Source Audio Now Shipping Aftershock Bass Distortion
Source Audio is now shipping their Aftershock Bass Distortion. The pedal boasts three distortion engines – Tube, Heavy, and Fuzz – as well as the company’s Neuro Mobile App capabilities for deep tonal tweaking. “The Tube engine belts out a subtle, but powerful vintage tube overdrive with a smooth breakup and plenty of punch,” Source Audio explains. “Heavy creates an...
Fodera Introduces Masterbuilt Series with “Arts & Crafts” Bass
Fodera has always been known for their gorgeous boutique instruments, but now they’re stepping things up with the Masterbuilt Series. Limited to four instruments per year, Fodera calls the series the pinnacle of what their shop can produce. “More specifically, these instruments are all theme instruments and draw inspiration from companies, artists, and craftsmen outside of the world of guitars,”...
Cog Effects Revamps Tarkin and Grand Tarkin Fuzz Pedals
Cog Effects has expanded their tonal offerings with an update to their Tarkin fuzz range, consisting of the Tarkin and Grand Tarkin mk2. The pedals are hand-built in Sheffield, England. Based on the Green Russian, the Tarkin is now housed in a smaller chassis with a pair of new LPF and HPF switches, which the company says are highly interactive...
Bass on a Budget: 10 Basses Under $1,000 for 2016
Tax season is finally over and it’s time to figure out how to spend that sweet refund from Uncle Sam. Of course, if you’re reading this site you’ve probably already decided on a bass. That’s why we put together this list of 10 new basses for 2016 under $1,000. The list is in no particular order and is not exhaustive....
Form Factor Audio Launches Bi Bass Amplifier Series
Form Factor Audio has announced the launch of the Bi 1000 and Bi 400 bass amps. Rated at 1000 and 400 watts respectively, the California-made Class D amps are packed with tons of connectivity and a 3-band EQ. The company describes their new preamp as “designed from the ground up to deliver the type of clarity, response time and tone...
Jason Everett: Moksha: The Elimination of All Duality, Part One
Bassist Jason Everett, aka Mister E, has unleashed part one of an epic 22-minute bass driven sonic story called “Moksha: The Elimination of All Duality”. This clip captures three movements of the world-jazz-fusion saga, which includes Everett’s slick 7-string fretless work and a diverse cast of musicians. ”’Moksha: The Elimination of All Duality’ is the sonic story of a soul…...
Ernie Ball Music Man Previews Cutlass and Caprice Basses
Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled their first fully passive basses with the Caprice and Cutlass models. The basses, which were debuted at the NAMM Show this year, feature brand new body styles that are influenced by old school design with modern playability. Even with new body styles, players will be familiar with the necks as the Cutlass borrows the...
Shareef Addo: Secrets
Shareef Addo sent in this video for his cool bass-centric tune “Secrets”, and it’s been stuck in my head since. The bass drives the song, but vocalist Adam Benjamin helps to fill out the melodic content. This is a great example of making the bass interesting while focusing on the songwriting aspect. Well done, Shareef!
Bass of the Week: Alembic Series II “Leap of Faith”
Alembic’s basses have been a big influence on custom builders, and it’s easy to see why. They started in 1969 as a live sound consulting operation. Founders Ron and Susan Wickersham then moved into instrument electronics, creating low impedance pickups and what would become first set of active electronics for a guitar. Their first bass was built in 1972 for...
Sire Guitars Launches Marcus Miller M7 Series
Sire Guitars has teamed up with Marcus Miller once again to introduce the Sire Marcus Miller M7 Series. The dual humbucker design, which has been in the works for some time, is now open for pre-order and will be shipping on April 30th. Available in four and five-string versions, the M7 has a modern body shape made of either alder...
Svadah: Rainy Day Bass Groove
Norwegian bassist Svadah sent me this “Rainy Day Bass Groove” on what happened to be a perfectly rainy day. “Took my bass out in to film a bass groove I made a little while ago on a typical rainy day in Bergen,” he wrote on Facebook. “Really loving the result, check it out! Key of Cm.” It’s good for any...
Jackson CBXNT IV and V Concert Basses Now Available
Jackson Guitars is now shipping the CBXNT IV Concert and CBXNT V Concert basses. Four and five-string models, respectively, the company describes the basses as perfect for metal or other styles that demand low, punchy bass. Jackson says the heart of the bass is in their electronics. “The heart of this beast is a pair of Jackson High Output Humbucking...