Buzz
Traveler Guitar Unveils the Ultra-Light Bass
New for 2012 is the Traveler Ultra-Light Bass, an extremely lightweight and compact bass guitar. The whole instrument measures 33 3/4? in length and weighs in at a mere three pounds and 6.5 ounces. Built from a solid piece of Eastern American Hard Maple, the Ultra-Light Bass features a removable metal lap-rest and a built in thumb rest for comfort....
ThumbJam: A Look at the Music Performance and Creation App for iOS
I first heard about ThumbJam from Richard Bona in the Blue Note Tokyo green room while we were both working with the Jaco Pastorius Big Band. (I’m setting this up not to brag, but rather to let you know that when a master like Bona raves about a music app, we all listen!) The app has a very simple premise:...
Jacogrow: Improv (Fast) Fretless
We first featured bassist Choi Dong-Ju (aka “jacogrow”) about two years ago and his video “Fretless Bass Improv”. Here he is once again, with a video he titles “Improv (Fast) Fretless”. His three-finger technique is obviously inspired by the great Gary Willis, and the closest we’ve heard to the original himself. Jacogrow even plays this on his Gary Willis signature...
Top 10: All the Best New Bass Gear, Victor Wooten and the Roots, the Top Bass Videos and Columns of the Week
Last week, No Treble readers enjoyed the latest gear coverage, especially Epifani’s AL Series aluminum combos and cabinets and Ashdown’s new ABM-1000 and ABM-2000 amps. Our bass of the week, the Rob Allen MB-2 bass, was another hit feature. In the video category, Victor Wooten and the Roots rip it up in the (too short) video from the Jimmy Fallon...
Genz Benz Introduces Contour 500 Series Combo Bass Amps
Genz Benz has introduced the Contour 500 series of combo amplifiers, including a 1×15″ model and a 2×10″ model. Built with power and weight in mind, the CTR500-115T and CTR500-210T push out 300 watts at 8 ohms while weighing 48 pounds and 52 pounds, respectively. The line also includes a pair of matching extension cabinets that raise the power output...
Dean Introduces Demonator 4 “Chaos” Bass
Among the new basses announced by Dean at the 2012 NAMM show is the new signature model for Morbid Angel’s bass player David “Evil D” Vincent. The Demonator 4 “Chaos” Bass was custom designed by Vincent and Dean to match the bassist’s playing style. The bass features a mahogany top and a 34″ scale, set mahogany C neck with a...
Maguinho Alcantara Brecht and Eduardo Kusdra: Mandela
A drummer can be a bassist’s best friend. Here we find a cool clip of drummer Maguinho Alcantara Brecht and bassist Eduardo Kusdra playing their tune “Mandela.” The duo build the whole tune, which is in 5/4, with just drums, bass, and a unified sense of groove.
Jack Bruce and His Big Blues Band Announce UK Tour and Perth Festival of Arts Performance
Jack Bruce and His Big Blues Band will be hitting the road for a UK tour this month. The trek will be kicking off with a three day residency at Ronnie Scott’s in London before taking over the rest of the country. In addition to the tour, the group will be part of the lineup for the Perth Festival of...
Cort Guitars Announces the Return of the Curbow Series Basses
Cort has a new Curbow Series of basses for 2012, including the four new models. The Curbow 41, Curbow 42, Curbow 51 and Curbow 52 each feature bolt-on necks, soft maple bodies and Bartolini electronics with slap-switch system. The 41 and 42 are 4-string models, and the 51 and 52 are 5-string. Cort developed the series in collaboration with bass...
Lemmy Kilmister Working on Solo Album
Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister revealed that he’s working on a solo album in a recent interview with SF Weekly’s Dave Pehling. The veteran metal bassist says he’s most of the way through the effort, which will be chock full of guest artists. “I’m three-quarters of the way though a solo album right now. I’ve got two tracks with The Damned,...
Jeff Schmidt Solo Bass: Still Silhouette
I was trading emails with bassist Jeff Schmidt the other day, and realized it has been a long time since we featured him. Way too long. This one goes way back to 2007, with Jeff performing his original tune, “Still Silhouette”. Jeff shared the tech behind his fretless’ synth-like sound, saying “it’s a long tail reverb into a harmonizer that...
Napalm Death Releases “Utilitarian”
Grindcore band Napalm Death have released Utilitarian, their 14th studio album of original material. Anchored by bassist Shane Embury, the 16-track collection continues their tradition of extreme music with in-your-face riffs and aggressive vocals. “After some deliberation, we decided on ‘Utilitarian’ as the album title,” vocalist Mark “Barney” Greenway said. “We generally try to avoid generic titles, and this seemed...