Bass Gear - Page 313

The Fender Custom Shop has expanded its Artist Series instruments with the Dusty Hill Signature Precision Bass. Available in Black and Nocaster Blonde, the bass oozes old school with a road worn finish and reverse headstock. The ZZ Top bassist helped tweak the bass, which features a custom designed Seymour Duncan pickup, a custom neck shape, and rear-routed controls. The...

Fret-King has unveiled their new Black Label series of instruments, including the Perception Bass Guitar. Available in 4 and 5-string versions, the Perception sports a passive P/J pickup set made by Wilkinson. The body is made of two pieces of American Alder, while the neck is Canadian Hard Rock Maple topped with a rosewood fingerboard. Hardware on the bass is...

German bass company Hot Wire produced a super cool version of their Inlaw 521 BO model with a stunning quilted maple top and matching pickup covers. The “zebra” effect is attained by using a lighter quilted maple and a dark quilted maple to create a sharp contrast. The Inlaw comes in several versions, but the 521 BO is a 5-string,...

Copilot FX has a new octave pedal designed specifically for bass. The Cubic is a versatile pedal with a switch for two different voices – one with pure octave and the other with mixed octave, while the switch on the front of the pedal toggles between providing one or two octaves down. In addition to Volume and Blend controls, the...

Dean Markley has expanded their Helix series strings with a signature set for Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx. Used by the man himself, the Nikki Sixx Helix HD SS Bass Strings are made of a special stainless steel alloy that the company says has an “inherent bright and cutting timbre.” Following the line, the new set of strings is constructed...

Amp guru Dave Hunter has released a new book dedicated to classic amps, offering up a history of the author’s picks for the 60 greatest guitar and bass amps in history. Amped: The Illustrated History of the World’s Greatest Amplifiers tells the stories of the 1937 Rickenbacher M11 all the way through the latest Matchless amp, and offers plenty in...

V-Moda has expanded their Ear Armor series with their new Faders VIP line of tuned metal earplugs. Available in four sizes, the new earplugs reduce noise levels by 12dB across the spectrum. The fittings are made of medical grade BLISS 3.0 hybrid-silicone to fit any ear extra small, small, medium, and large sizes. Each set comes with a detachable cord...

Carvin has added two new models to their BRX Series bass cabinets: the BRX15.3 and the BRX18.1. Made in the USA, the new cabs are built from Baltic Birch plywood covered in DuraTex and have recessed steel handles as well as caster inserts. The BRX15.3 is a 600-watt 3-way cabinet loaded with a 15? woofer, an 8? mid driver, and...

Texas-based luthier Bud LeCompte has lots of cool designs on his website, but his Prototype 1.5 (aka PT 1.5) really caught our eye. With one foot rooted in the past and one stepping forward, the cool singlecut body shape has LeCompte’s unique style written all over it. “I like a lot of the traditional instruments, but I don’t want to...

Announced during this year’s Musikmesse show in Frankfurt, TC Electronic is now shipping their newest bass combo, the BG250. THe 1×15? combo is TC’s latest entry in the line up of ultra-light combo, but one that comes with the ability to replace on-board effects using the company’s new TonePrint technology. TonePrint is essentially an effects slot that allows the bassist...

Spector has introduced a Deluxe version of their Coda bass series. Built in the U.S. by Stuart Spector and his team, the deluxe version of the vintage inspired bass is set apart by the inclusion of a AAAA quilted maple top and the removal of the pickguard. Many of the features of the Coda Deluxe remain the same, including a...

Bassist John Flynn shares his 1967 Fender Mustang bass with us, along with the story behind it. Fender offers up the background on the history of the bass on their website: Mustang Bass (1966-1981, 2002-). The first truly successful Fender bass that didn’t say “Precision” or “Jazz” on the headstock was 1966’s Mustang Bass. Leo Fender began development of the...