Buzz
Korn Releases “The Paradigm Shift”
Korn has released The Paradigm Shift, the band’s eleventh studio album and the first to feature guitarist Brian “Head” Welch since 2003. Blending elements of their old and new styles, bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu says the mix is the best of both worlds. “The new record is everything we’ve wanted to be,” Fieldy shared. “Everybody is doing what they want...
SolidGoldFX Announces SuperDrive Beta Pedal
SolidGoldFX has introduced their first bass-specific effects pedal, the SuperDrive Beta. Designed with an EQ tailored for bass, the pedal offers tones from old school thump, to an “Ampeg inspired” drive. The SuperDrive Beta is built with a JFET preamp with subtle germanium clipping to double as an always-on tone shaper or a cutting fuzz. Controls include Gain, Tone, and...
Bass of the Week: Aquilina Basses DB
Sébastien Aquilina of Aquilina Basses is making some beautiful instruments. Case in point: the Aquilina DB, a suave singlecut design with French aesthetic. The neck-through bass is built around a sycamore and ash neck with carbon reinforcements, topped with a sycamore fingerboard. The body wings are mahogany with a stunning flamed sycamore that continues the theme. It’s fitted with a...
Alberto Rigoni: Dream Theater’s “Erotomania” Play-Along
From the tricky fingerings to the melodic phrasing, Alberto Rigoni absolutely nails John Myung’s part on the Dream Theater song “Erotomania” in this play-along. Dig that tone, too!
Deciding on an Amp: A Discussion for Bass Players
Q: Damian, what’s in your rack and why? The last time I had a paying gig, I could just roll in my Acoustic 360, plug in, and play. Now I’m trying to get back in to playing just as a hobby. What do you need for today’s amplification? A: Personally, I’m an Aguilar guy. I have both a Tone Hammer...
John Entwistle Band: Young Man Blues
Today we celebrate the life and music of John Entwistle, on his birthday. The Ox was a huge figure in the development of the bass guitar and is referred to as the greatest who ever lived. His classic bass lines for The Who inspired thousands to pick up the bass to emulate that huge signature tone. After The Who broke...
Crowbar Announces New Bassist
A month after bassist Pat Bruders left the band, the iconic New Orleans metal band Crowbar has announced their new bass player is Jeff Golden. “After 100’s of bass video submissions and many jam sessions, we have decided that Jeff Golden is the man!” the group announced on their Facebook page. The news comes as bandleader Kirk Windstein leaves the...
Reader Spotlight: Walter Finnerty
Meet Walter Finnerty, a self-described “very funky ‘old’ bass player” who still practices three to four hours a day, on top of steady gigging and a day job. Walter is No Treble’s reader in the spotlight for the week of October 7, 2013. Bio: A very funky “old” bass player who has been playing bass for 41+ years. My life...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (September 2013)
Out of a full month’s worth of bass videos, only 10 can reign supreme. And for those bassists in the #1 through #9 slots, feel extra great in that you beat a rare Jaco video. Here are the most watched videos on No Treble for the month of September, 2013. Enjoy! 1. Nathan Navarro: Bass Effects Demonstration Nathan Navarro is...
Guitar Bank: Fender Jazz Bass Shootout
There’s always been debate about the differences in quality between Fender basses made in different factories. Guitar Bank decided to settle it with a shootout video comparing Jazz Basses built in the USA, Mexico, and Japan with varying materials to make a straight comparison. Which one do you like the best? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Tony Levin, Marco Minneman and Jordan Rudess Release New Album
King Crimson’s Tony Levin, the Aristocrats’ Marco Minneman and Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess teamed up to make a prog rock album of epic proportions, appropriately entitled Levin Minnemann Rudess. The project started with producer Scott Schorr and Levin, who provides bass, Chapman Stick, and cello to the effort. “The producer of the album, Scott Schorr, was looking to do a...
Pyramiding: An Approach to Musical Exercise
There are many ways to approach a given exercise (e.g. trills, vibrato, etc.) and each have benefits. Some, of course, are more thorough than others. When I want to truly want to intensive on a particular area of technique I sometimes apply a concept borrowed from bodybuilding known as “pyramiding.” In simplest terms (when applying it to music), it means...