Table of contents for April 2022 in Bass Player

Erykah Badu’s second album was a live one, unusually, issued in 1997 a few months after her hugely successful studio debut, Baduizm. The Texas-based singer and her band recorded a one-hour live show, plus a studio track, on October 1 at Sony Studios in New York in front of a live and justifiably excited crowd. The record contains three covers—Chaka Khan’s ‘Stay’, Roy Ayers’ ‘Searching’ and an intricate medley of Heatwave’s ‘Boogie Nights’, Tom Browne’s ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’, and the Mary Jane Girls’ ‘All Night Long’. There are also two brand-new songs, ‘Ye Yo’ and ‘Tyrone’, the latter of which was released as a single shortly before the album’s release. Badu and her band re-create established songs in new forms, improvising wildly What’s great about the established songs taken from…

Welcome back! This month I want to provide advice for those of you looking to gig for the first time with a new band. This also applies to those who’ve had some time away from the live circuit and want to know how best to tackle the gig scene. FUNDAMENTALS As with anything in today’s saturated, content-driven world, you need to give your band the best possible start. You only get one chance at a first impression, so it’s key that you establish an air of professionalism and credibility. This includes everything from a strong set of cohesive material, a unified image, an engaging live show, considered and well-branded online materials, adequate online presence and interaction, and songs that are ready for release. Remember, touring is your chief income stream:…

“I reamp bass tracks for friends via email a bit, but it sure is a lot more fun when a bassist comes out to our ranch to track—especially if that person is Bonnie Buitrago! Between my amps, her basses, and our combined pedals, we always get some great tones to work with; and then she just rips through it all. She’s obviously got the chops and has a great sonic instinct for ‘the Heavy’, whether in her band, on her solo stuff, or guesting on Bala’s blistering new record. Always a pleasure!”…

How did you get started on bass? During my second semester of studying Commercial Music at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, the bass department coordinator talked me into taking bass lessons and participating in some ensembles. I made an instant connection with the instrument and never looked back. I spent four years studying at SPC before I moved to Austin, then to Nashville in 2006. What was your first bass? The first year or so, I learned to play on a Mexican Fender P-Bass and a Modulus five-string which I borrowed from the school because I couldn’t afford my own. When I was finally able to make a purchase, I bought a Fender Roscoe Beck V after watching Roscoe at a local music store clinic in 2002. I now…

Price| $1399.99 Made In| South Korea Body| Swamp ash with quilted maple top Neck| Three-piece roasted maple, illuminated side dots, graphite nut, 35” scale (34” scale on four-string) Neck Join| Bolt-on Fingerboard| Macassar ebony, 24 frets Pickups| 2 x active EMG 40DC humbuckers (P/J pickups on four-string) Electronics| Spector TonePump Jr preamp Hardware| Locking bridge, die-cast tuners Weight| 9.7 lbs Left-hand available?No Case/gigbag included?No WHAT WE THINK Plus| Sturdy construction, powerful pickups Minus| Two-channel preamp requires more precision than a three-band EQ Overal| A joy to play and packs a wallop BP RATING…

AGUILAR www.aguilaramp.com $169 Hot on the heels of Aguilar’s DB925 Bass Preamp comes the DB599 Bass Compressor, following the same micro format and occupying a reduced footprint on your pedalboard compared to standard pedal dimensions. Many of you will be familiar with Aguilar’s previous foray into compression, the TLC Compressor, which presented the player with four controls with which to sculpt and tailor their bass signal. The DB599 simplifies the process somewhat by offering Compression and Gain controls, while utilizing pre-selected compression ratios and attack/release parameters. In theory this should make the player’s job simpler, with only two controls to contend with. The pedal’s rugged metal chassis should certainly withstand life on the road, and the controls themselves are solidly fitted and turn smoothly, as you would expect of an…

Start by scoring out the notes associated with the A Dorian mode and D Mixolydian mode, respectively. Attempt to deliver both scales using the pinky of your fretting hand to access the root note of each structure at fret five of the appropriate string. A Dorian can be produced using the formula Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, and D Mixolydian via Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone. Once you’ve established the diatonic pitches of both scales, try creating a number of different motifs to help you transcend between the two coinciding structures. As you move from one chord to the next, always be sensitive to the notes that could prove complementary to your direction of travel. Voice leading is the key.…

