Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 357

Back in 2016, longtime Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent struck out on his own with his first-ever solo album, “Break Time.” Now he’s keeping the momentum up with his second album, entitled “More Like Me.”

Ibanez has expanded their BTB line with two new fretless basses: the five-string BTB845F and the six-string BTB846F.

Volbeat has returned with their seventh album, called “Rewind, Replay, Rebound.” It’s the first studio release from the Danish rock band to feature their new lineup with Kaspar Boye Larsen on bass, who officially joined the group in 2016.

BASS OF THE WEEK: Eastwood Guitars has a knack for recreating vintage basses in a modern format while retaining all their glorious mojo. That’s evident in their take on the Airline Pocket Bass, which was introduced two years ago.

Northern Lutherie has introduced a new upright bass pickup called Da Crusher. Named in honor of the wrestler “who made Milwaukee famous,” the pickup is a stacked 20mm piezo system that is fitted into the bridge.

Blackstar Amplification has unveiled the amPlug 2 FLY, a compact headphone amplifier that comes in versions for guitar and for bass. Each features a fully analog circuit that’s been reworked for a clearer and more present sound, the company says.

Tool fans have a little more to chew on until the release of the band’s new album. The group, anchored by bassist Justin Chancellor, revealed the title will be “Fear Inoculum” and that it will be released on August 30th. They also released their entire catalog on all digital platforms.

Former Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls (aka Harry Shearer) has announced a new set of dates for his Lukewarm Water, LIVE! tour. The outing will include four shows on the West Coast of the US and Canada.

Aguilar introduced a new pickup design at the Summer NAMM Show with the DCB-M4 and M5. The pickups, which are four and five-string versions of the same model, are humbuckers in a familiar shape.

Dream Theater has announced a second leg to their latest tour. The band, anchored by John Myung, is performing songs off their latest release, as well as the 1999 album “Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory” in its entirety.

Canada’s Retro-Sonic has expanded their effects palette with a flanger pedal based on the late seventies “18v Electric Mistress.” It uses the same BBD path as the original, though some upgrades make it more usable.

Rex Brown has teamed up with Reverb to sell off tons of music gear used throughout his career. A portion of the sale, which feature more than 70 pieces of gear, will benefit Reverb Gives.