No Treble Archive for January 26th

Fender announced a new line of limited edition Made in Japan instruments including a handful of new basses at the 2019 NAMM Show. The new lineup includes models with traditional specs as well two with “hybrid” models.

When I was at the Marleaux booth at the NAMM Show yesterday, Ariane Cap told me about a cool video Marleaux artists put together. Each musician got a drum track and was asked to play 8 bars each. The result is pretty incredible.

Aguilar Amplification has expanded their line of effects at the Winter NAMM Show this year with the Grape Phaser bass pedal. The all-analog pedal is designed for tone and simplicity. “The Grape Phaser provides lush, analog phase shifting courtesy of a simple, two-knob layout,” Aguilar writes. “RATE controls the speed of the modulation while COLOR feeds a portion of the...

If you turn on any classic rock, oldies, or adult contemporary radio station, you won’t make it through the day without hearing a few Billy Joel tunes. With a musical catalog that defined American popular music from the 1970s through 1990s, Billy Joel made hit after hit with the help of his longtime backing band, and our latest bass player...

We love a good bass line compilation, and Nathan Navarro’s latest puts a cool spin on it. The bassist plays 100 riffs, but each riff gets faster as he goes. Starting with Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”, he plays them in ascending order of notes per second, which is handily displayed in the top left-hand corner of the...

After 35 years of producing some of the most brutal music ever written, Slayer has announced they’ll be making their exit after one more world tour. The legendary thrash band made the announcement with a YouTube video: While the news was a surprise, it may not be a shock to fans who have been keeping up with the members. Bassist...

Trace Elliot is back in a big way in a tiny package. The ELF bass amplifier weighs in at just 1.6 pounds and produces 200 continuous watts RMS at 4 ohms. Its input section has three regions of operation: uncompressed, variable multiband compression, and overdrive. The three-band EQ section has the company’s proprietary filters with low center (80 Hz), mid...

After introducing the American Professional line in December, Fender has unveiled the Limited Edition Exotic Collection. The series includes the 2017 Limited Edition American Professional Jazz Bass FMT, which combines the features of the Professional model with a figured maple top. The bass is built with an alder body, quartersawn maple neck, and rosewood fretboard. The neck has a slim...

Simone Masina sent us Peekaboom’s latest video, with some exciting news. The duo of Simone and vocalist Angelica Lubian were joined by Valerio Fuiano, who added some extra sounds using GeoShred on an iPad on their cover of Muse’s “Hysteria.” It turns out this video caught some attention early on: “Jordan Rudess, among the greatest keyboard players in the world...

The Grateful Dead celebrated the 50th anniversary of their band back in July 2015, and now they’re celebrating 50 years since their debut album with a special re-release. The Grateful Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition contains a remastered version of the original album plus a bonus disc of an unreleased concert from July 29th, 1966 and select songs from July...

Meet Dean Milano, a long-time bassist with a ton of gigs under his belt. We loved his story, and his 1966 Fender Precision gave us some serious GAS. Here’s Dean’s story… Bio: I’ve played bass at one time or another in probably 75 bands over a 50 year long career that encompasses my love of rock and roll, folk music,...

Reed James Engineering was at the 2016 Winter NAMM show to introduce the VVN NEOA5 set of pickups. Based on their VVN RJNEO set, the new pickups differentiate themselves by creating a relationship between the neodymium magnets and vintage Alnico 5 rod magnets. “We mated precise amounts of each magnet material to create the magnetic pull and field in order...

We got to check out Project RnL performing at NAMM, and it was a real thrill. Here they are in a recent live, pre-NAMM performance of Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger”, Project RnL-style. Bassist Or Lubianiker brings it!

Deluxe editions of Black Sabbath’s first three studio albums – Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Master of Reality – have been released, coinciding with the groundbreaking metal band’s final tour. Each edition features the 2012 remaster of its respective original album, available on CD for the first time, and a disc of outtakes previously unreleased in North America. The deluxe editions...

One of the first basses we featured in the Bass of the Week series was the redwood themed BL Design Barbary. After revisiting the BL Design website I found this unbelievable 5-string Marozi that centers around a stunning spalted myrtle burl top. The Marozi is one of luthier Beau Leopard’s double cutaway designs. This particular instrument was built with a...

We learn and grow musically from a variety of sources. Teachers, performances, fellow musicians, etc. all play a role in our progress, but our most direct improvement comes from our time in the practice room. That’s why spending time practicing each day is so important. Sometimes, however, even when are putting in time daily, we don’t see results. There can...

One of the major highlights for me at the 2015 NAMM Show was finally getting the chance to meet the great Alphonso Johnson. Alphonso deserves way more credit than I think he gets – in my opinion and many others. Going back through the wealth of music he’s been a part of just offers up more proof, including this 1975...

TC Electronic took the opportunity at the Winter NAMM Show to unveil the new K-Series of bass cabinets. Following in the footsteps of the company’s RS and BC cabinets, the K-Series models are designed to be lightweight with vertical stacking ability. The lineup includes the K210, the K212, and the K410. Each is constructed with a durable plywood cabinet loaded...

NAMM week means the gear stories start flooding in. We had a handful ready in time for the show and loads more coming… And as is the case, gear coverage reigns supreme in late January. Add to that some really epic videos and some popular how-to’s, and you have one top 10 list worth checking out. Thanks for reading, watching,...

Squier has teamed up with Eva Gardner to introduce a new signature Precision bass. Gardner was the original bassist for The Mars Volta and has continued to work with artists ranging from Veruca Salt to Pink. The Squier Eva Gardner Precision Bass is built with a basswood body finished in gloss black, a maple neck, and a rosewood fingerboard sporting...

