Buzz
Electro-Harmonix Now Shipping the Hot Wax Dual Overdrive Pedal
Electro-Harmonix has combined their Hot Tubes and Crayon overdrive pedals to create the Hot Wax Dual Overdrive. Each side of the pedal can be used independently with their own footswitches or stacked for extra dirt. Both circuits have their own Volume and Drive knobs while a master EQ controls tone for the whole output. A Blend knob allows you to...
Stuart Clayton: Bass Lick of the Week #1 – Funk Groove
Our friend Stuart Clayton recently made the exciting announcement that he’s kicking off a year-long series entitled “Bass Lick of the Week.” Here’s the first entry in the series, focused on playing a funk groove with a pick. “Each week I’ll be uploading a new video where I demonstrate an original bass groove – with on-screen notation – then talk...
Copeland, Cosma, King, and Belew Team Up for Gizmodrome
Earlier this year, we found out about a new project started up by The Police’s Stewart Copeland and keyboardist Vittorio Cosma. As if that duo wasn’t cool enough, they brought in Level 42 bassist Mark King and guitar legend Adrian Belew. Now the quartet has released an album that came together in a burst of inspiration under the name Gizmodrome....
Nordstrand Audio Unveils the Big SplitMan Pickup
Nordstrand Audio has expanded their pickup line once again with a new creation called the Big SplitMan. It takes two of their Big Splits and puts them into the MM-style BigMan cover. “In essence, this pickup is a quad-coil BigMan with a cutthroat vendetta against hum and a raw energy slightly superseding the BigMan’s iconic aggression,” Nordstrand writes. “Its composition...
Zander Zon: Interstellar Medley
Zander Zon recently released another incredible arrangement. This time around, Zander plays two basses, electric cello and utilizes loopers to create a rich texture on Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar soundtrack. “There’s so many things I loved about this film. Time is a big theme throughout and a lot of the music is at 60 beats per minute (referencing seconds in a...
Dean Markley Unveils Blue Steel Cables
Dean Markley’s Blue Steel cryogenic treatment has been used on their Blue Steel strings for years. Now they’re applying that to instrument and speaker cables. “Using our unique process, we cryo treat Blue Steel instrument cables with a quick blast of liquid nitrogen, changing their molecular structure with marvelous results,” the company explains. “We’re talking brighter, more alive, transparent tonal...
Clutch Announces Winter Tour Dates
Clutch will be getting into gear this winter with more tour dates on their Psychic Warfare tour. Anchored by Dan Maines, the band will be continuing support for their latest album of the same name, though a press release says they will be entering the studio in early 2018 to begin work on their next one. The band will be...
Bass Players To Know: Ron Carter
While the name Ron Carter makes a frequent appearance on No Treble, I decided it was time to officially add him to the list of Bass Players To Know. Inspired by an NPR “Fresh Air” interview of Antonio Carlos Jobim, it was clear to me that Carter’s playing can be heard all across the jazz spectrum, from the early days...
Gizmodrome: Man In The Mountain
Gizmodrome – the new project from Stewart Copeland, Mark King, Adrian Belew and Vittorio Cosma – is getting ready to release their new album. We’ve just gotten a better idea of the group’s sound with this new performance video for the song “Man in the Mountain”. King doesn’t shred his distinct slapping lines for the tune, rather delivering a chilled...
Gator Cases Unveils LED-Equipped Bass Cases
Digging around in your bass case can be a hassle in the dark. That’s why Gator Cases has unveiled a new series of hardshell cases called the LED Edition. Featuring two bass cases, the line adds an interior LED light fixture that automatically turns on when you open your case. It can also be adjusted to turn on and off...
Off Beat: An Interview with Katie Thiroux
Bassist and vocalist Katie Thiroux is having a good year, to put it mildly. She just spent the summer in residence at Quincy Jones’s new jazz club in Dubai, and her sophomore album, , was released in August. Now she’s supporting the album with a U.S. trek followed by a tour of Denmark. Produced by drum legend Jeff Hamilton, Off...
Vulfpeck with Bernard Purdie: Kid Charlemagne
This must be what living the dream looks like. Vulfpeck performed with drum legend Bernard Purdie at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York last year, which included this cover of Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne,” a tune that originally featured Purdie. And it is obvious bassist Joe Dart was loving life.