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Ray Riendeau: Fire and Rain
It’s a solo bass day around here at NT HQ. We just spotted this new one by Ray Riendeau, who took James Taylor’s iconic folk hit, “Fire and Rain,” and made it his own. “This song always reminds me of the loved ones who have passed away, and I miss so dearly,” Ray shares. “I dedicate this cover to my...
Metallica Announces North American WorldWired Tour Dates
Fresh off of their performance at the Grammys, Metallica has announced a North American leg of their “WorldWired” tour. The trek, which kicks off May 10th in Baltimore, will be in support of their latest album, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct. It will be the band’s first full-scale North American tour since 2009. After the Baltimore, Maryland performance, Metallica will zig-zag across...
Warwick Unveils Rockbass Corvette Basic 8 Bass
Warwick expanded their Rockbass Corvette series with an eight-string version of the Corvette Basic. The eight strings are set in four courses tuned E-A-D-G against a wenge fretted fingerboard. Its built with an alder body and three-piece maple neck with ekanga veneer stripes. The body is fitted with a pair of active MEC jazz pickups matched to a 2-band EQ....
Hungry Beats: Highway Hypnosis
Antonin Rubatat shared the latest (and last) video of his “Hungry Beats” project series with us. The duo of Antonin and drummer Romain Chenard wrote this tune in a short period of time, which is mostly improvised. We’ve really enjoyed the series by these guys. Hope to see more of them in the future.
In Memoriam: Doug Lunn
More tough news for the bass community today: Doug Lunn has passed away after a long bout with pancreatic cancer. Lunn was a fretless aficionado, having ordered his first fretless Precision from Fender in 1974. He studied music in college and became a hired gun in the ’80s, working with many progressive artists as well as international pop stars. He...
ESP Introduces AP Basses to LTD Line
ESP Guitars added the AP-4 and AP-5 basses to their LTD Series at this year’s Winter NAMM Show. The four and five-string models are traditionally-based designs with ESP’s own twist. Both models are built with an alder body, bolt-on maple neck, and an ebony fretboard. They are fitted with a set of EMG pickups in a P/J configuration with volume,...
Remembering Written Bass Lines
Q: When I learn a song by ear, I can generally memorize it really well, probably because of all the work that’s gone into learning it. My ear is not great and concentrating on actually listening is harder to do than it sounds! I sometimes miss little bits here and there. However, when I read from a piece of music...
Linus Klausenitzer: Obscura’s “Ten Sepiroth” Bass Playthrough
Monster bassist Linus Klausenitzer is back with another insane playthrough from Obscura’s recent album, . This time he tackles “Ten Sepiroth” which balances between finger-busting riffs and awesome fretless fills. Luckily, the video focuses on his hands a lot to show his impressive technique. Be sure to check out the 3:16 mark for Klausenitzer’s melodic bass solo. If you want...
Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp Returns for 2017
Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp is returning for 2017, and it’s promising to be another great event. The three-day camp will take place March 17th through the 19th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a great lineup of instructors. This year participants will learn from Bryan Beller, Mike Pope, Adam Nitti, Justin Raines, Freekbass, Rob Smith, Anthony Wellington, and of course, Veasley....
Reader Spotlight: Dmitry Budko
Meet Dmitry Budko, a bassist and techie from Belarus who is dedicated to his music, and pushing the envelope on his sound. Dmitry is this week’s No Treble reader in the spotlight. Here’s his story… Bio: I was born in Minsk in 1987. This is the capital of a country called Belarus (it’s between Poland and Ukraine). I’ve played a...
Ashdown Introduces Stuart Zender Funk Face Twin Dynamic Filter Pedal
Ashdown Engineering has teamed up with bassist Stuart Zender to introduce the SZ Funk Face Twin Dynamic Filter Pedal. The pedal is designed for simplicity in getting a funky sound that Zender, who was the original bassist for Jamiroquai, is known for. Its filter section has a Sensitivity knob to control the effect’s response, while an Output knob controls the...
Harvey Mason’s Chameleon, with Fred Washington Jr.: Actual Proof (Live)
Drummer Harvey Mason took his band Chameleon to the 2015 Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. Here’s a clip of them performing Herbie Hancock’s “Actual Proof” The band features Fred Washington Jr. on bass, Kamasi Washington on sax, John Beasley on keyboards, and of course, Mason on drums.