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Tommy Kennedy has a new album. It’s very good if the concept appeals to you - chopsy jazz fusion with lots of solos. Dave Weckl. This track, “Fair & Debonaire” sounds pretty much like my tone goal. Unsurprising since I modeled the pickup placement on my last two basses around what Kennedy did...

It was at one of seemingly dozens of weekend house parties I went to in my high school bedroom community just outside of Austin. I ran with the music crowd then and I think this party might have been after a football game at the home of someone in the marching band. It would have been 1985 or...

I’ll start this by saying that this particular band has never put out a bad recording. Even the Orzabal solo stuff is pretty good. Ask anyone to name one of their albums and you’ll almost always get “Songs from the Big Chair.” As great and successful as that album was, this: …is their...

Please be kind, I realize this is a basic question. For some reason I haven’t ever been able to intuit the answer, so I’ll just ask you guys. Adjust the action at the saddle and the string goes out of tune, to me a surprising amount considering the micro nature of the adjustment. The physics...

Manring in my view is special because his immense talent doesn’t necessarily show itself as robotic hyper-chops, but rather in a command of the instrument that lets him pull sounds out of it that we didn’t know it had. Of course, his playing is wildly technical, but what my ears get out of it...

Much of Corea’s back catalog went missing from streaming a few years ago. Last year it all appeared again, perhaps a concession by his estate or part of some larger deal made by GRP Records or whomever owns their assets now. Which gives me a chance to discuss one of my all-time favorite albums...

I’d like to come back to the idea of track sequences on albums, maybe a fading art in the time of streaming. There are certain albums where the track sequence feels obvious and perfect. “Dirt” by Alice In Chains is that way. A number of the Rush albums are too. But now and then I stumble on...

I have determined that on a 5 string bass I can’t play low C on the B string and the octave C above it without flipping off the audience. Go try it.

My six string needed a new nut. I know a great setup guy but his shop is not close and he’s busy, so his turn times are a little slow. I figured a nut replacement is a simplish job, so I found someone close by to do the work. This is what I got back. Now I have no idea what I’ll say when...

Here’s a video from waaay back in 1994, Meshell playing “If That’s Your Boyfriend He Wasn’t Last Night.” Check out how young Jon Stewart looks! I’d post this just because it’s badass and fun to watch, the band is very tight here. But Meshell has an interesting bass, a Les Paul body shape with...

New record by Lenny Kravitz. Very good. Kravitz’s records all seem to be shamelessly derivative. This one begins with a mid-tempo Kravitz grind similar to “Let Love Rule” but from there moves quickly to early 80s pre-Purple Rain Prince. There are a lot of analog synths on this record and...

Disappointing news about one of our notorious venue impresarios. Denver Deadhead Jay Bianchi Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges | Westword My story about this guy has nothing to do with sexual assault but is worth a brief tell. We were playing at one of his venues that had an indoor and an...

I somehow got this far without anyone hipping me to Carles Benavente. Spotify finally did. Really interesting player. He plays what appears to be a semi hollow 5 string with very narrow spacing, with a pick. His recorded tone is super interesting and cool, very mid-forward but not like Tony...

The most important band member, according to science (faroutmagazine.co.uk) ...A group of scientists determined the bass guitarist as the most vital member of a band on account of their ability to connect with the listener’s brain musically. This came from a study published in the Invalid Link...

Geddy has released two tracks that did not make it onto “My Favorite Headache.” Appears you can download or stream them just about wherever. Enjoy and let’s talk about them.

Cross-posting this from my recent post in the TI Flats megathread to broaden the audience. **** I’m renewing my vows with my Skjold 6-string, which I have had since new in 2006. It’s in pieces presently. Pat Wilkins has the body; he’s finishing it in a dark, earthy red with a subtle black...

I saw it last night with my 17 year old daughter. She also went to the concert; I didn’t. It was outstanding. It was the best live music production I have ever seen. Her own, and her team’s ability to develop, plan, and execute a completely entertaining show at over 3 hours was astonishing...

One of my favorite Mike Stern tunes. Jaco on bass. The original: I've never seen a decent cover until now. Tom Ibarra Group, apparently out of Paris, I was unfamiliar until today. Check out Romain Labaye crushing the bass.

Suggesting this sincerely as a discussion because I'm not sure how I feel about it. I see a lot of "kid player" videos on YouTube. Some of these kids have amazing talent and maturity beyond their years - a few of them seem good enough to hold down legit gigs with experienced pro groups! But -...

