Some bass players consider Jaco Pastorius’s sound heard on Portrait of Tracy to be the ultimate bass tone. It’s totally clean and totally organic. Every note is heard as clear as a bell, volume balance between notes is near-perfect, and the more you listen to it, the more you say to yourself, “I want that … Read more
Recently, we asked those who have bought stuff from BBG to post a photo of what they have installed in their bass, and many of you replied with some great photos. (You can also post your own photos there if you like!) One bass stood out in particular because it has some hardware in it … Read more
In the bass world, Geezer Butler is a well known bassist. Geezer’s playing style has stood the test of time and his recorded works is still revered to this day as one of the best hard rock and metal tones ever heard. How do you get that sound? You can start with the EMG GZR … Read more
The owner of this bass was not sure if in fact this ’77 Ibanez Silver Series bass was considered a “lawsuit” bass or not. There is some debate on this. We’re saying it is – but just barely. The defining lawsuit of the era was Norlin (owner of Gibson at the time) vs. Elger/Hoshino U.S.A., … Read more
In the realm of the itty-bitty, there may not be anything smaller than the VOX AC2 RhythmVOX Bass where bass amps are concerned. How small are we talking about? Here is a photo of it next to someone playing a bass through the amp: Note the cable coming out of the top. That gives you … Read more
It’s been a while since we’ve mentioned this specific bass, but due to the fact we get repeated requests about it, we’re talking about it again. The bass seen above has the unnecessarily long title of “Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Ray4”, which most bass players simply refer to as “Sterling SUB Ray4” or even … Read more
The feature bass this week is a cool 7-string! Owner and builder Billy writes: I wanted a seven string fanned fretted bass. This way you can have a whole 5 string and piccolo bass in one. Custom prices were high, so I decided to try to build one. I haven’t built an instrument before, but … Read more
This bass was mentioned in this article, and this is the one where you can actually hear it being played below. Before we get to the video however, it’s probably true a whole bunch of you out there didn’t know the Gibson Victory Bass even existed, so here’s a quick history lesson on it. The … Read more
(Pictured above: 1982 Gibson Victory Bass Standard) When one thinks of “old bass,” and we’re specifically talking about electric basses here, certain makes and models come to mind such as a ’65 Hofner or maybe a ’62 Fender Jazz Bass or the like. However, it’s generally true that anything 25 years of age or older … Read more
The feature bass this week has cherry wood that is 70 years old! Builder Zak Yannarella writes: This is a handcrafted 34″ scale 4 string bass. Its neck dimensions and pick-up placements are similar to that of a Jazz Bass. The body is ash with a 1/4 thick veneer of cherry, this cherry tree was … Read more
