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...
Alabama Shakes Announce 2016 Tour Dates
Fresh off of their Grammy wins for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album, the Alabama Shakes announced a string of new dates including international festivals and an expansive North American trek. Holding down the low end will be bassist Zac Cockrell, who helped to form the band with vocalist Brittany Howard in 2009. Get a...
Cort Launches Jeff Berlin Rithimic V Bass
Jeff Berlin’s signature Rithimic bass now comes in a five-string version. The Cort Rithimic V was displayed at the Winter NAMM show this year with the bassist on hand to talk about it. “I’m entirely a four-string guy,” Berlin noted, “but I wanted to help make an efficient an instrument as possible for five-string players. My contribution was to ask...
EMG Introduces Solderless J System Pickups
Swapping out your Jazz Bass pickups has just gotten a little easier. EMG’s new J System is a completely solderless setup that includes everything you need to drop a new set of their J pickups into your bass. The pickups come with a control plate that’s completely wired with a split shaft volume/tone control, an output jack, a battery clip...
Dunlop Introduces Flatwound Bass Strings
Dunlop went old school at NAMM this year by introducing a new set of flatwound strings. The Dunlop Flatwound Strings are designed to give the tone of classic rock, funk, and R&B recordings while providing a more modern feel. Designed for lower tension, the strings are described as providing a solid fundamental with rich articulation on top. “Rolling off your...
Bass of the Week: Roks Instruments Futura
This week we’re taking a look at the Futura from Roks Instruments out of The Netherlands. Luthier Axel Roks, who created the bass as part of Dutch Design Week, uses the human body as a large influence on his creations. “This design originated out of the idea that a bass guitar could be an object in itself,” he writes on...
Dunlop Introduces Mini Bass Wah and Volume Pedals
If you’ve been skeptical to add a wah or volume pedal to your pedalboard because of the space it takes up, Dunlop may have you covered. They unveiled a pair of new Mini pedals at the NAMM Show this year including the CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass Wah and the Volume X Mini. The new CBM105Q Cry Baby Mini Bass...
Evan Brewer: “Cause For Concern” Bass Playthrough
Evan Brewer has released a bass playthrough for his song “Cause for Concern”, and it’s something you should be sitting down for. The track, which is featured on his album Your Itinerary, utilizes extended techniques to create a swirling sonic atmosphere. “This song has some of the harsher, heavier elements that are on the record,” Brewer told us in a...
Hartke Introduces TX600 Lightweight Bass Amp
Hartke turned some heads when they unveiled the TX600 at this year’s Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The 600-watt bass amp is the company’s first lightweight Class D amp, weighing in at a mere 7 pounds. The front end of the amp includes the same Class A tube preamp circuitry from Hartke’s LH Series with separate inputs for active...
Peter Cetera Backs Out of Chicago’s Rock Hall Induction Ceremony
Chicago fans were elated when they found out the band is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. They were even more excited when former bassist and singer Peter Cetera announced he would join the group for the induction ceremony on April 8th. Sadly, that’s now out of the question. Cetera posted on...
In Memoriam: Bob Raymond
Bob Raymond, former bassist for Sugarloaf, has passed away after a 7-month battle with lung cancer. He was 69 years old. Raymond joined the band in 1968 when they were called Chocolate Hair. The band was signed to Liberty Records and changed to Sugarloaf just before their debut album, which scored the hit “Green-Eyed Lady”. The song peaked at No....
Christian McBride: The Movement Revisited
Christian McBride may be the host of NPR’s Jazz Night In America, but he won’t let the show feature him unless it’s for something special. That time came this month with a special episode on McBride’s monumental work, The Movement Revisited. Inspired by the written words and speeches of Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Jr. and...