Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 644

A couple of weeks ago, we featured a video of Dane Alderson playing with Troy Roberts’ Nu-Jive, and it led me to check out more of the saxophonists videos. Mr. Roberts obviously has a knack for picking great bassists, because I was blown away by Eric England in this video for the song “Stoner.” The bassist floats a nice big...

The NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert series always seems to draw something special out of artists. The setting forces musicians to make a statement with a reduced set and limited instrumentation. Essentially, it shows viewers what a group is really made of, and the Robert Glasper Experiment used to the opportunity to prove they’re the real thing. The core of...

This week we take a look at the Franz Bassguitars Sirius, a stunning bass made in Bavaria by luthier Xaver Tremel. I found this bass through this excellent demo played by German bassist Ralf Gauck: The bass features a singlecut design that comes in either 4- or 5-string versions. Tremel starts the bass with a chambered walnut body with plenty...

Jack Casady has one of the most distinct tones in rock and roll, and it’s not by accident. The Hot Tuna/ex-Jefferson Airplane bassist has always been very detail oriented when it comes to getting his sound right. “I think tone is essential,” he shared with us in our 2012 interview with him. “I think tone is your signature as to...

I’m still in recovery mode from NAMM this year, but I’ve been checking out all the great videos pouring in from the show. Here’s a crazy fast version of “Cherokee” by Hadrien Feraud and Federico Malaman at the Ken Smith booth. The duo trade solos at break-neck speeds, each more intense than the last. Hold on tight.

Electra has updated the Phoenix Bass for 2014 with improvements including reshaping the body for a more comfortable playing. The upper horn has been moved out to the 12th fret while the belly of the body has been extended. The bass also marks Electra’s first collaboration with EMG. The Phoenix is fitted with two EMG HZ-P pickups that are matched...

Everybody loves a good bass intro, especially bass players. Sebastian Sanhueza pays homage to the bass intro in this video he made in which he plays fifty bass intros in a single take. For anyone looking to play along, Sanhueza compiled tabs for each of them (grab them here). What’s your favorite bass intro? Tell us in the comments.

Years after the original was discontinued, Digitech is reintroducing the Bass Whammy pedal. The updated pitch-shifting pedal is optimized for bass guitar tones and retains its classic settings while introducing new true bypass and MIDI operation. Digitech says the Bass Whammy is ideal for 4-, 5-, or 6-string basses and has very accurate pitch detection and polyphonic note tracking. It...

Squier has teamed up with Eva Gardner to introduce a new signature Precision bass. Gardner was the original bassist for The Mars Volta and has continued to work with artists ranging from Veruca Salt to Pink. The Squier Eva Gardner Precision Bass is built with a basswood body finished in gloss black, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard sporting...

Meshell Ndegeocello has a new signature bass from Reverend Guitars, aptly named the Meshell Ndegecello Fellowship Bass. Based on the Reverend Thundergun, the bass features set neck construction with a raised center ridge and reverse headstock. The Fellowship bass is fitted with the company’s new P-Blade pickup, which they say extends low end and clarity. Its controls include a single...

Miles Mosley is the epitome of cool. Add drummer Tony Austin and it’s an unstoppable duo. Here’s a video of the master musicians doing their thing on the song “The Mighty HRP.”

I love Opeth, so when our friend Yuval Raz sent in this video of his bass cover of “To Bid You Farewell,” I knew it was going to be good. Raz covers the whole tune, which appeared on 1996’s Morningrise, including the bass line, melody, and harmony. Overall, the version has four channels of bass recorded on the bassist’s Ken...