The frontman and bassist for the cult Welsh rock band Budgie, Burke Shelley, died aged 71 on January 10. Born in Cardiff, Wales in 1950, he was introduced to the world of guitar with the arrival of the Beatles in the Sixties—a musical exposure that convinced Shelley to ask his father for his first instrument. In 1967, Shelley—who by this time had already authored a number of songs, including Budgie’s ‘Parents’, which he wrote when he was 16—met Dave Edmunds, who was part of musical trio Love Sculpture. It was during this transformative year that Shelley decided to pursue a full-time music career. Switching to bass, Shelley recruited drummer Ray Phillips and guitarists Kevin Newton and Brian Goddard for Budgie’s first official lineup, though the swift departure of Newton and…

Death metal devils Cannibal Corpse were formed in Buffalo, New York in 1988, and over three decades have produced 15 brutally aggressive but melodic albums. Bassist and founder member Alex Webster has been there for the entire journey, from the early, live-sounding albums through the group’s development into the technically spectacular, experienced outfit that we hear today. Webster’s galloping three-finger technique unlocks speed and accuracy that other bassists can only dream of; remarkably, he achieves great attack and clarity without the need for a pick. These days, he wields his signature Spector bass, having also played Fender, Modulus and Ibanez basses over the years. As well as being an intensely talented player, Webster was also given the ultimate accolade a while back when paleontologists named a fossil ringworm after him—a…

This month, we conclude our deconstruction and exploration of the three primary components of the electric bass guitar. Having previously discussed the body and fretboard, let’s now consider the neck—the most interesting, and certainly most critical, component of every bass. Necks can be constructed in a number of different ways, using a variety of materials, all of which contribute their own unique characteristics. The type of wood chosen for a neck influences the tonal character of an instrument. Harder woods are generally brighter, contributing better clarity and articulation than softer woods. The complementary pairing of different neck and fretboard woods combine to create a wide variety of potential voices. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of any neck is its ability to affect overall performance by influencing the transmission quality of…

In 2020, the Danish rock band Volbeat took a break from touring thanks to the pandemic. Their guitarist Rob Caggiano (formerly of Anthrax) is based in New York, so the other three musicians—bassist Kaspar Larsen, singer/guitarist Michael Poulsen, and drummer John Larsen—continued to rehearse a couple of times a week. As the affable bass player explains, “Michael started bringing a riff or maybe half a song into the rehearsing room, and pretty soon we found out that we were going to do at least an EP. Michael just kept on bringing in new songs, though, and within two or three months, we had 13 or 14 new songs. He was just on fire!” Talk to us about your new album, Servant Of The Mind. “We go from pop-punk to rockabilly…

“We’d love to do an arena-sized gig where it feels like we’re in a sitting room together, having a laugh” Having had a busy two years, releasing their debut album, an EP and a series of hilarious TV programmes over lockdown called LWTV, the Manchester-based quartet Lottery Winners have also recorded their second album this winter, and collaborated with a whole host of famous faces. We ask their bassist Katie Lloyd how they’ve remained so prolific through these troubled times. “My mother is a singer and my dad is a bass player, so as a kid I just grew up sitting side of stage or in the crowd, watching them playing in bands, thinking that was the normal thing that happened!” she chuckles. “Like that’s the job you do—you go…

Behold our world-beating bass gear review section, where we bring you the crop of each month’s new, interesting or otherwise relevant bass guitars, bass amplifiers, bass cabs, and bass effects. Occasionally, we’ll review a guitar effect if it’s useful for bassists, but generally speaking, this zone is reserved for bass-specific gear. We take our reviews seriously. BPis the last English-language print magazine devoted solely to bass in the world, and we have readers all over the planet, so we’re responsible about our conclusions. If a product is worth your time, we’ll say so; if it’s flawed, we’ll make that clear. We’re not answerable to advertisers in any way, and our tests are independent of the views of musicians, manufacturers and distributors. Let us know what you think of our conclusions.…

CORT www.cortguitars.com $649 he new B5 Element from Cort draws on the most popular features of the brand’s Artisan range, adding into the mix a Bartolini electronics package, Hipshot and MetalCraft hardware, and a roasted maple fingerboard. Given its affordable price, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Is the sum of the parts worthy of your attention? Let’s find out. Build Quality The rounded body curves, deep lower cutaway, and contouring to the rear of the body make this a very comfortable bass to wear, despite its 9.3-pound weight. Some noticeable headstock bias is solved when you play it on a strap. The five-piece walnut and panga panga laminate neck is connected to the body courtesy of a four-bolt attachment: The neck pocket appears solid and robust, however,…

