Flea Joins Former Mars Volta Members to Form Antemasque
Music lovers all over were heartbroken last year at the dissolution of Mars Volta. The group, which in the end was anchored by bassist Juan Alderete, split after a dispute between founders Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Now, the duo has apparently made amends to form a new band called Antemasque. The quartet is rounded out by drummer Dave Elitch...
Shredneck Introduces Z-Series Travel Basses
Shredneck, a company that specializes in practice and travel instruments, has introduced the Z-Series of travel basses. At a total body length of 36.25″, the Z-Series bass is approximately 5/8ths the size of a standard bass guitar. The instrument’s 2-piece nato body is loaded with a PJ pickup configuration with volume and tone controls. The maple neck is topped with...
Boisse: Flor
Bass and voice duets can be so powerful. Here’s a gorgeous song by the Mexican duo Boisse, comprised of bassist Hector Baños and vocalist Majo Saenz performing “Flor.”
Or Lubianiker and Steroid Puppets: Muddy Bright
Or Lubianiker shared this video of his group Steroid Puppets’ new video for the song “Muddy Bright.” “[It’s a] very bass heavy tune of course, like all tunes should be,” he explained. And we agree. Starting out with some ambience, the song develops into a huge groove before morphing through various styles. The pocket is held down by Lubianiker and...
Bass of the Week: Murray Kuun Elemental
Murray Kuun is a South African luthier who admits he came to the profession relatively late in life, but his passion is in creating fresh designs. “I am not keen on making copies of instruments that have been copied ad nauseam,” he shared. “All my instruments are original designs.” His first bass model is the Elemental, a neck-thru bass with...
Anthony Crawford: Bass Solo on Virgil Donati’s “Eleven”
Anthony Crawford sent us this video of a rehearsal with drummer Virgil Donati for their upcoming European tour. This is his bass solo from Donati’s tune, “Eleven.” Good luck keeping up with it!
D’Orazio Announces Spyrachrome Double Bass Strings
Italian string manufacture D’Orazio has announced a new set of strings for upright bass called the Spyrachrome. Designed for psychobilly slap style players, the new strings are described as soft to the touch with high magnetic response for improved use with pickups. The Spyrachrome is made with a flat wire steel/chrome winding over a steel rope core created by D’Orazio....
Dapp Theory: Only Clave
Bassist Steve Jenkins shared this video of Dapp Theory with a priceless quote: “Whenever people say to me: ‘I just heard a killer band and they melted my face off.’ I pause and think of this clip and politely say ‘Right on.’” Here’s Dapp Theory, anchored by bassist Rich Brown, performing the mind-bending “Only Clave.”
Gallien-Krueger Introduces CX Series Bass Cabinets
Gallien-Krueger has announced the company’s new CX Series of bass enclosures. Designed to compliment their MB Series of heads, the cabinets are loaded with proprietary ceramic drivers designed and built in the United States. Each of the units also has a horn with a defeat switch and both Speakon and quarter-inch inputs. The lineup starts with the CX115, a 300-watt...
Jason Everett: Indian Vocal Melody on 7-String Fretless Bass
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and combining your inspiration with your passion creates something special. Jason Everett sent in this video of himself playing along with the song “Jog” on his 7-string fretless bass. “I have loved Indian music for nearly 30 years and this vocal solo by Ujwal Nagar is a great example of why,” he states. “It is...
AC Guitars Introduces The Krell Single Cut Model Bass
Scottish luthier Alan Cringean of AC Guitars has introduced a singlecut version of his Krell bass, which was unveiled last year. The new model features all of the body contours of its predecessor but replaces the upper horn with a continuous slab to connect more of the neck to the body. The new design features a flat fingerboard with a...
Spector Unveils Helium Series Basses
Spector introduced their Helium Series of NS and Forte basses at Winter NAMM this year. The series uses a unique combination of reclaimed woods to create basses that weigh in at seven pounds and twelve ounces. “The top of this neck thru body instruments wings are carved from quarter sawn sycamore obtained from salvaged logs of trees which have blown...