Ashdown Engineering Announce the B-Social Lite Desktop Bass Amp
One of the biggest hits of NAMM 2015 was the B-Social desktop bass amp. This year Ashdown expanded the range with the B-Social Lite, which they describe as the best aspects of the original in a smaller package. “It makes the amp more affordable,” says Ashdown’s Lee Alexander. “It doesn’t have wireless feature for the instrument, but you still have...
Stevie Wonder: Live on Musikladen/Beat Club, 1974
I watched this awesome Stevie Wonder performance a couple of times trying to figure out which song to feature. Finally, I realized you should watch the whole thing. Taken from a 1974 show for Musikladen (formerly The Beat Club), the clip has the great Reggie McBride laying it down on some of Wonder’s greatest hits with some especially stretched out...
In Memoriam: Lyle Ritz
Lyle Ritz, who worked as a session bassist during L.A.’s golden era of recording, passed away on March 3rd. He was 77 years old. Ritz began his musical career working at the Southern California Music Company, where he worked in the small goods department. It was here that he picked up the ukulele, which he also became famous for. He...
Warwick Unveils 2017 Limited Edition Thumb NT Models
Warwick unveiled their annual limited edition bass this year and this year is a landmark. The Thumb NT 2017, which comes in four and five-string versions, also marks the company’s 35th anniversary. The master-built instruments are built in Germany and limited to fifty units of each the four and five-string versions. Taking its cues from the standard Thumb NT model,...
Asia Release Live CD/DVD Set Featuring the Late John Wetton
Asia has released a 2-CD/DVD live set called Symfonia – Live In Bulgaria 2013. The release captures the band in a concert at a second-century Roman theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. It also features the lineup of original Asia members John Wetton, Carl Palmer and Geoff Downes with guitarist Sam Coulson. After Wetton passed away two...
Bass of the Week: Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 4 HH
This week we’re checking out the Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 4 HH, a bass they describe as “well balanced, comfortable, resonant and expressive with effortless playability.” The Bongo was introduced in 2003 with a modern double cutaway body design that complements the flagship StingRay model. It’s built with a basswood body in six color options: Black, Tangerine Pearl, Sky...
Ibanez Celebrates 30th Anniversary of SR Bass with Limited Edition Models
Three decades ago, Ibanez first introduced the SR bass. This year they’re celebrating their flagship bass model with four new instruments. “Throughout the past 30 years, Ibanez has been improving and developing the SR series by closely following market requirements and opinions from various artists and valued customers,” they write. “SR is now one of the most popular and distinctive...
King Crimson Announces Summer 2017 Tour Dates
After teasing that they would be going on a North American tour this year, King Crimson has finally revealed the tour schedule for 2017. The trek kicks off on June 13th in Seattle, Washington and will make its way across the U.S. and Canada before ending with a pair of to-be-confirmed dates in Mexico City. “We can finally satisfy all...
Miles Mosley Announces Uprising World Tour
Hot off the release of his killer solo album, Uprising, upright bassist Miles Mosley has announced an extensive world tour that will cover North America and Europe from April to July. As usual, his band The West Coast Get Down will be by his side. The tour kicks off April 1st at Sage Gates Head in Newcastle, UK and circles...
Ashdown Engineering Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Limited Edition Amps
Ashdown Engineering first launched in 1997, so this year they’re celebrating 20 years in the business with two limited edition rigs. Each of the sets will be handmade-to-order in England. First up is the pairing of the Limited Edition 20th Anniversary ABM-600 EVO-IV and ABM 410T EVO-IV. The models are takes on Ashdown’s flagship ABM amplifier with some cosmetic and...
Thundercat Releases “Drunk”
Thundercat’s long awaited full-length followup to 2015 EP The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam is finally out. Drunk is a 23-track exploration of the bassist/vocalist’s dark humor marked by shorter, more intense musical vignettes. As always, his unique six-string chordal playing creates a dream-like sonic playground punctuated by funky licks and quirky lyrics. Thudercat, aka Stephen Bruner, enlisted a...
Olivier Pinard: Cryptopsy’s “White Worms” Bass Playthrough
Get ready for an aural assault: Olivier Pinard has released a new playthrough video for “White Worms” by Cryptopsy, and it’s super heavy. Pinard rips through the blazing tempo with incredible veracity and right hand technique. This playthrough is not for the faint of heart.