Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 270

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have released a new album called “Summer of Sorcery.” The release marks bandleader Steven Van Zandt’s first album of new material in 20 years and pays tribute to the feeling of the ’60s and features bassist Jack Daley.

We are super excited for Robert “Bubby” Lewis to release his upcoming album, “Hero Dynasty.” The album is sure to be incredible, and now we have a clue to its direction. Lewis has released the first single, “Miss & Love,” featuring vocalist Jhene Aiko.

One of the giants of bass building has announced his retirement. Michael Pedulla of Pedulla Guitars, who has been building basses for over four decades, posted the news on his website.

MXR has teamed up with renowned amp and pedal designer Shin Suzuki to create the Raijin Drive. The new pedal reinvents two iconic Japanese stompboxes – an overdrive and a distortion – with more tonal range to keep up with modern pedals.

Luthier Eric Doucet of Cosmic Woodworking posted some photos of his latest build in the No Treble Facebook group, and people took notice. The Jupiter bass has a lot going for it, but the choice of woods is a knockout.

Or Bareket has returned to the forefront with his second album as a leader, entitled “33.” The double bassist says the release is a continuation on the same artistic path as 2017’s “ob1.”

Thin Lizzy is known for having incredible bassists. Formed by the legendary Phil Lynott, the band filled out the low end after his passing with players like Marco Mendoza, Guy Pratt, Randy Gregg, and Tom Hamilton. Now they’ve announced the latest to take up the banner will be Mastodon’s Troy Sanders.

Michael Tobias Design and Dana B. Goods have announced that the MTD Kingston line’s management and distribution will move back to MTD’s control. The basses are the production line of the Tobias basses.

Rush’s Geddy Lee has announced a Canadian book tour in support of his “Big Beautiful Book of Bass.” It also coincides with a special exhibit at Studio Bell at The National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta, which will run through January.

Toto is heading back out on the road in support of their latest greatest hits album, “40 Trips Around The Sun.” They’ve just announced a 20-date U.S. leg that will conclude the nearly two-year tour. The band will once again be anchored by Shem von Schroeck.

Fender has unveiled a new limited edition Lightweight Ash American Professional line of instruments. The series includes a Strat, a Telecaster, and, most importantly, a Jazz Bass. Each model is built with a lightweight ash body while retaining most features from their American Professional counterpart.

Fender has more or less stuck to their two original bass models: the Precision and the Jazz. Following up on an in-depth look at the history of the Precision, Chicago Music Exchange’s Marc Stranger-Najjar digs into the evolution of the Jazz bass starting with its inception in 1960.