J Ferro Basses Introduces Kilian Duarte KD-5ES Bass
J Ferro Basses was showing their full lineup at the NAMM Show this year including the brand new Kilian Duarte KD-5ES bass. Based on their Escalon model, it features a mahogany body with a solid flame maple top, a five-piece maple and mahogany neck, and a maple fingerboard with black pearl inlays. Electronics include custom wound J Ferro pickups matched...
Thundercat Announces New Album, Releases Single
Bass monster Thundercat has announced his third studio album, entitled Drunk, will be released on February 24th. The release will have a host of guest artists including Wiz Khalifa, Pharrell, and Kendrick Lamar as well as Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The latter two are featured on the track “Show You The Way”, which the bassist just released in advance...
Schecter Unveils CV Series Basses
Schecter announced the CV Series of basses at the Winter NAMM Show this year. Available in four and five-string versions, the model centers around its electronics with a new set of the company’s Diamond J-Bucker pickups. The pickups, which visually resemble guitar humbuckers, can be switched between series, split, and parallel operation. Instead of a typical blend knob, the pickups...
Miles Mosley Releases “Uprising”
Miles Mosley’s long awaited album, Uprising, is now available. The monster double bassist created the album with his band the West Coast Get Down during the intense month-long recording session that also yielded The Epic for saxophonist Kamasi Washington. Mosley utilizes his distinct bass playing to serve each song, either with a solid groove or other-worldly effects. Uprising has the...
Taylor Adds Bass Model to GS Mini Series
Taylor expanded their GS Mini series with a new compact bass model called the GS Mini-e Bass. The instrument has a small 23.5-inch scale, which the company explains is about 10 inches shorter than a standard bass guitar. Even with the reduced scale, the bass’s setup creates deep tones. “Part of the magic is the custom nylon-core strings (with phosphor...
Dot Hacker Releases “N°3”
Dot Hacker has released their third album, aptly entitled N°3. The L.A.-based experimental rock group is fronted by Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and anchored by bassist Jonathan Hischke, who provides thoughtful bass lines to accompany the band’s airy atmosphere. N°3 is available on , and as a digital download ( and ). Check out the opening track...
Trace Elliot Unveils ELF Micro Bass Amp
Trace Elliot is back in a big way in a tiny package. The ELF bass amplifier weighs in at just 1.6 pounds and produces 200 continuous watts RMS at 4 ohms. Its input section has three regions of operation: uncompressed, variable multiband compression, and overdrive. The three-band EQ section has the company’s proprietary filters with low center (80 Hz), mid...
Fender Unveils Limited Edition American Professional Jazz Bass
After introducing the American Professional line in December, Fender has unveiled the Limited Edition Exotic Collection. The series includes the 2017 Limited Edition American Professional Jazz Bass FMT, which combines the features of the Professional model with a figured maple top. The bass is built with an alder body, quartersawn maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. The neck has a slim...
The Grateful Dead’s Debut Album Given 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
The Grateful Dead celebrated the 50th anniversary of their band back in July 2015, and now they’re celebrating 50 years since their debut album with a special re-release. The Grateful Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains a remastered version of the original album plus a bonus disc of an unreleased concert from July 29th, 1966 and select songs from July...
Ampeg Introduces Two New Bass Pedals at NAMM
Ampeg launched two new pedals at the Winter NAMM Show this year with the Classic analog bass preamp and Scrambler bass overdrive. The pedals represent either side of Ampeg’s other pedal offering, the SCR-DI, into two smaller focused pedals. The Classic pedal allows for dialing in an Ampeg tone with its three-band tone stack as well as Ultra-Lo and Ultra-Hi...
Juan Alderete and Halo Orbit Preview New Music
Juan Alderete has teamed up with guitarist/synth player suGar Yoshinaga and drummer Mark Guiliana for a killer new project called Halo Orbit. The trio is spread across the globe with the Alderete in Los Angeles, Guiliana in New York, and Yoshinaga in Tokyo. Their combination of influences and styles create a sound they describe as blending “futuristic rock, a volatile...
Tedeschi Trucks Band Announces Summer Tour with Wood Brothers, Hot Tuna
The Tedeschi Trucks Band has been going hard on the road this year, and now they’ve announced the biggest “Wheel of Soul” tour to date. The third annual summer tour will include support from The Wood Brothers and Hot Tuna, meaning bass lovers will be treated to Timothy Lefebvre (Tedeschi Trucks), Chris Wood (The Wood Brothers), and Jack Casady (Hot...