HELLYEAH Announce Lineup Change
HELLYEAH has split ways with guitarist Greg Tribbett and bassist Bob “Bobzilla” Kakaha, according to a new post on Blabbermouth. The supergroup didn’t give a specific reason for the split, but posted about it on their Facebook page. “Things happen for necessary reasons,” they wrote. “It’s so easy for people to assume or makeup reasons for things. Don’t ASSUME anything!...
Zon Introduces Mosaic Mojo Bass
Zon is going old school with their new Mosaic Mojo model. The new bass carries a classic style and are fitted with a set of Aguilar 60 series pickups to get a vintage sound. The Mosaic Mojo is built with a three-piece maple neck with either a maple or rosewood fingerboard. Zon offers the bass with either ash or alder...
Carvin Launches Xccelerator Series with X54 5-String Bass
Carvin unveiled the Xccelerator Series of basses at NAMM this year with its introductory model, the X54 5-string bass. The X54 sports several new features for the company including a fast-playing, thinner maple neck that’s reinforced with graphite. Its body also has a new shape with deeply sculpted cutaways for better access to the higher registers. The bass is built...
Spector Announces NS-2000/5 Dan Briggs Signature Bass
Spector was showing lots of new instruments at the NAMM show this year, including the NS-2000/5 Dan Briggs Signature bass. It’s modeled after the same NS-2000/5 that Briggs has owned and played since he was 16. The bass features neck-through construction with a 3-piece rock maple neck, a rosewood fingerboard, maple body wings, and a quilt maple top. The body’s...
Yolanda Charles: NAMM Bass Bash 2014
One of the great hangouts during the annual NAMM show is the Bass Bash held at JT Schmid’s in Anaheim. This year was no exception as players ranging from the great Uriah Duffy to Ethan Farmer to Snarky Puppy all laid it down to a crowd of bass fanatics. Here’s one of our favorite videos taken from the two night...
Carlo Chirio Releases “Double Thumb Technique For Electric Bass”
Bassist Carlo Chirio has released a new instructional eBook called Double Thumb Technique for Electric Bass. The technique, popularized by Victor Wooten, makes use of the thumb almost like a plectrum by striking down and up. Chirio’s book uses short patterns to get readers comfortable with the technique and groove before building on it. “I think that the choice of...
NS Design Adds CR4 to Radius Bass Guitar Lineup
Following up on the introduction of the NS Radius Bass Guitar last year, NS Design has announced the CR4 Radius bass. The newest addition to the line is a 4-string version of the Czech Republic-made headless model. Similar to the CR5 Radius, the CR4 features bolt-on construction with the company’s Fusion one-piece maple neck, which features an embedded continuous carbon...
Eric Silver and Victor Wooten: Living In the Country
When Victor Wooten shared this awesome video of himself playing a duet of Pete Seeger’s “Living in the Country” with guitarist Eric Silver, it really drew me in. The song has special significance to to Silver, who recorded it after Seeger’s recent passing. “‘Living In The Country’ was one of the first songs I remember learning on the guitar,” the...
Stanley Clarke Announces Winter/Spring 2014 Tour Dates
Bass legend Stanley Clarke has announced tour dates through April. It begins February 21st in White River Junction, Vermont then heads across the Northeast and Midwest before heading to Chile for a one-off perforamnce. The trek is rounded out by concerts in Florida, California and New York City. Four of the dates include a special program called “Stanley Clarke Presents...
Bass of the Week: DiPinto Guitars Belvedere Deluxe Bass
The DiPinto Belvedere Deluxe bass is a hot rod with strings. The retro styled bass has is adorned with an extensive pearl pickguard, white binding, star inlays in the fretboard and a sparkle finished headstock. The bass is built with a semi-hollow mahogany body, a bolt-on maple neck, and ebony fingerboard. DiPinto adds some extra flair with chrome covers for...
From the Ground Up: An Interview with Michael League
When Snarky Puppy snagged the Grammy for Best R&B Performance, it was a victory for independent artists everywhere. Many called the group an underdog but their track “Something,” featuring Lalah Hathaway, is an undeniably phenomenal song. The song’s music video went viral on YouTube with over two million views and has catapulted the band into the limelight. And while a...
Carlitos Del Puerto: Upright Bass Solo
Gallien-Krueger has released the second video in their new artist series featuring a fantastic bass solo from Carlitos Del Puerto. The bassist, whose career highlights include work with Bruce Springsteen, Chris Botti and Chick Corea, blends several genres into a classical leaning solo.