It wouldn’t be NAMM without a performance by this epic duo. This year, Victor Wooten and Steve Bailey took the stage and did their take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”

Aguilar has introduced the Super Singles and the DCB pickups, two new pickup series for bass. Both types of pickups are wound in the company’s New York City factory and will be available in a variety of 4-, 5-, and 6-string standard soapbar sizes. The Super Singles offer a single coil sound in a soapbar size, Aguilar says, going on...

Schecter and Nikki Sixx have teamed up to release the “Schecter Sixx” Bass, a 4-string signature model for the Motley Crue bassist. Sixx, who also is an accomplished author and radio show host, collaborated with the company to create the instrument. “It was an exciting and creative process to work with Schecter on the new Schecter Sixx Signature Series Bass,”...

La Bella Strings has introduced the 760T White Nylon Tape Wound Set of bass strings. The new strings differ from their 760N counterparts by being made with a transparent nylon wrapped over stainless steal underlays. La Bella notes that the White Nylon set offers a brighter sound and smoother finish for easier gliding between notes. The 760T set can be...

This week we take a look at the D-bass by CB Basses, a custom shop run by luthier Cliff Bordwell. Featuring a Jazz style neck and pickups, the bass is an exquisite example of craftsmanship with its diverse mix of exotic woods. The body is built around a Spanish Cedar core with an Amboyna burl top and Birdseye maple back,...

In this lesson we’re going to focus on a style known as finger-style funk (or “finger funk”), with the goal of developing both dexterity and accuracy in your playing. Finger-style funk is typically centered around the 16th note, and many of the notes are muted. You’ll notice in the notation for this lesson that those muted notes are indicated with...

Here’s a cool clip of Robert “Bubby” Lewis getting down with Snoop Dogg on The Late Show with David Letterman. The band performs Snoop’s take on the classic Brothers Johnson tune “Get the Funk Out of My Face” while Lewis lays down a solid low end with some really tasteful runs. The tune of course was co-written by Quincy Jones,...

TC Electronic has announced their newest polyphonic tuner, the Polytune Mini. The device is a more compact version of their original Polytune. The Mini is a polyphonic tuner, but for tuning bass, the device only works in chromatic mode. The company says that the polyphonic setting is for guitar only, and that it is a technical trade-off for the size....

Genz-Benz unveiled three new amps at the NAMM show, including two in the new Streamliner series and an update to the ShuttleMax line. Sporting a retro look and feel, the Streamliner 900 and 600 amps have straight-ahead controls, allowing players to “focus more on their playing and less on adjusting knobs.” The models feature Class A Six Stage All Tube...

I just got back from a week spent in a recording studio in Northern California, a singer-songwriter session with Alice DiMicele. The band was absolutely smoking and we tracked 16 tunes in four days (complete with horns). The band included some guys who have been around the block quite a few times and have recorded and played with just about...

In response to the NPR Bass Solo contest, bassist Blake Branch submitted his arrangement of “Raspberry Heaven” by Masumi It? and Y?ko Ueno. The tune comes from the anime series “Azumanga Daioh”. Thanks to Alex Kalicinski for sharing this video with us.

Jazz bassist Robert Hurst has released Unrehurst, Vol. 2, a straight-ahead trio album featuring pianist Robert Glasper and drummer Chris Dave. As the names suggests, the CD was recorded in 2007 without any rehearsals at Smoke in New York City, though that’s not how the jazz veteran had planned it. A taped-off crime scene prevented him from checking in to...

Meet Ronnie Penque, our bassist in the spotlight for January 26, 2010. Bio: Ronnie Penque has been playing music for over 30 years. When not working with NRPS or his band RONNIE PENQUE BAND, which includes his brother Chris Penque on guitar, Ron is busy as a session player. Ronnie started out as the original bass player in the popular...

Brandon Seabrook’s Seabrook Power Plant is a brutal, take-no-prisoners record. The music sits between free jazz and Black Sabbath-influenced sounds but places the banjo firmly at the center of the music. It is quite engaging despite a forbidding exterior. For sure you will hear things in this record you have never heard before. Seabrook is the leader, a Brooklyn-based guitarist...

Here’s a great clip from a Victor Wooten / J.D. Blair concert, where the group is joined by Tal Wilkenfeld, Steve Bailey, and Oteil Burbridge. As Vic says, Bailey is playing an original 6-string Carl Thompson bass for the first time.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the widow of Motown’s master bassist James Jamerson is suing La Bella Strings for using his name and image in its marketing. The suit is seeking at least $25,000. Annie Jamerson, 68, is filing the suit against La Bella, which “touts James Jamerson in the packaging and ads for a set of bass strings.”...

Tal Wilkenfeld is currently on tour with Jeff Beck, with upcoming dates in Australia. Jan 26th & 27th, 2009 at 8pm: the Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria Jan 29th, 2009 at 8pm: Brisbane Convention Centre in Brisbane, Queensland Jan 30th, 2009 & 31st at 8pm: Enmore Theatre in Sydney, New South Wales Jan 31st & Feb 1st, 2009 at 8pm:...

We recently (gasp!) discovered Aladár Pege, an extraordinary double bassist. Here are a couple of videos to help you get through Monday. Sibiu Jazz Festival 2004 Solo: Performing “Donna Lee”:

Nine year-old Yannick Koffi is barely big enough to hold up a bass guitar. But when he’s on stage, his sound is as big as anyone’s. Born in 1999, Yannick was singing – in tune – before he was a year old. He got a drum kit for his fifth birthday, and six months later added keyboard. As soon as...