I SPY... 62 RYAN MADORA Dig into your favorite bass parts... and discover treasure! Ryan Madora is one of Nashville’s most sought-after touring and session bassists. Recent touring and session credits include Robben Ford, Kyshona Armstrong, and her instrumental trio, The Interludes. For the past five years, she has served as musical director for Bobby Bones and has played with Garth Brooks, Darius Rucker, and Carrie Underwood. In addition to instructing at Nashville’s campus of Musician’s Institute, Ryan has taught at Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp, Rock’n’Roll Fantasy Camp, and at universities across the USA. She has contributed columns to No Treble for over a decade and in 2019, published her first book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats. Ryan offers online education at TrueFire and her website.…

Welcome back! Let’s take a deeper look at some of the rhythmic variations we can bring to our pentatonic-based and soulful bass-lines. Often, creating a memorable line is just a matter of moving one or two notes into a less obvious place in the bar to create a hook. Think about the bass-line in the verse from ‘Knock On Wood’ by Eddie Floyd. On each chord, it’s just a major triad with the sixth added, but it’s the rhythm that gives it its distinct character—the way the notes are moved off the beat. We call that shifting of notes off the beat ‘displacement’. This month we’re going to look at a number of possible ways to displace the notes in our pentatonic lines: This will help us come up with…

The new X4 Nanobass, according to its makers Phil Jones Bass, is the most compact and portable combo amplifier ever designed. As they tell us, “It is a highly efficient mini-engineering marvel—a 35-watt amplifier with a 4” speaker and three-band EQ that not only rocks with bass, but will also provide dazzling tone for other instruments including guitar, ukulele, violin, and electronic drums.” The new unit has a street price of $359.99, and will be reviewed in these pages as soon as we get hold of one.…

The concept of switching rhythm gears is based on the idea of developing the ability to change seamlessly from one rhythmic feel to another. Initially we want to learn to hear this concept, so I’m using shorter bar lengths to demonstrate this. Ultimately, you could apply this over larger bar lengths. One of the most valuable takeaways from this exercise is understanding how you can increase your speed by altering the rhythmic values that you play The three main feels in Western music are eighth notes, triplets, and 16th notes. As you know, eighth notes consist of two notes divided equally over one beat, while triplets divide three notes over one beat, and 16th notes divide four notes over one beat. I’m going to use a Dorian mode pattern over…

As live albums go, Eaten Alive by the perennial noiseniks Nashville Pussy does an efficient job, injecting a charge of over-the-top anarchy into what is shaping up to be a rather better year, musically speaking, than the last couple. Ask bassist Bonnie Buitrago to describe it and she reflects: “We’re super happy with how it sounds—downright ferocious! It was recorded across England, Scotland, and Wales by our soundman, David Bennett. And now I’ve been in the band for 10 years, I’m happy to finally have a live album that represents what we’re all about in the present day.” She continues: “Another new album that I’m a part of is Maleza, by a duo from Galicia, Spain called Bala. I recorded my bass tracks and Spanish vocal parts for the album…

“When we started Priest, the concept of somebody doing this in their seventies didn’t exist!” Heavy metal fans of a certain age will remember the rise of Judas Priest, the perennial quintet which has ruled the metallic airwaves from 1974 onwards in a variety of line-ups. The sole constant member of the band, which released the self-explanatorily-titled compilation 50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music last year, is bassist Ian Hill, whose presence at the back of the stage and at the lowest frequency of the songs has been a comforting presence for the band’s fans over the decades. Note that Judas Priest have endured the proverbial rollercoaster ride of a career. Space doesn’t permit a full account of their escapades, so let’s just say that they defended themselves in court…

"I’m pretty happy with our new album, although this time I ran into some physical trouble. We’d been off the road for months, and I hadn’t been playing—so when we went into the studio, it had been seven years since I had to learn any riffs from the twisted mind of [songwriter] Gary Holt. I have to say it took me a little bit longer than I wanted to get back on the horse. The picking wasn’t quite there. The whole thing wasn’t as precise as I know I can be and that I wanted to be. I was like, ‘Man, I’m not in the pocket that I want to be in’. Everybody else said, ‘Oh, it sounds great’ but I knew there was this other step up that I…

Price| $649 Made In| Indonesia Color| Natural Body| Mahogany core, ash top Neck| Walnut and panga panga, 34” scale Neck Join| Bolt-on Fingerboard| Roasted maple Frets| 24 Pickups| 2 x Bartolini MK-1 Electronics| Bartolini MK-1 circuit, active, 9-volt Controls| Volume, balance, bass / middle / treble cut / boost, active / passive switch Hardware| MetalCraft M5 bridge, Hipshot Ultralite machine heads Weight| 9.3 lbs Case/gigbag included| No Left-hand option available| No WHAT WE THINK Plus| Great specs and tones, pocket-friendly price Minus| Midrange tones won’t suit everyone Overall| A versatile five-string that covers a lot of ground BP RATING…