Cody Wright: “Blackbird” Solo Bass Arrangement
“Blackbird” by The Beatles may be one of the most covered songs ever written, but Cody Wright of the Jonathan Scales Fourchestra puts an awesome spin on it with his unique bass arrangement. Switching between tapping, fingerstyle and picking, Wright’s mesmerizing version was captured during his performance at the Asheville Music Hall in Asheville, North Carolina on September 26, 2013....
Randy Brecker Releases “Brecker Brothers Band Reunion” with Will Lee and Chris Minh Doky
The surge of jazz fusion in the ’70s produced some incredible music, especially the work of the virtuosic Brecker Brothers. Led by trumpeter Randy Brecker and saxophonist Michael Brecker, their self-titled debut blew listeners away with an electric sound that melded genres and spawned the classic track “Some Skunk Funk.” “When the band started back in the day, the original...
Fender Introduces Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision and ’70s Jazz Basses
Fender has rolled out two new basses as part of their Vintage Hot Rod series, an American-made lineup that the company describes as incorporating the best of old and new features. The Fender Vintage Hot Rod ’60s Precision Bass and ’70s Jazz Bass riff on classic designs while adding new features like a 7.25″-12″ compound-radius fingerboards, new neck profiles, and...
Eventide Introduces PowerFactor 2
Eventide and Danish company Cioks have teamed up to release the PowerFactor 2, a power supply that can run up to four Eventide pedals as well as up to four other pedals. It has eight regulated, isolated DC outlets – four rated at 400mA, two rated at 200mA, and two rated at 100mA – all of which are protected from...
Lynn Seaton and Christian McBride: “Blues in the Closet”
It’s always a blast to see musical masters having fun jamming on a tune. Donovan Stokes sent me this video of Lynn Seaton and Christian McBride playing on the Oscar Pettiford song “Blues in the Closet” at the University of North Texas, where Seaton teaches Jazz Studies. The two bassists trade some of the tastiest blues licks you’ll ever hear...
Korn Releases “The Paradigm Shift”
Korn has released The Paradigm Shift, the band’s eleventh studio album and the first to feature guitarist Brian “Head” Welch since 2003. Blending elements of their old and new styles, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu says the mix is the best of both worlds. “The new record is everything we’ve wanted to be,” Fieldy shared. “Everybody is doing what they want...
SolidGoldFX Announces SuperDrive Beta Pedal
SolidGoldFX has introduced their first bass-specific effects pedal, the SuperDrive Beta. Designed with an EQ tailored for bass, the pedal offers tones from old school thump, to an “Ampeg inspired” drive. The SuperDrive Beta is built with a JFET preamp with subtle germanium clipping to double as an always-on tone shaper or a cutting fuzz. Controls include Gain, Tone, and...
Bass of the Week: Aquilina Basses DB
Sébastien Aquilina of Aquilina Basses is making some beautiful instruments. Case in point: the Aquilina DB, a suave singlecut design with French aesthetic. The neck-through bass is built around a sycamore and ash neck with carbon reinforcements, topped with a sycamore fingerboard. The body wings are mahogany with a stunning flamed sycamore that continues the theme. It’s fitted with a...
Alberto Rigoni: Dream Theater’s “Erotomania” Play-Along
From the tricky fingerings to the melodic phrasing, Alberto Rigoni absolutely nails John Myung’s part on the Dream Theater song “Erotomania” in this play-along. Dig that tone, too!
John Entwistle Band: Young Man Blues
Today we celebrate the life and music of John Entwistle, on his birthday. The Ox was a huge figure in the development of the bass guitar and is referred to as the greatest who ever lived. His classic bass lines for The Who inspired thousands to pick up the bass to emulate that huge signature tone. After The Who broke...
Crowbar Announces New Bassist
A month after bassist Pat Bruders left the band, the iconic New Orleans metal band Crowbar has announced their new bass player is Jeff Golden. “After 100’s of bass video submissions and many jam sessions, we have decided that Jeff Golden is the man!” the group announced on their Facebook page. The news comes as bandleader Kirk Windstein leaves the...
Guitar Bank: Fender Jazz Bass Shootout
There’s always been debate about the differences in quality between Fender basses made in different factories. Guitar Bank decided to settle it with a shootout video comparing Jazz Basses built in the USA, Mexico, and Japan with varying materials to make a straight comparison. Which one do you like the best? Share your thoughts in the comments.