Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 674

This week we check out the Kayenta bass from the Italian bass builders at Manne Guitars. Designed around an offset body, the bass’s shape puts it in a more upward angled position when playing that the company says is suited well for players that wear their instrument higher. Its korina body is also multi-chambered to add a more complex midrange...

Twenty years after his solo debut, Will Lee has released his second album as a leader, entitled Love, Gratitude and Other Distractions. “I’ve been busy,” Lee says with a bit of a laugh when asked about the long period between solo albums, and it’s a fair explanation. The veteran bassist keeps his schedule packed between his daily gig of playing...

I finally got a chance to pickup up the Lemmy documentary and ever since I watched it I’ve been hooked on listening to all things Lemmy. Before Motörhead, the legendary bassist was dishing out a much more psychedelic vibe with the space rock band Hawkwind. Here’s the music video for their single “Silver Machine” from 1972. It’s cool to see...

Bassist Bugra Balci has followed up his book on melodic Baroque etudes with The Virtuoso Bassist in 56 Partitas. Primarily intended for bass guitarists, the 236-book continues the Virtuoso Bassist Series contains 56 etudes written in a Baroque style. “While there are a plethora of instructional books available for improving techniques on electric bass guitar, there are only a handful...

AC Guitars has introduced a new bass model named The Krell, inspired by the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet. The bass takes its name from an extinct race of advanced beings from the movie that built a machine that could “turn thoughts into reality and project that reality anywhere on the planet.” “I was looking to make a more...

Our friend Charmaine Kirsch sent in this video, and I was hooked. As if the idea of a steel drums trio isn’t awesome enough, bassist Cody Wright lays down some extremely righteous bass. He kicks things off with a funky riff and the hits keep rolling. Besides a groove that won’t quit, Wright lays it all out in his solo...

StageTrix has unveiled a new utility product for effects pedals lovers. The Wah Fastener allows for traditional wah pedals to be securely fastened to pedal boards. It uses the same hook and fastener material from their Pedal Fasteners and is mounted on the bottom of your pedal. To attach the fastener, just remove the rubber feet from your wah and...

Rounding out the summer’s new models for Squiers Vintage Modified Series are a trio of P-basses: The Vintage Modified Precision Bass V, Precision Bass Fretless, and Precision Bass PJ. Similar to the rest of the series, the new basses are designed to add new twists to familiar designs. Vintage Modified Precision Bass V The Vintage Modified Precision Bass V is...

Tech 21 is now shipping the VT Bass DI Pedal. First introduced at this year’s Winter NAMM show, the VT Bass DI puts the company’s VT Bass preamp into a direct box format with three outputs: 1/4 Inch, XLR, and Parallel. The DI’s Blend knob lets you control the amount of direct signal with the SansAmp circuitry to get the...

He’s played on tons of influential songs, but now bass legend Nathan East is working on his debut solo album. East, who has worked with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and Daft Punk, has announced that he’s been recording his first album as a leader at Ocean Way’s Studio B. The project is being done with Yamaha Entertainment...

Bobby Vega is hands down one of my favorite bassists. Here’s a clip of him with fellow San Francisco heavyweights Prarie Prince and Chris Rossbach performing a flowing tune called “Mercury.”

Le Fay has updated the ROB 344-66/IIIa with a new pickup system that brings together four single coils under three covers. The coils are selectable with a 6-way rotary knob and offer a variety of sounds. Position one activates the coil closest to the bridge, the next adds the coil closest to the neck for a J-style configuration, and the...