Buzz
Gear Watch: TC Electronic BH500
TC Electronic has announced the BH500, their newest addition to their Bass Amp 2.0 line up. The BH500 provides two tone-shaping tools, TubeTone and SpectraComp, with three user memory settings. SpectraComp is a conventional compressor taken from TC’s RH450, offering “per-string” multi-band compression to even out compression across all strings. TubeTone, also originally offered in the RH450, is designed to...
Top 10: The Best Bass Videos (September 2010)
We’re introducing a new Top Ten series this week, showcasing the most popular features from selected categories on No Treble. This week, we’re taking a look back at the top 10 most popular bass videos from September, 2010. 1. 13 Year Old Bassist Performs “Rei Arthur” This one has “video of the year” written all over it. A 13 year...
Mark Hoppus: Blink 182 Return to the Studio
Blink-182 is back in the studio again, according to frontman/bassist Mark Hoppus, via Twitter. “At the studio. Re-commencing the blink-182 album… NOW!” he wrote. Hoppus also gave an update on his blog from the studio, with pictures of the bass he is recording with and his mic’ing technique. This will be Blink-182’s first studio album since their 2003 self-titled album....
Doug Johns Releases “Stank”
Doug Johns has just released his third solo album, Stank, via digital pre-release on CD Baby, with the physical CD will be available on October 22. He will also have it for purchase at his next performance at the Baked Potato in Studio City, California on the 21st. For the project, Johns recruited musicians from his previous work, including Oz...
Ask Damian Erskine: Regaining Inspiration
Q: I’ve been playing professionally (clubs, studio, festivals) since I was about 18. I’m 43 now, and I find myself in a bit of an uninspired phase. My urge to play, practice and create is currently AWOL. Do you ever go thru periods where you and the bass are mortal enemies? if so , how do you get thru these...
James Genus Solo: Bern Jazz Fest, 1990
Short, but oh so sweet… James Genus taking a solo during the Bern Jazz Festival in 1990.
“Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones” Released on DVD
The legendary concert film, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones, has finally made its way to DVD since its theatrical release in 1974. The footage contains performances over four nights of their 1972 Exile on Main Street tour. The 82-minute film is accompanied by previously unreleased rehearsal footage and interviews with Mick Jagger from 1972 and 2010. The film catches...
Reader Spotlight: Yair Loewenson
Meet Yair Loewenson, a bassist from Haifa, Israel and our player in the spotlight for October 12, 2010. Bio: Yair Loewenson was born in Haifa, Israel, and has been playing, composing, and teaching music professionally since his late teens. Jazz has always been his main genre, along with late classical and contemporary compositions. His extensive track record on stage includes...
Custom Shop: An Interview with Oscar Prat
When we posted photos from Summer NAMM in June, there was a huge uproar over pictures that included custom extended range basses by luthier Oscar Prat. We showed an 8-string and a 12-string bass, and the debate on what qualifies as a bass was on! Since then, we’ve caught up with Prat to find out how he got his start...
MarloweDK: GR2 Envelope Filter Test Drive
I recently picked up the GR2 Envelope Filter from 3Leaf Audio and decided to give it a spin in front of the camera. This is a great little pedal that offers a lot of possibilities. For the demo, my set up includes: Bass: Sandberg California JJ Strings: Dunlop Nickel plated Medium gauge 45 -105 Amp: TC Electronic RH450 Cab: TC...
25 Great Bass Lines
Bassist/author Glenn Letsch has a new book of bass transcriptions and lessons out. 25 Great Bass Lines is an 84-page book with CD set featuring notation and tab for 25 classic bass lines, lessons on how to play them, bios, equipment listings, photos and historical facts. Full-band demos of every bass line in the book is included on the CD,...
Robert Trujillo: Metallica is Writing New Material
As Metallica is getting geared up for their tour of New Zealand and Australia, bassist Robert Trujillo revealed that the iconic metal band has been writing new songs. He reports that the group has amassed “tons of material” by writing backstage and at jam sessions during their time on the road, though they haven’t really put it all together yet....