Articles by Kevin Johnson - Page 727

For Kevin Brubaker, an aesthetic mod led to a lifetime of luthiery. Coupling his need to tweak his bass with his background in woodworking, he soon started building his own basses. Since his start nearly 30 years ago, Brubaker has created over a thousand custom instruments. Brubaker Guitars often feature distinctive book-matched tops with exotic woods and extraordinary finishes that...

3Leaf Audio has refreshed their product line with the introduction of the Wonderlove Envelope Filter, which takes place of the company’s flagship GR2. The new stompbox benefits from four years of tweaking the original design and offers the same basic filter sound of its predecessor while making it “deeper and juicier.” Powered by a 9V DC adapter, the Wonderlove has...

Lick Library is now shipping a new instructional DVD by Phil Williams entitled Learn to Play Rock Basslines. Aimed at beginner to intermediate players, the video guides you through 20 rock songs ranging from Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” to Muse’s “Hysteria.” “It’s 20 of the classic rock basslines that I consider to be landmarks in bass playing,” Williams explains. “A...

Medeski, Martin and Wood have announced a Fall tour covering the Northeast U.S. Kicking off at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Massachusetts, the trek takes the jazz-infused jam band through Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. The trio will be performing acoustic sets throughout, with Chris Wood laying it down on the...

Bass legend Bob Daisley has teamed up with Mad Music Management to create his new Black Beauty Signature Bass, designed by the bassist himself and built in Italy by the luthiers at Utopia Custom Shop. Daisley went all out with the concept, which includes two interchangeable pickup drawers that essentially make it two basses in one. The first pickup is...

AC Guitars has done it again with the Skelf R Type, a new model designed to be used with a fanned fret board with the scale running from 36? to 33?. Built by luthier Alan Cringean, the custom basses are available in a variety of exotic and domestic woods. The bass also includes the new exclusive ACG EQ03 dual filter...

Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas, Jr. has released Down-to-Earth-Art, the bassist’s new album featuring his unique blend of soul and avant garde. The six-track collection includes two that feature what he calls “microtonal-southern soul,” and while some of his music seems out of this world, Down-to-Earth Art is named so for its concept. “The reason this album is called Down-to-Earth Art is...

Eastwood has issued the Stormbird, a bass with vintage-vibe and a Metallic Blue finish that conjures images of surf rock. The 34? scale bass sports a basswood body, set maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard. The Stormbird is equipped with a pair of humbuckers with a three-way selector switch, and volume and tone controls for dialing in your tone. Other...

Bassist Marcus Miller, guitarist Jean Paul “Bluey” Maunick, drummer Billy Cobham, trumpeter Enrico Rava, and pianist Stefano Bollani were each guests on the Radio 2, RaiTunes over an 8 month period. Each improvised to an a cappella version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.” The result is fantastic.

Bassist Darryl Jones teamed up with keyboardist John Beasley and drummer Ndugu Chancler to form 3 Brave Souls, a trio informed by funk, roots, and jazz. In fact, each of the members are alumni of Miles Davis’s band and as such bring together incredible groove with intellectual playing. The group has released their self-titled debut album. Jones, whose career credits...

G&L has announced their 2012 Special Collection, which includes three new limited edition basses. The lineup takes some of the company’s existing models and gives them a new “Nearly Naked” (NENA) finish in a Honey Ale color. G&L’s NENA is a super thin finish that uses a proprietary finishing technique for a naturally balanced appearance while staying durable. The basses...

When you get down to it, what’s music without context? New School bassist Seth Horan, who has been bringing the bass to the forefront with his solo singer/songwriter style for a decade now, says it is all about the song. After being introduced to virtuosic bass music while still a novice to the instrument, Horan’s style grew steadily through his...