Bass of the Week: Bunker Guitars NY Charlie Bass
This week we check out the NY Charlie by Bunker Guitars. A signature instrument for New York City bassist Charlie Contreras, the bass’s design centers around the company’s Sustanium Tension Free Neck, which uses a resonant cold roll steel bar to handle the stress on the neck. The neck is then fitted with aluminum dowels to to bolt onto the...
Founding UFO Bassist Pete Way Diagnosed With Cancer
We have sad news to report as founding UFO bassist Pete Way has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Way, who departed the English heavy metal band in 2009 due to medical issues, found out this summer while having his abdomen scanned for his liver. “My liver has been the area of most concern over the years,” Way told Classic Rock...
F Bass Unveils VF-P Bass
F Bass has expanded their Vintage Series of basses with the VF-P. The model, which pays tribute to an industry classic, is a passive P-bass featuring a one-piece maple neck and a two-piece alder body. The VF-P has a standard 34-inch scale and 21 frets with a compound fingerboard radius. Its neck comes with a modern shape for playabilty though...
Scale the Summit: Mark Michell Plays Through “Narrow Salient”
Here’s some monster playing by Scale the Summit’s Mark Michell as he demonstrates the bass part for the track “Narrow Salient” from the band’s fourth album, The Migration. After a percussive intro, Michell launches into an awesome bass solo that utilizes the range of his six-string, then lays down a heavy foundation for the rest of the band.
Fairfield Circuitry Announces The Accountant Compressor Pedal
Fairfield Circuity has unveiled The Accountant, a compact compressor pedal inspired by classic JFET feedback compressors. The all-analog pedal is designed for bass, guitar, vocals, and any pretty much any other audio signal. The Accountant has a single volume knob with a pair of 3-position switches. The first switch controls the compression ratio with 3:1, 6:1, and 12:1 settings. The...
IK Multimedia Introduces iLoud Portable Wireless Speaker
IK Multimedia has expanded their series of musical mobile accessories with the iLoud portable wireless speaker. The battery-operated monitor supports Bluetooth for wireless audio as well as an 1/8″ input for MP3 players and a 1/4″ input for instruments. Rated at 40 watts, the iLoud features a a time-aligned 2-way system with neodymium loudspeakers, tuned bass-reflex, and DSP processing. The...
Nine Inch Nails with Pino Palladino: “All Time Low”
Nine Inch Nails stopped by to perform on the Jimmy Kimmel Show as part of their tour in support of Hesitation Marks, which was released in August. As we reported in September, the legendary Pino Palladino is laying down the low end for Trent Reznor and crew. The combo is pure awesomeness. “All Time Low” is a particularly bass-driven tune...
Bobby Owsinski Releases Social Media Promotion Book for Musicians
Social media has played a major role in the careers of countless musicians and has helped to give a larger voice to independent artists. Music industry veteran Bobby Owsinski has compiled his social media strategies in a new book, Social Media Promotion for Musicians: The Manual for Marketing Yourself, Your Band and Your Music Online. Available in paperback and Kindle...
Jean Baudin: Dhalsim
Jean Baudin has released his first official music video for the song “Dhalsim” from his new album, Mechanisms. This performance of the song, which is based on the Street Fighter 2 character, was recorded live at the 2013 California Extreme Arcade show. Baudin uses his 11-string bass and extensive pedalboard to get some awesome sounds and textures.
Shaggy Recruits Sly & Robbie for “Out of Many, One Music”
Pop star Shaggy has teamed up with the legendary reggae rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare to release Out of Many One Music: Sly & Robbie Present Shaggy, the singer’s first all reggae album. Shaggy, who was born and raised in Jamaica, reached out to Sly and Robbie for their producing talent, but also to help promote the...
Bass of the Week: Gold Tone PBB Resophonic Bass
A few days ago, we shared a video from the archives featuring Alessandro Corsi playing a resophonic bass. That was one popular video, and it reminded me of this week’s bass of the week: the Gold Tone PBB Resophonic. The PBB is built with a mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard, and maple neck. Its aesthetic appeal is rounded out with a...
Profiles in Tone: Jerry Scheff
As bassist for Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and The Doors, Jerry Scheff’s sound epitomized rock bass tone in the ’70s. Thousands of bassists have studied his style while learning The King’s live version of “Suspicious Minds,” the psyche-penetrating bass groove from “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors, and countless other songs from Scheff’s career. That’s why we’re kicking off...