Mooer Updates Octave Line With Tender Octaver mkII Pedal
Mooer has updated their octave pedal lineup again this year with an updated version of their Tender Octaver. The Tender Octaver mkII features three brand new algorithms and a true analog dry through the signal. Its new Fat algorithm adds a “huge bassy lower octave and a soft-toned upper voicing” while a Tight algorithm focuses more on the lower octave...
Buster Williams Featured on Eddie Daniels/Roger Kellaway Recording, “Just Friends”
Resonance Records has unearthed another incredible performance with Just Friends: Live at the Village Vanguard by Eddie Daniels and Roger Kellaway. Recorded at the famed New York City jazz club in 1988, the never-before-heard recording was captured by label founder George Klabin during a week-long run. “I just placed the mic on the table facing the band, hit ‘record’ and...
Electro-Harmonix Unveils New Volume Pedal
Electro-Harmonix has released a new Volume Pedal featuring two impedance options for maximum compatibility with instruments. “With selectable 25K or 250K impedances, the Volume Pedal is well suited for both active and passive pickup-equipped guitars and basses as well as keyboards, other electronic instruments and line level signals,” the company writes. Housed in a rugged chassis, the pedal is a...
Spinal Tap: The Big Black Book Now Available
Wallace Fairfax has published a new book called Spinal Tap: The Big Black Book. In the words of Nigel Tufnel, “It’s like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None … more black.” The 128-page book documents the band and the rockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap, that launched them into fame. “Now, for the very...
Beneath The Bassline Documentary Coming Soon
Bassists will be getting their due in a new documentary called Beneath The Bassline. Directed by Nick Wells, the film features loads of interview time with some of the greatest bass players in the world. Wells traveled to Fodera Guitars, Sadowsky Guitars, and Aguilar Amplification in New York to get the scoop on gear and meet up with bassists Will...
The Blood of Gods: An Interview With Beefcake The Mighty
Prepare yourselves, you puny humans. Gwar is making their triumphant return on October 20th with The Blood of Gods, an 11-track album chronicling the band’s history of war against the creatures of Earth. If you’ve never seen the Richmond, Virginia-based band, their on-stage antics may come as a shock. The group portrays an elite fighting force of aliens with oversized...
ZZ Top Halts Tour Due To Dusty Hill Ailment
ZZ Top’s 2017 tour has come to a halt after legendary bassist Dusty Hill has taken ill. The band’s Tonnage Tour has concluded with plans to reschedule missed dates, they wrote on Twitter. “ZZ Top’s tour is temp. suspended & are arranged for rescheduling” they wrote, adding on their website that “ZZ’s cornerstone bass guitarist, Mr. Dusty Hill, is addressing...
Rougarou Pedals Introduces The Draugr Distortion Pedal
Louisiana’s Rougarou Pedals has launched the Draugr, a versatile drive pedal that they say has “massive amounts of headroom and gain on tap while maintaining clarity through the range of the drive control.” The Germanium diode-based distortion circuit is controlled with a simple three-knob layout. “The drive and tone controls interact with each other in a way that makes an...
Tedeschi Trucks Band: Tim Lefebvre’s Bass Solo on “Mountain Jam”
The Tedeschi Trucks Band has an annual residency at the Beacon Theatre, and they like to make it special every year. On the final night of the run this year they brought Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio out for the epic Allman Brothers song “Mountain Jam.” Fans were treated to a spectacular bass solo from Tim Lefebvre during the jam that...
De Gier Guitars Unveils The Lowlander Bass
De Gier Guitars is paying tribute to a classic bass design with their new model called the Lowlander. Luthier Sander De Gier studied several vintage T-Birds to create an updated version with tweaks to improve its shortcomings. “One of the most prominent features is, of course, the 9 ply neck-through. It is a rigid construction for a bass neck, it...
King Crimson Transcription Book Now Available
Through every lineup, the members of King Crimson created some of the most riveting music ever made. Now the first-ever transcription book of their music is available with THRAK – The Complete Scores. The book offers full-band transcriptions from the classic double-trio era that included six musicians: two guitarists, two bassists, and two drummers. The low end was held down...
Bass of the Week: Fodera Zebrawood AJ Contrabass Shape 12 Elite
This week we’re checking out a very unique Fodera. This Zebrawood AJ Contrabass Shape 12 Elite is a 12-string fretless built specially for bassist Steuart Liebig. Featuring the “AJ Contrabass” body shape, the instrument is built with a mahogany body with a Flame Maple tone block and zebrawood top. The neck is a five-piece laminate with maple and South American...