Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 669

Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang will be covering the West Coast and Midwest with newly announced tour dates throughout August and October. The acoustic group, consisting of Claypool and guitarist Marc “Mirv” Haggard, will kick things off August 16th at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California and wrap up the first leg of the tour August 26th in...

Ampeg has reintroduce the V-4B, a 100-watt all-tube bass amp. Based on the company’s classic amp from the ’70s, the new head is described as offering the tone of an SVT while weighing half as much. The new V-4B’s preamp includes a pair of 12AX7 tubes while the driver has a 12AX7 and one 12AU7, and its power amp contains...

Motörhead was forced to cut the band’s set short at this year’s Wacken Open Air festival in Germany after frontman and bassist Lemmy Kilmister fell ill. The band got through six songs of their planned 75-minute show before Kilmister left the stage. Fans reported that the rock legend was looking pale on stage. “I’ve been ill recently,” Kilmister told the...

FM Cables has introduced the Speakon Series of cables for connecting between amps and speaker cabinets. Featuring heavy duty Neutrik connectors, the cables are built with transparent loudspeaker cable with flexible twin wire made in Germany and protected by a fire retardant sheath. The cables come in three types. The ‘Tour’ Standard has 6mm Squared cable, while the Standard series...

Though they only lasted a few years, Black Country Communion was a band that really got it right. The supergroup, fronted in part by bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, had all the right riffs and attitude to bring that classic and elusive perfect rock vibe to the stage. Here’s the group playing “Beggarman” from the DVD Live over Europe.

Squier’s Vintage Modified series has gotten a little bigger with the introduction of the Jaguar Bass V Special. The new model takes all the features of the Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass and adds a low B string. Similar to its predecessor, the bass features a Jaguar-style body fitted with a Fender-Designed P/J pickup configuration. Controls include an active bass-boost circuit,...

This week we check out an innovative design out of Germany by C. Eller Design. The UT2’s striking body shape was ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in both standing and sitting position, while the lower cutaway allows for access all the way up to the bass’s 24th fret. The UT2 is built around a single piece of European Walnut that...

The last time we got to chat with Bryan Beller, it was several months before his freakishly good power trio The Aristocrats released their debut album. With just under two years since the band’s inception, the group has gone from an incredible lineup to a perfect storm of musical minds. Beller and cohorts drummer Marco Minneman and guitarist Guthrie Govan...

CAD Audio is now shipping their new GXL Wireless Systems, available in VHF and UHF versions. Each of the sets feature two discrete channels with separate RF and AF indicator lights to indicated connectivity. They offer three output options with 1/4-inch and XLR connectors as discrete outputs as well as an XLR mix output. The GXL-V VHF and GXL-U UHF...

The bassists in Detroit have a great tradition of getting together every year in front of the Motown Museum for a photo shoot to get the most bass players together in a single picture. As if that’s not cool enough, the event has been expanded with the introduction of Detroit Bass Day, a day-long celebration honoring the legendary Motown bassist...

Here’s an awesome video of bassist Mike Semesky running through “Mata Hari” by his band Intervals. He does it all, from filling out the low end to matching the guitars on crushing unison riffs.

Phish has announced a fall tour that will cover the East Coast, including a pair of three-night residencies in Virginia and New Jersey. The trek begins October 18th through the 20th at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia before heading north and wrapping up in Atlantic City. Anchored by bassist Mike Gordon, the iconic jam band has recently revealed that...