Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 706

Ibanez has everything covered for a beginner in their new IJXB150B Jumpstart Bass Package. The package centers around a GSR190 bass, but also includes a bass amp, a gig bag, a tuner, a stand, a cable, an accessories pouch, and a card good for online lessons. The bass, which comes in five colors, sports a P/J pickup configuration and chrome...

For bassists who rely on their iPad or tablet computer, Protection Racket has released a new iPad/Tablet case designed to protect your gear. The slim case is built from the company’s Racketex, a high abrasion polyester that resists fading, cracking, shrinking, and is waterproof. Besides a dedicated pocket for your iPad or tablet, the case has two larger front pockets,...

Jon Hill of Bootleg Guitars decided to get back to basics with his new Dawg Pounder model. “I’ve been preaching simplicity lately: 1 humbucker 1 knob,” the luthier explained. “I feel guitars kinda went through a ‘Big Hair’ phase and I’m back in the garage with the garage bands!” Delivered in a sleek, black satin finish, the Pounder lives up...

When longtime friends Edwin Paanakker and Frans Haarmeijer decided to join forces to build basses, they knew they wanted to make something different. Enter the Convolution Bass: a lightweight, handmade bass that shares mechanical properties of an upright bass. Built with a red cedar body topped by Zebrano wood, the fretless bass has a gorgeous ebony bridge with piezos in...

Quintin Berry is a bassist who sticks out. Instead of holding his bass like most players, Berry created what he calls the “cradle style,” in which his right arm supports the body of the bass while the neck angles down towards the ground. It developed out of applying things he learned from violin lessons, and though it started from messing...

I’ve been on a traditional folk music kick, so this video of 6-string bassist Willy González and his Nuevo Trio struck a chord with me. Here the group plays their version of Argentinian folk composer Gustavo “Cuchi” Leguizamón’s “Zamba del pañuelo”. The interplay between the musicians is superb and is matched in elegance by a pair of dancers for a...

Green Day has announced that their remaining 2012 tour dates have been cancelled and concerts set for next year will be postponed due to lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong’s time in rehab. The news comes just weeks after the release of ¡UNO!, the first of a trilogy of new albums. Bassist Mike Dirnt weighed in on the situation in a...

Black Country Communion has released their third album, Afterglow, through J&R Records. Fronted by bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, the group brings together fellow rock legends Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham, and Derek Sherinian. Though there is some uncertainty to the band’s future, their latest effort is more proof that the mixture of talent is a winning one. “So happy that Afterglow is...

Iuliu-Bogdan Diaconeasa, aka Bass Battle, sent us the latest in his live looping adventures with this song called “Breathe”. Kick back, relax and enjoy! Bass Battle has also made the audio track available via Soundcloud:

Here’s a cool interview that DunlopTV did with Marcus Miller backstage at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. After speaking on his career a bit, Miller talks about getting his sound. The chat offers some nice insight into the bassist’s newfound use of effects and his approach to using them.

G&L has unveiled a new line of instruments labeled the “Black Ice Collection”. The new basses and guitars feature a “Black Ice” finish, which incorporates the company’s Nearly Naked (NENA) finish with a sleek matte black base and silver highlights in the body’s wood grain. Introduced last year, NENA is a super thin finish the company says promotes body resonance....

Vulfpeck’s Jack Stratton has a cool project called Sound of Two, where he takes two completely separate musical events and puts them together for a unique jam. Our favorite is a clip of slap master Louis Johnson, from his instructional DVD, mashed up with a clip of the Grambling State Drumline at the 2008 Bayou Classic.