Bass of the Week: Conklin Guitars OM
This week we’re checking out a collaboration between Conklin Guitars and Jason Everett called the OM Bass. The bass is a seven-string fretless that is fitted with several interesting features to suit the bassist’s world music style. Its pickups are a pair of custom Bartolinis along with a set of GraphTECH Ghost piezos in individual saddlebridges. Besides EQing, the OM...
Crazy Tube Circuits Unveils the Golden Ratio Phi Compressor
Crazy Tube Circuits has unleashed the Golden Ratio Phi, a stompbox that features two compressors in one. The pedal can switch between an optical compressor and a FET compressor, each of which have their own distinct style. Crazy Tube says the optical compressor is a “hand selected photocell [that] offers distinctive attack and release characteristics resulting in very gentle and...
Eastwood To Revive Teisco Spectrum 5 Bass
Eastwood’s Custom Shop is reviving another classic instrument with their new model called the Spectrum 5 Bass. Based on the Teisco Spectrum 5, the bass version is a four-string that will feature a precision German carved top in the spirit of the original. The bass will carry many of the same vintage features, though Eastwood had to make a few...
Esperanza Spalding Announces Extensive Fall Tour
Esperanza Spalding is taking her show on the road once again this fall in support of her latest album, Emily’s D+Evolution. The two-month outing will include North American and South American dates with a handful of festival performances mixed in. Spalding will play the Richmond Jazz festival in Virginia on August 13th before regrouping in September for the John Coltrane...
Warwick Introduces Rockbag Handmade Leather Gig Bags
Warwick’s W-Music Distribution is now offering Rockbag leather gig bags for bass and guitar. The handmade bags feature a 6-layer construction featuring a select water buffalo leather exterior, 2mm EVA foam, 5 mm Polyethylene foam, 1.5 mm plastic plate, 15 mm foam, and a 5 mm foam-adhered velveteen interior. Models are available for electric basses, hollow body electric basses, or...
Dream Theater Announces Fall Headlining Tour
Dream Theater has announced a headlining tour for the Fall that will take them around the East Coast and some of the Midwest. The tour will include the group playing through their latest album, The Astonishing, with “immersive and interactive settings.” Anchored by bass master John Myung, Dream Theater will begin the trek October 5th in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania before heading...
Detroit Bass Day 2016 to Honor Prince
One of the best bass get togethers is back for 2016, and this year the Detroit Bass Day will be paying tribute to the late, great Prince. The event will once again take place at the Detroit Institute of Music Education with Lola George hosting. This year will feature performances by Amp Fiddler, Brad Russell, ER featuring Kid Vishis, Collective...
Black Hole Constellation: Dillinger Escape Plan’s “Panasonic Youth” Drum and Bass Cover
The Dillinger Escape Plan’s songs are extremely heavy and notoriously complex, so when bassist Michal Jahoda sent in a drum and bass cover of the song “Panasonic Youth”, I wasn’t sure how it would come out. “If you like strange grooves and weird solos, our new cover video is something for you,” Jahoda wrote. “All guitar and bass parts from...
Bass of the Week: Fodera Guitars Masterbuilt Kestrel
Fodera introduced the Masterbuilt series earlier this year, and this week we’re checking out the second ever bass in the series: The Kestrel. The avian-themed instrument features some of the company’s finest materials to create an astounding visual and sonic experience. “Over the years we have produced a number of special instruments that feature inlays of various birds,” Fodera writes....
Positive Grid Announces the BIAS Rack Amp
Positive Grid has expanded their BIAS Amp lineup with a new rackmount version. The BIAS Rack integrates hardware and software to allow bass and guitar players to capture “any amp tone in the world.” The unit ships with BIAS Amp Pro software for Mac and PC, which allows users to capture and load simulations of the tones of popular bass...
Fender Updates Deluxe Series Basses
Fender has revamped their Deluxe series of instruments into a more cohesive lineup with a shared set of upgrades. The series includes new versions of the Deluxe Active Precision Bass Special, the Deluxe Active Jazz Bass, and the Deluxe Active Dimension Bass. Each of the basses now has a 12-inch fingerboard radius, active/passive electronics, a hi-mass bridge, and vintage noiseless...
Radial Engineering Adds Bigshot EFX to ToneBone Series
Radial Engineering has announced the BigShot EFX, a true-bypass dual effects loop. The device lets you set up two separate effects loops to have two distinct and selectable pedal chains. This also helps to reduce tone-robbing and noisy by-products of certain non-true bypass pedals. Both loops are in series, allowing you to feed loop-A into loop-B for more creative options....