Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 585

Nearly two years after their first release, bassist MonoNeon and producer Kriswontwo have teamed up again as Weon to release Neon the Won. The experimental duo fuse stellar bass playing with ear bending soundscapes to create an album that transcends genre. This time around they invited several guest musicians, including David “Fuze” Fiuczynski, Jerome Flood, Lance Lucas, Amber Baker, and...

Here’s something different: Bohemian Guitars has introduced the Boho Bass, a hollow body electric bass constructed with an upcycled oil can. Each body has a removable back as well as an internal wood frame for increased amplification and structural integrity. The Boho Bass features a 30-inch scale with easy access to the upper register on its maple neck and rosewood...

Here’s a beautifully creative clip of What A Day, a bass and vocal duo made up of Jonathan Joly and Leah Gracie. The band describes their project as a “musical trip through the entrails of the bureaucratic world” of the music industry. “Closet” features an interesting bass line that evokes imagery of the passing of a work day with a...

Carl Martin has updated their ProPower for better performance and power stability while keeping all the same features. The ProPower Version 2 power supply offers eight individual isolated and regulated nine-volt to twelve-volt outputs with extended power on outputs seven and eight. It’s power chain begins with a switchable AC input that toggles between 110 and 230 volts. A simple...

How many bass lines get people excited after only two notes? Marcus Miller riled the crowd up at the 2015 North Sea Jazz Festival with an instrumental version of the classic Temptations hit “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. “How good does that bass line have to be that I just have to play two notes?” Miller jokes. The bass legend...

Singular Sound is expanding the BeatBuddy series of pedal-controlled drum machines with the BeatBuddy Mini. The new compact pedal is described by the company as a smaller version with much of the same functionality at half the price. The BeatBuddy Mini allows for creating comprehensive drum loops with fills, transitions, accent hits, and drum breaks. It includes 100 built-in songs...

Prepare to geek out. Our friend Christopher Buttner got a special tour of Geddy Lee‘s gear during the Tampa, Florida show of Rush’s R40 tour. Lucky for the rest of us, he recorded it. From the plethora of basses to the amps and even the signal chain, Buttner got the scoop on the whole rig. Take a peek behind the...

Hamilton Stands has launched a new set of products for owners of multiple instruments including a double guitar stand, a triple guitar stand, a three place rack, and a five place rack. All of the new models feature steel construction finished in a “stage-friendly” black with rubber composite material on contact points to prevent dings and scratches. Both the KB420G...

Vibrance Guitars has gotten into the deep end with a new line of basses. Available in four and five-string versions, the basses are hand-crafted in the U.S. by luthier Craig Collins. Each bass design includes neck-through construction and a highly chambered body for extra harmonic resonance. The bodies are made with American Black Walnut for the back and sides and...

I’ve grown to love the sound of fretless in a metal setting. Here’s a great clip of Olivier Pinard laying it down in a new metal group called Akurion that features members of Cryptopsy and Neuraxis, including vocalist Mike DiSalvo, guitarist Rob Milley, and drummer Tommy Mckinnon. This clip is of their debut track, “Yet Ye See Them Not”, live...

If you hear a rumble coming from the Midwest, don’t worry. It’s just the buildup to Detroit Bass Day on August 8th, 2015. This year’s event will take place at the Detroit Institute of Music Education and promises to be the biggest one yet. Detroit Bass Day 2015 will be hosted by Lola George with special guest speaker Will Austin,...

Bass builder Mark Vinciguerra recently posted photos of a recently completed BAJ Signature six-string bass and it stopped me in my tracks. The model, designed with bassist Brent-Anthony Johnson, comes with plenty of options, but this one seems just right. It features a black limba body topped with a stunning maple burl in a natural finish. The neck is an...