Buzz
Kala Announces Bubinga U-Bass
Kala is celebrating the fifth anniversary of their U-Bass introduction by expanding the range with a bubinga model. Featuring a 21-inch scale, the Bubinga U-Bass is built using the distinctive wood for its top, back and sides while being rounded out with a mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. Other features include a rosewood bridge, exclusive Hipshot licensed black anodized tuners,...
Steve Di Giorgio: Bass Playthrough of Christos Nikolaou’s “Calling”
Steve DiGiorgio may be known for playing fretless in death metal bands, but he’s a very diverse musician. Check out this clip of the bassist tracking the song “Calling” by Mythodea in the studio. DiGiorgio lays down punchy, melodic bass lines with on a Rickenbacker to give the song some extra drive. The track is available for download from the...
Duran Duran Works with More Collaborators Than Ever on “Paper Gods”
Duran Duran, famed for its 80s pop stardom, 90s resurgence, and love of art rock and Chic, has released its 14th studio album, Paper Gods. Bassist John Taylor told San Francisco’s Radio Alice that the album’s title refers to the “temporary obsessions” most people are guilty of indulging. He also said that work on the record began two years ago,...
Bass of the Week: Ray Ross Bass No. 20
This week we’re featuring the work of Aaron “Ray” Ross, a Missouri-based builder who began making basses to supplement his own collection. “I make basses by hand in a VERY modest shop,” Ross explains. “This started when I wanted a fretless bass but could not afford one.” Ross builds each bass by hand with an assortment of materials. His five-string...
Preferred Scale Books for Bass Players
Recently I’ve been getting a lot of people asking for recommendations for “good” scale books for the double bassist. This is an interesting subject, as there so many books out there! Furthermore, whether a scale book is “good” or not often depends not on their content, but rather how they are applied. This is why a good teacher and a...
Joni Mitchell with Jaco Pastorius: Free Man in Paris
We’re remembering Jaco Pastorius today and listening to the wealth of great music he gave us. Among our favorites is his collaborations with Joni Mitchell. In this clip from Shadows and Light, Jaco, Michael Brecker, Don Alias, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays kick Mitchell’s “Free Man in Paris” up several notches in this 1979 performance. RIP, Jaco.
Black Sabbath Announces “The End” Farewell Tour
One of the greatest metal bands of all time will finally come to an end next year. Black Sabbath have announced “The End Tour”, a worldwide farewell tour that they say will be their final performances ever. The band, which reformed with its original members in 2011, is also rumored to release their 20th and final album next year. Black...
Weekly Top 10: Sire Marcus Miller Bass Reviewed, Singing While Playing, The Top Videos, New Bass Gear and More
You know the drill… Sunday means the end of a week, and that means it is time to celebrate the best of the best of the past seven days from the world of bass. Here is the No Treble reader favorites for the week of September 12-18, 2015. Thanks for reading, watching, commenting and sharing. 1. Leo Lyons and a...
Korg Introduces Custom Shop Tuner Series
Korg has introduced a Custom Shop series of tuners, starting with GA Custom and the Pitchblack Custom. The lineup is described as having the highest levels of technology with careful attention to appearance and feel. Common features to each model include a 3D visual meter, multiple display modes, and ±0.1 cent tuning precision. The GA Custom has 1/4-inch inputs and...
Beck, Bogert & Appice: Superstition, Live
In 1973, guitarist Jeff Beck, bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice released their studio album, Beck, Bogert & Appice. I’ve been spinning that vinyl a lot lately, which brought me to this video. In this 1973 performance, the group plays “Superstition”, with Bogert laying down some serious bass while also handling the lead vocals. Legendary!
New Bass Transcriptions of Classic Tunes Available for Download
Bassist and bass transcriptionist Aidan Hampson has assembled quite a series of bass transcription books, many of which include some of the most notable, but sometimes un-transcribed, bass lines in popular music. The downloadable, PDF titles, released by Guitar Music Publishing, focus on a wide range of artists, including Stevie Wonder, ABBA, Foo Fighters, and Michael Jackson, with the bass...
Teye Guitars Unveils Super Coyote Bass Prototypes
After relaunching the brand earlier this year, Teye Guitars has unveiled the prototypes for a new bass model called the Super Coyote Bass. The instrument, which feature the company’s signature acid-etched aluminum artwork, was designed with AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams. “When Cliff Williams received his first Teye-bass, a superb Master series ‘La Mora’, his immediate reaction was to order two...