Bass of the Week: Millimetric Instruments MB4
This week we’re checking out a cool minimalist design from Millimetric Instruments called the MB4. The four-stringer is their first bass model and shows some Travis Bean influence in its neck. “This bass was made seeking efficiency in sound and playing,” the company writes. “The tone lies in the neck construction, pickups and the use of maple. MB4 sound is...
Meshell Ndegeocello Covers Her Influences On “Ventriloquism”
Meshell Ndegeocello’s style is so singular that she owns every song she performs. That includes the tracks on her latest album, Ventriloquism, which features eleven covers that pay tribute to her diverse influences. “Early on in my career, I was told to make the same kind of album again and again, and when I didn’t do that, I lost support,”...
Dean Markley Adds Extra-Medium Set to NickelSteel Bass Signature String Series
Dean Markley has added an Extra-Medium set to its NickelSteel Bass Signature Series of strings. The XM strings split the difference between medium and heavy with gauges of measuring .050, .070, .090, and .110 mm in the four-string set. A five-string set adds a .130mm low B string. The company describes the string as offering a “full bright sound” with...
Derek Smalls: It Don’t Get Old
We’re still eagerly awaiting the release of the new Derek Smalls album, Smalls Change. Thankfully the Spinal Tap rock god has given us another tease with a music video for the song “It Don’t Get Old”. Smalls (portrayed by Harry Shearer) is joined by session guitar legend Waddy Wachtel as well as a wigged Chad Smith on the drums. And...
TC Electronic Unveils the SpectraDrive Bass Preamp & Line Driver
TC Electronic has expanded their bass offerings with the SpectraDrive, a bass preamp and line driver that the company calls a powerful tone tool for bass players. Its preamp section is taken from their BH800 head and features a four-band EQ plus TonePrint compression from their SpectraComp effect. “But the real power of SpectraDrive is the custom built studio-grade DI...
Stone Temple Pilots Release Second Self-Titled Album
Stone Temple Pilots are back with their first album since 2010’s self-titled release. Their new album, also self-titled, is the first to feature new lead singer Jeff Gutt, who fills the shoes of the late Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington. Of course, the album is anchored by the creative bass lines of Robert DeLeo. The bassist was first introduced to...
OnkartGromt Unveils Three New Bass Pedals
Norway’s OnkartGromt has expanded their pedal lineup for bassists with three new models: the FunkyFellow envelope filter, the TurboTore EQ, and the Tremolando tremolo. Each of the pedals is fitted with a unique OLED screen that gives a visual representation of the effect’s parameters. In the case of the FunkyFellow, the screen shows the frequency response live. The filter has...
Bass To Infinity: An Interview with Buster Williams
With nearly six decades in the business, Buster Williams has just about seen it all. He’s worked with some of the world’s best instrumentalists (Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Gene Ammons to name a few) and the world’s best vocalists (Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Dakota Staton, and Carmen McRae, to name a few). As you can imagine, he’s...
Peter Hook & The Light Announce 2018 Substance Tour
At the end of 2016, Peter Hook & The Light embarked on a North American tour to perform Joy Division and New Order’s legendary Factory Records compilation albums “Substance” live, sequentially and in their entireties. Now they’re bringing it back for another round of tour dates from April to June. Hook, who shares bass duties with his son Jack Bates,...
Warwick Unveils 2018 Limited Edition Masterbuilt and Teambuilt Basses
Every year, Warwick produces a limited edition bass from their custom shop. This year they’re also releasing a Pro Series Teambuilt limited edition model. The Warwick Streamer Stage I LTD 2018 is part of their Custom Shop Masterbuilt Limited Edition basses. Available in four of five-string versions, the bass is built with a swamp ash body topped with a 1-inch...
Mud Morgenfield Releases “They Call Me Mud”
Mud Morganfield has returned with a new album entitled They Call Me Mud. The son of blues icon Muddy Waters, Morganfield draws heavily on the Chicago blues sound while mixing in classic R&B. “Certainly, there will be comparisons to his dad, but that can be expected and rightly so,” co-producer Rick Keher explains. “Mud comes as close to the Muddy...
Tsakalis AudioWorks Introduces Phonkify and Galactic Pedals
Tsakalis AudioWorks has released two new pedals: the Phonkify envelope filter and the Galactic multi-modulation pedal. As with all of their units, each of the pedals are handmade in Greece. The Phonkify is inspired by funk and soul music from the 60’s and 70’s. “[It has] two modes of juicy envelope filter (Smooth & Nasty) which turns into wah at...