Bass Player is the world's most comprehensive, trusted and insightful bass publication for passionate bassists and active musicians of all ages. Each issue delivers the latest tips and techniques that are guaranteed to make you a better player.
Let’s be honest: Terms like “bass duo” and “bassist side project” make even dedicated low-enders quail—let alone everyone else. Few bassists can deliver albums of the quality of (say) Victor Wooten, Stanley Clarke, or, um, Derek Smalls. Fortunately, the new album by Altitudes & Attitude—that’s David Ellefson of Megadeth and Frank Bello of Anthrax—is neither self-indulgent nor the ear-bleeding thrash you might expect. Instead, the songwriting, production, and vocals come straight from the modern rock canon. If the world were just, these hooks and melodies would conquer it. Enjoy our exclusive sit-down with the two masters. As always, we cover loads of ground in this issue: Jazz icon Brian Bromberg drops in, session and stage bassists Lorna Thomas and Adam Rigg discuss their work, and we revisit the politics of…
ISLAND LIFE Following the success of his Traveler guitar model, Island Instruments’ Nic Delisle is delighting the bass world with his new Traveler Bass. His goal was to design a lightweight, compact bass that blends modern features and ergonomics with vintage feel and tone. “The extended single cut and deep cutaway design allows easy access to all 24 frets, while allowing the bass to sit such that the first fret is much closer to the player, eliminating fatigue, and strain,” says Delisle. “The bass is made from lightweight, resonant reclaimed lumbers, and has a carbon fiber-reinforced neck that is stiff and stable. The 31” scale is comfortable without feeling floppy. The bass measures 35” total length and is 12” wide in the lower bout, making it easy to travel with.”…
THIS MONTH: Martin Petersen, Sei Basses and the Gallery, London, UK The Gallery in London’s Camden district in the UK recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, a milestone for a store dedicated to bassists as well as no mean feat in the current retail environment. This comes as no surprise, though; the Gallery has always prided itself on the quality of its service and a warm welcome for bassists of all abilities. This explains why bass gods such as Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke have visited the store in the past. “Marcus came to the shop, and I was starstruck,” says Martin Petersen, store owner and founder of the Sei Bass brand. “But he made me feel at ease, and we chatted about basketball. I fixed some gear for Stanley Clarke…
I am a musical liberal. I believe all genres are valid and worthy of study and, consequently, that there is something to be learned from every one of them. I don’t believe in walls when it comes to musical studies, and history proves that most popular music comes from different styles being assimilated, forming unions, and bearing progeny. There are essentially 12 notes in all Western music, regardless of style. Almost every different rhythm, regardless of style, could fit on two pages of staff paper. In fact, the difference in tone (a violin or overdriven guitar), the intent (melt or soothe you into your seats, or drag you into the moshpit), and the harmonic context (three-chord country or ‘Giant Steps’) are the factors that separate the genres. The notes come…
Once in a generation, an album is released that turns the musical world upside down. Legend and time can distort the facts, but in the case of Nevermind by Seattle grunge pioneers Nirvana, its effect is still being felt 27 years on. There was one music business before Nevermind—and a totally different one after its release. Record companies radically changed their artist rosters, sweeping out the old guard in favor of bands that appealed more to the disaffected youth of the day. Alternative rock and grunge were now the cash-generating genres—and for the first half of the Nineties, they dominated the airwaves. Released by the DGC label, Nevermind was Nirvana’s second album; its predecessor Bleach had been released in 1989 by Sub Pop. The arrival of Dave Grohl, who replaced…
Twelve thousand miles, 11 basses, and some serious jetlag couldn’t stop Tomm Stanley of New Zealand’s Stonefield Instruments from joining us at the last couple of London Bass Guitar Shows, in the UK. Included on this trip were his magnificent M and C series models, as well as some of his custom creations. With so much character packed into each instrument, the smallest details are crafted with painstaking precision, as Stanley explains. “Once you start building, the most important aspect is the attention to detail, and being supercritical of your workmanship. In my opinion, lots of things come together, if they’re done well, and make something wonderful. If lots of those things aren’t done well, that same set of components might not be so wonderful. I think it’s that focus…
