Dean Zelinsky Introduces the Mule Bass
Guitar and bass maker Dean Zelinsky has unveiled the Mule bass. Available in four- and five-string versions, the model is Zelinsky’s first to feature his patented Z-Glide Reduced Friction Neck. The back of the maple neck features a precisely engraved pattern that reduces surface area by putting a little air between your thumb and the neck. Another unique feature is...
Jansen, Barbieri, Karn & Wilson: Bestial Cluster
Mick Karn was the master of creating bass lines that were somehow simple, angular, and melodic all at the same time. Check out this clip of Karn with Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri, and Steve Wilson performing “Bestial Cluster” for 2 Meter Session on Dutch television. Karn gets a gnarly distortion to lay down a fat and simple bass line before...
Bass of the Week: Salzmann Virutero NT
This week we’re getting a taste of Argentina with the Virutero NT by luthier Leandro Salzmann. Made in Buenos Aires, Salzmann’s Virutero model shows the bass builder has a strong grasp of creating an organic instrument that features exotic species of woods. The Virutero NT is a neck-thru bass that features a five-piece maple and cancharana with a Guayacán fretboard....
Dominic “Forest” Lapointe: Teramobil’s “Temporaly Recompressed Pulse” Playthrough
Here’s another jaw-dropping playthrough by Dominic “Forest” Lapointe. The bassist burns it up on Teramobil’s “Temporaly Recompressed Pulse” with lightning fast riffs and creative two-handed tapping. The track comes from the band’s Multispectral Supercontinuum EP, but Lapointe tells us Teramobil is working on a full album.
The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management Now Available as eBook
Dr. Randy Kertz has reissued his seminal work, The Bassist’s Guide to Injury Management, as a downloadable eBook. The book covers a wide range of common and uncommon physical issues that bass players may face. Dr. Kertz explains injuries and conditions that may occur as well as prevention and treatment options for each. A symptom guide helps players to pinpoint...
CG Lutherie Unveils UbiQ Bass Guitar
French company CG Lutherie has introduced the UbiQ, a new model that blurs the lines between bass and guitar. The six-string singlecut bass features a multi-scale design and is tuned EADGBE. The bass’s scale ranges from 30.9 inches to 32 inches while its maple fingerboard has a compound radius from 20 inches to 23 inches. It’s headless design revolves around...
Warwick Announces Adam Clayton Streamer CV Signature Bass
Five years after his first signature bass with the company, Adam Clayton has once again teamed up with Warwick to collaborate on a new version of their Streamer CV bass. The Warwick Adam Clayton Streamer CV Signature bass is built in the Warwick Custom Shop in Markneukirchen, Germany. The bass is built with an extra light swamp ash body finished...
Chaos Labyrinth: An Interview with Jeff Hughell
Of the few bassists who play a 7-string bass, no one makes it sound quite like Jeff Hughell. The veteran death metal musician gets a unique sonic fingerprint through his instruments and his unique techniques. He works the entire fretboard with lots of two-handed tapping and sweeping runs. Hughell’s individual sound and dedication have led him to work with a...
Phil Collins, with Leland Sklar: Sussudio, Live 1990
We’re celebrating Leland Sklar‘s birthday today with a throwback to his 1990 tour with Phil Collins. This clip from Knebworth has the band digging in on “Sussudio” in front of close to 120,000 fans, and you can tell Sklar is getting into it. The session ace gave us the scoop on this bass line during our Stories Behind the Songs...
Guild Introduces Westerly Collection B-140E Acoustic Bass Guitar
Guild has introduces the Westerly Collection, a series pays homage to the company’s early history of acoustic instruments. The lineup includes the B-140E acoustic bass guitar, which is based on the mid-70’s B-50 model. Utilizing the Guild jumbo body shape, the bass is built with a solid Sitka spruce top, solid African mahogany back and sides, and an Indian rosewood...
Bass of the Week: Stambaugh Designs 6-String Custom Inlayed Bass
Chris Stambaugh of Stambaugh Designs posts a “Build of the Month” on his website to show his best work of the month, and it’s incredible to see the range of styles he produces. This week, we check out a custom six-string design he featured in November 2012, with a dramatic fingerboard inlay and breath-taking body wood. “This instrument is one...
Felipe Gianei: Charlie Parker’s “Cherokee” Solo on Bass
We can learn a lot about our instrument by transcribing other instrumentalists, and Charlie Parker’s recordings are a lifetime of lessons. Bassist Felipe Gianei spent four months transcribing Bird’s solo on “Cherokee” and applying it to bass. “[The] first time I listened to this recording of Cherokee I thought, ‘Man, I want to know what he’s doing here, I wanna...