Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 495

Here’s another great metal playthrough featuring bassist Mike Poggione and guitarist Tyler McDaniel of Serocs demonstrating the song “And When The Sky Was Opened.” The clip comes from the Blakhart Guitar booth at the 2015 Winter NAMM show. Poggione is rocking a 7-string bass and some wicked right hand technique to tear through the 7-minute song.

After introducing the EX-Bass two years ago, D’Angelico announced the solidbody EX-SD Bass at this year’s NAMM Show. The four-string bass features a chambered mahogany body topped with flame maple and a mahogany neck. Its rosewood fingerboard holds 21 frets and is adorned with mother of pearl block inlays as position markers. The EX-SD is loaded with a pair of...

Alessandro Corsi has taken things to a new level with his latest solo bass arrangement. The bassist covers Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” with an infectious amount of charisma.

Warwick introduced a new signature bass for Stuart Hamm during the NAMM Show this year. The new model is based on the company’s Streamer with extended contouring and a deeper cutaway for improved access to the higher register. The Stu Hamm Signature bass is built with an alder body and five-piece birdseye maple and rosewood neck. Its neck has illuminated...

Hadrien Feraud is one of my favorite players, and it’s always fascinating to watch him play. Our friend Charles Robitaille sent in this video of Feraud playing “Paradise Variations” with drummer Virgil Donati, and my jaw hit the floor. The clip features several variations on Donati’s “Paradise Lost” from his album In This Life. Feraud’s bass playing is matched with...

Stevie Wonder has had a legendary career, and for over 40 years he’s been backed by the one and only Nate Watts. Here’s a great video of two fantastic bass lines with “I Wish” and “Isn’t She Lovely.” The clip comes from a live 2009 performance in London. Even after playing these songs for four decades, you can tell Watts...

Ibanez has announced they will reissue the famed 2609B, also known as the Black Eagle bass. Admitting they are not apt to reissue many instruments, the company says the limited edition run marks the 40th anniversary of the classic model.

Danny McCulloch, who played bass for the second incarnation of The Animals, has passed away from cardiac heart failure. He was 69 years old. McCulloch was born in West London in 1945 and got his musical start in his teens. His first band was The Avro Boys, who went on to become Tony Craven & The Casuals in the late...

Gruv Gear introduced the SoloStrap Neo 4.0 and 2.5 at NAMM this year. The new straps are a more economical version of their existing straps and comes in a four-inch wide version to accommodate bassists. “We had our DuoStrap Signature and then made the Duostrap Neo as an affordable version of it,” Gruv Gear’s Jay Baldemor explains. “Then we had...

Part of the fun of the NAMM show is finding all the oddities that are tucked away into the booths for different vendors. One of the coolest discoveries for us this year was an intricate striped bass at the Hipshot booth. After a minute we got to talking with its creator, Pete Hilton of Hilton Guitars, and I got to...

Divinity Roxx is back with a new single called “We Are,” and we’ve got an exclusive lyric video for it. Inspired by the trying times and situations surrounding us, the song is a call for us all to make positive changes, one person at a time. The video’s description sums it up: “From the abduction of young girls by extremists...

Warwick expanded their lightweight bass amp lineup with the LWA 500 at NAMM this year. Rated at up to 500 watts, the compact amp weighs in at only 2.42 pounds. The LWA 500 combines a preamp based on the Class A/Low Z circuitry found in the WA series with a Class D power amplifier to keep the weight down. It...