Victor Bailey’s Basses Up For Auction
The world lost one of its great bass players in November with the passing of the legendary Victor Bailey. His work with artists ranging from Weather Report to Madonna as well as his own solo albums influenced a whole generation of bassists. Now, as part of his wishes, his estate is placing several of his basses and studio other gear...
Get In The Van: Touring Tips From The Pros
Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner. That means it’s just about time to pack up the van and take your jams on the road. Before you start pounding the pavement, it’s probably a good idea to take a few notes on what to expect and what to be prepared for on the road. Gear malfunctions, lack...
Paul McCartney Announces New U.S. “One on One” Tour Dates
Paul McCartney fans rejoice: the former Beatle has announced a new 14-show leg of his “One on One” tour. The trek will kick off with a string of dates in July forcusing on the South and Midwest before covering New Jersey, New York, and Michigan in September and October. It will include McCartney’s first visit to New York City’s Madison...
Walrus Audio Introduces Monument Harmonic Tap Tremolo
Walrus Audio is now shipping the Monument tremolo. Named after and inspired by the Monument Valley, the pedal is described as “both a harmonic, and standard tremolo that produces a rich, luscious, warm pulsating modulation capable of peaks and valleys as smooth or as jagged as the real ones that our dear mother nature created long ago.” Its controls include...
In Memoriam: Kerry Turman
Longtime Temptations bassist Kerry Turman passed away April 23rd from what are believed to be natural causes. He was 59 years old. The classic soul band announced the news on their Facebook page. “The Temptations lost a dear member of our family, as bass player Kerry Turman has passed away,” they wrote. “Rest In Peace, much love, much respect.” Hailing...
SVS Designs Introduces the Adapt Bass
Luthier Shawn Shannon was showing off his production bass prototypes at the NAMM Show this year, and now the first model is available for order. The SVS Designs Adapt is a four-string bass designed to provide tonal clarity in standard, drop, and sub tuning that the company says is normally exclusive to five and six-string basses. Hand-built in the U.S.,...
Bass of the Week: Bonobo Guitars Double Neck Headless Bass
As I’ve said many timed before, Facebook is a great tool for discovering awesome instruments. I saw bassist Roey Haviv’s quick demo of his new double-neck headless bass from Bonobo Guitars while scrolling through my feed and my jaw dropped. With one fretless neck and one fretted neck, the bass is made for versatility. It’s designed after the Zira model,...
ESP Adds Fretless and 5-String Basses to LTD Thinline Series
ESP expanded their Thinline acoustic bass series this year with the TL-4Z Fretless and the TL-5SM. The models are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that feature modern aesthetic with exotic tops. The TL-4Z Fretless carries the same features of the TL-4Z in a fretless format. Its body is built with chambered mahogany and topped by zebrawood in a natural gloss...
Craig Strain & Lauren Pierce: Bach Invention No.13 – A Minor
Bach’s music is timeless and goes beyond the scope of any single instrument. Today we’re featuring an awesome duet of Bach’s Invention No. 13 in A minor where the double bass meets the electric bass. Craig Strain and Lauren Pierce teamed up to tackle the classical counterpoint masterpiece. Strain called the piece “a bit of fun with an old school...
Biltworth Launches with BW-1 Effects Pedal
A new pedal company called Biltworth has launched its first product called the BW-1, a multi-effects unit for bass and guitar. It features three effects – overdrive, delay, and reverb – that are cascaded in series with separate controls and footswitches for each. The Drive section has Volume, Gain, and Tone controls that Biltworth says can “push it from light...
MonoNeon: Miles Beyond, Live
MonoNeon’s playing never ceases to amaze me, and this clip of him covering a Mahavishnu Orchestra song is why. The bassist grooves hard on the song “Miles Beyond” in this video from a concert in Memphis, Tennessee. As always, MonoNeon puts his own spin on it with an incredible solo. Keyboardist Lance Lucas and drummer Anthony Knox help to provide...
Mooer Audio Introduces Tender Octaver Pro Pedal
Mooer Audio has beefed up their Tender Octaver pedal with a Pro version. The polyphonic harmony pedal now has two synthesized harmony voices: one upper and one lower. Each has independent volume, tone, and pitch controls, with the pitch control allowing for any harmony to be created between unity and octave. The Tender Octaver Pro also has a smooth control...