Jack Blades Releases Second Solo Album, “Rock N’ Roll Ride”
Night Ranger bassist and vocalist Jack Blades has released his second solo album, Rock N’ Roll Ride. With a music career spanning over three decades, the Blades says the new record is a continuation of his style. “Rock N’ Roll Ride is an extension of what my music has been for the last 30 years,” Blades explained. “It has been...
Taranaki Basses Introduces Acrobat 32 Bass
German boutique company Taranaki Basses recently unveiled their Acrobat 32, a medium scale bass featuring their own custom pickups. The passive pickups have individual coils for each string, resulting in 8 coils per humbucker. Taranaki describes it as “the most active sounding pickups ever.” Though the bass is open for customization, standard features include a khaya body, walnut top with...
Lorenzo Feliciati Releases “Frequent Flyer”
Described as “one of the best kept secrets on the European modern jazz scene,” Lorenzo Feliciati‘s influences cover a lot of ground, from jazz to prog-rock and funk. The bassist released his third solo album, Frequent Flyer. Feliciati’s band Naked Truth, which includes King Crimson drummer Pat Mastelotto, inspired Feliciati to explore Crimson’s music, and even cover the prog band’s...
Dingwall Adds Super P Standard 4 To Super P Series
Dingwall unveiled the 4-string version of their new Super P model at Musikmesse this year as a follow-up to the SP5 from NAMM. Sharing many of the same features, the Super P Standard 4 is built with a carbon fiber reinforced 5-piece maple neck and 2-3 piece alder body with a high gloss finish. Of course, the morado fingerboard is...
Bass of the Week: Moses Vertical Jump Bass
Known for making graphite necks, Moses Carbon Graphite Guitars has always been into making forward-thinking products, and the Vertical Jump Bass is no exception. Built to be played vertically or horizontally, the bass has a swiveling bout horn for proper balance when wearing it with a strap. The Vertical Jump Bass has a polycarbonate body that comes in three options:...
Bassist Redefined: An Interview With Juan Alderete
Juan Alderete is a man who stays busy. After getting his break with thrash metal outfit Racer X, Alderete now contributes the low-end to progressive rock giants The Mars Volta, whose new album Noctourniquet hit stores this week. The record marks the band’s sixth effort anchored by Aldererte, who joined their ranks in 2003. Additionally, Big Sir released its third...
Iron Maiden Releases “En Vivo!”
Iconic metal band Iron Maiden has released En Vivo!, a new live performance on Blu-Ray, 2-DVD Set, and a double soundtrack album. Filmed on April 10, 2011 in Santiago, Chile, the performance was part of their Final Frontier World Tour. “For The Final Frontier Tour, it was really important to me that we filmed in South America as we’re always...
Snarky Puppy Releases “groundUP”
Brooklyn-based instrumental group Snarky Puppy has released their sixth album, groundUP, on Ropeadope Records. Led by bassist Michael League, the collection of musicians recorded the album live in fellow bassist Matt Garrison’s Shapeshifter Lab in front of a 40-person studio audience. As with 2010’s Tell Your Friends, the release is a CD/DVD combo that includes video of the group’s funky,...
John Paul Jones: “What Is And What Should Never Be” Isolated Bass Track
If you’re looking for vintage tone and a melodic groove, look no further. Zach McFatridge shared this clip of John Paul Jones’s isolated bass from the Led Zeppelin classic “What Is And What Should Never Be” from their second album. With some bleed from the drums, it’s easy to hear Jones and drummer John Bonham locked in tight.
Ampeg Expands Portaflex Series With New Cabinets
Ampeg has unveiled a new pair of bass cabinets in their Portaflex series called the PF-115LF and the PF-410LF. While the series previously had a 1×15? cabinet, the 4×10? is a first for the series. Both of the new cabinets are built with a 15mm poplar ply enclosure, covered in black diamond tolex with a vintage B-15 grill cloth. The...
Digitech Unveils iStomp Configurable Stompbox
Digitech has released the iStomp, a configurable stompbox pedal that can be changed to different effects. Different effects ranging from reverb to distortion can be downloaded from the new Digitech Stomp Shop and can then be loaded into the iStomp via an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad and a proprietary cable. All effects processing takes place in the actual stompbox,...
Fender Upgrades American Standard Series for 2012
Fender has raised the bar for 2012 by upgrading their American Standard series of instruments, including the Precision and Jazz basses. The main change is the inclusion of Fender Custom Shop pickups for each model, while other slight adjustments and a new finish also help to update the line. First up, the American Standard Precision basses now feature Fender Custom...