Vox Amps Announces the VX50 BA Tube Bass Combo Amp
Vox Amps has unveiled the VX50 series of amps including the VX50 BA, a compact vacuum tube bass amp. The 50-watt amp is fitted with a new tube called the NuTube. “By using Nutube, the new vacuum tube, this amp achieves 50W of high output power while being more compact, lightweight, and power-efficient,” Vox writes. “You’ll enjoy the rich overtones...
In Memoriam: Holger Czukay
Holger Czukay, who co-founded and played bass in the experimental rock band Can, has died from unknown causes. He was 79 years old. Czukay was born in what is now Gda?sk, Poland in 1938. He worked at a radio repair shop where he became interested in electrical engineering and the sound of radio broadcasts. This led to an interest in...
Truetone Announces the 1 Spot Pro CS6 Power Supply
Truetone has expanded their 1 Spot line of power supplies with the 1 Spot Pro CS6. The new unit is billed as the “first low-profile power brick to be able to put out up to 1600mA of pure, silent power.” Its thin profile allows it to be mounted under flat pedalboards like the Pedaltrain Nano or Metro series. It has...
Olivier Babaz: On The Sunny Side of the Street
Get ready to chill out. Olivier Babaz offers up a nice relaxing arco version of the jazz standard “On The Sunny Sunny Side Of The Street” in this new video. Besides some nice phrasing, Babaz gets a big, warm tone that matches the song’s chill vibe.
Mogwai Releases “Every Country’s Sun”
Mogwai has released their ninth studio album, entitled Every Country’s Sun. The Scottish band’s new record is part instrumental, part vocal with a post-rock sound that blends ambient sounds with electronica. Dominic Aitchison pins the album together with melodic bass lines and big tone. Check out the song, “Party in the Dark” in the video below. Every Country’s Sun is...
Epiphone Adds Vintage Styled Basses to Pro Series
Epiphone has unveiled two new Pro design basses: the Embassy Pro Bass and the Thunderbird Vintage Pro Bass. The new instruments are inspired by models from the 1960s with modern updates. The Embassy Pro commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Epiphone joining Gibson. It’s built with a mahogany neck and body that’s been rebalanced for comfort. It also has improved...
Rediscovered Bill Evans Recording Features Eddie Gomez with Jack DeJohnette
Bill Evans was one of the most influential jazz pianists ever, and he always played with top tier musicians. Now Resonance Records has released another example of that with Another Time: The Hilversum Concert. The album is a rare recording featuring his trio with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette. While Gomez had played with Evans for two years at the...
In Memoriam: Todd Honeycutt
Sad news to report today: Enfold Darkness bassist Todd Honeycutt has died by suicide. He was 30 years old. The band made the announcement on their Facebook page. “Our brother Todd, who performed on our latest album, has taken his own life,” the statement read. “I wish that we could give you a better sounding statement – we are all...
Bass of the Week: 5th Day Products Molly Bass
Jeremy McDiarmid wrote in to share his first bass build with us called the Molly. The instrument features a beautiful mix of woods that reminded his wife of a certain actress. “The name Molly came from the color contrast reminding my wife of Molly Ringwald when I began shaping the body,” the builder tells us. “Molly was designed and built...
In Memoriam: Walter Becker
It’s another tough day in the music world. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker has died at the age of 67. A cause of death was not announced. Fellow Steely Dan songwriter Donald Fagen paid tribute to him in a piece for Rolling Stone: “Walter Becker was my friend, my writing partner and my bandmate since we met as students at...
Swope Guitars Unveils the Dakota Bass
Swope Guitars has unveiled a new bass model called the Dakota. The retro-styled bass features a slickly contoured lightweight alder body in Candy Apple Red. Its neck is flat or rift-sawn hard rock maple that is topped with a quarter-sawn rosewood slab fingerboard. Luthier Chris Swope gives the bass a nitrocellulose lacquer with something he calls the “Knock-around” treatment. “I...
Mötorhead’s “Under Cöver” Album Now Available
Lemmy Kilmister was always a big fan of other people’s music. Now that’s evidenced even further with a new Mötorhead album called Under Cöver, which sees the trio putting their own spin on their favorite songs. Taken from recordings over the past 25 years, the collection includes cover versions of songs by artists ranging from Metallica to The Rolling Stones...