Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 630

PRS Guitars has introduced the first bass models of their SE line: the SE Kingfisher and the SE Kestrel. The basses, which are designed in Maryland and built overseas, are both described as traditional character with modern upgrades. SE Kingfisher Bass The SE Kingfisher is a neck-thru design built with a swamp ash body, a 24-fret maple/walnut neck, and a...

If you’re looking for a creative solution to having a kill switch, Dwarfcraft has got you covered with the Memento. The compact stompbox takes the concept of a kill switch and expands on it with a “re-kill” switch that can remember your kill pattern and repeat it back in a loop. Or in Dwarfcraft’s words, “give [the kill switch] a...

Here at No Treble HQ, we have a special place in our hearts for tight bass grooves in horn bands. Here’s bassist David Nesselhauf laying it down with his band Diazpora and vocalist Miu on the tune “Risin’ High.” Nesselhauf shares that the bass is a custom Hot-Wire Bass with a special finish. “They managed to get my favorite car...

After falling ill in Japan, Paul McCartney’s plans for his “Out There” world tour got thrown off track. Macca was hospitalized for a brief period, which nixed his appearances in Asia, and then doctors told him to take more time off. This offset the return of his tour to the U.S., but the former Beatle has posted a new video...

King Crimson alum Adrian Belew has just announced a massive North American tour with his Power Trio, which includes bassist Julie Slick and drummer Tobias Ralph. The tour is the group’s first outing since Belew and Slick started up the Crimson Projekct tour in 2011. Things kick off on October 22nd in Charlottesville, Virginia before the group crosses the U.S.,...

The best basses come together through a mixture of inspiration, art, and technology. This week we check out a one-of-a-kind instrument that was born of all three ingredients: the Diana Bass by Ribbecke Guitars. In late 2012, bass legend Jack Casady lost his wife Diana after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Casady pondered ways he could honor her memory before...

Think of your favorite reggae song and chances are what comes to you is actually the bass line. That’s because the bass line is often the actual musical hook of the song, which leaves people humming for days. No reggae music has reached as many people as the songs of Bob Marley, and no reggae bass lines have been as...

Apparently when traveling, no one is safe from the TSA. Jazz bass superstar Christian McBride took to Facebook to express his outrage after his bow was taken from his case on the way to a gig in Canada. “Now that it’s confirmed, I can tell you that good ol’ TSA confiscated (aka STOLE) my brand new bow right out of...

Our Facebook friend Mark Francis Tully shared this video on our page, and I’m glad he did. The video features bassist Jimmy Lea shining with English rock band Slade at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in 1975. The song, “Let the Good Times Roll,” features an aggressive, recurring bass line that builds up tension and excitement that the rest of the...

Netherlands-based luthier Lingsma has announced the availability of their new Electric Upright Bass model, or EUB for short. The bass’s design centers around a compact wooden resonator block, which the company says is designed to vibrate at the same resonances as the body of an acoustic upright bass and create a warm, rich sound. Lingsma’s EUB is balanced on a...

Here’s a bassist who never fails to impress me. Federico Malaman sent in this video of his solo bass version of Sting’s “Seven Days.” After playing a tasty arrangement of the melody, Malaman sets up a loop and lets loose with some soulful soloing.

As bass players, nearly every one of us knows the magnitude of James Jamerson’s legacy. His impeccable groove and round tone was the key to most of the hits from the ‘60s including Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going on?,” “My Girl” by the Temptations, and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Gladys Knight and the Pips. All of those songs...