Buzz
2011 Readers’ Favorite Bassists – #6: Tal Wilkenfeld
Tal Wilkenfeld, last year’s #1 player on No Treble had a less busy year in 2011, but still made the top ten list. The always popular bassist wowed readers with her live performance with Ben Harper and Jackson Browne of “Steal My Kisses“, as well as another live performance with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, playing a medley of “Bolero”,...
2011 Readers’ Favorite Bassists – #7: John Entwistle
The late, great John Entwistle remains as popular as ever. This year, we shared a couple of isolated bass videos from The Ox, including the 1979 “Won’t Get Fooled Again” performance and the Live at Leeds live performance of “Summertime Blues“. In August, Hal Leonard released The Who: Bass Play-Along Volume 28, a 72-page book offering up the bass notation...
2011 Readers’ Favorite Bassists – #8: Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is a mainstay on the annual No Treble reader favorites list, and 2011 is no exception. The busy bassist released his live album, A Night In Monte-Carlo early in the year to rave reviews, including this one by Phil Wain here on No Treble. We teamed up with Marcus, Concord Music Group and DR Strings for a Marcus-focused...
2011 Readers’ Favorite Bassists – #9: Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino made the top 10 solely on a handful of videos featured on No Treble this year. But that’s just how good Pino is. Two of his videos made our top 10 for 2011, including “Ain’t No Sunshine“, performed live with the John Mayer Trio and the 1984 video for Paul Young’s “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” with...
2011 Readers’ Favorite Bassists – #10: Flea
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea makes the No Treble reader favorites list once again this year. Flea and the Chili Peppers had a big year, announcing their first tour in five years and a new album and the release of that new album, I’m With You. Topping off a busy year, the band was inducted into the Rock and...
Best of 2011: The Top 10 Most Popular Bassist Interviews
We interviewed many terrific and insightful bassists in 2011, and while this list doesn’t cover them all, it does cover the most read ones we featured throughout the year. Be sure to check out our interview archives for even more great conversations with some of the greatest bassists on the scene. 1. Alex Webster The evolution of heavy metal has...
In Memoriam: Remembering the Bassists We Lost in 2011
Charles Fambrough January 1, 2011 Charles Fambrough, jazz bassist. Fambrough’s credits include working with Grover Washington, Jr., Airto Moreira, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, and more. Mick Karn January 4, 2011 Mick Karn, former Japan bassist. Karn’s fretless bass and interesting, angular playing style left an impression on bassists around the world. Phil Kennemore January 7, 2011 Phil Kennemore, bassist for...
Billy Sheehan: Clinic Session on Becoming a Better Bass Player
Here’s an insightful clip of Billy Sheehan giving a clinic for Guitar Center. The Mr. Big bassist touches on becoming a better bassist by learning cover tunes and focusing on your actual playing instead of gear. My favorite line: “Just practice!”
Best of 2011: The Top 10 Most Active No Treble Readers
This one is cool. No Treble’s Facebook page recently hit 50,000 fans, and we love reading your comments and replying to you there as much as we do on the articles here. We were curious as to who commented the most on No Treble and the Facebook page. We found out. So we thought: what an awesome top 10 list!...
Marshall Amplification Acquires Eden Electronics
Marshall Amplification has purchased Eden Electronics from U.S. Music Corp. Eden, who specializes in high-end bass amplification, will still be distributed in the States by U.S. Music Corp, so North American customers “will not impacted.” In a joint press release, both Marshall and U.S. Music Corp stated that the sale would result in more resources being poured into Eden. “We...
New School: Zander Zon
Zander Zon, who takes his name from the famed line of boutique bass guitars, follows the vein of solo bass. Employing piccolo strings and alternate tunings, the bassist builds thoughtful and challenging compositions as well as cool arrangements of popular tunes that have captured the imagination of YouTubers. What makes you new school? My focus as a musician is to...
Best of 2011: The Top 10 Most Popular Bass of the Week Features
We introduced the new Bass of the Week series in 2011. Every week we feature a different and unique, unusual and/or beautiful bass. It is a tough job, but we’re happy to keep it going for loyal No Treble readers who love gear as much as us. Here are the top 10 most viewed from the Bass of the Week...