Buzz
Gov’t Mule Announces 2014 Tour Dates
Gov’t Mule will be heading out next month in support of their latest album, Shout, which came out in October. The trek kicks of February 6th at Columbia, South Carolina’s Township Auditorium and will snake its way around the South and Midwest U.S. Anchored by bassist Jorgen Carlsson, the legendary southern-fried jam band will also be touring Japan in April...
Tino Tedesco Announces The Primal Bass Series
Swiss luthier Tino Tedesco has unveiled The Primal series of basses, including the 4/21 and 5/21. The new line aims to reduce the amount of options to be able to offer a professional instrument on a budget. “We have retained a lot of important features also present on our other models like the graphite reinforced necks, the 2-way trussrods and...
Developing Timing and Feel: Rhythmic Studies for Bass Players
Q: My question is about timing. I realize that the choice of notes make a line hip, but the rhythm and the timing make the groove! How do you practice timing, Damian? A: Truer words have never been spoken! It’s all about the groove and time-feel (fancy words for “pocket”). Here are some goals for developing your timing and groove:...
Steve Jenkins: Sphere
Prepare to have your face melted. Steve Jenkins just released this video for the track “Sphere” from his latest album, Steve Jenkins and the Coaxial Flutter. Using some gnarly overdrive, the bassist wastes no time in ripping it up with a heavily syncopated slap riff. The song takes a chilled out intermission before coming back with even heavier riffs.
Reader Spotlight: Kenny Butcher
Meet Kenny Butcher, a multi-instrumentalist who made bass his primary instrument. Kenny impressed us with his wide range of music he performs, from prog metal to gospel. He also has one of the longest gear lists we’ve seen in a while. Kenny is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of January 6, 2014. Bio: I’m Kenny Butcher...
Bass Lesson: Using Vibrato in Your Bass Lines for Better Phrasing
Today we’re going to dive in to the topic of using vibrato in your playing in this beginner/intermediate-level bass lesson. Vibrato is key to expression and better phrasing, making it a vital tool of the trade. In the first example in the video below, we’ll play a rock groove in C. Our line is a simple one, with 4 bars...
Bruno Tauzin: Palm Muted Fretless Bass Groove
Bruno Tauzin sent us this video of himself jamming out a smooth fretless bass groove on his Ibanez Gary Willis Signature bass. The laid back track has the bassist playing some soulful licks and a double-time feel to spice things up.
Vail Johnson Releases “Flow”
Vail Johnson has released his sixth solo album, entitled . Describing the music as having a “relaxed intensity,” Johnson’s latest effort features his bass as the lead in fully fleshed out songs. Flow acts as a timestamp for his musical ideas. “This CD is all about simply playing what was in my heart and how I felt about music presently...
Gibson Announces 2014 SG Special Bass
This year marks Gibson’s 120th anniversary and they’re celebrating with a plethora of new and upgraded models including the 2014 SG Special Bass. The 30-inch scale bass incorporates features from several of Gibson’s electric basses to create a unique and affordable bass. Starting with a solid mahogany body in the classic SG shape, the bass is built with a glued-in...
Iconic Sound Announces “Light Lead” Optical Analog Instrument Cable
Iconic Sound has announced they will be unveiling the Light Lead, the world’s first optical analog, jack-to-jack instrument cable at NAMM this month. The new technology uses analog fiber optics which provides zero capacitance and zero loading. This in turn offers completely uncompressed and full analog signal transmission no matter the cable length. The Light Lead’s cables are high density,...
Weekly Top Ten: The Top Bass Stories, Columns and Videos for the Week of December 29th
This week’s top 10 spans the last few days of 2013 and the first few of 2014. And so that means it also includes some of our Best Of lists… And that means there’s a lot of great bass-related stuff to read about! Here are the most popular stories, columns, videos and more on No Treble for the week of...
Fender Custom Shop Unveils 2014 Custom Collection
Fender’s Custom Shop has unveiled the 2014 edition instruments of their annual Custom Collection. The lineup includes two basses: the 2014 Proto Precision Bass and the 1964 Heavy Relic Precision Bass. Fender Custom Shop 2014 Proto Precision Bass Formerly named the Pro Series, the Proto Series is the Fender Custom Shop’s “proving-ground” line built with distinctive features requested for master...