Bass of the Week: Scott Guitar Works SB-2
This week we check out the SB-2 by Scott Guitar Works of Louisville, Kentucky. The bass is built to order and has a plethora of options, but its central point is its unique body shape. Scott shaves down to a minimalist design with a short lower horn and thinner, longer upper horn while keeping it curvy in the lower half...
Eastman Releases VB95 Eastman Pro Bass
Eastman Guitars debuted a pair of new instruments at Summer NAMM this year including the VB95 Eastman Pro Bass. Designed with the touring player or weekend warrior in mind, the new double bass features a fully carved spruce top with gamba corners, a solid laminate back and ribs, and a solid ebony fingerboard. The bass’s body is finished in an...
Ampeg Now Shipping Revamped BA-112 and BA-115 Bass Combos
After revamping the BA series earlier this year, Ampeg is now shipping the new BA-112 and BA-115 bass combo amps. The models carry all the new features including the foot-switchable Bass Scrambler overdrive circuit, a 3-band EQ, and a true sixty degree monitoring angle so they can be set up as a wedge. The Bass Scrambler is one of the...
Esperanza Spalding Announces “Thank You October” Tour Dates
Esperanza Spalding will be celebrating her birth month with a string of tour dates. The “Thank You October” tour will be a two-week outing focusing on the East Coast with a single Canadian show in Toronto. Spalding, who turns 30 this year, will get the party started at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut before covering New England and heading...
Tanglewood Introduces Updated TW155-A Acoustic Bass Guitar
Tanglewood Guitars has revamped their Premier series of acoustic instruments including the TW155-A bass. The lineup’s third generation is defined by solid AA Sitka spruce tops, mahogany back and sides, and a natural satin finish. The TW155-A acoustic bass guitar has a rosewood fingerboard and matching bridge. Its body is also bound in rosewood and maple. Tanglewood fits the bass...
Cory Henry and Michael League: “Yesterday” and “Looking Out For Me”
Soul is pouring over in this video of Snarky Puppy members Cory Henry and Michael League playing a workshop at the Escola de Música Luciano Alf in Rio De Janeiro. The duo doesn’t need a drummer to get a fat groove going on the classic Beatles song “Yesterday,” which they later morph into Kirk Franklin’s “Looking Out for Me.”
Adrenaline Mob Switches Bassists, Announces Tour
In a strange turn of events, rock supergroup Adrenaline Mob has announced that bassist John Moyer has been replaced by former Tantric bassist Erik Leonhardt. Moyer, who is also a member of Disturbed, left the group after confusion about the band’s recent tour announcement. Adrenaline Mob posted the news about their upcoming tour on social media, and Moyer posted on...
Out of the Black: An Interview with Royal Blood’s Mike Kerr
Sometimes great things come in small packages. That’s true in the case of Royal Blood, a British rock duo that gets a gargantuan sound that rivals four or five-piece bands. One of the key ingredients to that sound is the massive bass tone delivered by Mike Kerr. Kerr started Royal Blood with drummer Ben Thatcher in early 2012 after discovering...
Ibanez Adds New Color Finishes to SR Premium Series Basses
Ibanez stepped up its SR series in 2011 with the SR Premium, which took the company’s flagship model and gave it upgraded features. The series has traditionally kept in the vein of boutique basses with only natural finishes, but Ibanez has announced that the SR Premium 1400E and 1405E will be getting new color options of Deep Ocean Flat and...
Monty Alexander, John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton: Mojo
Today is John Clayton’s birthday, and we’re celebrating with one of the bassist’s grooves. Here’s the jazz guru laying it down with Monty Alexander and Jeff Hamilton on the tune “Mojo.” Clayton’s joy for music is infectious. Make sure to check out his solo at the 3:22 mark. Happy birthday, Mr. Clayton!
In Memoriam: Billy Rath
Billy Rath, bassist for classic punk band Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, has passed away after a long illness. He was 66. Rath joined the New York-based Heartbreakers in 1976, replacing original bassist Richard Hell. He was featured on the band’s only studio album, L.A.M.F, which caught the attention of the Sex Pistols. The band went on tour with the...
Xotic Announces 6-String XJ-1T Bass
Xotic has expanded their XJ-1T series with a 6-string bass, which the company describes as having the feel and tone of a traditional jazz-type bass with the addition of two more strings. The 34″ scale bass is fitted with a pair of the company’s single coil pickups and Hum Reduction Inductor circuit that eliminates the hum associated with jazz-style pickups....