the Starfire III Black and M-75 Aristocrat Black guitars. Originally introduced in 1967, the Starfire Bass II is fitted with a pair of Guild BS-1 BiSonic pickups.