South African Music Magazine
The electric bass guitar is only about 50 years old and there are so many aspects of the instrument yet to be discovered. In this issue I would like to give a short overview on bass guitar technique. A musical instrument is normally designed with the following in mind: 1) The sound it needs to Read More »
I had the honour of unwrapping 4 of the new Warwick RockBass® models when they reached our sunny shores. These included the 6 String Corvette, Streamer Neck Thru, Streamer LX and the Robert Trujillo (Metallica) Signature Bass. All of them are awesome basses, but for the purpose of this review I will focus on the Read More »
There are so many bass instruments in the world. (Strings, Brass, Woodwinds etc.) In this article I have decided to focus on Acoustic Bass String Instruments. The Acoustic Bass Guitar (ABG) is tuned the same as the electric bass and the double bass, E-A-D-G. Scale length is normally 34”. I have heard that some people Read More »
In the previous issue I discussed the influence of various types of wood on shaping your bass sound. Pickups also play a major role in achieving the desired sound. In this issue we will go for a basic overview. We get (in order of popularity) MAGNETIC, PIEZO and the newest kind available, the OPTICAL pickup. Read More »
“The Body wood on my Warwick 12 string custom (above) is Splatted Maple in front, and Swamp Ash at the back. The Neck is Avangkol and the fret-board is Ebony.” Different wood equals different sound (even if the wood is of the same type). It helps a lot if you know what the instrument that you are about Read More »
Choosing the best bass amplifier to suit your style, application or budget could be a difficult task if you do not know what you are looking for. Besides the fact that there are many different brands on the market, most brands offer many options. More expensive is also not necessarily the best choice for Read More »
With the RC-300 from Boss you can take looping to a level never reached before on commercially available loop stations. It is ideal for instrumentalists and vocalists that incorporate live looping in their musical performances. It could also be a useful addition to your home studio. I attended a Boss roadshow late in 2011, where Read More »
Choosing the right bass is not always as easy as one would think, but with some research, and if you have a good idea of what you are looking for in a bass, you will probably find an instrument that satisfies your needs. Some very important questions to ask yourself are the following: 1. What Read More »
Warwick have introduced a new line of Pro Series Basses made in Korea that are awesome value for money. There is a choice of two Corvettes with either Ash or Bubinga bodies. The other models in the series are: Thumb Bolt-On (Ovangkol body and Maple with Ekanga Veneer Stripes) Streamer LX (US Cherry body and Read More »
The type of strings we use on our instruments play an enormous role in how it both sounds and feels.We should never under estimate the role strings play in the overall tone we get out of our basses. Understanding the various aspects of bass strings will help us know which ones to use for our Read More »
