Buzz
Bass of the Week: DeMars Guitars Long Trail Bass
DeMars Guitars’ Long Trail bass is no doubt an instrument for proud players of the low end. Inspired by Vermont’s hiking trail of the same name, the Long Trail is a a chambered solid-body instrument sporting the company’s patented bass clef soundhole, which the company calls “a stunning visual signature for forward-thinking bassists.” We call it righteous. The Long Trail...
The New Bass Buzz: an Exclusive Interview with Felix Pastorius
Late last month we broke the news that Felix Pastorius would be joining the Yellowjackets, to fill the shoes of cofounder Jimmy Haslip while he takes a hiatus. This came as a shock to many fans as the switch would end the veteran bassist’s 30-year tenure with the group. The last name is no coincidence: Felix is the son of...
Evan Brewer: Jimi Hendrix Bass Medley
Jimi Hendrix’s virtuosic playing inspired millions of musicians, not just guitarists. Evan Brewer sent us this great medley of Hendrix tunes arranged for solo bass with his own twist. Evan starts with a filter-laden “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)” before kicking into a riff from “Hey Joe”, then into a nice tapping version of “Little Wing” and wrapping up with “Fire”.
Ernie Ball Introduces Cobalt Slinky Bass Strings
Ernie Ball has expanded their Slinky string line with the introduction of the all-new Cobalt Slinkys. As the name indicates, the new sets use cobalt, which has a high magnetism to provide a stronger relationship between an instrument’s strings and pickups. Ernie Ball says the design adds extended dynamic range, better harmonic response, increased low end, and cleaner highs. The...
Ibanez Introduces Revamped Sharlee D’Angelo Model at NAMM 2012
Ibanez rolled out a ton of new basses at NAMM this year, including an updated version of the SDB Sharlee D’Angelo signature bass with a white flat finish and cosmo black hardware. Inspired by the company’s Iceman model, the Arch Enemy bassist’s axe features neck-through construction, a Mono-Rail IV bridge, and comes factory-tuned to drop-C. The SDB2 is built with...
Playing Through Chords – Continued
Q: I’ve spent a lot of time developing exercises for myself to practice connecting chords so that I’m not treating each chord as a separate entity. My goal is to voice-lead my way through the chords as if each is a slight variation on the last. I’ve been trying to solo during chord progressions, but I find myself stuck on...
Michel Petrucciani, Featuring Anthony Jackson: Take the A Train
It seems like my Facebook friends always post cool videos of the Ellington tune “Take The A Train.” This time Kozue Kuriyama shared an awesome clip of pianist Michel Petrucciani’s arrangement, which gets its healthy low-end from 6-string bass legend Anthony Jackson. Jackson gives it his all during his solo, which starts at the 3:30 mark. Starting with some hypnotic...
David Ellefson to Publish “Unsung”, A Book of Unreleased Lyrics and Images
Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has announced his first self-published book is coming. Unsung will feature previously unpublished and unreleased lyrics written by the bassist, as well as never before published images. “As a musician, my past lyrical work has always been set to music. But, with this new book I set out to explore a new medium using both words...
Reader Spotlight: Thomas Scott
Meet Thomas Scott a bassist from the Lone Star State who defies being categorized in a single genre. Thomas is our player in the spotlight for the week of February 14, 2012. Bio: I’m a young aspiring bassist in the DFW Metroplex. I’ve been around in a few bands ranging from a Paul McCartney-inspired pop group to a hair metal...
Top 10: The Most Watched Bass Videos (January 2012)
Out of 31 featured videos in January, every single one of the top 10 most viewed videos featured a solo bassist. We were blown away by all of them. Guess that feeling is mutual. 1. Ojay: Street Performance Awesomeness Check this awesome video of Ojay, a bassist from Newcastle in the UK. Armed with a pair of looping pedals and...
Weather Report: Elegant People, Live (1976)
Recorded live on July 8, 1976 at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, and shortly after bassist Jaco Pastorius joined the group, here’s Weather Report performing “Elegant People.” The tune, written by Wayne Shorter, appeared on Black Market and was recorded with bassist Alphonso Johnson. The line up also includes Weather Report co-founder Joe Zawinul on keys, Alex Acuna on drums,...
BK3’s Original Members to Reunite at Jungle Jam 2012
BK3 will be reuniting with their original lineup of drummer Bill Kreutzmann, guitarist Scott Murawski and bassist Oteil Burbridge at the upcoming Jungle Jam Music Festival. The annual event will be held at the Doce lunas Resort in Jaco Beach Costa Rica on February 17th through the 19th, 2012. The trio hasn’t performed together in several years. “[Phish’s Mike Gordon]...