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Reader Spotlight: Matt Volpe

Meet Matt Volpe, a bassist who has as diverse musical background as any we’ve profiled. His non-musical career is pretty interesting as well. Matt is our player in the spotlight for the week of February 11, 2013. Bio: The bass bug bit Matt Volpe hard in his last year of high school upon hearing Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers,...

So much bass greatness, all in one spot. Here are the 10 most watched videos on No Treble in January. Enjoy! 1. Meshell Ndegeocello with Pino Palladino: “Home is Where the Hatred Is” Santi Umbert sent us this clip of Meshell Ndegeocello teaming up with bassist Pino Palladino for a cover of Gil Scott-Heron’s “Home Is Where The Hatred Is.”...

Rodolfo Valdifiori: “P.A.C. Man” Alain Caron Cover (Featured Reader Video Week)

Rodolfo Valdifiori shared this video showcasing his bass skills with a play-along of Alain Caron’s “P.A.C. Man”. Love the funky lines on this one. And I’m always a sucker for some honkin’ bari sax too. We’re celebrating a week-long series of videos by No Treble readers. We want to hear from you and share your work. Send us a note...

Pinnick Gales Pridgen Release Debut Album

Here’s a great lineup: King’s X frontman/bassist Dug Pinnick, guitarist Eric Gales, and ex-Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen have teamed up for a project aptly named Pinnick Gales Pridgen. The trio has just released their self-titled debut, which features thirteen tracks that blend each member’s unique styles into a mix of “psychedelic blues, hard rock, and progressive soul/R&B.” “[The album]...

Tech 21 Introduces VT Bass DI Pedal and Rackmount Preamps

Tech 21 has expanded their Character VT Series with the VT Bass DI, available in pedal and rackmount versions. Both versions are based on the original VT Bass and VT Bass Deluxe, which are designed to give familiar sounds from the early ’60s up through modern day crunch via the “Character” knob. The VT Bass DI pedal incorporates a Blend...

Harmonics: A Starter Guide for Bassists

Whatever the genre, we bassists seem to love harmonics. From Jaco to Dittersdorf, bass music is full of them. When we are introduced to playing harmonics however, the prospect can be a bit tricky. At first, we may be unsure where the harmonics are on the string, or what note will sound when we attempt them. While I can’t possibly...

Andres Rotmistrovsky & Angela Watson: Man in the Mirror (Featured Reader Video Week)

This isn’t the first time we’ve featured a video by Andres Rotmistrovsky. And it also isn’t the first we’ve shared of his duets with vocalist Angela Watson either. Andres sent us this one, which like the other work we’ve seen by this duo is terrific. This time around, they tackle their version of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”. We’re...

Miles Davis “Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2” Released

Miles Davis went through several musical styles through his career, and the late 60’s proved to be an era of drastic change. That’s documented in part in a new box set, Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Volume 2, which compiles performances by his band at the Antibes Jazz Festival in France, “The Newport Jazz Festival in Europe” in...

G&L Introduces ASAT Bass Tom Hamilton Signature Model

Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton has a new signature bass from G&L. Based on their ASAT bass, the Tom Hamilton Signature Model tweaks the design in a few ways including newly designed pickups, woods, and finishes. Core to the new model’s design is a specially wound pair of the company’s MFD pickups that were specced out by G&L’s VP Engineering Paul Gagon...

Weekly Top Ten: The Best in Bass for the Week of February 3

Bass lessons and how-to’s, new gear still coming from NAMM, and some awesome bass-focused videos. That’s what made up our weekly top 10 for February 3-9, 2013. Thanks as always for reading, commenting and sharing. You’re the best! 1. Fender Introduces Four New American Vintage Basses Fender has expanded its American Vintage series with four new basses including the ’58...

Jake Bolton: “Chameleon” All-Bass Loop Cover (Featured Reader Video Week)

Bassist Jake Bolton responded to our call for videos with his all-bass cover of Herbie Hancock’s tune, “Chameleon”. Turns out, this is the first video Jake has shared. He says tab is available on request. You can reach him on Twitter or Facebook. We’re celebrating a week-long series of videos by No Treble readers. We want to hear from you...

Aguilar Introduces HOT Series Precision and Jazz Bass Pickups

Aguilar has introduced a new set of pickups called the HOT series. The Hot P and Hot J pickups act as direct replacements for 4-string Fender P-Bass and Jazz pickups but feature larger, 16mm magnets and an over-wound design. The result is a hotter output that Aguilar says adds a big and loud tone while retaining the grit and nuance....