La Bella Introduces 7710T White Nylon Tape Wound Double Bass Strings
La Bella has introduced the 7710T White Nylon Tape Wound Set as part of their revamp of the Double Bass Nylon Tape Wound Series of strings. Developed with Ron Carter and Attila Zoller, the series is aimed at jazz pizzicato players and described as capturing the rich tone of gut strings and the sustain of steel strings. The new 7710T...
Bass of the Week: Chadwick Folding Bass
Ask any double bassist what the biggest pain is about their instrument of choice, and they’ll likely tell you it is the task of lugging it around. Enter the Chadwick Folding Bass: a standard 3/4 bass that folds in on itself for travel. The bass has a removable panel on the back that allows the entire neck to fold into....
Jayme Lewis: Modulating Sweep Arpeggios and Inversions Lesson
Here’s a cool lesson for the adventurous bassist: Jayme Lewis’s lesson on performing sweep arpeggios and inversions. Jayme walks through his effects to make the arpeggios pop before dissecting each part of the etude’s intricacies. He even provides a PDF of the lesson with music notation and TAB, via his website.
Motörhead Releases “Aftershock”
The metal juggernauts of Motörhead have released their 21st studio album, Aftershock, a 14-track collection of hard-hitting, in-your-face rock that has been the staple of their sound for nearly 40 years. Led by bassist/vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, the trio’s latest effort offers up a healthy mix of punk and metal with songs like “Heartbreaker” and “End of Time” while also getting...
3Leaf Audio Announces You’re Doom Fuzz Pedal
3Leaf Audio has introduced a new fuzz box called You’re Doom, which the company says is suited for all instruments. The pedal responds to playing dynamics to create vintage synth-inspired sounds. You’re Doom has a Shape switch to toggle between a lead sound and a broad mid scoop, while further tonal shaping can be done with the Tone knob which...
The Winery Dogs, featuring Billy Sheehan: Time Machine
The insanely talented trio of Ritchie Kotzen, Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan – aka The Winery Dogs – has released a new music video for the track “Time Machine,” from their debut album, and it’s one fine piece of rock and roll. The mid-tempo stomper is glued together by Sheehan’s gnarly bass tone. He also takes a tasty solo at...
In Memoriam: Marc Trovillion
Former Lambchop bassist Marc Trovillion passed away last week after suffering a heart attack. He was 56 years old. Trovillion was a founding member of the Nashville-based band and referred to himself as a “charter member.” It was in the bassist’s bedroom where he, Kurt Wagner and Jim Watkins first got together to jam in 1987, and he was featured...
Fodera Unveils Anthony Jackson Presentation II Bass
Last year, Fodera teased the public with pictures of an interesting prototype hybrid bass they were developing. The company has now unveiled the result: the Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation II Bass. Building on the AJ Presentation body shape, the next generation of the bassist’s signature series has a completely hollow acoustic body that’s built with construction techniques used for both...
Bass Battle: “Finding Myself” Live Looping Solo Bass
Iuliu-Bogdan Diaconeasa, aka “Bass Battle”, has released the fifth video in his series of live looping bass compositions. “Finding Myself” is a solo bass song that slowly layers up, eventually adding chords, bass, melody and percussion. Check it out:
Gov’t Mule Releases “Shout!”
For Gov’t Mule’s tenth studio album, the band decided to do something never done before. Shout!, which is their debut on the Blue Note Label, is a two-disc set. Disc one includes the band’s eleven brand new songs, while disc two features an all-star lineup of vocalists performing their interpretations of the band’s new songs. The special guests on disc...
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Announces 2014 Nominees
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the list of nominees for the 2014 induction, and the bass world is well represented. Half of the artists have been nominated before, with several returning from last year’s picks, while the other half are all first-time nominees. This includes Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, the Replacements, Yes, Link...
Darkglass Electronics Announces Duality Dual Fuzz Engine
Darkglass Electronics has unveiled the Duality, a fuzz pedal that offers up two separate fuzz circuits that can be used individually or blended for a wide variety of textures. The first side is a saw-tooth shape shifting circuit for an old school vibe while the second circuit is a 4-stage CMOS high gain distortion for a more brutal tone. The...