Buzz
Benefit CD for Marc VW Now Available
The music world was shocked in January when Tower of Power bassist Marc Van Wageningen and drummer David Garibaldi were struck by a train on their way to a gig at Yoshi’s Night Club in Oakland, California. Thankfully, they both survived, though Van Wageningen (aka Marc VW) was put in the hospital in serious condition. One week after the accident,...
Reader Spotlight: Alex Nikolaeff
Meet Alex Nikolaeff, who started playing the bass because no one else in the band wanted to pick it up. He says he’ll play his trusty Fender Jazz bass for the rest of his life. Alex is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I’m a 34-year-old bass player from the furthest hole of the...
NS Design Announces the NS WAV Omni Bass
NS Design’s WAV series got a little bigger this year with the addition of the NS WAV Omni bass, which debuted at the 2017 Summer NAMM show. The new model brings the Omni design, which has an upright bass design with the 34-inch scale of an electric bass, to the company’s most affordable WAV series. Available in four and five-string...
Toshi Clinch Big Band: Spank-A-Lee
Toshi Clinch sent us this terrific video (and arrangement) of his big band performing Herbie Hancock’s “Spank-A-Lee.” “The video features LA/Nashville session musician Pat Coil. On bass is Henry Beal, who is the bassist behind the House of Cards theme,” Clinch shared. Beal grooves through the entire tune with some incredible lines and tone. The track is part of Clinch’s...
Gaudi Features Levin, Laswell, Edwin and More on New Album
London-based music producer Gaudi has tapped a wealth of bassists for his latest album, entitled Magnetic. Drawing inspiration from the RareNoise Records catalog, the composer blends electronica, rock, jazz, and ambient music for a tapestry of sounds. “It is not a departure from the Gaudi we know and love,” a press release states, “however, Magnetic is a celebration of bass...
Bass of the Week: Guild Starfire II
This week we’re checking out the Starfire II from Guild. The iconic semi-hollow bass first debuted in 1967 where it was used by artists like Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and the Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh. It was reintroduced in 2015 to the delight of many a bass player. Central to the Starfire II’s design is a pair of Guild BS-1...
Victor Wooten: FretTraX MIDI Bass Demo
Back in March, James Ross created this video for Jross-tv. I don’t know how I missed it, but it has been blowing up recently on Facebook. In this video, Victor Wooten demos FretTraX MIDI’s mod of one of his Fodera basses, by Lee Young. The mod was pretty extensive, as the neck had to be removed in order to wire...
King Crimson Announces U.S. Fall Tour
If you missed King Crimson’s mighty “double quartet formation” earlier this year, you’re in luck. The iconic prog-rock band has unveiled tour dates for the fall that will cover the East Coast and Midwest with a special Texas concert in the mix. “The new dates see the group performing in some states and cities that have not been visited in...
Ibanez Adds More BTB Bass Models for 2017
Ibanez has further expanded their BTB model range with several incarnations. This summer they expanded the BTB700 series with four and seven-string models, plus their BTB Premium line will now have options for figured maple tops. The BTB is typically a five or six-string bass, but the BTB740 and BTB747 take things one step further as a four-string and a...
Shane Cooper: Bamako Love Song
West African music has a special place in my heart, so I got excited when I saw this video of Shane Cooper performing his solo double bass song, “Bamako Love Song”. Cooper, who is based in South Africa, was inspired by the city of Bamako, which is the capital of Mali. He pulls from West African rhythms and melodic ideas...
Mr. Big Releases “Defying Gravity”
Mr. Big is back with a new album, entitled Defying Gravity. Their ninth album features the band’s original lineup of Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, and Pat Torpey as well as further drum work by Matt Starr. It is also the return of them working with producer Kevin Elson. While the album includes a song called “1992” that recounts...
Guild Introduces the Jumbo Junior Bass
Bassists looking for a super short scale bass have a new option with the Guild Jumbo Junior Bass, a four-string acoustic/electric. It has just a 23¾-inch scale. Part of Guild’s Westerly Collection, the Jumbo Junior bass is built with a solid Sitka spruce top with arched flamed maple for the back and sides. “We chose [the combination] to mirror the...