Fender Unveils American Elite Series Basses
Fender’s new bass offerings at the NAMM Show this year revolved around their new American Elite series of instruments. The lineup includes each of the company’s main models with the American Elite Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, Jazz Bass, and Dimension Bass. Common features for the series are Fender’s fourth generation Noiseless pickups, compound neck shapes, new cases, and new finishes....
Bartolini Unveils B-Axis Pickups
Bartolini unveiled the b-axis series of bass pickups at the 2016 Winter NAMM Show. Based on the company’s original HI-A design from the ’70s, the b-axis pickups feature a fully encapsulated Alnico V exposed pole piece design that fits as a replacement set for J-style basses. “The main design principle was to provide a highly asymmetric magnetic field in order...
TC Electronic Introduces Ditto X4 Looper
TC Electronic’s Ditto series of loopers got a little bigger at the NAMM Show this year. The Ditto X4 Looper builds on the simplicity of the original Ditto by adding two loop tracks, two loop modes, seven loop effects, loop decay, MIDI sync, loop import/export, and stereo inputs and outputs. The list of options and effects offer the option to...
Consider The Source Release Free Album, Announce Spring Tour
Sci-Fi Middle Eastern Fusion band Consider the Source is celebrating their 10th anniversary in style this year. The band, who have just returned from a two-week trek of India, are releasing a free compilation album spanning their career. Past is Prologue: 2005-2015 includes tracks from each of their studio albums as well as a bonus from their early years. The...
Ashdown Unveils Rootmaster EVO Series
Ashdown took to the Winter NAMM show this year to introduce the Rootmaster EVO Range. Building on the Rootmaster series, the EVO range has been streamlined with improved features and a reduction in weight. The Rootmaster preamp now has active and passive inputs to get optimal levels for your bass. Other common features in the line include a 5-band EQ,...
Mo’ Blow: Ricky The Lobster
Tobias Fleischer shared his latest video on our Videos Forum, and it’s a great groove. He lays down some serious low end with his band Mo’ Blow on the track “Ricky The Lobster”. Fleischer’s slap line, which he plays on flatwounds, has everything it needs while having a certain subtlety to keep it in a support role. The song comes...
D’Addario Adapts NYXL Strings For Bass
D’Addario has adapted their NYXL strings to their line of bass products. The new NYXL Bass sets feature the company’s NY Steel core and reformulated nickel-plated wrap wire, which they say offer a more powerful low end, accentuated harmonics, and focused punch. The NY Steel core also adds to the string’s durability and stability, while a new core-to-wrap ratio give...
Bass of the Week: Prat Basses Original I
This week we’re checking out an exquisite Original I by Prat Basses. This particular six-string, built by luthier Oscar Prat, will get Buckeye Burl lovers going with its prime top and matching headstock. The bolt-on bass has a 34-inch scale with a curly maple and walnut neck attached to its one-piece swamp ash body. Its bright birdseye maple fingerboard is...
Video Premiere: El Ten Eleven’s “Scott Township”
We’re bringing you another video premiere with live clip of El Ten Eleven’s “Scott Township” taken from a performance at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Colorado on December 4th, 2015. The duo of multi-instrumentalist Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty create a captivating and emotional atmosphere with a minimalist approach. Dunn kicks things off on a bass vi while Fogarty...
Billy Sheehan’s Signature EBS Pedal Goes Deluxe
The EBS Billy Sheehan Signature Drive Deluxe was unveiled at NAMM this year with the bass legend on hand to talk about it. The pedal adds on to his existing signature drive with more gain with a Boost footswitch, a phase inverter switch for add low end, and an innovative swappable op-amp. “There are a lot of drive pedals that...
Orange Amplification Launches O Bass Guitar
Orange Amplification took to NAMM to launch the O Bass, a vintage-styled bass that comes in Teardrop Sunburst, Off-Black and Orange finishes. The bass first made an appearance at the 2014 Winter NAMM show as a demonstrator piece, but came to production after videos of the instrument spread online. The company describes the O Bass as having a “distinctively vintage...
Custom Shop: Tuli Basses
Every instrument of distinction starts with a vision, but passion and commitment are the factors that make it a reality. That perfect storm has come together with Finland’s Tuli Basses, a fresh boutique bass company aimed at quality over quantity. The man with the vision is luthier Aron Bach. A lifelong bassist, the American-born bass builder cut his teeth as...