The Bass Guitar Blog

bassbuds Earphones

Benjamin — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:41:43 +0000

Well look what just arrived! I’m calling the bassbuds Earphones rather than Headphones, a) because they go in your ears, rather than round your head and b) because, quite frankly, I’m very confused about what we call these gadgets these days, as you’ll see there’s a lot more to them than tiny speakers and wire. [...]

Matt Bissonette and Markbass

Benjamin — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 14:09:58 +0000

This is a rather lovely and melodic solo bass piece (via Steve Lawson and the Solo Bassists Facebook page). Matt Bissonette (bassist for artists including Elton John, Joe Satriani, Steve Via and may others!) plays through his Markbass rig (and tells us why he loves it!) – Thank you Mark Bass for the video – check out [...]

Playing for Free

Benjamin — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:18:00 +0000

Saw this via Twitter (and here), which apparently was posted (and removed from) Craigslist, and it struck a chord, as it were. I know a number of readers who are solo players, but it’s just as true for bands: Craigslist Ad :We are a small & casual restaurant in downtown Vancouver and we are looking for [...]

New TonePrint Package for BG250 Bass Combo

Benjamin — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 11:06:06 +0000

The folks over at TC Electronic have been busy again. I’m still enjoying playing through the TC Electronic RG450 rig, but things have moved on in that range, with the custom Staccato’51 model, created for Rocco Prestia, and the BG250 bass combo. TC Electronic have added to this 1×15” ultra-light bass combo, with additional TonePrints from [...]

Rockschool Competition to win Fender Jazz Bass

Benjamin — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:23:03 +0000

You’ll need to be fast on this one – just a few days left to win a Fender Jazz Bass, thanks to Rockschool, the well known rock and pop exams folks. They are giving the opportunity to win one of the three instruments used on their 2012 Syllabus Book covers (see, now you know they [...]

Hofner Bass – Beatles Style

Benjamin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:42:03 +0000

Ah, this via Twitter from @FretZeroMusic and @martyschwartz – a great video review of the Hofner Bass. Made famous my Beatles Bassist, Paul McCartney, this hollow bodied bass has a sound all of it’s own! Not to all tastes, but definitely hightly distinctive and still produced today: Related Bass Posts

And We’re Off!

Benjamin — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:04:56 +0000

So.. The blog is back in action! I’m looking for: Guest bloggers Great bass news stories Interesting sites/links Good folks to follow on Twitter Get in touch and let’s roll the low end like never before! Related Bass Posts

Bassists Who Never Were

Benjamin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:19:14 +0000

A bit of Friday fun! So, we here a lot about famous bassists… You know the names! But what about the famous non-bassists? Which famous people out there are actually closet bassists? Can we out a few of them?!? Someone forwarded me this video, which is a mash up of audio from London’s world-famous Mayor, [...]

Laurence Cottle To Host Bass Masterclass in London

Benjamin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:19:59 +0000

For those in the UK and near London, you might be interested to know that The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) is hosting a master class by their faculty member Laurence Cottle on Thursday 15th April. Laurence has played with artists as diverse as Sting, Cher, Brian Eno, Eric Clapton and Black Sabbath, although he [...]

Gail Ann Dorsey

Benjamin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:28:07 +0000

This one via the ever wonderful Steve Lawson, who posted a link to the first solo performance he ever saw, from a legendary British music show called The Tube, back 1986. Here is Gail Ann Dorsey playing (and singing) stop on by: Gail Ann Dorsey is probably most famous for playing bass with David Bowie [...]

Who Would You Hand Your Bass To?

Benjamin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:24:27 +0000

Many thanks to @tucsonbass for bring this one to my attention in his post “Have You Played Victor Wooten’s Bass?“ - he saw it on Saudra Williams Facebook page – aren’t the Interwebs a wonderful thing The video shows what Victor Wooten’s shows are all about – such energy and fun! Check out about 50 seconds [...]

Ritter Cora – Bass fit for a Prince – Bassist

Benjamin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:44:38 +0000

Jens Ritter has released a new model, designed together with Josh Dunham (the Bass Player for Prince). The “CORA” – click on the images to see more full size pictures on the Ritter site. It is rather conventional for a Ritter Bass, given the wild bass designs that have come out of the German-based luthier. The [...]

Seasons Greetings to You! Happy Bassmas!

