Buzz
Custom Shop: Kinal Guitars
With a career spanning over 40 years, Vancouver-based Mike Kinal knows a thing or two about luthiery. Trained as a cabinetmaker, Mike got into building basses early in his musical career and has since made hundreds of instruments. His basses have evolved over the years from following the pattern of large manufacturers to creating his own unique style involving exotic...
Mike Flynn and Black Mash: Push
Mike Flynn shared this video with us, showcasing his new “electronica-jazz project”. Mike said this is an early cut, also featuring Matt Telfer on sax and Rowan Porteous on trumpet. The group is hoping to get out on gigs together later this year.
Phil Lesh & Friends to Reunite for Terrapin Crossroads Event
Phil Lesh has announced that he’s bringing back together his Phil & Friends band for four nights, to perform at the bassist’s new Terrapin Crossroads venue this month. The band, known as the Quintet (or “Q” to many), is comprised of the “longest-tenured Phil & Friends band”, including Lesh, Warren Haynes, Jimmy Herring, John Molo and Rob Barraco. This will...
Reader Spotlight: Mykk Hannan
Mykk's claim to fame: "Massive earth shaking low end that will disembowel the front three rows." Check out Mykk's story and say hi.
A Guide to Making the Switch Fretless Bass
Q: I’ve just removed the frets from my first bass, and this is my first experience with a fretless bass. What advice do you have to start out? A: There are two areas of focus for making the switch. At a glance, these might seem to contradict each other, but one applies to practicing and one applies to performance. Fretless...
Bass Orchestra: My Zombie Valentine
Bassist Ran Mussman, who goes by the moniker “Bass Orchestra”, paid tribute to the popular AMC television series “The Walking Dead” with this creative and hilarious video. “Have you ever wondered how AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ would act on Valentine’s day?” Mussman asks. “Zombies have feelings too, you know!” Except for the vocals, all the music in the clip is...
Reggie Washington Releases “Freedom”
Bassist Reggie Washington has released, Freedom, his second album, on Jammin’ colorS Records. The album fuses a ton of genres, including jazz, funk, rock, blues, classical and World music. Sometimes up front and sometimes in the background, Washington’s rich tone and undeniable grooves glue all of the different elements together to make it a cohesive and attention-grabbing album. And even...
Genz Benz Introduces Shuttle Max 12.2 Bass Amp
Genz Benz has expanded their Shuttle Max series of bass amps with the Shuttle Max 12.2 bass. The new amp features the company’s proprietary “3 Dimensional Power Management” circuitry (3DPM), which adds heft and girth to each note while increasing responsiveness and headroom. Weighing in at 6.75 pounds, the Shuttle Max 12.2 pumps out up to 1200 watts with a...
Kool and the Gang: Live in Jamaica (1996)
Facebook friend Andy Irvine shared this video, and we have to pay it forward. Andy said, “One the baddest bassists ever on the scene, and a great band leader, taking his group to the TOP 10 many times!! Show some respect to Robert ‘KOOL’ Bell one time!!” The band grooves on four classics, including “Ladies Night”, “Hollywood Swinging”, “Jungle Boogie”...
Lady & The Bass Release “Groovy”
Bassist Alberto Rigoni has teamed up once again with vocalist Irene Ermolli, to release Groovy, a new album out now and available as a free download. The duo, known as Lady & The Bass, channels electronica combined with innovative bass playing to create their own unique brand of pop. “I would say it’s pop, with electro, funky and experimental influences,...
Reverend Now Offering New Finishes on Decision and Justice Basses
Reverend has expanded their Decision and Justice bass lines with the addition of some new finish options. The “PJ” styled Decision (which was profiled as a Bass of the Week in January) now comes in Deep Sea Blue; a color that had been previously reserved for the company’s Rick Vito Signature model. The Reverend is still available in Party Red...
MicVault Studio: A Look at the iOS App for Recording Advice
If you don’t have access to world-class engineers to answer your questions about recording your bass in the studio, you definitely want to check out MicVault Studio. The app is a collection of the preferences of Michael Wagener, Shane Wilson and Russ Long – three prominent and successful recording engineers when it comes to microphone choices for a number of...