ESP Adds Fretless and 5-String Basses to LTD Thinline Series
ESP expanded their Thinline acoustic bass series this year with the TL-4Z Fretless and the TL-5SM. The models are four- and five-string basses, respectively, that feature modern aesthetic with exotic tops. The TL-4Z Fretless carries the same features of the TL-4Z in a fretless format. Its body is built with chambered mahogany and topped by zebrawood in a natural gloss...
Craig Strain & Lauren Pierce: Bach Invention No.13 – A Minor
Bach’s music is timeless and goes beyond the scope of any single instrument. Today we’re featuring an awesome duet of Bach’s Invention No. 13 in A minor where the double bass meets the electric bass. Craig Strain and Lauren Pierce teamed up to tackle the classical counterpoint masterpiece. Strain called the piece “a bit of fun with an old school...
Biltworth Launches with BW-1 Effects Pedal
A new pedal company called Biltworth has launched its first product called the BW-1, a multi-effects unit for bass and guitar. It features three effects – overdrive, delay, and reverb – that are cascaded in series with separate controls and footswitches for each. The Drive section has Volume, Gain, and Tone controls that Biltworth says can “push it from light...
MonoNeon: Miles Beyond, Live
MonoNeon’s playing never ceases to amaze me, and this clip of him covering a Mahavishnu Orchestra song is why. The bassist grooves hard on the song “Miles Beyond” in this video from a concert in Memphis, Tennessee. As always, MonoNeon puts his own spin on it with an incredible solo. Keyboardist Lance Lucas and drummer Anthony Knox help to provide...
Mooer Audio Introduces Tender Octaver Pro Pedal
Mooer Audio has beefed up their Tender Octaver pedal with a Pro version. The polyphonic harmony pedal now has two synthesized harmony voices: one upper and one lower. Each has independent volume, tone, and pitch controls, with the pitch control allowing for any harmony to be created between unity and octave. The Tender Octaver Pro also has a smooth control...
Snarky Puppy with Esperanza Spalding: Grown Folks
Although this is a fan-shot video, it’s too good to pass up. Snarky Puppy and Esperanza Spalding both performed at the GroundUP Festival earlier this year. Spalding joined Michael League and the crew for their song “Grown Folks” from . The bassists trade off on playing the bass line with Spalding taking an unbelievable vocal solo halfway through the tune.
Positive Grid Introduces BIAS Modulation Pedal
Positive Grid has expanded their pedal range with the BIAS Modulation. The standalone pedal has nine built-in effects – Chorus, Vibrato, Flanger, Rotary, Phaser, Tremolo, Pan, RingMod and Autoswell – that can be mixed and matched to create unique sounds. It has intensity, depth, and rate controls as well as tap tempo and LFO controls for dialing in your sound...
Bambo Kino: Angels in Motion
We featured bassist Bambo Kino, aka Mark Buccilli, as a reader spotlight back in 2014 and today we’re sharing some more of his music. Here’s a clip of him playing with the recording for his fusion song “Angels in Motion” from the album Ecto Perfecto.
Herbie Hancock Recruits James Genus for Summer Tour
Jazz legend Herbie Hancock has announced a tour of the United States and Europe this summer, and it’s going to be incredible. He’s put together a killer lineup for his band with Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Lionel Loueke on guitar, Terrace Martin on drums, and James Genus on bass. The bassist has been a mainstay in the jazz community for...
ESP Unveils New Frank Bello Signature Model Basses
Anthrax’s Frank Bello teamed up with ESP again this year to create a new signature bass, resulting in the custom shop Frank Bello J-4 and the LTD Series FB-J4. Each bass is a take on a classic P/J design in a sleek black color scheme with red accents. The custom shop version is crafted one at a time in Japan....
Bass of the Week: Hannah Mayne Gamba Bass
I love the elegance of the double bass, especially this gorgeous Gamba model built by Hannah Mayne. Inspired by an 18th-century Italian bass, it’s crafted with Bosnian maple for the back, sides, and neck with an Engelmann spruce top. “I modified the original outline of the bass, along with the dimensions, making it my own design. The sound holes, other...
Italia Guitars Unveils the Maranello Cavo Bass
Italia Guitars unveiled a handful of new instruments at Musikmesse this year including the Maranello Cavo Bass. The short-scale, semi-hollow four-stringer is described as “packing an enormous punch in a very comfortable package.” Available in Racing Green and Translucent Cocoa colors, the retro-styled bass is built with a chambered mahogany body complete with the company’s signature f-hole design, a set...