Buzz
Old School: 1958 Fender Precision Bass
When we first met Phil Smallwood, he mentioned to us something about his old gear. The next day, he showed up at No Treble HQ with a 1958 Fender Precision Bass. We tried to figure out a way to ask him if we could borrow it, but opted instead to get some photos and the story behind it so we...
Marta Altesa: Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go Away” Play-Along
When we first featured bassist Marta Altesa, she knocked us out with her Jamiroquai play-along. The video showcased her great playing, but what really blew us away was the fact she started playing bass less than three years ago. Marta stunned us again with a new a new video of her playing along to Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go Away”....
Marcus Miller Selling Personal Basses For UNESCO Project
Just when you thought Marcus Miller couldn’t get any cooler, he tops himself. The legendary bassist was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace last month, and is now selling off several of his personal basses to help fund a special project with the organization. “Several years ago I decided against using my primary bass on tour,” Miller explained on his...
Bergantino Introduces CN Series Bass Cabinets
High-end bass cabinet manufacturer Bergantino Audio Systems has announced their new CN Series of bass cabs, consisting of 1×12? and 2×12? configurations. The line marks the company’s return to lightweight designs as the cabs feature woofers with neodymium magnets. Other common features include a high intelligibility tweeter, a custom phase-coherent crossover, a tweeter control, and a frequency response of 40Hz...
Do I Really Need to Go To Music School?
Q:I’m a bass player from Mexico and I am currently studying in Paris and looking for some gigs. I am a little overwhelmed right now by school, which is a jazz-oriented school. I like jazz, but I feel a little forced to learn licks and that stuff. I’m not saying I’m the greatest bass player or anything, but I don’t...
Omar Rojas: Timba Funk
Today’s video features Peruvian bassist Omar Rojas performing his song “Timba Funk” on quite a few basses and some iPad-cowbell and various other iPad-instruments. There is also a shout out about his latest release at the end of the video. Thanks to Gabriel Zarruk (@gzarruk), who shared this one with us on Twitter.
Charnett Moffett Releases “The Bridge: Solo Bass Works”
Charnett Moffett is reflecting on his instrument and his career on his latest release entitled The Bridge: Solo Bass Works. The record captures the veteran jazz musician alone with his bass in a creative burst that focuses on his past repertoire as well as eight original compositions. “I wanted to express who I am, carry on the tradition of the...
Reader Spotlight: Steve Rosati
Like many we’ve featured in the spotlight here, bassist Steve Rosati comes from a strong musical family. Four generations strong. Our paths have crossed with Steve before – at NAMM and at Gerald Veasley’s Bass Bootcamp – and we even got to witness his quasi-Jazz ensemble at the Bass and the Beatles concert at this year’s Bass Bootcamp. Steve is...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (March 2013)
Brace yourself… this is a lot of really really great bass you’re about to witness, all at once. Otherwise known as the top 10 list of most watched videos on No Treble for March, 2013. 1. Jan Urbanec: Acid Jazz Fingerstyle/Slap Bass Groove I’ve been following Czech bass player Jan Urbanec for many years now. As great as his videos...
Marcus Miller Band: “Blast” Live
The 2012 Jazz Week Burghausen featured six days of performances by a variety of groups, including Marcus Miller with his band. The band was on their spring tour in Europe. Here’s a clip from their performance of the tune “Blast”, from Marcus’ A Night in Monte Carlo. Marcus and drummer Louis Cato really lock it in on this one.
Ibanez Adds 6-String to Grooveline Bass Series
Ibanez has extended their Grooveline series with the introduction of the G106, a six-string version of the ergonomically-minded model. Made in Ibanez’s Japanese factory, the bass is designed for optimized balance in sitting and standing positions. The G106’s body features an alder center and ash for the top and back, all in a natural finish. Its 5-piece neck is built...
Artificial Harmonics: The Basics
In the last several columns we have talked about harmonics using open strings. These are often referred to as “natural” harmonics. If we play harmonics on a string while fully stopping the string somewhere else, (for example, if we press down an A on our G string and then play a harmonic above that) these are referred to as “artificial”...