Buzz
Albion Musical Instruments Unveils ABH Series of Amplification
Albion Musical Instruments has just released details of their upcoming ABH line of bass amplification products, including 2 heads, 2 combos, and 4 new cabinets. Albion is the brainchild of Steve Grinrod, who besides being a musician, held chief engineer and chief designer positions at Marshall Amplification and VOX. At the forefront of the series is the ABH300H, a 300...
Anthony Crawford Releases Urban Jazz
Jazz bassist Anthony Crawford has released his debut CD, Urban Jazz, on Hydro 6 Records. The 11-track album is exactly what the title implies: a cool hybrid of Jazz, hip-hop, pop, funk, and smooth listening. The opening track and lead single, “Windy Days,” is a great R&B flavored tune with a bass melody that lets Crawford’s 6-string Roscoe really sing....
Red Hot Chili Peppers: An Oral/Visual History
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have compiled a new book, chronicling their 27-year existence together as a band. The 256 page book, entitled An Oral/Visual History by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is a compilation of their triumphs and tribulations as they worked their way up from the Los Angeles underground scene to headlining arena shows. It includes stories told...
Top 10: The Best Bass Columns, How-Tos and Lessons (October 2010)
Get your bass on! Here are the most popular bass columns, how-to’s and lessons for October, 2010. 1. Should Bassists Be Multi-Instrumentalists? Damian Erskine answers a reader’s question about bassists picking up secondary instruments. 2. Custom Shop: An Interview with Oscar Prat Oscar Prat shares his story about getting started as a luthier and how he feels about “more than...
Zawinul Syndicate with Gerald Veasley: Corner Pocket
Joe Zawinul’s track record of picking bassists was pretty unmatched. Here’s the Syndicate performing the Weather Report tune “Corner Pocket”, with Gerald Veasley getting the crowd going, slapping, rapping and dancing.
The Bad Plus Announce Winter Tour
The Bad Plus is hitting the road, in support of their latest release, Never Stop. The tour kicks off on December 2, 2010 and runs through January 9th, 2011, taking the band coast to coast in the US. The trio, including bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson and drummer Dave King, completed a tour of Australia and Europe this fall,...
Gear Watch: Hoyer Guitars Reissue Eagle Bass Prestige
Hoyer Guitars has released a reissue of their classic Hoyer Eagle Prestige Bass, featuring many of the same characteristics of the original 1970’s model including a neck-through-body construction, Eagle-typical headstock, Eagle-shaped inlays, and a burr walnut top. The bass has a 33.5” scale, with an ebony fingerboard and 20 medium jumbo frets. The bass’s pickups are Hoyer custom HHB-106 humbuckers....
Playing Metronomically vs. Musically
Q: I have a hard time not sounding stiff when focusing on my time. Any suggestions? A: I’ve been noticing this phenomenon lately, especially with students who are working on various cello suites. There’s a tendency to try and play the piece metronomically as opposed to musically. Remember that, while we are expected to have good time, we are also...
Racer X and Juan Alderete: Scarified
Long before he joined the ranks of Mars Volta, Juan Alderete was the metalhead bassist in Racer X, with guitar virtuoso Paul Gilbert. This song, Scarified, is proof of Alderete’s own virtuosity. Check out the solo licks and the unison tapping. It’ll melt your face.
Fab: New Paul McCartney Biography
A new biography on former Beatles bassist Paul McCartney, penned by Howard Sounes, has just been released by Da Capo Press. Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney offers an extremely detailed look at the bassist’s life, from childhood to fame with the Fab Four, post-Beatles career and up through modern day. The 656-page book includes more than 200 interviews...
Reader Spotlight: Andrea Morse
Meet Andrea Morse, a bassist from St Louis, Missouri, and our player in the spotlight for November 16, 2010. Bio: I grew up in NYC and have lived up and down the east coast before coming to St. Louis in 2003. My musical study began with drums at age 10 before spending time with guitar and violin before finding the...
Bass Pickups: A Guide to Formulating Your Sound
There are a number of variables to consider in the search for your ideal tone. To date, we have discussed options relative to amplification. Key among the variables that impact bass tone is pickups thus this column concentrates on pickups. While there are many things that contribute to the timbre and tone of your bass (tone woods, strings, etc), pickups...