AC Guitars Introduces Salace Model
AC Guitars has released a new model, dubbed the “Salace”. Built with the help of Paul Sugden, the bass was intended to be a headless design, but is also available with a headstock. Though AC Guitars builds to suit, this particular Salace is a 6-string bass with a wenge body and Maracarpra top. The neck is made of 7-pieces of...
Cephalic Carnage’s Nick Schendzielos: “Ohrwurm” Bass Playalong Video and Lesson
Here’s one for the metalheads! Nick Schendzielos of Cephalic Carnage made this incredible playalong of the group’s bass-heavy song “Ohrwurm,” from their album Misled by Certainty. “I had a lot of “fun” making this video,” Schendzielos wrote. “I wanted to increase the watchability for musicians and non-musicians alike, so I tried out some new things like Picture in Picture, and...
Bass of the Week: Wood & Tronics Chronos
Hand made in Italy, the Wood & Tronics Chronos is the company’s take on the single cut design, and a great one at that. Wood and Tronics was founded by Enrico Pasini and luthier Erik Furlan after Pasini, who was a frequent visitor and admirer of the Fodera Guitars shop, decided to follow his dream of making his own custom...
Custom Shop: An Interview with Grant Freifeld of Grant Bass
Armed with passion and determination, Ontario-based bassist Grant Freifeld got his start building instruments after becoming disgusted with “cheap painted plywood guitars” and basses that are “someone else’s idea of custom.” After apprenticing with Joe Kovacic of Lado Guitars, Freifeld created his own brand, Grant Bass. His humility allows him to be more open to ideas, citing that expanding his...
Terri Lynne Carrington’s Mosaic Project Featuring Esperanza Spalding: “Unconditional Love”, Live
Last year saw the release of drummer Terri Lynne Carrington’s Mosaic Project, featuring a star-studded cast of all female musicians including one of our favorites, Esperanza Spalding. Carrington recently released this official video for her song “Unconditional Love,” taken from a live performance at the Red Sea Festival in Eilat. Spalding pulls double duty, laying down a soulful bass line...
Andres Rotmistrovsky Releases Debut Album, “Upbeat”
Andres Rotmistrovsky, who has gained popularity for his solo bass arrangements, has released his first solo album, entitled Upbeat. The record includes the bassist’s original compositions written while studying at Berklee College of Music, as well as arrangements of standards. “This album is [named] after several years of studying the powerful effects that can be created with rhythm, when accenting...
Lehle Releases DC Filter
Lehle has released the DC Filter, a stereo filter for removing unwanted DC voltage from audio signals. The filter handles both mono and stereo signals and sports a passive design, so it doesn’t require a power supply. Lehle explains that audio signals with a DC offset can cause an “unpleasant” switching noise. While offsets can occur in various places in...
Fender Announces “Select” Series, Including New Precision and Jazz Bass Models
Fender is kicking off 2012 with the introduction of the Fender Select Series, which they describe as it’s “new top-of-the-production-line best” instruments. The series, which includes new Precision and Jazz Bass models, presents the company’s classic designs with marked upgrades like choice tone woods, quartersawn maple necks with compound-radius fretboards, and specially voiced Select pickups. The Fender Select Precision Bass...
Steve Lawson Releases New Live, Improvised Solo Bass Album
Steve Lawson has released Believe in Peace, a four song album taken from his performance at the I Ching Arts Exhibit in Minneapolis. The exhibit featured the work of Geoff Bush, which moved Lawson so much that he decided to break from his normal gig routine with his wife and play an additional improv solo set. “Intending to play a...
In Memoriam: Pete Stevens, Co-Founder of Wal Basses
Pete Stevens, co-founder of Wal Basses, has passed away at the age of 65. The announcement came from the Wal Bass website. “It is with deepest sadness that we must pass on the news that Pete ‘The Fish’ Stevens, co-founder of Wal Bass Guitars,” the company stated. “As many in the Wal family will know, Pete had suffered from chronic...
Ed Friedland: Looping Bass Version of Steely Dan’s “Do It Again”
Here’s a cool video of Ed Friedland, aka the Bass Whisperer, building up a full on version of Steely Dan’s classic “Do It Again” during a 2010 clinic at the Bass Emporium in Austin, Texas. After “giving the drummer some,” Friedland fills out the tune’s bass line, chords and melody before ripping into a tasty solo.
In Memoriam: Remembering the Bassists We Lost in 2011
Charles Fambrough January 1, 2011 Charles Fambrough, jazz bassist. Fambrough’s credits include working with Grover Washington, Jr., Airto Moreira, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, and more. Mick Karn January 4, 2011 Mick Karn, former Japan bassist. Karn’s fretless bass and interesting, angular playing style left an impression on bassists around the world. Phil Kennemore January 7, 2011 Phil Kennemore, bassist for...