Rudy Sarzo Leaves Blue Oyster Cult
Rock legend Rudy Sarzo has left the ranks of Blue Oyster Cult, he revealed in an upcoming interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. The bassist, whose resume includes work with Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, and Whitesnake, said his departure was on good terms. “Due to my scheduling with other projects that I’m doing, it became a little bit hard for me...
Fender Introduces CB-100CE Acoustic Bass Guitar
Fender has upped their acoustic bass game this summer with the CB-100CE. The dreadnought cutaway bass sports a spruce top with scalloped X bracing and mother-of-pearl acrylic rosette. The mahogany neck’s profile is styled after that of a Jazz Bass and has a dual-action truss rod for proper adjustments. Its bridge is rosewood and has compensated saddle. For further flexibility,...
Asia Releases “XXX”
Eighties supergroup Asia is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new album entitled XXX. Featuring members of Yes, ELP, King Crimson, UK and The Buggles, the band’s current lineup includes bassist/vocalist John Wetton, guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Carl Palmer, and keyboardist Geoff Downes. The new release is being hailed as their best since their breakthrough self-titled album. “We’re very pleased...
Fender Custom Shop Unveils Limited Edition Relic La Cabronita “Boracho” Bass
Fender’s Custom Shop has unveiled their 2012 Limited Edition Models, including the Limited Edition Relic La Cabronita “Boracho” Bass. Bringing together elements of the Porazzo and its sister Boracha, the Boracho sports a reversed Jazzmaster body with added mass. Couple that with a custom T.V. Jones Thunderblade pickup and you get what Fender says is a “very unique and LOUD...
In Memoriam: Tomáš ?elechovský
Tomáš ?elechovský, bassist for the Czech symphonic metal band Symphonity, has passed away after a hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Hailing from Brno, ?elechovský listed his musical influences as ranging from The Beatles and The Beach Boys to Frank Zappa and Tom Waits, though Led Zeppelin was always his favorite. The bassist joined Symphonity in 2004, while the band...
Moog Issues New MF-104M Analog Delay Pedal
Moog has introduced the MF-104M Analog Delay pedal, a reissue of their MF-104 pedal, originally introduced in 2000. The new version utilizes the same vintage “Bucket Brigade” delay chips as the original, giving up to 800ms of analog delay. In pushing the pedal further, the new MF-104M adds a 6-waveshape LFO to expand sonic capabilities. The pedal brings back Spillover...
Tommy Stinson Reunites with Former Replacements Bandmate for Benefit
Tommy Stinson will be reuniting with his former Replacements bandmate Paul Westerberg to benefit guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a stroke earlier this year. The duo will be recording a single as part of a limited edition project of covers songs of Dunlap’s original music done by his friends. The recordings will be split into limited edition 7-inch albums and...
3Leaf Audio Introduces The Enabler Preamp Pedal
3Leaf Audio’s newest pedal, The Enabler, offers a dynamic bass preamp which combines an EQ, a D.I. and a headphone amp in pedal form. The pedal, which was over a year in the works, also has an aux in with level control. The EQ section of The Enabler includes Bass, Mid, and Treble knobs as well as deep switch and...
Verellen Amplifiers Introduces Meatsmoke Preamp Pedal
Verellen Amplifiers is now offering a pedal version of their Meatsmoke preamp. Aimed at bringing their signature tube tone to a budget more players could afford, the Meatsmoke Preamp Pedal has outputs that can run into the front of your amp or directly into a power amp. “We realized there was a growing group of people who were really interested...
New School: Or Lubianiker
YouTube has helped us discover many talented bassists we may not have found otherwise. One great example is Or Lubianiker, aka Rule of Thump. The Israeli bassist has a wicked sense of groove matched with a wicked sense of humor that combine perfectly in his songs, instrument demos, and video lessons. Besides his “fingerlickin’” playing, Lubianiker is a positive force...
Kill Devil Hill Plots North American Tour
Kill Devil Hill has unveiled a boatload of new North American tour dates set to kick off August 1st at the Cheyenne Saloon in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band is trekking to support their self-titled debut, which came out in May and landed at #9 on the Billboard Top New Artist Albums Chart. The group has a solid foundation as...
Bass of the Week: Aries Basses Senes Custom Bass
Aries Basses is a custom shop producing some pretty incredible instruments out of Varazdin, Croatia, including their Senes bass model. The Senes bass sports a singlecut design with a unique hole in the upper horn, offering a distinct look. The bass is completely custom, and can be built with a variety of top woods. Standard options for the Senes includes...