In Memoriam: Joe Skyward
Joe Skyward, born Joe Howard, has died after a two-year fight with cancer. He was 57. The former Posies and Sunny Day Real Estate bassist’s passing was announced on the Posies Facebook page. “Joe Skyward, aka Joe Bass, left us last night,” the post read. “He had been fighting cancer for the last 2 years. Positive to the end, he...
Dwarfcraft Introduces Necromancer Fuzz Pedal
Dwarfcraft’s latest offering is the Necromancer Fuzz, a pedal molded out of their Silver Rose model with several mods. “The Necromancer started as the Super Fuzz style circuit from the Silver Rose v2,” the company shared. “We added a middle band was added to the EQ. The Mids knob is tuned to the deepest frequency dip created by flipping the...
Christian Sturgess: Brutai’s “Onyx” Bass Playthrough
Brutai’s Christian Sturgess just released a playthrough video for their song “Onyx,” and it’ll melt your face. The song, which appears on their 2013 self-titled EP, features a killer bass part with intricate rhythms using slap, strumming, and three-finger techniques. The bassist’s snarling bass tone is also something to marvel. Sturgess gave the low down in the YouTube comments section....
TWA Now Shipping WR-3 Wah Rocker Pedal
TWA is now shipping the WR-3 Wah Rocker, a pedal based on the discontinued Guyatone Wah Rocker. While the pedal retains the original’s Threshold and Decay controls, it also brings a host of updates. Foremost for bassists, the WR-3 includes the circuitry from the Bottom Wah Rocker for extra low end. It’s activated via the Guitar/Bass switch. It also has...
GHS Announces Limited Edition Infinity Steel Bass Strings
GHS Strings has unveiled the Limited Edition Infinity Steels, a set of coated roundwound strings for bass. The set revisits their Infinity Steels with updates for modern players. Each string is coated using a process called MST, or Metal Surface Treatment, that coats the outer wires, which are then wrapped around the core. GHS also tweaked the core to cover...
Scott Varney: Carry On
Bassist singer-songwriter Scott Varney is back with a video for his song “Carry On.” Besides stellar bass playing, the song has poignant lyrics that he dedicates to “all those who have lost.”
B&G Handmade Guitars Announces Big Sister Bass
B&G Handmade Guitars has unveiled the Big Sister, a bass to support their Little Sister guitar model. The semi-hollow bass, which comes in fretted or fretless, was designed for old school flair. “This Big Sister idea was born with the release of the Little Sister guitar,” B&G writes. “We wanted to apply the same traditional materials & techniques, unique chambered...
Derek Blakley: Haji’s Kitchen Medley Bass Playthrough
Our friend David Piggott shared this awesome clip of Haji’s Kitchen bassist Derek Blakley playing through a medley of his band’s tunes, and I’m glad he did. Blakley brings real tenacity to his bass lines. The clip was put together to show the “flashiest” parts in the songs as a demo to play at the NAMM Show. “This medley is...
Bass of the Week: Ritter Instruments R8 Singlecut #1237
Jens Ritter’s basses have a style and finesse that makes them instantly recognizable. This week we’re checking out one of his R8 Singlecut models featuring a stark black and white contrast as its motif. The 5-string bass is built with a swamp ash body and maple top, all finished in white. Its three-piece maple neck is also finished in white,...
ESP Introduces Marco Mendoza Signature Bass
ESP has unveiled a new signature bass for Dead Daisies bassist Marco Mendoza. The Marco Mendoza LTD MM-4FM Bass is modeled after the ESP Vintage-4 with a set of EMG X-series P/J pickups. The bass is built with an alder body topped with flamed maple finished with a Dark See-Thru Green Sunburst. Mendoza opted for a five-piece neck and maple...
TC Electronic Now Shipping Bonafide Buffer
TC Electronic is now shipping the Bonafide Buffer. The unit, which is their first dedicated buffer pedal, is 100% analog and offers a 1M ohm input resistance and 1K output resistance. This, the company writes, allows for the instrument signal to flow “untroubled through the entire signal chain.” It also has an intelligent relay system that automatically switches to true...
Nienke Lohuis and Fortheloveofbass: Aiming
Fortheloveofbass, aka bassist Ivo Schot, has released the third bass and vocal collaboration in his video series. This time he teamed up with vocalist Nienke Lohuis to write and record the beautifully atmospheric “Aiming.” “Nienke Lohuis is best known for her own band inlakech. I’ve had the pleasure to study music with her together,” Schot wrote. “I’ve seen her develop...