Buzz

Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in February

While NAMM seems like a distant memory now, the gear coverage from the show kept coming in February (and we still have more to cover!) And that made for a gear-filled February. Here are the top 10 most popular gear stories on No Treble for February, 2013. 1. Fender Introduces Four New American Vintage Basses Fender has expanded its American...

Bass Strings: To Change Or Not To Change

For years, bass players have debated the concept of changing strings and most people have asked the same questions: Doesn’t it change the sound of the instrument? Does the funk disappear? How can someone get good tone playing strings that are a year old? Don’t you know that (insert famous bass player) never changed his strings? Don’t you know that...

Marcus Miller and Alex Han vs. Joe’s “Claptrap”, Live on Rai Radio

Here’s an outstanding video of Marcus Miller and saxophonist Alex Han going to town on a beat given to them by a DJ on Italy’s Rai Radio. Miller shared the story on his Facebook page recently while in the studio. “Been in the studio with Alex Han for the past couple weeks working on his album,” Miller said. “Here’s some...

Primus Gears Up For Spring 2013 3D Tour

A week after announcing a tour with his Duo De Twang, Les Claypool and Primus are gearing up for a new leg of their 3D Tour. The concert experience has audience members wear 3D glasses to enjoy a “one-of-a-kind psychedelic experience.” Performances also feature Quad Surround Sound, as well. The trek kicks off in Eureka, California on MAy 10th with...

Bass of the Week: Line 6 Variax Bass 700

This week we take a look at the Line 6 Variax Bass 700, an interesting bass that was produced during the 2000’s. It included special modeling software to reproduce tons of classic bass sounds, ranging from a ’61 Jazz Bass to a ’03 Thumb to bass synths. The Variax used piezo bridge saddles to capture each string’s vibrations, then signals...

Bass Dynasty: An Interview with James Jamerson, Jr.

It’s not easy to fill the shoes of a man regarded as one of the most influential pioneers of the electric bass, but it’s something that comes naturally to James Jamerson, Jr. After all, his father – who subsequently changed the face of popular music – was the one who taught him to play. He practically grew up in the...

Rinat Ibragimov: Vanhal Double Bass Concerto in D Major

Here’s a great video of Rinat Ibragimov playing Vanhal’s Concerto for Double Bass. Ibragimov, who is principal bassist for the London Symphony Orchestra, tackles the piece with incredible finesse and agility. The video description shares the background for this piece: “This popular piece of double bass repertoire is commonly called for in auditions, and here Rinat demonstrates its performance using...

Trent Reznor Reinvents Nine Inch Nails, Promises Touring

Trent Reznor has announced the return of Nine Inch Nails after a four year hiatus with the promise of extensive touring for the next two years. The band’s revival includes an interesting lineup, including former Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery and King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew. “I was working with Adrian Belew on some musical ideas, which led to some...

Pigtronix Introduces Three New Bass Effects Pedals

Pigtronix debuted three new bass-centric effects pedals at NAMM this year: the Bass Fat Drive, the Philosopher Bass Compressor, and the Bass Envelope Phaser. Each is a tweaked version of one their existing products that have been fine-tuned for bassists. Bass Fat Drive The Bass Fat Drive features Pigtronix’s CMOS clipping concept and responds by breaking up based on how...

Stage Volume: Turn Up and Play Light (and Other Considerations)

Q: In hard rock and metal music, many players – including me – resort to playing with a heavy right hand to cut through the mix of distortion. As time goes by my right wrist starts to experience some pain and I’m thinking I should be playing lighter. Jeff Berlin and Gary Willis have been advocating “turn up and play...

Simon Fitzpatrick: “Bohemian Rhapsody” for Solo Bass Guitar

Almost two years ago, we featured a video of Simon Fitzpatrick performing a live bass arrangement of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Simon is back with a new version, which reminds us of how epic Simon is.

Gary Willis Releases “Retro”

Gary Willis teamed up with drummer Gergo Borlai and pianist Albert Bover for his fifth solo effort, Retro. Described as an “electric piano” trio, the approach to the album was simpler, in terms of production and instrumentation. “This new record is about us playing together. It’s not about big productions or anything, it’s just Rhodes, bass and drums,” Willis explains....