Sandberg Announces Steamed Oak Fingerboards
To keep up with the new CITES regulations on rosewood, Sandberg Guitars has turned to a new fingerboard option: steamed oak. The innovation was first shown at NAMM this year as a prototype. “Oak is a very eco-friendly and sustainable wood with very desirable sonic qualities and dynamic response,” the company wrote in a press release. “Sandberg has adopted a...
Video Premiere: Petros Klampanis’s “Shades of Magenta”
Today we’re proud to premiere a video for the song “Shades of Magenta” by bassist Petros Klampanis. This beautiful piece of music is a live recording from his latest album, , out now on Motema Music. “‘Shades of Magenta’ is about happiness,” the bassist writes. “We tend to forget how to appreciate small everyday things and this state of mind...
Dominic “Forest” Lapointe: First Fragment’s “Gula” Playthrough
I hope you’re sitting down for this one. Dominic “Forest” Lapointe’s playthrough for his band First Fragment’s song “Gula” is killer. Originally recorded by Vincent Savary, the song kicks off with a monster fretless tapping line before jumping into a supportive role. Lapointe’s left hand technique and musicality are just incredible.
Mark King Joins Stewart Copeland’s Gizmodrome
Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland has put together a new group called Gizmodrome, and he picked some heavy hitters to join him. The band is rounded out by Italian keyboardist Vittorio Cosma, guitarist Adrian Belew, and Level 42 bassist Mark King. The project will release their self-titled debut album on September 15th, 2017. Gizmodrome started with Copeland and Cosma, expanding...
Bassics BPA-1 Preamp Now Shipping
Diffusion Audio is now shipping the Bassics BPA-1 analog bass preamp. Designed by studio equipment designer Malcolm Toft, the BPA-1 packs a preamp, tone controls, and compression into a floor unit with footswitches for each section. It has two inputs with two low-noise pickup amplifiers with individual level controls. The three-band EQ has Low Bass, Mid Bass, and High Bass...
Whose Hat Is This?: Untitled
The musicians in the Tedeschi Trucks Band can throw down on some southern soul grooves, but they also have a love for free improv. Four members of the group – including Tim Lefebvre, Kebbi Williams, J.J. Johnson, Tyler Greenwell – formed a project called Whose Hat Is This? to let their creativity run wild. Here they are performing an untitled...
James Jamerson Bass Sold at Auction
If you’ve been online recently, you’ll know the most talked about story in the bass community in the last month has been the auction for a bass previously owned by James Jamerson. Owned by the Motown genius from 1962 until approximately 1968, the 1961 Fender Precision was reportedly given to fellow Detroit bassist Billy Hayes around that time. Hayes used...
Cort Introduces the GB74JJ Bass
Cort has expanded their GB7 series of guitars and basses with the GB74JJ, a jazz-style bass that they describe as integrating both modern and classic aspects. That blend is centered in its pair of VTB-ST pickups that are fitted into a swamp ash body. “Crafted with winding materials that maximize high and low frequencies, the refined design of these pickups...
Rancid Returns with “Trouble Maker”
Legendary punk band Rancid has returned with their ninth album, Trouble Maker. Anchored by bass freak Matt Freeman, the 19-song collection runs from blistering riffs to ska-infused jams. Freeman’s lines continue to be rooted in driving the song while bringing a melodic element to the grooves. For proof, check out the band playing the album (in the video below). Trouble...
Bass of the Week: Bogart Bass Sport V Headless
This week we’re checking out a slick headless, five-string version of the Bogart Bass Sport model. Built for Michael Klöckner, the bass is a modified version of their already lightweight Sport, which features a carbon fiber neck and an interesting body design. It’s a Blackstone synthetic body shell that is injected with a light weight filling foam. This particular bass...
Fender Unveils CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar
Fender has introduced the Classic Design series that they say is aimed at the company’s acoustic tone and aesthetic at an affordable price. The lineup includes the CB-60SCE, an acoustic bass guitar featuring a slim-taper neck profile and rolled fingerboard edges for playability. Its concert-bass body is built with a solid spruce top with mahogany for the back and sides....
Soul Fish: An Interview with Carey Nordstrand
As an instrument builder and pickup maker, Carey Nordstrand has helped scores of musicians find their voice in their tone. Now he’s getting to share his own musical voice with a new release by his band, Moba Jones. Soul Fish is the culmination of musical experiences of Nordstrand and his musical compatriot Edward Heppenstall, whose influences range from Peter Gabriel...