iBass | iBass Magazine

John Patitucci | Back in Brooklyn

Posted by iBass | Feb 7, 2017 | Best New Music |

John Patitucci Brooklyn “Patitucci shines throughout… ” Released: May 2015 Featured Track: “Band of Brothers” http://www.ibassmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/03-Band-of-Brothers-feat.-Brian-Blade-Adam-Rogers-Steve-Cardenas.m4a It had been six years since John Patitucci’s last release as a leader, but this, his first for his own label Three Faces Records, was certainly worth the wait. Introducing his Electric Guitar Quartet, with guitarists Adam Rogers and Steve Cardenas, and his long standing rhythm section partner from the Wayne Shorter Quartet, Brian Blade, Brooklyn explores the many influences that Patitucci absorbed while growing up in the East Flatbush area of the New York borough. As fans might expect, Patitucci shines throughout this...

Cog Effects

Posted by iBass | Feb 6, 2017 | Gear |

Scott Devine Investigates Some Home-Grown Tone Design The majority of bass players have an overdrive pedal of some kind knocking around, and for some it rates as an all-important third of the sound equation, after bass and amp. But with more great bass amps available these days, instead of trying to make an average amp sound better with pedals, more often than not we’re merely extending our tones, elaborating on what’s already a good sound. The key word here is ‘transparency’. Amp manufacturers don’t want you messing around with their wonderful-sounding amps. They just want you to be able...

Scott Devine | Ask Scott

Posted by iBass | Feb 3, 2017 | Articles

Scott Devine Reveals His Top Tips for Healthy Practice Everybody is under intense time pressure these days, and bass players are no exception. Some of us can practice for longer than others, and it’s important to recognise when your concentration is dipping. That’s the time to stop and take a break. It can also be useful to set yourself a time limit in which to achieve your goals. There are so many factors involved in practicing that go way beyond just playing the right notes. Here are some tips that can help you make the most of your practice time. If...

Ampeg Launch Analog Effects Pedals

Posted by iBass | Feb 2, 2017 | News |

Classic Analog Bass Preamp & Scrambler Bass Overdrive In a world where ultra-clean and precise digital effects are commonplace, it’s refreshing to find that you can still lay your hands on vintage-style pedals like these new stomp boxes from Ampeg. The Scrambler Bass Overdrive has been designed to deliver a huge range of overdrive, while the Classic Analog Bass Preamp features a 3-band tone stack coupled with the company’s Ultra-Hi and Ultra-Lo circuits. Both pedals feature an all-analog, true bypass design. “Ampeg tones in high-quality, analog stomp boxes. It’s that simple,” said John Boudreau, SVP of Ampeg Product Development....

Pickpocket | Sojourn

Posted by iBass | Feb 1, 2017 | Best New Music |

Pickpocket Sojourn “Groove-soaked good vibes.” Released: September 2016 Featured Track: “Aurora” http://www.ibassmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Pickpocket-Sojourn-07-Aurora.mp3 With ever increasing advances in MIDI and sampling, not to mention the scarily ubiquitous auto-tune, music producers today can turn even the most turgid performance into a polished thing of commercial beauty. Yet there’s no substitute for real live musicianship, and here’s a prime slice of self-produced excellence from Australian bassist Craig Strain. The reason this rises onto our radar is its unfettered groove-soaked good vibes – full of rubbery basslines, screaming guitar goodness and old-school beats. Drummer Matthias Edwards has a perfect chemistry with Craig, and alongside...