Bruno Tauzin Releases Indian Bass: 72 Ragas Instructional eBook
Bruno Tauzin has released Indian Bass: 72 Ragas, an instructional ebook that delves into the Melakarta Ragas which are the Indian equivalent of scales and modes from traditional Western Harmony. The 47-page book includes a total of 72 Ragas in the key of C, written in both musical notation and tab. In addition to the Ragas, Indian Bass has an...
Fender Introduces New Gig Stand
Fender has introduced a new instrument stand designed to end the bulkiness of traditional instrument stands. The compact stand was created to be as unobtrusive as possible by folding up in two steps and weighing just a little more than the average instrument cable. The stand’s slim design fits most basses and guitars, while rubber contact points provide a strong...
Robert Trujillo: New Metallica Album Under Way
With a collaborative album with Lou Reed due out this week, bassist Robert Trujillo has revealed that the next full-fledged Metallica album is under way with producer Rick Rubin’s help. “We’ve been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we’re going to be recording during the most of next year,” Trujillo told Gulf News....
NOFX Announces West Coast Tour Dates
Punk band NOFX will be ringing in the new year with a West Coast tour. Anchored by founder/bassist/vocalist Fat Mike, the group will kick things off with the New Year’s Heave! party in Las Vegas, Nevada before several two-day residencies throughout California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. The tour comes in support of a recently released self-titled EP. Referred to as...
AC Guitars Introduces Tefano SS Short Scale Bass
AC Guitars has introduced the ACG Tefano SS, a new short scale bass with a single-cut design. The new model has a 31.5” scale with features modified to suit to the smaller size. As with other models in the ACG line, the bass is handcrafted by Scottish luthier Alan Cringean with a variety of options including woods and electronics. The...
Frank Russell Releases “Circle Without End”
Bassist Frank Russell’s second solo album, Circle Without End, is now available for download. For his follow-up to 2005’s Covering All Basses, the Chicago native recruited a cast of high caliber musicians including bassists Daryl Jones (Rolling Stones) and Richard Patterson (Miles Davis, David Sanborn), renowned trumpeter Wallace Roney, pianist Robert Irving III and others. The idea for the album...
Barefaced Ltd Introduces Big Twin Bass Cab
Barefaced Ltd has released the Big Twin, a 1500-watt bass cabinet containing two 12″ woofers, a high-output midrange driver, and huge ports for maximum low end while keeping an “unusually” flat frequency response. The cab also boasts a full 2-way crossover with steep slopes, similar to that found in studio monitors, resulting in higher efficiency. Weighing in at 55 pounds,...
Olivier Babaz: Midnight Caffeine
Talk about multi-tasking! French bassist Olivier Babaz shared this video with us in which he plays a reduced version of his piece “Midnight Caffeine” on his bass while simultaneously playing chords on his kalimba. The two instruments create a really cool texture while a prerecorded egg shaker keeps time.
Bass of the Week: Ritter Royal Flora Aurum
Based out of Deidesheim, Germany, Jens Ritter is an electric bass luthier known for his artistic flair and luxurious basses. In addition to his exceptional line of basses is the Ritter Royal collection, which are set apart due to a “unique feature or an exceptional design history aspect of Jens Ritter’s career as a luthier.” In 2006 he outdid himself...
Fuzzrocious Pedals Introduces K-A-E-D-E-N Drive
Fuzzrocious Pedals have introduced a new stompbox: the K-A-E-D-E-N Drive, a versatile pedal with three stages to the circuit. Described as “not just a booster” and “not just an overdrive,” the K-A-E-D-E-N has pre-gain, gain, and tone knobs to dial in the right amount of drive. The pedal is built with your choice of tone stack, either a mid-hump, mid-scoop,...
Snarky Puppy: Michael League’s Solo on “Young Stuff”
Here’s an awesome clip of Snarky Puppy at The Rex in Toronto. Bassist/founder Michael League builds up an incredible solo on their new and yet-to-be-recorded tune “Young Stuff.” The video was shot with a GoPro HD cam mounted to League’s headstock. The songwriter also proves his versatility at the end of the clip as he switches to synth bass on...
Tom Waits Releases Bad As Me, Featuring Flea and Les Claypool
Singer/songwriter Tom Waits has released his seventeenth studio album, Bad As Me, which is also his first compilation of all new material in seven years. The distinctive vocalist recruited a host of talented artists, including bassists Flea, Les Claypool, James Whiton, Larry Taylor, Marcus Shelby and Zack Sumner. Waits’ eclectic style is going strong as ever with his songwriting showing...