Sadowsky Unveils Single Cut 24 Fret 5-String Bass
When we interviewed Chip Shearin last year, he let us in on the scoop that he was working with Roger Sadowsky on a special project. That project came to light at the 2016 NAMM Show with the unveiling of the Sadowsky Single Cut 24 Fret 5-String Bass. “Co-designed with bassist Chip Shearin by both myself and Lisa Hahn, this model...
The Funky Meters: Hey Pocky A-Way, Live
Happy Mardi Gras! We’re celebrating with the grooves of the one and only George Porter, Jr. Here’s a great clip of Porter with the Funky Meters, including fellow original Meters member Art Neville, guitarist Brian Stoltz, and drummer David Russell Batiste, Jr. The quartet sets a slow burn on the Meters classic “Hey Pocky A-Way”, which has become a standard...
Bass of the Week: Gibson SG Standard Bass
Today we’re checking out another iconic bass with the Gibson SG Standard. Originally introduced in the 1961 as the EB3, the current incarnation of the bass carries many of the same attributes including the instantly recognizable body shape. Nowadays, the SG Standard is built as a dual pickup model with a vintage-style TB Plus humbucker in the neck position and...
Esperanza Spalding: On The Sunny Side of the Street
Esperanza Spalding may be leaning towards jazz-rock fusion for her upcoming album, but she can still perform jazz standards with the best of them. Get an earful as Spalding performs “On the Sunny Side of the Street” for President Obama and guests at the White House during the “Celebration of American Creativity 2016”.
Ibanez Introduces Artcore Vintage Basses at NAMM 2016
Ibanez gave their Artcore line of basses a rustic turn this year with the Artcore Vintage Series. The semi-hollowbody, short-scale basses come in distressed finishes to give the vibe of an old workhorse instrument, right down to the antiqued pickup covers. Each of the models is built with a maple body, which the company says balances out the “boomy” quality...
Maurice Ellis: Disclosure’s “Latch” All Bass Cover
Maurice Ellis is back with another killer all bass cover tune. The time the bassist brings his touch to “Latch” by Disclosure, featuring Sam Smith. Ellis, who has laid the low end down for artists from Meghan Trainor to Cee Lo Green, utilized his a pair of fretted basses and a fretless to add character and warmth to the arrangement....
Peter Hook & The Light Announce North American Substance Tour
Peter Hook and the Light will be returning to North America for an extensive tour this fall. Continuing his series of retrospective performances, Hook and crew will be performing Joy Division’s and New Order’s respective Substance albums. The compilation albums collected all of each band’s singles up until that point. “Widely considered New Order’s strongest album, ‘their most popular, well...
TC Electronic Introduces SpectraComp Bass Compressor Pedal
TC Electronic has taken the SpectraComp found in some of their bass amps and put it into a TonePrint-enabled effects pedal. The multi-band compressor is specifically tuned for bass and housed in a mini enclosure to fit on tight pedalboards. Based on their MD3 multi-band dynamics engine, the SpectraComp Bass Compressor features a frequency specific compression algorithm that the company...
James Taylor with Leland Sklar: Your Smiling Face, Live 1988
I was going through my records this weekend and realized just how many of them feature the tasteful bass lines of Leland Sklar. Of course, that sent me into a Sklar phase on YouTube, which led me to this great version of James Taylor’s “Your Smiling Face” from 1988. His playing on this track is the perfect mix of anchoring...
Christian McBride Trio To Anchor Mack Avenue SuperBand Tour
Ever since its debut in 2012, the Mack Avenue SuperBand has become a staple of the Detroit Jazz Festival. Now the jazz supergroup is taking it on the road in support of their latest release, . Both the album and the tour are anchored by bass master and musical director Christian McBride. His bandmates for the tour include pianist Christian...
Ashdown Engineering Unveils AAA EVO Bass Amplification Series
Ashdown’s AAA combo amps have evolved. Introduced at the Winter NAMM show, the AAA EVO collection includes four combo amps as well as a 1×15″ cabinet. Each of the combos comes with the company’s App Tek socket, allowing bassists to access amp simulators, effects, and other apps from their smartphones. Other common features include a Line In, a headphone jack,...
Boss Introduces BC-1X Bass Comp Pedal
Following up on last year’s bass driver, Boss introduced the BC-1X Bass Comp at the 2016 Winter NAMM Show. The pedal is a multi-band compressor optimized for bass that the company says offers a wide range of compression without altering a bass’s fundamental tone. The BC-1X has the familiar compressor controls of Level, Release, Ratio, and Threshold as well as...