Ampeg Launches Portaflex Series Amps
Ampeg has unveiled a new line of amps and cabinets inspired by their B-15 called the Portaflex series. The line includes two heads and two cabs that can be matched together to make flip-top combos. The PF-350 is the more compact of the two heads, weighing in at 8 lbs. It features a solid-state preamp combined with a Class D...
Gibson Releases Thunderbird Short Scale Bass
Gibson has just released a short scale version of their classic Thunderbird bass. The bass has a 30.5″ scale, which the manufacturer explains is favorable for players with shorter arms or smaller hands as well as beginners and students. They also note that these short-scale basses aren’t just for novices, as Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney played them during highlights...
David Ellefson Talks On Next Megadeth Album
In an interview with UGO.com, Megadeth bassist David Ellefson commented on the group’s as yet untitled follow-up to 2009’s Endgame. “We are working on it now so it’s a bit early to encapsulate what the final will ultimately sound like,” Ellefson explained. “I think we know the punch and impact we want it to have but also not be afraid...
Spector Releases Alex Webster Signature Bass
Spector has just released a new Alex Webster Signature Model bass, designed around their Euro5LX. One of the instrument’s key features is a faster neck, which is slimmer front to back, to facilitate playing the fast and technical riffs, as the Cannibal Corpse bassist is known to play. The fingerboard is ebony with blood red Spector Crown inlays. The Webster...
Oteil Burbridge to Tour with Tedeschi Trucks Band
Bassist Oteil Burbridge will be hitting the road with the newly formed Tedeschi Trucks Band, formed by husband and wife team Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. The 11 piece group’s sound is described as coming from “Delta blues and Memphis soul, Sixties rock and Seventies funk” – traditions that Burbridge is well versed in, considering his time with the Allman...
New Steve Harris Book Released
A new book, entitled Steve Harris – The Clairvoyant, has been released in part by MaidenCroatia.com, one of the largest Iron Maiden fan sites. Written by Stipe Juras, the book tells the bassist’s story through interviews with his friends and acquaintances, but it’s not a traditional biography. “This is the story of Steve Harris, bass player and founder of Iron...
Gerald Veasley Releases Electric Mingus Project
Gerald Veasley has a new album out, one he calls a “re-imagination” of well-known tunes written by acclaimed jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus. Electric Mingus Project features songs ranging from “Haitian Fight Song” to “Boogie Stop Shuffle”, and performed using instruments such as the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument) and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument). Veasley says the album isn’t just...
Lee Rocker Releases The Cover Sessions EP
Former Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker has just released The Cover Sessions, a six track EP of songs he grew up listening to ranging from the Beatles’ “Come Together” to the Allman Brothers hit, “Ramblin’ Man.” In an interview with OC Weekly, Rocker explained how the project came about. “The story behind [the] EP is that over the past few...
Spector Introduces Legend 4X Classic Bass
Spector has expanded their Professional Series with the introduction of the Legend 4X Classic. All the features of the new X model are the same as the original Legend 4 Classic, with the exception of a new body shape. The X strays from the NS-Bass design that the company is known for and dives into a more classic rock style....
ESP Revamps LTD Surveyor Basses
ESP has revamped their LTD Surveyor basses. The bolt-on constructed basses feature an ash body and maple neck, with new additions including white binding on the fingerboard and pearloid block inlays. The fingerboard wood depends which of the three finishes you pick. The Black and Three Tone Burst finishes have rosewood fingerboards, whereas a maple fingerboard accents the Snow White...
Mastodon Releases Live Package, Working on New Album
Mastodon has released Live At The Aragon, a CD/DVD set that marks the band’s first live performance package. The record captures the band’s October 2009 show at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and includes them playing the entirety of their Crack the Skye album as well as earlier fan favorite songs and a cover of the “The Bit” by The...
RIP Jet Harris
UK bass pioneer Terence “Jet” Harris has passed away at the age of 71, after a two-year battle with cancer. Harris is often credited as being the first British bass guitarist, and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Fender for popularizing the instrument in Britain. Harris’s career includes several hits with the instrumental group the Shadows in the late...