This Sadowsky preamp was OEM in my Valenti J5. I've taken that bass passive so the preamp is available. Standard fare Sadowsky preamp so far as I know. Knobs are Volume, Blend, VTC with pull active bypass, and Stacked Bass/Treble boost. It's all wired up, should be a 4 solder point drop-in...

Let's use this thread to post our favorite stories about crazy bar or club managers who do silly things before, during or after our gigs. It can be our celebration of our favorite breed of unstable human beings!

Not sure where I'm going with this post and I don't expect a lot of people to come out as Miley Cyrus fans here. But this new tune of hers called "Flowers" - I just checked, Bruno Mars does not have a writing credit on the tune as far as I can tell. How is that possible? Robin Thicke and...

It's Forever Now, which happens to be the one that even Level 42 fans might not be aware exists. It was criminally underpromoted, hardly toured, and came out at a time when the band was already falling apart after it had lost support and momentum from the industry. But it's still the best one...

I'm getting Bandmix messages from a service or company called Flashjam. They seem to do highly organized open mic sessions at nice local venues. You register to play a certain song on a certain night on their website ahead of time, then show up. I'm only the tiniest bit interested in doing...

Proposing a specific trade, my Mesa D-800 for your GK Legacy 800. That’s the only amp I’m looking for. My D-800 is about 5 years old but has very low mileage, as I went to an IEM setup in my band not long after buying it. Maybe 15 gigs on it. In the original box. I’d expect a similarly...

Interesting times at Sadowsky; it seems they have divested some IP, signed on several production partners, and broadened their line. I've heard nothing but good about all of the resulting products given their price points, so it appears to have been a positive move. Hopefully Roger was able to...

Offering Valenti #51 for sale, no trades please as I'm funding a new build. I commissioned the bass with Nino in 2007 and am the only owner. Specifications: Swamp Ash Body w/Quilted Maple Top '59 Burst Finish Maple neck, Maple fretboard 1 7/8" @ nut 34" Scale 12" Radius Graphite Reinforced...

I'm under the weather today and probably crabby. Forgive me. I see people taking pictures of their basses all the time from this angle: I don't understand why. To my eyes, this is the worst angle for a bass guitar. It makes the bass guitar's ass look big, for lack of a better way to put...

I'm interested in hearing from people who play in the Seattle scene. My daughter is at UW now and I'm spending more time there. I'd like to know what the good live venues are these days and any really good bands people could recommend. I'm a 51 year old lifelong bass player who loves Cameron...

I have a P-bass with a Jazz neck that I love to play. It’s light, feels great, just the right size. I didn’t pay much for it but it has some nice parts - Hipshot tuners, Babicz bridge. Also I find myself jonesing for one of the MM/P basses I see out there, like a Sandberg. Hmm. Before I...

Team, Sadowsky preamp with VTC. I notice on mine, most of the change in the tone happens in the final ~15% of the knob travel. And it’s very bright in the other 85%. Wondering if anyone has experimented with any tone pots other than whatever comes with a Sadowsky preamp.

Hey team - I have a 3-set gig next weekend. First one like that in about a year and my callouses are gone. I’ve done this in the past - I’ll get through the gig but it gets pretty painful around the third set. I don’t have enough time to shed adequately to build new callouses. Any tricks...

Spotted this week at a Marc Jacobs store in Vegas. I tried to explain why I thought it was funny to the guy working there, he didn't seem to understand.

Discuss?

Janek Gwizdala has decided to eschew streaming for his new project, which released last week. The album is called "One Way Out." It could have been called "One Way to Listen" - the only way to get it is to pay him directly for the digital download on his website. He has a few packages...

I cannot believe that Pete Skjold built this 6 string bass for me in 2006. It and I have been through an awful lot together. I've had it 16 years now! Little photo album. Recording the Fina Dupa "Give It Back" album: At an outdoor concert series Rock Bottom restaurant used to do in...

Might be fun for those of us who are into both to have a place to combine the topics. Anyone else out there?

I've been into Tears for Fears the whole time. As a kid in the 80s I heard all the MTV tunes 50 times a day like everyone else. But right around the "Seeds of Love" record I started to understand that these guys were operating at a higher level as songwriters, arrangers, and musicians. One of...

Thanks to the algorithm genius of Spotify (not kidding), today I learned about the Brooklyn-based funk band Turkuaz. I'm not sure this is their intention but to me they sound like the funk-pop bands from the mid/late 80s but with a current sound production approach. This set is from Tipitina's...

Just took a turn through the new "30th Anniversary Deluxe" version of Nirvana's "Nevermind." The songs are still as good as ever, that's the good news. As for the "remastered" part? I can't hear any difference. I really never can on any of these "remastered" recordings. Are they even...