Buzz
Happy Fourth Birthday, No Treble!
Every May 2nd, I like to celebrate No Treble’s birthday with a story. Each year’s story is exciting to me, and looking back, it is even more exciting at how far this thing I once called a “little experiment” has come. Over these four years, we’ve made so many friends and connections, including over 80,000 on Facebook, almost 7,000 on...
ESP Introduces Tommy Stinson Signature Basses
Guns N’ Roses bassist Tommy Stinson has a new line of signature basses from ESP as part of their Artist Series instruments. While the basses share many qualities, the ESP Tommy Stinson Bass is built in the company’s custom shop while the TS-4 runs as part of their LTD lineup. Both basses sport a set of active EMG pickups in...
Right Hand Technique for Bassists: Expanding Your Finger Patterns
Q: How do I improve my playing by using the three-finger technique and yet maintain the groove with my thumb? A: Something I’ve come across with many students is a preconception of how they want to use their thumb. With some students, this has actually stood as an obstacle to their growth. I think this is primarily because they become...
One Man Band: Giulio Carmassi Performs Brecker Brothers “Slick Stuff”
In this video Giulio Carmassi not only covers Will Lee’s bass part in “Slick Stuff” by the Brecker Brothers, he covers everything else as well! Talk about a multi-instrumentalist!
Dave Matthews Band Announces Massive Summer 2013 Tour
Dave Matthews Band has announced a Summer 2013 tour, set to kick off May 17th at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas. The tour, which spans five months, will feature support from Snoop Dogg, Gogol Bordello, Mariachi El Bronx, and more. The band, anchored by bassist Stefan Lessard, dropped their latest album, Away from the World in...
Reader Spotlight: Charley Sabatino
Meet Charley Sabatino, a bassist from New York who has an impressive resume and a great answer to the “superpower” question. We love his story for why he plays the bass… thanks to John Entwistle. Charley is our player in the spotlight for the week of April 29, 2013. Bio: I am a veteran bassist with more than 35 years...
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in April
Another month ends, but that means good news around here: it is time for another top 10 gear list! Our usual disclaimer applies: may cause G.A.S. Here are the top ten most read, commented and shared bass gear stories on No Treble for the month of April 2013. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Fender Unveils Cabronita Precision Bass...
Herbie Hancock with Christian McBride: Watermelon Man
There’s just no way to describe just how epic Christian McBride is on bass. This video does him justice though. Herbie Hancock was featured on Elvis Costello’s “Spectacle” TV show back in February 2009. As part of the show, Herbie took the stage with McBride and drummer Karriem Riggins and performed “Watermelon Man”. The music starts around the 3:53 mark....
Tom Hamilton Breaks From Aerosmith Tour Due to Illness
Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton has left the band’s current tour due to illness, Yahoo reports. The bassist got a chest infection and has flown home to recuperate while the veteran rockers carry on with David Hull in his place. Hull, who previously sat in for Hamilton in 2006 while he was recovering from throat cancer, is expected to finish out the...
DBZ Guitars Now Shipping Hailfire Basses
DBZ Guitars is now shipping the Hailfire bass, available in Standard and Flame Maple versions. The company describes the new model as “classic-meets-modern”, with an old school body shape that’s been reshaped with modern contours and balancing. The Hailfire features neck-thru construction with a 34? scale. Its body and neck are mahogany, while the fingerboard is rosewood with block inlays....
insTuner: A Look at the Chromatic Tuner for iOS
For quite some time, my go-to tuner app for iOS has been ClearTune (see my earlier review). So when I was asked to check out insTuner, I figured that if nothing else, I would be able to write a review about it. As it turns out, I’m switching iOS tuners. insTuner is a fantastically pleasing tuner to use. Not only...
Aram Bedrosian: Weightless
No Treble reader John Stam sent us a video by Aram Bedrosian, remarking how Aram “is a master of chords, and hauntingly melodic playing…” The video he recommended was Aram’s performance of his original tune, “A Dark Light”, which we shared about two years ago. But that took me down the path of exploring more by Aram, and I stumbled...