Bass of the Week: Epiphone Jack Casady Signature Bass
If you’ve met Jack Casady, you’d know that the Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna bassist is particular about his gear. He’s always tweaked his basses, pickups, and amps to get just what he wanted, so it’s no surprise that he had a large role in designing his own signature bass with Epiphone. “It’s based off of the Les Paul bass that was...
Chuck Rainey Loses Home to Fire
Chuck Rainey has been dealt another tragedy just 12 months after suffering a stroke, as the 72-year old bassist and family have lost their home to a fire on November 15th. Luckily, the Rainey family is unharmed, but the local fired department described the amount of loss as “quite a lot.” The family has set up a Facebook page to...
Aguilar Introduces AG 4P/J-HC Hum-Canceling Pickup Set
Aguilar has followed up their hum-canceling J-pickups with the AG 4P/J-HC Precision/Jazz Bass Pickup Set, which combines their 4P-60 and 4J-HC pickups. Wound in Aguilar’s New York City factory, the set is a direct replacement for 4-string Fender P-Bass and Jazz bridge pickups. The company describes the set as “well-balanced with a flexible array of tones.” As with the 4J-HC...
Porcupine Tree Releases “Octane Twisted”
Progressive rock outfit Porcupine Tree has released Octane Twisted, a new live release taken from performances during their world tour for The Incident in 2010. The double disc set is anchored by bassist Colin Edwin, who’s jazz sensibilities come out in his playing. “Most of the tracks were recorded live at the Riviera in Chicago on April 30th 2010,” he...
Six String Fretless: Beyond Creation’s “Omnipresent Perception”
You don’t hear a lot of fretless in death metal (save for Steve DiGiorgio and Jeroen Paul Thesseling). So it’s cool to hear the instrument add a new element to a genre. A good example is the band Beyond Creation, featuring bassist Dominic “Forest” Lapointe on six-string fretless. Check out this music video for the song “Omnipresent Perception”, in which...
Led Zeppelin Releases “Celebration Day”
On December 10, 2007, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited for the first time since in 27 years. The concert, which served as a memoriam to friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, is now available as a DVD/CD set called Celebration Day. The band’s lineup features its surviving members – singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist...
Electro-Harmonix Announces Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi
Electro-Harmonix has unveiled their latest bass specific pedal with the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi. Building on its predecessor, the Deluxe has the same Volume, Tone, and Sustain controls, but adds a -10dB input pad, a Blend knob and a noise gate. Another new feature is a foot-switchable crossover section that’s split into two parts: a low pass filter on...
Stefan Hergenröder & Claus Hessler: Löewenzahn
If you’re searching for a little inspiration for your delay pedal, look no further. This video of bassist Stefan Hergenröder and drummer Claus Hessler has got you covered. The footage here is taken from the recording of the track “Löewenzahn” from Hergenröder’s upcoming album, and yes, that’s how he plays it live. The bassist uses a single delay to create...
Jason Newsted Launches New Online Presence to Connect with Fans
Jason Newsted is ready to reconnect with his fans, as evidenced by a new official web presence, including his own website and social media outlets. The former Metallica bassist announced the news with a YouTube video. After leaving Metallica in 2001, Newsted worked on albums with Voivod, Papa Wheelie, and Rock Star Supernova, though news of his work became more...
Eric Clapton Announces 2013 Tour Featuring Willie Weeks
Eric Clapton will be hitting the road in 2013 for a U.S. tour, set to kick off March 14th at in Phoenix, Arizona and culminating in the 2013 Crossroads Guitar Festival at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The guitar legend has once again enlisted bassist Willie Weeks to lay down the groove for his band. Weeks, who has worked...
Jeff Bradetich: Bach Cello Suite No. 1, I. Prelude
The Bach Cello Suite is one of the most beautiful pieces ever written, and thankfully it translates pretty well to bass. Here’s the first movement of the first suite performed by master bassist Jeff Bradetich. The clip is taken from his DVD of the entire first suite.
Notion Music Introduces Progression 2.0 Composition Software
Notion Music has released Progression 2.0, the latest version of their composition software for bass, guitar and drums. New features include a more intuitive interface, desktop/iPad compatibility, and real instrument sounds for playback including bass samples by Victor Wooten. Other real samples are provided by guitarist Neil Zaza and drummer Roy “Futureman” Wooten. Progression 2.0’s ability to work on multiple...