Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 627

Rocco Prestia has been making the world dance since 1965 when he first joined Tower of Power. His infectious and distinctive 16th note groove became a foundation of fingerstyle funk bass playing that innumerable bassists have been trying to master for decades. Prestia was born and raised in California, where he got into music at an early age. He joined...

Aries Basses has added a new model to their lineup called the Aman II. The design is brings together elements of two of their existing basses with the front pulling from the Aman I and the semi-acoustic body style of their Conis bass. The Aman II is built with a chambered Mahogany body and spruce top. Its neck is a...

My friend Gil sent me a heads up for this week’s featured bass, and I’m glad he did. This intriguing instrument is a one-of-a-kind acoustic fretless 5-string bass built by Daniel Whitt of Whitt Guitars. “At Whitt guitars, I build guitars that inspire creativity, capture the imagination and throw everything for a loop,” the bass builder writes. “I don’t build...

Xotic Guitars has launched their own brand of bass strings including sets for 4-, 5-, and 6-string basses. Available in nickel or stainless steel, the string feature round wound construction and can be ordered for 34″ or 33″ scale basses. The 4-string gauges run .045 to .105 while the 5-string set adds a .125 B-string and the 6-string adds a...

Camarel bassist/vocalist Michelle Kuban took to the studio to record a scaled-back version of the band’s song “Over You.” Using overdubs, Kuban lays down the bass line and chords as well as the lead and backup vocals.

D&A Guitar Gear has introduced the Starfish, a new floorstand that sets itself apart with five legs that the company says doubles its stability. The added legs allow for the stand to stand tall even at 30 degrees of tilt. The stand comes in two variations: the Starfish and the Starfish+. Both versions feature a quick folding design with the...

Big Ear n.y.c. has unveiled the Chaka, an octave fuzz pedal designed for all instruments, but especially for bass. The pedal features Fuzz, Volume, and Tone knobs for dialing in your tone with a separate footswitch to activate the octave effect. “The fuzz side uses LED clipping diodes which are more aggressive, but less compressed, and let the natural tone...

Jackson Guitars has announced a 5-string version of Megadeth bassist David Ellefson’s signature Kelly Bird Bass. Building on the 4-string version, the bass retains many of the same features including a basswood body and a bolt-on bound maple neck with block inlays. The bass is fitted with a pair of EMG HZ40 pickups matched with separate volume controls and a...

Here’s a great video bassist Jermaine Morgan shared on our Facebook page. Morgan builds a huge groove with drummer Brien Andrews on a playthrough of the track “Walkin’ the Talk” from his debut album, . Make sure to check out Morgan’s solo at the 3:44 mark.

Bassist Hadrien Feraud completely rips it up in this video of the Zawinul Legacy Band performing “Port of Entry.” The clip starts with a bass solo and you can almost see the smoke coming from his fingers as shreds across the entire instrument. The rest of the band then kicks in with the Weather Report song “Port of Entry,” which...

If you keep your effects chain between one and five stompboxes, West Coast Pedal Board has got you covered with the Little Rock pedalboard. The compact pedalboard measures 7 inches by 12 inches and weighs in at only 3.5 pounds for a small footprint and easy portability. Though it is part of their Standard series, the Little Rock will be...

Ernie Ball/Music Man is now taking orders for their Neptune Blue edition of basses and guitars as part of their Premier Dealer Network. The series is based around an African Mahogany body with a custom Neptune Blue finish and can be ordered on most models. Each bass will be built with a figured, roasted maple neck with a gunstock oil...