Benjamin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:10:23 +0000

Happy Bassmas – here’s to lots of playing and gear for 2010 – and The Bass Guitar Blog will be 3 next year! I’ll leave you with this, from young willwh. Level 42′s Mr Pink – I don’t think I was playing like this when I was 14 Related Bass Posts

Drifting – Brilliant Upright Bass Solo

Benjamin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:46:28 +0000

Simply Brilliant Adam Ben Ezra, doing Andy McKee’s Drifting on the double bass: Hat tip to Guy for forwarding it to me! Related Bass Posts

Boss Micro Cube Bass RX

Benjamin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:25:52 +0000

If you want a really small amp, and I mean REALLY small, then there’s a new kid on the block: The Boss Micro Cube Bass RX. The cube family has been around for as long as I can remember, but this new bass-version really has taken it to another level. Roland has posted a video that [...]

Practicing with a Looper

Benjamin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:46:57 +0000

I recently stumbled upon this great piece on practicing with a looper over at the Institute of Bass – the post was sponsored By SWR Sound Corporation and written by the ever impress Michael Manring, who I had the pleasure of seeing live with Steve Lawson last month. Looping History Looping devices used to be huge, [...]

MiniGroves from Accugroove

Benjamin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:48:05 +0000

Hot off the press! Mark and the Accugroove crew have brought a new range of cabs into the bass world “Eight years in the making, our new MiniGrooves are the first and only tiny, lightweight cabinets that are built for the serious professional.” So says Mark, Accugroove’s CEO, and he’s bigger than me, so I’m [...]

Wal is Back

Benjamin — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:56:54 +0000

Wal is Back – Thanks to no treble for the heads up. The UK Bass manufacturer, known for a very distinctive range of basses, had been working just on back log, but they are now taking new orders again for the first time in a few years. From Wal’s site: After much activity we are [...]

Michael Manring and Steve Lawson – Live at ‘Round Midnight

Benjamin — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:47:57 +0000

On Wednesday, in London, England, Manring and Lawson brought together Solo Bass from Both Sides of the Ocean. Starting with a workshop by Michael Manring at Chappell music. I have to say, to Markbass‘ credit, the sound and tone of Michael’s playing was absolutely amazing. I first heard Michael play live almost a decade ago when I [...]

Manring and Lawson – Solo Bass from Both Sides of the Ocean

Benjamin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:57:10 +0000

It hasn’t happend for 5 years, but on Wednesday evening, solo bassists Steve Lawson and Michael Manring will be playing. Last time they got together was in Santa Cruz, California, this time Round Midnight Jazz and Blues Bar is the venue, in London England. This is what it sounded like when they played together last: [...]

TC Electronic Staccato’51 Bass Amp

Benjamin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:16:01 +0000

TC Electronic have been busy busy again. The latest twist on the TC Electronic Classic450 Bass Amp – it’s called the Staccato’51, developed in conjunction with Rocco Prestia. Rocco is best known for holding down the bass in Tower of Power – a band he joined at 14 – and is a much renowned bassist. Checkout Rocco’s web page [...]

Updating…

Benjamin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:51:29 +0000

Hope you are holding the low end down! Just wanted to share a couple of things that are going off… The site has moved on to a bigger faster server.It’s a process that’s kept me busy for a bit! We’re in the hands of Redcatco for WordPress hosting – I think they are great, but I [...]

Pedulla Basses Announce The Nuance

Benjamin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:32:49 +0000

September 2009 and Michael Pedulla introduces a new bass, the Nuance, the latest in a long line of basses from the US-based going back to the late 70′s, when Pedulla started making the fretless Buzz Bass . The Nuance was designed as an acounstic instrument, focussing on tonal subtleties. Says Pedulla: It has been fully [...]

Interview: John Patitucci Trio – Remembrance

Benjamin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:53:53 +0000

This week I had the immense pleasure of talking with John Patitucci, from his New York home. The main topic of conversation was the new Album from the John Patitucci Trio album - “Remembrance” – on Concord Jazz, his sixth album for the label. This is a series of posts, covering the album itself, and [...]

Seth Horan Clang and Chime – Produced By You

Benjamin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:59:53 +0000

Last summer singer/bassist Seth Horan gave the opportunity to produce this new album to everyone on his mailing list. A group of people took him up on the offer and became co-producers. A year later and the album is pretty much mixed and mastered. Seth recorded and sent out a song-a-week for twenty weeks over [...]

