Fender Introduces Classic Series Precision and Jazz Basses with Lacquer Finishes
Fender has expanded their bass lineup with the Classic Series ’60’s Jazz Bass Lacquer and Classic Series ’50s Precision Bass Lacquer. In following with the series, the basses pay homage to their vintage counterparts and distinguish themselves with period-correct gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finishes. The Classic Series ’60’s Jazz Bass Lacquer is built with an alder body, an ultra-slim “C”-shaped maple...
Anthony Crawford Releases “Urban Jazz – My Story”
Anthony Crawford has released Urban Jazz – My Story, his second album as a leader. The effort follows up on 2010’s Urban Jazz and continues his style of combining hip hop, pop, and jazz. My Story takes a more lyrical approach and features a stacked list of personnel that includes Frank McComb, Dave Weckl, Eric Darius, Ruslan Sirota and others....
Rocco Prestia Facing Health Issues, Needs Kidney Transplant
Rocco Prestia is facing serious health issues again, according to reports shared on Tower of Power’s website and Facebook page. The bassist, who is famed for his unique 16th note finger-style funk playing, is in need of a kidney transplant. “As you know, our beloved Rocco Prestia has been a part of Tower of Power since the beginning,” the band...
Fret-King Announces STVDIO Country Squire Semitone Bass
Fret-King will be adding to their high-end, one-off STVDIO series of instruments this fall with the introduction of the Country Squire Semitone Bass. The singlecut, bolt-on bass features a pair of designer Trev Wilkinson’s new JM pickups wired to a 3-way toggle switch. In keeping with a vintage vibe, Wilkinson used traditional woods for its construction: swamp ash for the...
Johan Hansén-Larson: KNOWER’s “Gotta Be Another Way” Bass Playalong
Johan Hansén-Larson sent us this new video of himself playing along with “Gotta Be Another Way” by the Los Angeles electronica duo KNOWER. The bassist adapts the synth line to make a cooking and catchy bass line to jam along with the track, adding beautiful chords during the breakdowns.
Jim Dunlop MXR M89 Bass Overdrive Pedal Now Shipping
Jim Dunlop is now shipping the MXR M89 Bass Overdrive, the latest effects pedal in their Bass Innovations series. The pedal features standard overdrive controls with Volume, Tone, and Drive knobs, but adds a Clean control to blend in clean signal with a pre-tuned EQ. “Pre-tuning the Clean signal ensures that when you blend it with the overdrive signal, the...
In Memoriam: P-Funk Bassist Cordell “Boogie” Mosson
Parliament-Funkadelic member Cordell “Boogie” Mosson passed away on April 18th from an unspecified illness. He was 60 years old. Mosson grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he was friends with future P-Funk guitarist Garry Shider. The duo eventually joined a band called United Soul, which came to the attention of P-Funk founder George Clinton. Clinton produced several of the...
Tedeschi Truck Band Adds Bakithi Kumalo for Spring Tour Dates
The Tedeschi Trucks Band has announced that they’ve recruited bass legend Bakithi Kumalo to lay down the low end during their Spring tour dates. The bassist, who first made waves on the classic Paul Simon album Graceland, will be with the group this weekend at the Wanee Festival through the May 3rd performance in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Since original bassist Oteil...
Bass of the Week: Off Guitar Design soulbrotha’
A collaboration between Martin Off and luthier Jozsi Lak, the Off Guitar Design soulbrotha’ bass is unique mix of retro and modern design aesthetics. The bass, which gets its design from the company’s soulsista’ guitar, is handmade by Lak in Germany. Much of the soulbrotha’s construction is optional, from the body wood (alder, swamp ash or mahogany) to the neck...
Track by Track: Janek Gwizdala Talks “Theatre by the Sea”
Janek Gwizdala is staying ahead of his goal of putting out an album every year with the release of Theatre by the Sea. His third record in 18 months, the album features nine tracks of the bassist’s own compositions and lush arrangements performed by a host of heavyweight musicians including Peter Erskine, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker and more. Gwizdala wrote...
Diego Zecharies: Anderson’s Capriccio No. 2
Here’s an awesome video of Uruguayan bassist Diego Zecharies playing David Anderson’s Capriccio No. 2 for solo double bass. His rich, thick tone and intensity make the piece sound like it’s played by a full ensemble. Bravo!
Höfner Debuts “Cavern” Versions of Contemporary and Ignition Violin Basses
Höfner has introduced new “Cavern” versions of their Contemporary and Ignition Series Violin basses at the 2013 Musikmesse in Frankfurt last week. The pickups on the new models are positioned closely together and towards the neck in the Cavern style, similar to Paul McCartney’s original 1961 bass. Each of the entry level basses will be built with the same specifications...