Buzz
JJ Grey & Mofro Announce Album Release and 2015 Tour Dates
Fans getting an itch to hear new music from JJ Grey and Mofro don’t have long to wait. The band has announced that its upcoming album, Ol’ Glory, is due out Feb. 25, 2015, and a tour to support the record will begin earlier that same month. If the trailer’s anything to go by, the new album features the deep...
Marcus Miller Documentary Announced
Marcus Miller’s prolific, musically diverse career and his influence are detailed in a documentary to be released digitally in January 2015. Zycopolis, a French firm, produced the documentary, called Marcus, about the electric bassist and multi-instrumentalist (he’s also a keyboardist and clarinetist/bass clarinetist), who has left an indelible mark and several music genres. Miller worked with the late jazz legend...
Bass of the Week: Bootleg Guitars Jazz Box 4
This week we take a look at a new hollow-body creation from Bootleg Guitars called the Jazz Box 4. Finished in a beautiful translucent green, the bass features a body with maple for its top and back with a Spanish Cedar core. Its neck is a premium grade aged quartersawn Eastern hard rock maple topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Luthier...
Donald “Duck” Dunn and Steve Cropper: Time is Tight (Final U.S. Performance)
On this day in 1941, the great Donald “Duck” Dunn was born. And that was a good thing for bass players ever since… he showed us the right way to hold it down. Here’s a video from Duck’s final U.S. performance, just two weeks before he passed away in 2012. The tune is Booker T. & The MG’s “Time is...
The Fender Archives Revealed in Scrapbook-Style Collection
Fender lovers: It’s time to rejoice. Another book has arrived for you. by Tom Wheeler is filled with artifacts from Fender’s long history, including handwritten letters, production totals, and Leo Fender’s drawing-board sketches. Wheeler, who has written for Rolling Stone and Guitar Player Magazine, and was the founding editorial director of Bass Player, is now a professor at the University...
Weekly Top 10: Tips for Freelancing, Gail Ann Dorsey, Wojtek Pilichowski Transcribed, Top Bass Videos and More
Brace yourself, here comes a whole lotta bass: the top 10 most popular stories and videos on No Treble for the week of November 15-21, 2014. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Freelance Gigs: Five Tips for Bass Players The last “Tips” column (on avoiding injury), was a popular one. So let’s continue this series with some tips on...
EC Pedals Announces Superswitcher 2
EC Pedals has announced the Superswitcher 2, a compact switcher for controlling multiple effects or amps at once. The pedal has eight audio loops for pedals (seven mono and one stereo), as well as an effects loop module, two relay switches for controlling amp channels, and MIDI in and outs. The switcher is based on a Microchip MCU that allows...
Esperanza Spalding: Hold On Me (Live)
It’s Sunday (at least it is when I’m sharing this), and this just feels perfect for a chill day like today. Of course, when it is Esperanza Spalding, I don’t need any excuse. This is Esperanza performing “Hold On Me” live in 2012, with Leo Genovese (keys), Jef Lee Johnson (guitar), Igmar Thomas (trumpet), Lyndon Rochelle (drums) and a great...
Janek Gwizdala Publishes “All The Good Stuff – How I Practice” Instructional eBook
Janek Gwizdala has a new instructional book out. All the Good Stuff – How I Practice revolves around his practice regimen, and the book is full on getting the most out of your instrument, your hands and your ears. Gwizdala dives into more than practicing with tips on getting focused, inspiration, pacing, and finding solutions to musical problems. It’s filled...
Fishman Now Shipping Platinum Pro EQ and Platinum Stage Acoustic Preamps
Fishman is now shipping the Platinum Pro EQ and Platinum Stage acoustic preamps. The all-analog preamps have been redesigned with a discrete, high-headroom Class-A circuitry as well as a new switchable guitar/bass EQ that the company says makes them more musical for bass instruments. The Platinum Stage preamp has a four-band EQ with a sweepable mid-frequency and low frequency filter...
Chick Corea and Friends, with Eddie Gomez: Humpty Dumpty
Steve Bailey recently sent me a cool video of bass players congratulating Eddie Gomez on his recent honorary doctorate from Berklee School of Music. A recurring theme in everyone’s praise was Eddie’s playing on the song “Humpty Dumpty,” which led me to revisit the song and find a few versions. Here’s a clip of Eddie playing it alongside Chick Corea,...
Overwater Basses Announces J Series Scott Devine Bass Model
After releasing the Scott Devine Series bass in 2011, Overwater Basses has announced the J Series “Scott Devine Model.” The new model is based on the 4-string bass he uses in the majority of his YouTube bass lesson videos. “Based on the original custom 4 string bass we built for Scott back in 2010, encompassing all the physical attributes associated...