George Porter, Jr. to Celebrate Birthday with Special Concert
Funk legend George Porter, Jr. is celebrating his 69th birthday in style on December 26th with a concert at the Maple Leaf in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. The party/concert will feature Porter’s trio including keyboardist Michael Lemmler and drummer Terrence Houston. Porter will also be celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Ara. Porter was an integral...
Kiesel Guitars Unveils Vanquish Multiscale Basses
Kiesel Guitars has introduced two new multi-scale versions of their Vanquish bass. The VM49K and VM59K are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that are the Kiesel custom shop’s first multiscale bass instruments. The design includes fanned frets and offers some technical improvements. “The advantage of a multiscale bass over a traditional instrument is that the lower strings have a greater...
Rush’s 2112 Gets Special 40th Anniversary Re-Release
Forty years ago, Rush released one of the most epic albums of all time. Now Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart are celebrating with a special 40th Anniversary Edition of 2112 that features extensive liner notes, outtakes, and previously unreleased live tracks. “Although [2112] was the band’s fourth album, it’s generally considered to be the one on which the...
Cog Effects Introduces the Rogue One Bass Octave/Fuzz Pedal
The octave pedal specialists at Cog Effects have unleashed a new octave/fuzz called the Rogue One. The flexible pedal combines two of the company’s Grand Tarkin bass fuzz channels with a third parallel sub-octave channel found in their T-70 for a huge sound. “Each fuzz channel is supplemented with additional controls to further refine the sound as well as how...
Vulfpeck Announce Spring 2017 Tour
Joe Dart and Vulfpeck have announced a spring tour that will take the band around North America in May and June. The trek kicks off on May 1st at First Ave in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will include a pair of dates in the city as well as Chicago and Toronto before heading back out west. It will wrap up June...
Making Music: Pro Bassist Insights on Composing
Gigs tend to dry up for bassists during the winter months (besides holiday work), making it the perfect time to start composing new music for the spring. Whether you’re a seasoned composer or just starting out on the bass, writing music will help you grow as a player and musician. We compiled some advice from the world’s top bass players...
Neil Young Releases “Peace Trail,” Featuring Paul Bushnell
Folk/rock legend Neil Young has released his 37th studio album, entitled Peace Trail. The stripped-down, 10-song collection is classic Young that focuses on social and political issues in his own unique voice. Though he has been touring with Promise of the Real for the past two years, the songwriter decided to tap session drum master Jim Keltner and bassist Paul...
Providence Introduces PEC-4V Programmable Effects Controller
Providence has expanded their line of utility pedals with the PEC-4V. The programmable effects controller features their Vitalizer circuit with four Provolt9 DC9V outputs. The effects loops break down into three series loops and one separate that can be set up in four combinations to be recalled instantly in program mode. A direct mode allows for directly turning each loop...
Bradetich Foundation Announces 2nd International Double Bass Solo Competition
Attention double bassists: The Bradetich Foundation has announced its Second International Double Bass Solo Competition. Hosted at the University of North Texas in Denton, the event is set for September 1st through the 5th in 2017 and will have a first prize award valued at $30,000. “The finest solo performers in the world are invited to compete for the most...
Fender Unveils American Professional Series Basses
Fender has unveiled the American Professional Series, which takes the place of their recently discontinued American Standard line. The new series will, of course, include Precision and Jazz bass models, but each will have new features. Updated specs include a new fret shape, new pickups, new electronics, new hardware, and new colors. Both the American Professional P-Bass and Jazz Bass...
Rex Brown Solo Debut Expected in May
After announcing he was working on a solo project back in August, former Pantera bassist Rex Brown has revealed his solo debut album is slated to be released in May 2017. Brown opened up on the process to Eddie Trunk on Trunk Nation this week. “I went to NAMM last year, and I have a really good friend, this songwriter,...
Bass of the Week: KD Basses Picasso
Andy Irvine of The Daily Funk Club shared some pictures of this bass on Facebook and it made me stop scrolling. The Picasso by KD Basses is a colorful, artistic take on the instrument made in Bulgaria. The bass’s body is built with an Elm core, but luthier Kostadin Dimitrov covered it with an irregularly-shaped piece of maple burl in...