Black Sabbath Announces Full North American Tour Dates
Black Sabbath has announced a full 20-city North American tour in anticipation of their upcoming album, 13. The outing will build on their current World Tour, which kicked off April 20 in New Zealand and takes the legendary act from Texas to Virginia to British Columbia to California and several spots in between. 13 will be the band’s first new...
Bass of the Week: Brett Wall’s “ThunderBacker”
Brett Wall has been making his own basses ever since he started playing. He dropped us an email with a couple of his latest creations including what he calls The ThunderBacker. The dual-course, 8-string bass brings together elements of a Rickenbacker, a Thunderbird and a Precision bass for a unique blend and stunning design. The Ric-inspired body is made of...
Kristin Korb Releases “What’s Your Story?”
Jazz bassist/vocalist Kristin Korb has released What’s Your Story?, a retrospective album that answers the same question it presents. Korb revisits twelve songs of personal significance with the aid of drummer Jeff Hamilton and guitarist Bruce Forman, creating a stellar trio that build organic and thoughtful grooves. Each of the tracks offers a fresh take on time-tested tunes, while “Always...
Jens Ritter Introduces R8-Concept Fretless Bass
Jens Ritter has expanded on the idea of his R8-Singlecut bass with the R8-Concept Fretless Bass. The new models set themselves apart by utilizing the Ritter Backside Tuning System, which puts the tuning machines on the back of the bass’s body while accepting standard single-ball strings. Another distinguishing feature is the R8-Concept’s extended fingerboard, which reaches all the way down...
D&A Introduces IceStand Collapsable Bass and Guitar Stand
D&A has announced the IceStand, a foldable stand for basses and guitars. Available in Acoustic and Electric versions, the IceStand is a take on the company’s flagship GigStand that features a clear material to unveil its structure. The IceStand opens in two steps to offer a cradle with a three-point base and non-slip polymer materials at all points of contact....
Fender Introduces Classic Series Precision and Jazz Basses with Lacquer Finishes
Fender has expanded their bass lineup with the Classic Series ’60’s Jazz Bass Lacquer and Classic Series ’50s Precision Bass Lacquer. In following with the series, the basses pay homage to their vintage counterparts and distinguish themselves with period-correct gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes. The Classic Series ’60’s Jazz Bass Lacquer is built with an alder body, an ultra-slim “C”-shaped maple...
Anthony Crawford Releases “Urban Jazz – My Story”
Anthony Crawford has released Urban Jazz – My Story, his second album as a leader. The effort follows up on 2010’s Urban Jazz and continues his style of combining hip hop, pop, and jazz. My Story takes a more lyrical approach and features a stacked list of personnel that includes Frank McComb, Dave Weckl, Eric Darius, Ruslan Sirota and others....
Rocco Prestia Facing Health Issues, Needs Kidney Transplant
Rocco Prestia is facing serious health issues again, according to reports shared on Tower of Power’s website and Facebook page. The bassist, who is famed for his unique 16th note finger-style funk playing, is in need of a kidney transplant. “As you know, our beloved Rocco Prestia has been a part of Tower of Power since the beginning,” the band...
Fret-King Announces STVDIO Country Squire Semitone Bass
Fret-King will be adding to their high-end, one-off STVDIO series of instruments this fall with the introduction of the Country Squire Semitone Bass. The singlecut, bolt-on bass features a pair of designer Trev Wilkinson’s new JM pickups wired to a 3-way toggle switch. In keeping with a vintage vibe, Wilkinson used traditional woods for its construction: swamp ash for the...
Johan Hansén-Larson: KNOWER’s “Gotta Be Another Way” Bass Playalong
Johan Hansén-Larson sent us this new video of himself playing along with “Gotta Be Another Way” by the Los Angeles electronica duo KNOWER. The bassist adapts the synth line to make a cooking and catchy bass line to jam along with the track, adding beautiful chords during the breakdowns.
Jim Dunlop MXR M89 Bass Overdrive Pedal Now Shipping
Jim Dunlop is now shipping the MXR M89 Bass Overdrive, the latest effects pedal in their Bass Innovations series. The pedal features standard overdrive controls with Volume, Tone, and Drive knobs, but adds a Clean control to blend in clean signal with a pre-tuned EQ. “Pre-tuning the Clean signal ensures that when you blend it with the overdrive signal, the...
In Memoriam: P-Funk Bassist Cordell “Boogie” Mosson
Parliament-Funkadelic member Cordell “Boogie” Mosson passed away on April 18th from an unspecified illness. He was 60 years old. Mosson grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he was friends with future P-Funk guitarist Garry Shider. The duo eventually joined a band called United Soul, which came to the attention of P-Funk founder George Clinton. Clinton produced several of the...