Seymour Duncan Introduces SPB-4 Steve Harris Signature Pickup
Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris has a new signature P-Bass pickup from Seymour Duncan called the SPB-4 Steve Harris Model. The new split single coil is the production version of the custom shop pickups Harris has been using for the last 10 years. The SPB-4 utilizes Alnico 5 rod magnets and a vintage-hot coil wind to produce what the company describes...
Killswitch Engage Releases “Disarm the Descent”
Metal outfit Killswitch Engage are back with their sixth studio album, Disarm the Descent, via Roadrunner Records. This is the band’s first album in four years and it marks the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach, who last recorded with the band on 2002’s Alive or Just Breathing. Bassist Mike D’Antonio says having Leach back is rejuvenating. “We had already...
Bass of the Week: BassLab STD
BassLab isn’t your ordinary bass manufacturer and they certainly don’t make your average bass. Developed by a musician and a physicist, the company uses a tuneable composite material instead of wood. “We use carbon for stiffness, but add other [elements] to the mix for tone,” they shared. “It’s called ‘tuneable’, because we can also alter the tone.” BassLab’s flagship instrument...
Marco Panascia and Johan Hansén-Larson: “Lady Bird” Bass Duet
It’s great when two of your favorite bassists get to jam together. It’s even better when they get to record it. Here’s a video of electric bass whiz Johan Hansén-Larson playing a duet with New York jazz heavyweight Marco Panascia on the standard “Lady Bird”. After their respective face-melting solos, the duo trade fours then twos, all while keeping a...
Robert Hurst Releases “Bob a Palindrome”
Veteran jazz bassist Robert Hurst has released Bob: A Palindrome on Bebob records. Hurst’s sixth album as a leader has been a long time in the making with original songs written as far back as 1985. It was recorded in October of 2001, but between his time playing as a member of the Tonight Show Band, touring with Diana Krall...
Phil Jones Bass Introduces Double Four Micro Combo Bass Amps
Phil Jones Bass has introduced the Double Four, a new 70-watt combo micro-amp that is roughly the size of a shoebox. Sporting a pair of Neo Power 4-inch drivers, the Double Four features a new driver design, acoustic loading, and separate PWM amplifiers for each speaker. The backs of the speakers are loaded with a Rectangular Auxiliary Low Freqency Radiator...
Remi Zik: Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” Playalong
Sometimes you find a video on YouTube that reminds you how much you need to practice, and bassist Remi Zik has raised the bar with this virtuosic rendition of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”. With extreme attention to detail, Zik nails the tune’s bass line. We can only imagine he worked up a sweat on this one. “Not an easy song! But...
Lace Announces “Man O’ War” Series Bass Pickups
Lace Music has released a new line of passive Lace Sensor pickups for bass dubbed the “Man O’ War” Series. Available in J-bass, P-bass, and MM-style configurations, the new pickups are upgraded versions of the Lace pickups originally introduced in the early ‘90s as replacements for Fender’s P Bass Plus and J Bass Plus instruments. Lace describes the new “Man...
Bugra Balci Releases “The Virtuoso Bassist in 14 Melodic Baroque Etudes”
As a bassist, Bugra Balci gained inspiration from working through Bach’s Cello Suites, which he says gave him a deep, wide approach to the bass and musicality. He’s taken those concepts of building technique through examples that go beyond exercises in his latest instructional book, The Virtuoso Bassist in 14 Melodic Baroque Etudes. “All the etudes are in this book...
Senses Fail: “Bite to Break Skin”, Live
Our Facebook friend Colton Frausell sent us a message with this video saying, “I feel like Jason Black deserves to be in the spotlight. One of the best punk rock bassists I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.” We agree. Here’s Black performing “Bite to Break Skin” from Senses Fail’s Halloween DVD.
IK Multimedia Introduces iRig Recorder App for Android
IK Multimedia has released their first mobile app for Android with the iRig Recorder, an audio recording app that works with your device’s built-in mic as well as IK’s iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast or iRig PRE. The app is designed to make recordings on the fly. iRig Recorder has no recording time limit, requires no setup, and has an...
G&L Reissues LB-100 Bass
G&L has reintroduced the LB-100, a bass they describe as a “subtle evolution of the p-style platform.” Originally released two decades ago, the bass features a streamlined alder body for improved comfort and balance. The new LB-100 retains the tone of its predecessor thanks to an accurate recreation of its Alnico V pickup, which is wound in house, as well...