Bass Gear - Page 212

Sadowsky has released a the 3-knob Onboard bass preamp, which is their first to be available as a prewired drop-in for J style basses without a side jack. No soldering is required to install it in your bass. “It has been designed for minimally invasive installation on most J-bass style instruments,” the company writes. “The only modification required is a...

Experimental pedal maker Earthquaker Devices has released updated versions of four of their pedals including the Dispatch Master, the Speaker Cranker, Acapulco Gold, and the Afterneath. The pedals, which range in use from delay/reverb to distortion and overdrive, all now feature silent soft-touch relay based switching. This allows for “truly silent and effortless operation with increased long-term durability,” the company...

Barton Applewhite of Barton Basses sent this in for us to check out and it stopped me in my tracks. This monstrous 11-string fretless Harpbass includes a four regular bass strings plus seven standalone harp strings. “[The bass is] constructed of swamp ash [and] a flame maple neck through with a cocobolo top,” the luthier shares. “It has Bartolini pickups...

Iron Ether Electronics has revamped their FrantBit effects pedal for 2016 with upgrades and a new feature. The bit crusher/sample rate reducer now has a built-in expression attenuator knob that allows for dialing in the range of the expression sweep, plus better audio fidelity and improved expression response. “In all modes, the expression value is now added to the on-board...

In addition to introducing the Subway D-800+ bass amp, Mesa/Boogie has added to the Subway series with a 2×10 Ultra-Lite Cabinet and a Bass DI-Preamp. Both new products are made in Petaluma, California. The Subway Ultra-Lite 2×10 joins the existing 1×12 and 1×15 cabs in the series. It features a pair of 10-inch custom neodymium speakers matched with a high-frequency...

Chemistry Design Werks has introduced an innovative new pedalboard called the Holeyboard Dragonfly. Building on their original Holeyboard design, the Dragonfly can be set up in 10 configurations without the need of additional parts. It extends from 26 inches all the way up to 42 inches and has a moveable top shelf for flexibility. Built from aircraft grade 6061 series...

Double bassists have a new option for amplifying their instrument with the Ear Trumpet Labs Nadine microphone. The medium-large diaphragm condenser mic is specifically designed for upright bass with its low end tuned to give a flat response at the mounting distance. Its cardioid pickup pattern is designed to pick up as much of the bass’s top as possible while...

Time to get our fix of some great bass gear stories – specifically the reader favorite gear stories on No Treble. Here are the top 10 most read stories for the month of October, 2016. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing! 1. Fender Offset Mustang Bass PJ Fender has reimagined some of their classic models to create the new Offset...

Höfner’s Gold Label series gives the company a chance to make limited runs of special designs created by their master luthiers in Hagenau, Germany. This week we’re checking out a version of their 500/2 Club bass that’s finished in a retro, 60’s paisley top. “Introduced in 1964 the Club bass has for many years only been available in Sunburst,” Höfner...

BBE’s Sonic Stomp now comes in a compact pedal called the MS-92. The stompbox is a pedalboard-friendly version of their Sonic Maximizer, which is designed to improve clarity and definition in your signal. It features the same all-analog processor as the larger SS-92 with a new circuit board and control layout for a smaller chassis. It has two controls: Process...

TC Electronic has introduced a black version of their Polytune Clip-On Tuner. The discreet device, which works for bass and guitar, has strobe, chromatic, and polyphonic tuning modes up to +/-0.02 cent accuracy. The polyphonic mode allows for strumming all strings at once to see their tuning. The tuner also features an ultra-bright display with an adaptive screen, a stainless...

Amp builder Nick Epifani has beefed up his Piccolo bass amp series with the Piccolo 999. The 1,000-watt head utilizes Epifani’s UL series preamp including a new Vintage circuit that adds a tube-like tone to the overall output. The Class D amp and switch-mode power supply keep the amp down to just 4.5 pounds and small enough to fit in...