In Memoriam: Greg Lake
More sad news to report today: bass and prog-rock legend Greg Lake has died after a long bout with cancer. The King Crimson and ELP founder was 69 years old. Lake was born in the town of Poole in England in 1947 and picked up the guitar at 12. During their school years, he became friends with Robert Fripp, who...
Radial Engineering Announces the 4-Play Direct Box
Radial Engineering has announced the 4-Play Direct Box. Aimed at multi-instrumentalists, the DI works well for bass, acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and more. It has a 1/4-inch input for your instrument with four selectable XLR outputs. You can switch instruments by hitting the mute footswitch, plugging in the right instrument, and then using the second footswitch to toggle to the...
OnkartGromt Unveils Grombass V2 Overdrive Pedal
Norway’s OnkartGromt has released the Grombass V2, an overdrive/distortion pedal made for bass. The innovative pedal has an analog circuit with a microcontroller inside that controls the gain stages. The microcontroller is Arduino compatible with open code that can be modified by the user via USB cable. The Grombass V2 has three distortion modes: Germanium, LED, and Silicon. “Germanium diodes...
Von Thord: Nya Mäster
Bass and cello duo Von Thord have returned with a set of new videos, including this performance of the song “Nya Mäster”. Bassist David Werthén sets up a beautiful groove for John Bergion’s melancholy melody before things get heated up with unison and octave lines. Their technical prowess and innate musicality make this a video you’ll want to watch more...
Dead & Company Announce Summer 2017 Tour
In case you missed them this year, Dead & Company have announced a new tour for 2017. “The Music Never Stops” tour will be a cross-country trek that kicks off May 27th in Las Vegas. The band, which is anchored by bass guru Oteil Burbridge, was formed by Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bob Weir, and Bill Kreutzmann after the...
Aidan Hampson Releases Steely Dan Transcription Book
Steely Dan fans will want to check out Aidan Hampson’s latest transcription book, which documents the bass lines from the band’s biggest hits. The 13-song collection covers their most prolific period from 1972’s Can’t Buy a Thrill to 1980’s Gaucho. Featuring hits like “Reelin’ In The Years”, “My Old School”, “Peg”, and more, the book includes the bass work of...
Bass of the Week: Scopel P-Board Bass
I love it when luthiers think outside the box with the woods they use for their instruments. A recent trend has been to recycle old skateboards to create instant mojo, and Brazilian bass builder Antonio Cesar Scopel nailed it with his P-Board bass. Inspired by the Fender Precisions from 1951 to 1957, the P-Board’s body is made entirely from used...
America Paz and Eduardo Sitja: Street Jam
We love seeing bass playing buskers, and this video is a good example of why. America Paz and Eduardo Sitja took to the streets of Santiago, Chile to play some bass and melt some faces. The duo trades slap lines back and forth, building on each other’s ideas for a fun jam session.
Emma Electronic Announces New Octave/Fuzz Pedal
Ten years after their last release, Emma Electronic has unveiled the ON-1 Okto-Nøjs. The octave/fuzz pedal features an all-analog circuit that works well on both bass and guitar. It has separate footswitches for the octave and fuzz effects for flexibility. Controls include Dry, Okto, and Tone for the octave section with Gain, Tone, Color, and Nøjs for the fuzz. Level...
Ernie Ball Music Man Teases 30th Anniversary StingRay5 Bass
Ernie Ball Music Man has unveiled their 2017 Spring Collection, including a 30th Anniversary StingRay5 model. The 5-string version of their flagship bass was first introduced in 1986 and the company is celebrating gorgeous limited edition version. The bass is built with an ash body covered in a transparent buttercream finish that’s accented with a red tortoise shell pickguard. The...
The Rolling Stones Release “Blue & Lonesome”
The Rolling Stones are back with their 25th studio album, entitled Blue & Lonesome. Produced by bassist and Blue Note Records president Don Was, the album is the iconic rock band’s first full-length album to feature only cover songs. Blue & Lonesome is described as a tip of the hat to their early years as a blues band when they...
Alain Caron and UZEB Announce Reunion Tour
25 years after they called it quits, jazz/rock fusion pioneers UZEB will be hitting the road a reunion tour. The trio of bassist Alain Caron, guitarist Michel Cusson, and drummer Paul Brochu last performed at a farewell concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1992 to a crowd of 96,000 people. “A few months ago, guitarist Michel Cusson, bassist Alain...