Source Audio Now Shipping Soundblox 2 Orbital Modulator
Source Audio’s Soundblox 2 lineup has gotten a little spacier with the Orbital Modulator, a combination phaser, flanger, chorus and tremolo pedal designed for both bass and guitar. Housed in a cast-aluminum 4.5? by 4.5? chassis, the new stompbox offers plenty of tweakability with nine adjustable parameters including Depth, Feedback, Delay, Frequency, Volume, LoRetain (Source Audio’s proprietary low-end preserving algorithm),...
Christian McBride Trio: Cherokee
My buddy Andrew shared this on Facebook with the caption “Sweet Sassy Molassy,” and I couldn’t put it better myself. Here’s bass master Christian McBride with pianist Christian Sands and drummer Ulysses Owens ripping through the jazz standard “Cherokee”. The recording starts on the bridge, which the trio drops into a cool waltz feel as opposed to the burning straight...
Clutch Releases 10th Studio Album, “Earth Rocker”
Clutch’s long awaited 10th studio album, Earth Rocker, is now available on the band’s own Weathermaker label. The latest effort continues the band’s eclectic southern rock-inspired mix, and pushes the envelope with higher tempos and more aggressive grooves. Bassist Dan Maines explains Clutch’s approach was to not overthink and to just keep writing hard rocking songs. In a new preview...
Bass of the Week: Amfisound “Hellbass”
Our friend Greg B. emailed me with a few shots of his bass, and I couldn’t wait to share it. Greg’s axe was built by Finnish luthier Sampo Leppävuori of Amfisound, who based it after their Kuru model. The six-stringer – dubbed the “Hellbass” – has two personalities. The first is a gorgeous, bright red 4-string bass with a 32?...
101 Proof: An Interview with Rex Brown
Ten years after the band’s split, bassist Rex Brown has completely opened up about his time in the iconic metal outfit Pantera. His new autobiography, Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story of Pantera, delves into his own youth, the band’s formation, rise and fall, the death of guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, and his struggles and successes since. Describing the...
In Memoriam: Philip Kubicki
Philip Kubicki, creator of the Factor Bass, has passed away after a battle with cancer. The renowned luthier spent nine years at Fender in their R&D department before creating his own brand. Kubicki first realized his fascination with instruments at his grandparents’ house. “When I was young – perhaps 12 or 13 years old – I found an old, handmade...
GFS Pickups Introduces REDactive Bass Pickups
GFS Pickups has announced new REDactive series of pickups, including Jazz and P Bass styles. The pickups are low impedance, noiseless models with internal preamplifiers. Each pickup is vintage voiced and “position calibrated” by their coils and the internal preamplifier. Beyond standard configurations, each pickup can be matched with REDactive components including pots, jacks, caps, and switches to personalize your...
Decibel Magazine Announces 2013 Tour Featuring Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Immolation
Decibel Magazine is kicking off their second annual tour on May 10th in Houston, Texas. The monthly heavy metal magazine has “doubled down on veteran star power” for the outing by tapping Cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death and Immolation as the tour’s co-headliners. The tour also includes Beyond Creation, Cretin and Magrudergrind. Featuring bassists Alex Webster, Shane Embury, Ross Dolan, Dominic...
Warwick Introduces RockBass Vampyre Dark Lord
Warwick has added to their RockBass series with the Vampyre Dark Lord, a 35? scale bass built for extra low tuning. From lowest strings to highest, the Dark Lord is tuned F#, B, E, A, which the company says gives it a “diabolic sound character.” The bass’s body is crafted from alder while neck is maple with ekanga veneer stripes....
Phil Jones Bass Announces H-850 Headphones
Phil Jones Bass has introduced the H-850 headphones, a pair of headphones designed with bassists in mind the company says bridges the gap between “high-quality music and deep clear bass.” Designed for practice, studio and casual listening, the set utilizes 40mm neodymium magnets and closed back acoustic loading for clear sound reproduction. Other features include acoustic isolation and a light...
Marleaux Bass Guitars Introduces Votan XS Deluxe Model
German luthier Gerald Marleaux has introduced a new model for 2013 named the Votan XS Deluxe. Continuing on the traditionally inspired Votan series, the XS Deluxe features a slim birdseye maple neck and a smaller solid African Dibetou hardwood body. The Votan XS Deluxe is fitted with a pair of Delano JSBC custom single coil pickups and a Marleaux 2-band...
ESP Introduces LTD FB-204 to Frank Bello Signature Series
ESP’s Frank Bello LTD Signature line of basses has a new addition. The FB-204 is an entry level model with bolt-on construction and a black satin finish to suit the Anthrax bassist’s style. The FB-204 is built with a basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The P/J pickup configuration consists of the company’s LTD LDJ and LDP, which are...