Epiphone Introduces Limited Edition Jack Casady Signature Bass
Epiphone has announced a new, limited edition of the Jack Casady Signature Bass in a rare Silverburst finish. Limited to 500 instruments, the semi-hollowbody bass is built with set-neck construction with a mahogany neck and laminated maple top, back and sides for the body. Designed by Casady in collaboration with Epiphone, the bass sports a low-impedance JCB-1 humbucker. “I went...
Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Featuring Ray Brown: One Bass Hit
There are so many players I get inspired by, but whenever someone asks me who my favorite bass player is, I always say “Ray Brown”. His groove, technique, melodicism, and swagger always captivates me, so I was pumped to find this clip of him featured with Dizzy Gillespie’s Orchestra in 1947. At a mere 21 years of age, you can...
Coheed and Cambria Welcome Zach Cooper as New Bassist
Nearly nine months after parting ways with Michael Todd, Coheed and Cambria have announced Zach Cooper as their new full-time bassist. Cooper, who played with AM to AM, got a cold call to audition from the band’s manager. The group made the announcement with a YouTube video introducing him. Coheed and Cambria is currently in the studio working on the...
Ibanez Releases New Promethean P3115 Bass Combo Amp
Ibanez expanded their Promethean combo series this year with the P3115, a 300-watt combo amp with a 15? driver and an HF dome tweeter with a passive crossover. Unique to the P3115 is an on/off switch for the tweeter, allowing for more tonal variety by eliminating unnecessary high frequency overtones. It also features a Class-D power amplifier and internal limiter...
Sunder Panatella: “The Answer” Solo Bass Performance
Grant Stinnett sent in this great video of Sunder Panatella playing his ethereal and original solo bass composition, “The Answer.” “The inspiration [for] this song came from different emotions that I experienced and I had few questions that I’ve been searching the answers for,” Panatella explained. “I think I found ‘The Answer’ thru music.” For the song, Panatella used the...
Dream Theater Announces Summer Tour with the Crimson Projekct
Prog fans will have lots to look forward to this summer as Dream Theater is teaming up with Crimson Projekct for a hefty North American tour. The two bands will be kicking it off on June 15th in Rochester, New York before hitting Quebec, then criss-crossing the U.S. This marks the second North American leg of Dream Theater’s tour in...
Bass of the Week: Lane Poor Minima
While looking up videos of Jack Casady on YouTube, I stumbled upon a real head-turner of a bass: the Lane Poor Minima. Poor, who is renowned for his pickups, designed and manufactured the bass in the early ’90s. Besides the obvious headless and stepped-tuner body design, the Minima had a graphite fingerboard with special epoxy “frets”, which as Bob Gollihur...
Stories Behind the Songs: Jerry Jemmott
Chances are, if you’re listening to a Soul hit from back in the day, you’re listening to Jerry Jemmott. In his prolific career spanning over 40 years, the bassist’s work helped shape the Atlantic Records and Muscle Shoals sounds. He has left his stamp on some generation-defining hits alongside musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, King Curtis, B.B. King,...
Andrea Veneziani Releases Debut Album, “Oltreoceano”
Italian jazz bassist Andrea Veneziani has made his solo debut with Oltreoceano, a 10-track album featuring drummer Ross Pederson and renowned pianist Kenny Werner. The trio performs a version the Bill Evans classic “Time Remembered”, and their musical dialogue throughout the record is influenced by the late pianist’s work. “It’s really about interplay,” Veneziani says. “I had listened to a...
Fodera Announces Janek Gwizdala Signature Imperial Model Bass
Fodera is now offering a Janek Gwizdala Signature Imperial model, based on Gwizdala’s own bass. Hand-built in Fodera’s New York shop, the 5-string bass sports a 33? scale and comes tuned E to C. The instrument has a walnut body with an alder tone block and a stunning non-solid Buckeye Burl top. The 3-piece ash neck is paired with an...
In Memoriam: Chris Ethridge
Bassist Chris Ethridge, a founding member of Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, has passed away at the age of 65 due to complications from pancreatic cancer. The genre-shaping band he co-created helped bring country and rock together. Ethridge left the band after recording their debut album The Gilded Palace of Sin, going on to work as a bassist for...
Genz Benz Second Generation Shuttle Bass Amps Now Shipping
Genz Benz has released their newest generation of the Shuttle Series bass amps, including the Shuttle 6.2 and the Shuttle 9.2. Featuring a tube preamp and a Class D power amplifier, the new line builds upon its predecessors with increased tube gain and the addition of the company’s “3 Dimensional Power Management” circuitry (3DPM), which adds heft and girth to...