Bass Gear - Page 304

Ruppert Musical Instruments has introduced the Basswitch IQ DI, a pedal that the company calls “the bass player’s Swiss knife”. Built in Germany, it serves as an A/B input switcher, a preamp, a clean booster, a parametric EQ, an FX loop switcher, and a D.I. box. The Basswitch has two inputs, which lead to channels A and B respectively. If...

Fodera has introduced the new Yin Yang Standard bass, based on their Victor Wooten Yin Yang Deluxe. The company consulted Wooten on the creation, as he has “long wanted a Yin Yang that could be more widely available.” The bass utilizes all the same materials and specifications from their Brooklyn-made instrument with a lower price point. The Yin Yang Standard...

Gallien-Krueger Amplification has expanded their MB series by adding a new more powerful head unit, a new combo, and powered enclosures to the line up. The MB800 is an 800-watt amp that weighs in at 4.9 pounds and features a discreet FET driven preamp and power amp. The unit includes a 10dB pad, tuning mute switch, two gains, a four...

TC Electronic’s bass amp 2.0 line has just gotten a little bigger and a lot louder with the introduction of the Blacksmith. The amp shares many of the same features as its siblings, including an integrated chromatic tuner, four-band EQ, SpectraComp ‘per-string’ compression, TubeTone tube amp recreation, and TweeterTone high frequency control. Three user presets are also available for versatility....

Among a slew of new instruments, Ibanez has released a tribute bass to the late Slipknot bassist, Paul Gray. The new bass was designed in conjunction with Gray’s family and the Slipknot management. Proceeds from sales of the bass will go towards a special trust for Paul’s daughter and family. The PGB2T features a mahogany body and maple neck with...

Dean Guitars has unveiled two new John Entwistle signature basses at NAMM, named the Spider and the Hybrid. The Spider is a limited edition, where the Hybrid will be a standard model available in a USA model and one presumably built overseas. The John Entwistle Spider is an extremely limited run with only 25 produced worldwide. With it’s angular design...

Believe it or not, 2011 marks 60 years since Fender introduced the Precision bass and revolutionized bass playing. (For a quick history lesson, check out this video.) To mark the occasion, Fender is producing a special limited edition 60th Anniversary Precision Bass. Built in the U.S., the Anniversary P-bass features an ash body, maple neck and fretboard with a modern...

Wren and Cuff has released the Phat Phuk B, a JFET/germanium single circuit hybrid booster pedal designed specifically for bass. The pedal is not designed to be “transparent,” the company explains, as the germanium transistor adds a little grit to your sound. The JFET transistor is placed at the input to keep things “impedance-friendly,” depending on whether you have active...

Aguilar Amplification’s latest addition to the world of lightweight amplifiers is the Tone Hammer 500, a 500 watt bass amp weighing in at just four pounds. The amp utilizes the same preamp found in Aguilar’s Tone Hammer D.I./preamp pedal, with bass, treble and sweepable midrange controls. The Drive control uses the company’s proprietary AGS circuit, which adds subtle distortion and...

LeCompte Basses has introduced their first signature model bass, the “Chewy Linton.” Chewy Linton is the bassist for the Austin, Texas-based band, Ember, who released their major label debut earlier this year. Linton describes the bass as somewhat of a mix of a Spector NS and the Warwick Thumb, explaining there were features of each he loved but when combined...

M Basses has officially released their Mj-4 and Mj-5 models, which are 4 and 5-string versions of a “vintage-inspired” bass with customizable features. The M bass body comes standard with a choice of either a swamp ash or alder body, maple neck and an Indian rosewood fingerboard. The Mj-4 carries 20 frets while the 5-string has 21, though both have...

Carl Martin has released their Pro Power power supply, designed for versatile power distribution for pedals. Starting with an input that is switchable between 110V and 230V for international adaptability, the power is split into 8 individual isolated and regulated outputs. Output levels can then be set to 9V at 150mA or 12V at 110mA, with the 7th and 8th...