Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 648

Yamaha was showing off their new TRBX series of basses at this year’s Winter NAMM show. Combining elements of their former TRB and RBX lines, the new basses come in 300 and 500 levels with differing controls and pickups. All of the instruments sport a mahogany body and a five-piece maple/mahogany neck. The 500-level basses include the TRBX504 and TRBX505,...

It’s always great to discover cool bass lines that you wouldn’t normally hear. I don’t listen to much pop, but Manuel Jiménez Gastélum sent in this cover of Chris Brown’s “Fine China,” and I dig it. The song has a funky distorted bass line that he absolutely nails and his tone is killer.

Rickenbacker has introduced the W Series of guitars and basses for 2014. The lineup is a spin on their classic models, including the 4003 bass, but are made with walnut bodies. Though the company states that it’s careful not to change too much from the formulas they use to make instrument, they say the walnut adds strength and natural character....

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...