ESP Unveils LTD Orion-5 Bass
Behemoth bassist Orion has got a new signature bass with ESP. The ESP LTD Orion-5 Signature is a five-string model based on their AP series featuring an alder body, maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. Everything is finished in black: the body, the pickguard, the hardware, the neck, and the headstock. Even the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder PJ pickups are matched...
Herbie Hancock’s New Album to Feature Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar, and More
Music master Herbie Hancock has a new album in the works that promises to be one of his most groundbreaking. In an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, the pianist revealed he’s recruited Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Snoop Dogg, and bassist Thundercat for the project. “I’m learning a lot from the young people I’m working with,” the jazz legend said....
Mai Agan Joins David Crosby For Summer Tour
Folk rock legend David Crosby is hitting the road again this summer in support of his latest album, Sky Trails. He’ll once again be joined by bassist Mai Agan, who has been playing with him for the past couple years. “Hitting the road again in May with the almighty Croz and the Sky Trails Band,” Agan shared on Facebook. “Caaaaaaan’t...
Elrick Bass Guitars Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Limited Edition Bass
Master luthier Rob Elrick is celebrating 25 years of building basses. To commemorate the anniversary, Elrick Bass Guitars has unveiled their first limited edition instrument. The Elrick 25th Anniversary Bass will be restricted to no more than 10 instruments that feature their most popular features and primary wood selections. The e-volution single-cut body is made from swamp ash with a...
Marco Mendoza Releases Solo Album, “Viva La Rock”
A mainstay of the rock and metal community, Marco Mendoza has been the anchor for artists like Neal Schon, Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and currently The Dead Daisies. Now he’s released Viva La Rock, his first solo album in eight years. Described as “big, bad, and beautiful,” the album reflects Mendoza’s personality with a range of styles including rock, blues, funk,...
Dean Unveils the Jon Lawhon Hillsboro Bass
Dean Guitars and Black Stone Cherry bassist Jon Lawhon teamed up this year to release a signature bass. The Jon Lawhon Hillsboro Bass takes one of the company’s existing models and decks it out for the bassist’s wants and needs, including an old-school seafoam green finish. The bass is constructed with a classic configuration of an alder body with a...
Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette Release “After The Fall”
The trio of Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette – referred to as the “Standards trio” – has been prolific in their recordings. Now a new album taken from a 1998 performance promises to be at the top of the heap. After The Fall was recorded in Newark, New Jersey following Jarrett’s two-year hiatus from the stage. “I was...
Nordstrand Audio Unveils the Nordenbocker Pickup
Nordstrand Audio has expanded their pickup line with a drop-in replacement to fit a Rickenbacker 4003 neck pickup. The Nordenbocker is Nordstrand’s Big Single pickup design housed in the unique pickup size. “It even uses your stock pickup screws,” the company writes. “Louder and more aggressive tones can now be found in your neck pickup to keep up with the...
Bass of the Week: Tuli Basses HIILYX
I’m always floored by Tuli Basses, and builder Aron Bach made my day by sending me the details of his latest HIILYX bass. The six-string bass is the new single cut model that he revealed at the 2018 London Bass Guitar Show. Even with six strings and a single cut body, the HIILYX comes in lighter than many four-strings. “I...
Hal Leonard Publishes “The First 15 Lessons: Bass Guitar” Instructional Book
Are you a complete beginner or have someone interested in starting on bass? Hal Leonard has just published First 15 Lessons: Bass Guitar by Jon Liebman to aid fledgling players. The step-by-step lesson plan starts with holding the bass and graduates to playing open strings and beyond. While it covers the basics, the book gets you ready to jam with...
First Electric Bass Guitar, Audiovox #736, Up For Auction
Although Leo Fender is often given credit, it was actually Paul Tutmarc who invented the first electric bass guitar. The Audiovox Model 736 was designed and manufactured by the Seattle-based builder all the way back in 1936. There are only three of these basses known to be left in the world, and now one of them is up for sale....
The Breeders Release “All Nerve”
The Breeders, fronted by former Pixies bassist Kim Deal, have returned with their first new album in a decade. All Nerve is also the return of the band’s classic Last Splash lineup with Deal on guitar and vocals, Jim Macpherson on drums, Kelley Deal on lead guitar and vocals, and Josephine Wiggs laying down the bass. Rallying the old members...