Michael Manring explains the Hyperbass

Benjamin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:56:50 +0000

There was a pointer to this great video of Michael Manring explaining his Zon Bass lurking in the comments to “What I Hate Bass Licks” (a must read post if you haven’t read it already – masterfully written by Steve Uccello. In the video Michael explains how the Zon Hyperbass came about. I first saw Michael live [...]

Fret Dressing – a Proper Polishing

Benjamin — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:13:41 +0000

One of the things that often comes up in talking about getting the set up right on a bass is fret dressing, or polishing. There are two times this should happen to a bass: Before it leaves the factory. If the frets become overly worn from use (usually years of use). Many of the low cost [...]

Amplug – AC100 Amp in a Jack

Benjamin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:25:37 +0000

Hat tip to this Bassnews.de post for bringing this Vox product to my attention! The amPlug has been around a while, but Vox has added two new models, one of which might be of interest to us Bass folks. Described as a “palm-sized headphone guitar amp” this little gadget is modeled on VOX’s classic AC100 [...]

Stunning String Vibrations – Slow Motion

Benjamin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:43:31 +0000

Haven’t done a fun end of week post for a while, so here we go! When @JimAnning sent me this I just had to share it straight away on the Twitter feed, and here it is in its full glory, just ‘wow’: stunning bass-string shot from urbanscreen on Vimeo. You can click through to Vimeo [...]

Even Bassists Are Going Green

Benjamin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 19:37:55 +0000

I have to confess that I’m a sucker for anything green – either eco-green or just plain green-green. I had a green bass (of the green-green sort) for a while – a 5 string Status Graphite Bass – but have been at the more traditional end of the spectrum for a while, so Musicman’s latest [...]

TC Electronic Classic450 Bass Amp

Benjamin — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:07:15 +0000

There was a post about the original RebelHead450 in the NAMM 2009 – Bass News, but since then The folks at TC Electronic have been busy dreaming up new things, the latest being the TC Electronic Classic450. Bass amp technology has been bounding along over the last few years – You no longer need a team [...]

Pasadena Bass Day – Los Angeles – Bass Happening

Benjamin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:39:36 +0000

Oh yes! 25th July 2009. Mark it in your diary, or more importantly, click your browser on over to the bassquake site and sign up, if you can get there. If previous events are anything to go by, it will be amazing. The list of players includes: Andrew Gouche (Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, The Jazz [...]

I Hate Bass Licks

Benjamin — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:14:12 +0000

While I’m on the road, here is a guest post by fellow bassist Steve Uccello. Steve is an Upright Bassist/Multi-Instrumentalist/Composer/Singer-Song-Writer and you can here his latest work Uccello Project, Symmetria on Last.FM. Add you thoughts to Steve’s post in the comments section… Over to Steve… All right bass people! I’ve got a question for you: When you [...]

Fruity Box Bass

Benjamin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:37:06 +0000

It’s been a while since we’ve had a fun post, so in the great tradition of the 2 string bass and the Bogdon box bass, I present for your delight this from Bass Guitar Blog reader Elmar! The Klangbox is made of fruit boxes and was originally meant to be a gig case for one [...]

Setting String Height – Adjusting Your Action

Benjamin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:46:39 +0000

So, to the business of setting up a Bass Guitar. Tuning aside – do start with that first! – string height is the number one adjustment on a bass. There are all sorts of reasons that string height adjustment is needed, from changing string type and fret wear to changing weather conditions and playing style. [...]

Setting up a Bass Guitar

Benjamin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:54:11 +0000

This will be a mini series of posts – although I may put everything under this one post too. How do you set up your bass guitar? Obviously the ideal is to have a professional do it for you – you can’t be a skilled hand and experience to get the perfect set up. However, [...]

Todd Johnson in Music and Harmony

Benjamin — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:29:17 +0000

Todd Johnson and Jim Stinnett have been busily writing and filming ”Fishin’ For Grips” – a tutorial on Melodic Harmonization for Bass Guitar. The Book and DVD combination is due out on June 1st and priced at $40 for the set. Fishin’ For Grips is designed to be the definitive approach to learning chord-melody on the bass [...]

Ean Evans – Lynyrd Skynyrd Bassist

Benjamin — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:39:54 +0000

Lynyrd Skynyrd bassist, Ean Evans passed away earlier this month. Ean was 48, and died after a battle with cancer. He was born in Atlanta, but moved to Columbus after marrying his wife, Eva. He joined Lynyrd Skynyrd after Lynyrd Skynyrd’s previous bassist, Leon Wilkeson, died in his sleep in a hotel room in 2001. Evans toured with the [...]

