Buzz
Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in March 2016
We covered a lot of gear in March, and these are the top 10 reader favorite gear stories of the month. This comes with our usual warning: may cause GAS. Thanks as always for reading, commenting and sharing. 1. Hofner 60th Anniversary 500/1 Violin Bass An icon was born 60 years ago with the Hofner 500/1 Violin Bass, and now...
Bass Players to Know: Paul Simonon
Spend an afternoon searching through the stacks of a record store and you may stumble upon a few iconic album covers; the colorful eclecticism of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the eerie prism of Dark Side of The Moon, or the adrenaline enhanced act of destruction on London Calling. A Fender was, in fact, harmed in the making of...
Christian Sturgess: Brutai’s “Onyx” Bass Playthrough
Brutai’s Christian Sturgess just released a playthrough video for their song “Onyx,” and it’ll melt your face. The song, which appears on their 2013 self-titled EP, features a killer bass part with intricate rhythms using slap, strumming, and three-finger techniques. The bassist’s snarling bass tone is also something to marvel. Sturgess gave the low down in the YouTube comments section....
Bonamassa Returns to Nashville for Latest Album
Blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa’s 12th album, Blues of Desperation, sees him returning to Nashville, where he composed his previous record, 2014’s Different Shades of Blue. His bassist on the new record is Michael Rhodes, who also handled some of the bass work on Different Shades of Blue. Rhodes is a Nashville stalwart who has played with everyone from Reba McEntire,...
TWA Now Shipping WR-3 Wah Rocker Pedal
TWA is now shipping the WR-3 Wah Rocker, a pedal based on the discontinued Guyatone Wah Rocker. While the pedal retains the original’s Threshold and Decay controls, it also brings a host of updates. Foremost for bassists, the WR-3 includes the circuitry from the Bottom Wah Rocker for extra low end. It’s activated via the Guitar/Bass switch. It also has...
Talking Style: The Tresillo Rhythm
The tresillo is derived from the fundamental Latin music groove called “habenera”. It can also be thought of as a variation on the Afro-Cuban son clave. Ragtime pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton famously called the tresillo that “Spanish tinge” that is a necessary ingredient for New Orleans jazz. The prominence of the tresillo in African-American music traditions and, particularly...
Tedeschi Trucks Band: Tiny Desk Concert
Tedeschi Trucks Band made a stop at NPR’s offices and packed the biggest band I think I’ve ever seen in for NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert”. Anchored by bassist Tim Lefebvre, the band performs some tunes from their latest album, Let Me Get By. The set includes “Just As Strange”, “Don’t Know What It Is” and “Anyhow”.
Amon Amarth Releases Concept Album
Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth has released its 10th studio effort, Jomsviking, named after a legendary order of viking mercenaries. Ted Lundström handles bass on the album, as he has throughout the band’s recording career. While Jomsviking, which tells a story set in the mercenaries’ world, is the band’s first concept album, it remains in familiar territory for the...
GHS Announces Limited Edition Infinity Steel Bass Strings
GHS Strings has unveiled the Limited Edition Infinity Steels, a set of coated roundwound strings for bass. The set revisits their Infinity Steels with updates for modern players. Each string is coated using a process called MST, or Metal Surface Treatment, that coats the outer wires, which are then wrapped around the core. GHS also tweaked the core to cover...
Cutting Through a Big Band: A Discussion for Bass Players
Q: I’m playing in a jazz band of over 40 people in a song featuring bass guitar. I’m looking for a pedal that will make my sound distinct and rise above the band but not distort it. Any recommendations? Thanks. A: Personally, I wouldn’t change my sound much at all. You might leave yourself a little room on your volume...
Scott Varney: Carry On
Bassist singer-songwriter Scott Varney is back with a video for his song “Carry On.” Besides stellar bass playing, the song has poignant lyrics that he dedicates to “all those who have lost.”
Bad Company Transcriptions Published
If you love the bass lines the late Boz Burrell played in Bad Company and long to recreate them, you’re in luck. Eric Beaulé has transcribed a dozen Burrell bass lines in the eBook, Boz Burrell, Bad Company Bass Transcriptions. Written in standard notation and TAB, the book covers some of Bad Company’s top songs. Burrell, who often played fretless,...