Buzz
Dean Markley Introduces Signature Series Bass Strings
Dean Markley has announced the Signature Series bass strings, available in 4- and 5-string sets. The strings feature a nickel plated steel that’s slowly wound over a hex core. This provides complete contact between the wrap wire and core, which the company says results in a maximum transfer of tone and sustain. The wrap wire is electroplated with pure nickel...
Sean Martinez: Interconnected
Sean Martinez has a new EP called Omnipotent Dream coming out soon, and he’s been dropping some teasers from the upcoming release. Here’s an awesome video of Martinez playing along with the track “Interconnected,” which features some gorgeous tapping, ambient effects, and gnarly distortion for a spacey vibe.
Ben Allison Releases “The Stars Look Very Different Today”
Ben Allison has a new atmospheric album out, . Taking its name from David Bowie’s lyrics to “Space Oddity,” the bassist’s eleventh album as a leader brings together his lifelong love of space, technology and film. Allison used the record as a medium to explore musical textures that tie the three together. The result offers up a sci-fi vibe influenced...
EC Pedals Releases Michael Benson FuzzDriver Pedal
EC Pedals has joined forces with bassist Michael Benson to released the FuzzDriver, a stompbox that combines the company’s Bass Overlord and Angry Ape Gated Fuzz effects into one. The effects can be activated separately or together to create new textures. The Fuzz side of the FuzzDriver has Level, Tone, Gain, and Growl controls. Its Growl knob controls the gate...
Weekly Top Ten: The Best in Bass for the Week of December 1st
The first week of December proved to be a good one in the land of the low end. New gear, new how-to’s, our interview with Bobby Vega, and some pretty awesome bass videos made up this week’s list of the most read, most viewed by No Treble’s readers. And it even comes with a bonus: a top 10 list made...
Pino Palladino: The Story Behind “Wherever I Lay My Hat” Bass Line
“Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” was first recorded by Marvin Gaye in 1962. Twenty-one years later, Paul Young released his version, which went on to become a major hit thanks in large part to Pino Palladino and his fretless bass. In this video, Pino tells the story behind the song, as do others who were there. I...
Metalin’ Guitars Introduces New Aluminum Instrument Stands
Metalin’ Guitars has a pair of funky new instrument stands made of solid aluminum. The respective Floor and Gooseneck models feature a sturdy tri-tilt balancing assembly that can be disassembled for storage or moving. Built to fit basses and guitars guitars, the stands have a lacquer safe padding to keep your instrument’s finish safe. They also come in custom finishes...
Jim Bennett: Daft Bass… Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Jim Bennett is hard at work on his “Daft Bass” project. Here’s the latest – an all-bass cover of the Daft Punk song, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”, from the album Discovery. Jim said “Sorry for the jump cuts in the middle, I mixed two takes which I thought felt better.” We hardly noticed! (But we did notice his rocking a...
Preparing for Studio Success
Going into the studio to make a record can be a pretty daunting task. Yes, there are a select few who do that every day, but for the rest of us mortals, a session on the books is a pretty rare and special occurrence. Although some folks have sufficient equipment to record at home, there’s little substitute for getting your...
Janek Gwizdala: “Once I Knew” Live
Back in May, Janek Gwizdala performed with Bob Reynolds, Alan Pasqua and Peter Erskine at the Blue Whale in Los Angeles. This tune, “Once I Knew” features an incredible intro by Janek, who eventually creates a loop to solo over with bass and voice. “Once I Knew” is one of the tracks on Janek’s album, Theatre By The Sea. Read...
Bass of the Week: Prometeus Guitars Ahab
Any instrument named after the monomaniacal captain from Herman Melville’s Moby Dick needs to have a similar aggressive design, and the Prometeus Guitars Ahab delivers in spades. This week we check out a 6-string, multi-scale version of the bass that left me speechless. While the Ahab can be built with varying woods and materials, this particular bass sports a jaw-dropping...
Sketches of Bob: An Interview with Bobby Vega
San Francisco in the ’60s and ’70s was a hotbed for bassists. With bands like Sly and the Family Stone, The Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane calling the city their home, the Bay area was fertile with exciting new music filled out by a lot of low end thump. It was in this musical landscape that Bobby Vega began his...