Craig Butterfield and Jesse Jones: Lulu’s Theme
Craig Butterfield first caught our attention with a burning note-for-note playalong of Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee.” but he can do more on the upright than shred. Here’s a beautiful tune called “Lulu’s Theme,” written by multi-instrumentalist Jesse Jones, who accompanies on guitar. Butterfield brings tons of emotion to the gorgeous, sweeping melody to pull on your heartstrings.
Mike Lull Custom Guitars Introduces Short Scale P430 Bass
Mike Lull introduced a new short-scale version of his P-style bass called the P430 at the Winter NAMM Show this year. The P430 will carry the same features of the full-size P4 – such as an alder, swamp ash, or mahogany body – but it will have a short 30-inch scale. That’s something Lull was not interested in doing until...
Fuzzrocious Unveils Baxstabber and Blast Furnace Pedals
Fuzzrocious Pedals unveiled two new creations at the 2017 NAMM show with the Baxstabber and Blast Furnace pedals. Both pedals, which are made in New Jersey, will be shipping later this year. We caught up with Fuzzrocious’s Ryan and Shannon Ratajaski at the show to get the scoop. “The Baxstabber is a tone shaper and an EQ,” Shannon explained. “It’s...
Metallica Announces North American WorldWired Tour Dates
Fresh off of their performance at the Grammys, Metallica has announced a North American leg of their “WorldWired” tour. The trek, which kicks off May 10th in Baltimore, will be in support of their latest album, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. It will be the band’s first full-scale North American tour since 2009. After the Baltimore, Maryland performance, Metallica will zig-zag across...
Warwick Unveils Rockbass Corvette Basic 8 Bass
Warwick expanded their Rockbass Corvette series with an eight-string version of the Corvette Basic. The eight strings are set in four courses tuned E-A-D-G against a wenge fretted fingerboard. Its built with an alder body and three-piece maple neck with ekanga veneer stripes. The body is fitted with a pair of active MEC jazz pickups matched to a 2-band EQ....
In Memoriam: Doug Lunn
More tough news for the bass community today: Doug Lunn has passed away after a long bout with pancreatic cancer. Lunn was a fretless aficionado, having ordered his first fretless Precision from Fender in 1974. He studied music in college and became a hired gun in the ’80s, working with many progressive artists as well as international pop stars. He...
ESP Introduces AP Basses to LTD Line
ESP Guitars added the AP-4 and AP-5 basses to their LTD Series at this year’s Winter NAMM Show. The four and five-string models are traditionally-based designs with ESP’s own twist. Both models are built with an alder body, bolt-on maple neck, and an ebony fretboard. They are fitted with a set of EMG pickups in a P/J configuration with volume,...
Linus Klausenitzer: Obscura’s “Ten Sepiroth” Bass Playthrough
Monster bassist Linus Klausenitzer is back with another insane playthrough from Obscura’s recent album, . This time he tackles “Ten Sepiroth” which balances between finger-busting riffs and awesome fretless fills. Luckily, the video focuses on his hands a lot to show his impressive technique. Be sure to check out the 3:16 mark for Klausenitzer’s melodic bass solo. If you want...
Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp Returns for 2017
Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp is returning for 2017, and it’s promising to be another great event. The three-day camp will take place March 17th through the 19th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a great lineup of instructors. This year participants will learn from Bryan Beller, Mike Pope, Adam Nitti, Justin Raines, Freekbass, Rob Smith, Anthony Wellington, and of course, Veasley....
Ashdown Introduces Stuart Zender Funk Face Twin Dynamic Filter Pedal
Ashdown Engineering has teamed up with bassist Stuart Zender to introduce the SZ Funk Face Twin Dynamic Filter Pedal. The pedal is designed for simplicity in getting a funky sound that Zender, who was the original bassist for Jamiroquai, is known for. Its filter section has a Sensitivity knob to control the effect’s response, while an Output knob controls the...
In Memoriam: Trish Doan
Trish Doan, who was a longtime bass player for the metal band Kittie, has passed away of undisclosed causes. She was 31 years old. Kittie announced the news on their Facebook page. “It is with immeasurable sadness that we share news of the passing of our sister and best friend Trish Doan,” the post stated. “Finding the right words is...
Bass of the Week: Roberto Franceschini Double Bass
This week we’re checking out a cool double bass made by Italian luthier Roberto Franceschini. The instrument features a slimmed down body that makes it more portable while retaining the acoustic sound of a double bass. “Various luthiers around the world have been trying for years to find solutions for building less bulky double basses without giving up any bit...