Bootsy Collins Announces New Album
Funkateers rejoice! Bootsy Collins has announced he will be releasing a new album this October entitled World Wide Funk. The star-studded record will be his first release in six years. “The whole concept was not only about playing music or being current on this album, but about teaching people how to funk for themselves so they can bring some funk...
Mu-FX Unveils the Micro-Tron III Envelope Filter
Mu-FX has expanded their pedal line with a new compact pedal. The Micro-Tron III is described as “a compact, convenient, and affordable” version of the classic Musitronics Corp. Mu-Tron III envelope filter, which was originally introduced in the 1972. “The Micro-Tron III provides all the classic Jerry tone and Bootsy funk, in a pedalboard-friendly size and powered by industry-standard 9V...
The Revolution: An Interview with BrownMark
A Minneapolis native, BrownMark has always known what it means to be funky. The bassist cut his teeth in the musically rich city before being picked up by the one and only Prince in 1981 for his 1981 Controversy tour. The bassist held his own and was featured on the albums Around the World In A Day, Parade, Sign o’...
Johan Hansén-Larson: Solar
It’s been a while since we’ve posted a new Johan Hansén-Larson video, so I was pumped to see him post a new bass version of the jazz standard “Solar.” The bassist, who now rocks an incredible beard, puts his own spin on the song with an incredible fluidity and musicality that will leave your jaw on the floor.
Pigtronix Announces Mothership 2 Analog Synthesizer
Pigtronix has expanded their other-worldly effects lineup with the Mothership 2 Analog Synthesizer. Building on the original Mothership, the new pedal packs tons of features into a smaller footprint. It has five dual-concentric potentiometers and two toggle switches. The knobs control the VCO (triangle wave), square wave, sub-octave, clean mix, master volume, glide, fine tune, dynamics, timbre, and sweep. The...
Sire Guitars Unveils Marcus Miller P7 and V9 Basses
The popular Marcus Miller line of basses by Sire Guitars is growing this year with two new models: the P7 and the V9. The P7 is the company’s first P-style bass, while the V9 adds a solid maple top and quilted veneer to the V7 model. Available in four and five-string versions, the P7 centers around a P/J pickup set...
New Mastersounds Bassist Pete Shand In Need of Emergency Surgery
The New Mastersounds have announced that groove guru Pete Shand needs your help. The bassist, who is also working on Bernard Purdie’s new album, is in need of an emergency surgery to correct his spine. The band made the announcement on their Facebook page. “Pete needs your help for emergency surgery this week!” the band wrote. “Pete has developed a...
Bass of the Week: CG Lutherie Lyra
Our friend Sébastien Thorel sent us pictures a couple of gorgeous basses to check out, including this six-string Lyra by CG Lutherie. “I first met CG at a bass day in Annecy (a French town in Rhône Alpes) where he came with some of his handmade basses,” he wrote. “I was first very impressed (almost fell in love) with another...
Rainger FX Unveils Dwarf Bleep Bass Pedal
The UK’s Rainger FX has expanded their Dwarf Bass mini-pedal lineup with the Dwarf Bleep Bass. The pedal takes their Dr. Freakenstein Fuzz circuit and enhances it for bass while also adding an 8-bit sound glitching effect from their Dwarf Bleep pedal. It comes with the company’s unique Igor expression pad, which Rainger says gives some interesting and flexible effects....
Höfner Introduces the Club Bass 500/2 Double Cut
Höfner has introduced the Club Bass 500/2 Double Cut, a model inspired by the original 1965 model. The short-scale, hollow body bass dishes out old school tone with a double cutaway design for easy access to the upper register. It’s built with a select spruce top and flame maple for its back and sides, which are bound in black and...
Eden Announces the Module Bass Preamp Pedal
Eden has taken their Terra Nova circuitry and put it into a new bass preamp pedal called the Module, which provides the EQ stage and connectivity of a Terra Nova amplifier into a floor unit. Its four-band EQ has sweepable low and hi-mid frequencies, plus an Enhance EQ sweep. A bass boost switch adds even more low end. It has...
Nordstrand Audio Releases the Big BladeMan Pickup
Recently we featured Justin Chancellor’s new Warwick as a Bass of the Week. The Tool bassist’s newest axe is fitted with a brand new pickup from Nordstrand Audio, and now that pickup is available to the public. The Big BladeMan features two of the company’s Big J-Blades in an MM-style cover and as such works as a drop-in replacement for...