Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 518

Xotic Guitars has launched their own brand of bass strings including sets for 4-, 5-, and 6-string basses. Available in nickel or stainless steel, the string feature round wound construction and can be ordered for 34″ or 33″ scale basses. The 4-string gauges run .045 to .105 while the 5-string set adds a .125 B-string and the 6-string adds a...

Camarel bassist/vocalist Michelle Kuban took to the studio to record a scaled-back version of the band’s song “Over You.” Using overdubs, Kuban lays down the bass line and chords as well as the lead and backup vocals.

D&A Guitar Gear has introduced the Starfish, a new floorstand that sets itself apart with five legs that the company says doubles its stability. The added legs allow for the stand to stand tall even at 30 degrees of tilt. The stand comes in two variations: the Starfish and the Starfish+. Both versions feature a quick folding design with the...

Big Ear n.y.c. has unveiled the Chaka, an octave fuzz pedal designed for all instruments, but especially for bass. The pedal features Fuzz, Volume, and Tone knobs for dialing in your tone with a separate footswitch to activate the octave effect. “The fuzz side uses LED clipping diodes which are more aggressive, but less compressed, and let the natural tone...

Jackson Guitars has announced a 5-string version of Megadeth bassist David Ellefson’s signature Kelly Bird Bass. Building on the 4-string version, the bass retains many of the same features including a basswood body and a bolt-on bound maple neck with block inlays. The bass is fitted with a pair of EMG HZ40 pickups matched with separate volume controls and a...

Here’s a great video bassist Jermaine Morgan shared on our Facebook page. Morgan builds a huge groove with drummer Brien Andrews on a playthrough of the track “Walkin’ the Talk” from his debut album, . Make sure to check out Morgan’s solo at the 3:44 mark.

Bassist Hadrien Feraud completely rips it up in this video of the Zawinul Legacy Band performing “Port of Entry.” The clip starts with a bass solo and you can almost see the smoke coming from his fingers as shreds across the entire instrument. The rest of the band then kicks in with the Weather Report song “Port of Entry,” which...

If you keep your effects chain between one and five stompboxes, West Coast Pedal Board has got you covered with the Little Rock pedalboard. The compact pedalboard measures 7 inches by 12 inches and weighs in at only 3.5 pounds for a small footprint and easy portability. Though it is part of their Standard series, the Little Rock will be...

Ernie Ball/Music Man is now taking orders for their Neptune Blue edition of basses and guitars as part of their Premier Dealer Network. The series is based around an African Mahogany body with a custom Neptune Blue finish and can be ordered on most models. Each bass will be built with a figured, roasted maple neck with a gunstock oil...

Now this is a concert I wish I was at. Here are two videos of Andrew Gouche grooving like no other with Chaka Khan at the Java Jazz Festival in 2007. The band began the show with the combination of “I Feel For You” (first video) before segueing into “Ain’t Nobody” (second video).

Gerald Marleaux is a world-class bass luthier based in Clauthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. His designs bring together the highest degrees of form and function into 4-, 5-, and 6-string basses. Today we check out Marleaux’s Consat Signature, the luxury version of his flagship Consat model. Standard features include a 3- or 5-piece birdseye maple neck with wenge strips, an ebony fretboard with...

If you’re like us, you’ve been patiently waiting for Dirty Loops to tour North America. The wait is finally over. Anchored by bassist Henrik Linder, the Swedish trio will kick off a 20-date North American outing at Irving Plaza in New York City on October 21st. From there they will cover the Northeast including a pair of Canadian dates in...