Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 527

Rock bassist Randy Coven, who toured and recorded with artists including Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai, passed away on May 20th of undisclosed causes. He was 54. Born in Great Neck, New York, Coven was introduced to music at a young age. His parents fostered his love of music by taking him to the Beatles concert at Shea Stadium when...

Get ready to chill out. Ian Trusheim sent in this awesome solo bass tune he wrote called “Stair Steps.” The song revolves around a nice groove that develops into a beautiful harmonic progression to which the bassist adds a simple yet gripping vocal melody.

Analog Alien is now shipping the Alien Bass Station, a pedal that puts three effects into one box. The effects, which include a limiter, an amp generator, and a gamma fuzz, can be used independently or simultaneously for tonal flexibility. Each section has separate output knobs to adjust that effects signal strength. The limiter has a limit-comp knob for the...

Every time I watch a video by Dominic “Forest” Lapointe, it’s sure to blow me away. This one is no exception. Here’s the fretless 6-stringer playing through “Nothing is Everything” by Death. The track comes from their 1993 album Individual Though Patterns, which was originally played by fellow fretless metal player Steve DiGiorgio.

TC Electronic has released a new line of Mini Pedals, which takes their existing TonePrint stompboxes and retools them to fit into smaller enclosures. The lineup includes the Flashback Mini Delay, Shaker Mini Vibrato, Corona Mini Chorus and Vortex Mini Flanger. Each of the pedals has been reduced to a three-knob interface for adjusting on the fly, but they’re also...

The Jonathan Scales Fourchestra has released a second video from their latest album, Mixtape Symphony, and it’s a killer. Bassist Cody Wright locks in with drummer Phill Bronson to set the tune up with a great groove and ear-bending melodic content. Hold on to your hat.

Spector is now shipping a limited edition version of the Alex Webster Euro5LX, featuring a reverse “Zombie Drip” design over a red finish. The new color design is rounded out with red outlined Spector fret inlays and a red Spector logo on the black headstock. Only twelve of the basses have been produced. Similar to the standard Alex Webster Euro5LX,...

Japanese bassist Akihiro Yokoyama of the veteran thrash metal band United has passed away at the age of 49. The cause of death was not declared, but a statement called his passing sudden. “It happened totally out of the blue and it is very hard for his family, UNITED and the staff to accept it, but we wanted to share...

Available in 4- and 5-string versions, the Godin Shifter bass is an interesting take on old school aesthetic. Its neck, headstock, and body will look familiar to many, but its pickup system is the real magic. The Shifter has three soapbar, passive single coil alnico pickups with extra large magnets. Each pickup can be selected individually or used in combination...

If you’re going to play with some of the top hip hop and R&B names, you’ve got to know a thing about tone. That’s why we reached out to bass phenom Robert “Bubby” Lewis as part of our Profiles in Tone series. Born in Flint, Michigan, Lewis wanted to be a drummer until listening to Tom Kennedy on Dave Weckl’s...

Monster has updated their line of Rock, Bass, and Acoustic cables, which are designed with features to accent the specific instruments. The series has been upgraded with new 24K gold connectors that feature a collet strain relief to clamp down on the Duraflex jacket when screwed together. This reduces the strain from solder points locking the cable in place. Its...

Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner is a phenomenal bassist with a singular voice. Here’s a video from the first episode of the online music series “Off Main St,” which features the bassist performing his song “Lotus and the Jondy.” The song is from his second album Apocalypse. If you dig this, make sure to check out the rest of the episode: