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Boss Bass Comp BC-1X

Posted by iBass | May 11, 2017 | Gear

With its intelligent design and dynamic sounds, this stompbox was well worth the wait. Design We all have our favourite effects, but it’s not too often that one particular pedal comes to be thought of as indispensable. However, this stompbox from Boss comes pretty close. It’s housed in the company’s conventional die-cast chassis, with four controls that are fairly friendly, though you may want to keep the instruction manual handy at first. It features a 12-segment indicator that clearly displays the amount of compression that’s being dialled in via the Level control.The Release control relates to the level at...

Gittler B4F Electric Bass 

Posted by iBass | May 10, 2017 | Gear

A Revolutionary New Bass Design This stunning bass is made by Gittler Instruments who have developed a special grade of 6AL-4V aircraft-grade titanium that’s been designed to offer the highest strength-to-weight ratio possible. Built from the ground up, the revolutionary B4F incorporates a headless design with 31 frets, patented tuning machines, LED fret markers and an adjustable strap/stabilizer arm. Each string boasts a custom single-coil pickup, which are wired to an internal mid-range control, plus treble and bass controls. A 1/4-inch jack and a 13-pin output complete the futuristic design. There is no escaping that the initial draw of...

Zander Zon

Posted by iBass | May 9, 2017 | Interviews

New Adventures in Electric Bass The world of solo bass guitar has been through a tumultuous time in the last couple of decades. Nevertheless, a handful of completely different players have slipped into the public consciousness with a style that’s refused to be pigeonholed. The likes of Victor Wooten, Steve Lawson and Michael Manring, who combine all manner of plucking, picking, slapping and tapping, continue to showcase an expansive compositional approach that no one really understands, but which sounds pretty epic. Zander Zon’s progressive solo work hinges on a chordal fingerstyle approach coupled with altered tunings, harmonics and tapping,...

Buyer’s Guide | Höfner 500/1 ‘Violin’ Bass

Posted by iBass | May 8, 2017 | Articles, Gear

Part Three Of Our Essential Guide to Buying Bass Gear Höfner released their first bass guitar at the 1956 Frankfurt Music Fair. Made famous by Paul McCartney, the 500/1 had a symmetrical body and became known as the Violin bass long before the German company called it that. Very lightweight with a short scale, the Violin bass remained popular in Europe throughout the late 1950s, while post-war trade embargos prohibited the import of American instruments. Needing a reversible bass, Paul McCartney bought his in Hamburg in around 1961. Apparently he got one because he couldn’t afford a Fender – and then,...

Jon Thorne

Posted by iBass | May 5, 2017 | Videos

It’s been 15-odd years since Jon Thorne came to some prominence as bassist with experimental trip hop duo Lamb, seamlessly integrating the double bass within electronic dance music. “Lamb is a very interesting group to be involved with musically,’ says Jon. ‘I joined at the very beginning when they’d just finished recording their first album and were starting to play live, so I was given a lot of freedom and a very broad canvas to find my way through.”...