Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 532

Today we’re celebrating Charles Mingus’s birthday. Here’s a video of one of my favorite Mingus tunes, “So Long Eric,” taken from Belgium’s “Jazz Pour Tous” TV program in April 1964. The quintet’s lineup includes drummer Dannie Richmond, pianist Jaki Byard, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, and alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy, for whom the song is named. Often, the song is thought...

Alusonic Aluminum Instruments has teamed up with Italian bassist Alberto Rigoni to present the Alusonic Alberto Rigoni Hybrid signature bass. The bass is a take on the company’s hybrid blend of aluminum and wood construction and features an alder body topped with aluminum. “As many bass players, I’m affected by GAS but I’m also pretty eclectic – I’m always looking...

Mike Gordon’s fourth solo album, Overstep, was released last month to critical acclaim. The Phish bassist has been touring in support of the record, but he’s also just released this music video for the fourth track, “Yarmouth Road.”

Argentinian effects company MBS Effectos has released the Evolution Volume Pedal. The active pedal utilizes a transparent buffer to allow for placement anywhere in your signal chain. It also has a buffered tuner output that’s not affected by any volume changes to allow for quick and easy tuning. The tuner output can be used to split the signal into dry...

Carvin has unveiled a new line of basses called the Vanquish Series, which the company calls a “radical departure from traditional bass guitars.” Available in 4-, 5-, and 6-string versions, the new model is built with a beveled body for comfort and a 5-bolt neck for increased body/neck contact. Standard features on the series include an alder body, a tung-oiled...

Willy González is one of my favorite bassists. His unique approach draws from traditional Latin American folk styles with strumming and fingerstyle techniques on his 6-string bass. Here’s Willy performing the song “29 Mineros de San Albino”:

There comes a time for every bassist where they feel they’re in a rut or have hit a plateau in their playing and creativity. It happens to the best of us. Bassist and No Treble contributor Damian Erskine’s new book The Improvisor’s Path is a surefire way to get yourself back into high gear. While Erskine’s first instructional book, Right...

This week we check out the Evolution 4 Custom by Helios Guitars. Made in Italy, the bass is completely handcrafted to benefit its tonal qualities. “Various instruments benefit the typical industry process of precision (in the cut, calibration, painting etc.),” Helios writes, “but suffer the stress of the prime material through the carving phases: high temperatures can be reached by...

Armin Metz has created a piece of art with his latest video for his song “Infin.” Using harmonics and a long reverb, Metz builds an ethereal soundscape with a minimalist video of just himself and his bass.

Three years after selling Lakland Basses to a private investment group, Dan Lakin is getting back into the bass building business. His new company, D. Lakin Basses, is launching two new models that with his signature artists Joe Osborn and Bob Glaub. The Joe Osborn 4 is defined by a pair of single coil D. Lakin pickups with a 1.5″...

Derek Frank has some serious groove, and he put it to work on this cover of Stevie Wonder’s “All Day Sucker.” Frank shares that his version is “played ala Marcus Miller, with some fun analog synths and vocoder in addition to bass.” Get ready to nod your head.

Dutch luthier Rikkers Custom Basses turns thirty this year, and to celebrate the company has introduced two new bass models: the Acoustiline and the Acidline. As with the rest of their instruments, the basses are hand made in the North of Holland. The Rikkers Acoustiline is a unique hollow body acoustic bass defined by its bass-reflex ports in the upper...