Beyond Bass Camp

Benjamin — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:44:40 +0000

If you can get to London, this sounds very interesting! The acclaimed teacher and solo artist, Steve Lawson is putting on Beyond Bass Camp, a one day event looking at the bass as a vehicle for music, both within the tradition of the bass guitar, and beyond it as a tool for self-expression. Looking at technical, theoretical and mechanical [...]

Elixir Strings – Gore-Tex Coated

Benjamin — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:55:17 +0000

Whenever I ask for recommendations on Bass Guitar strings, one of the most mentioned makes is Elixir Strings. They are quite different, and not to everyone’s taste, but they have attracted a passionate following. Via Guitarkadia I came across this CBS piece on Gore-Tex, the company behind Elixir Strings (excuse the pre-roll ad): Traditional strings tend [...]

Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s with Tal Wilkenfeld

Benjamin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:18:21 +0000

OK, he isn’t actually playing this week at Ronnie Scott‘s, but Jeff Beck does have a new DVD coming out, and that’s its title: Jeff Beck Performing This Week…Live at Ronnie Scott’s. The DVD features bassist, Tal Wilkenfeld - a Sadowsky Basses and EBS amplifiers and cabinets user who’s tour credits include Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, Joss Stone and on… [...]

Meditating on Your Bass

Benjamin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:59:42 +0000

A long time ago in Getting Back into the Groove there was mention of “meditating on your bass” but a recent discussion with Kalin in the comments on the Road Worn Fender Jazz Bass post got me thinking about it again, especially this comment: “I was never a fan of quick-fixes. It takes time to make things dear to one’s [...]

Music Messe 2009 – Frankfurt

Benjamin — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:45:19 +0000

A week on the road, with almost no Internet access – Ah, how do we survive these things? Oh, I know… With bass goodness… A few highlights from musicmesse: TC Electronic added the RS410 to their range of cabinets (the RS212 and RS210) for the RebelHead450, announced back at the NAMM show. As you can probably guess from the name, [...]

Moving to Fretless from Fretted

Benjamin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 17:29:05 +0000

Lots of the newer bassists who come to chat end up asking about fretless. I was interested in fretless bass from the earliest days of my playing. Partly because of the Jaco influence, but also because when I started playing there were a number of bands in vogue that featured fretless (Japan, Paul Simon, The [...]

Back Ups – Avoiding Gig-asters

Benjamin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:36:04 +0000

Well, South by South West (or should I say “South By…”) was even more full on that I had imagined, and I had imagined it being very full on. Oddly, the thing stuck in my mind isn’t a gig, it was looking across at a rig. It got me thinking about having back ups and avoiding [...]

House Concerts Comments and Travelling

Benjamin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:24:57 +0000

Having posted recently about house concerts, I’ll also point you to this great post by Steve himself on the matter: House Concert Hosting: a Beginner’s Guide. A number of recent posts have some great discussions in the comments, which are worth checking out if you haven’t seen them: Plectrums – To Pick or Not Reading Music [...]

Reading Music

Benjamin — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:00:56 +0000

Recently I played bass for a musical. It was one of those lessons in how valuable being able to read a bass score is. I know many bassists who play by ear very well, it’s a great skill to have. However, when there are 20 songs to learn over two rehearsals, being able to read the [...]

Clever Bass? Weird Bass

Benjamin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:23:03 +0000

The design of the bass has been pretty much set in stone since its birth. There have been one or two notable exceptions over the years, so when I saw and read about the Orchid bass, it really caught my attention. The bass was designed and built by Luthier Rich Toone. It has a 32″ neck, a Trapezoidal Neck [...]

House Concerts

Benjamin — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:04:09 +0000

May be you can’t get out to hear your fave musicians play? May be your town doesn’t have a music venue? Here’s an idea: Create your own music venue. House concerts are becoming more and more popular. Open your home to a favourite musician and your friends. There is an interesting post on music think [...]

Three Finger Technique – Alex Webster Video

Benjamin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:23:56 +0000

Not heard of the three finger technique before? Steve Lawson pointed me to this lovely Qik interview he did with Alex Webster , bassist with death metal band Cannibal Corpse. In the short clip Alex explains the 3 finger technique – amazing for playing at speed, 1/16th notes here we come…It is used by players including Billy Sheehan and [...]