Ampeg's Vintage Scroll Bass

In 1966, Ampeg launched their unique collection of long-scale "Horizontal Basses" (commonly called the "scroll" and also "f-hole" basses). They were produced in both fretted and fretless versions (known for being the very first production fretless electric bass guitar).

Most of these were crafted using a headstock very similar to those seen on a vertical bass or cello, for this reason these types of instruments are generally referred to as "Scroll Basses."

The one with the most eye-catching design goes by the nickname of "Devil Bass" featuring unique slender horns, however the circuitry was the same. Initially employing a "mystery" pickup underneath the bridge, they ended up being re-designed somewhere around 1968 to go with a traditional magnetic pickup.

In addition, a short-scale fretted and fretless bass using magnetic pickups was also manufactured, known simply as the SSB (short scale bass).

For more information check out Vintage Bass.

Top Ten Bass Players of All Time

Rolling Stone ran one of their weekly polls recently asking their readers to pick the top 10 bassists of all time.

The results are in but it's really hard to narrow the range down to only ten. Obviously some great players are going to be left out but this lists looks really solid.

Check it out for yourself along with video clips of the top ten in action at: Top 10 Bassists

Thanks for reading: Vintage Bass Guitar

The Val-Pro 85 "Map Bass" Vintage Bass Guitar

They say good things come in small packages and the Valco/National Val-Pro 85 vintage bass guitar surely fits the bill.

Its large white body shaped like a map of the United States (frankly, I don't see it) is rather deceptive. It gives the impression that it is a much larger bass than it actually is but its scale length was only 25 inches, the same as an electric guitar.

The body was also made from a unique polyester/fiberglass compound which was a huge departure from the woods that were typically used during the early 1960s. This made it a lot cheaper to mass-produce and they could create molds to make any design they wanted.

Personally I think this is a great looking bass. Considering its short scale and that it was made from synthetic materials it was surprising that it sounded as good as it did.

For images and the full story visit: Vintage Bass Guitar

Win an Ansir Custom Built Bass

Ansir Music is sponsoring a custom bass giveaway (valued at $2,000) to help all kick off spring 2011.

Ansir Music is custom bass builder that is based in Ohio and consists of the founder Jody Michael and designer and artist-level woodworker Deric Smith.

 

The lucky winner gets a custom-built Ansir bass, designed in collaboration with the Ansir team. Once the bass is finished, videos of the building process will be posted so everyone can view how the lucky winner’s dream bass came into being.

The first stop is Ansir’s patented playing angle technology. The Ansir team will personally work with the winner to figure out their perfect playing angle so that the bass is ergonomically designed specifically for them. The winner will also choose from the wide variety of state-of-the-art features Ansir offers in every custom bass build including choosing the wood, hardware, tone inlays, finish, etc.
 

So what are you waiting for? Enter Ansir’s contest right now and keep your fingers crossed!

The contest ends April 25th, 2011. Enter at: Ansir Contest

Info by: Vintage Bass Guitar

Paul McCartney Playing Bill Black's Bass

A fun short video with Paul McCartney doing an Elvis impersonation while playing the original upright bass Bill Black used in backing up The King. It's a clip from his 2006 movie "Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road."

Just thought you might enjoy it: Vintage Bass Guitar

Steinberger "Headless" Vintage Bass Guitar

So what do you do when you want to try something different than build cabinets or design ergonomic furniture? Well, what about designing bass guitars? That may not seem like the next logical step on your career path but that's what Ned Steinberger did and he gave us the L2 or "Headless" vintage bass guitar.

Now, if you're a purist you probably prefer the look of a traditional beautifully carved wood bass with sweeping curves. If that's the case you would probably think that a headless bass made out of graphite is a monstrosity, many did. But Steinberger didn't design this bass for aesthetic reasons he based it on ergonomics as he did with his furniture. He felt the typical bass was unbalanced because the heavy tuners are located at the end of the long neck, so he decided to move the tuners to the butt end of the bass. This led to an interesting design, to say the least, and one which was not readily accepted.

Read more about this bass at: Vintage Bass Guitar

2011 Primus U.S. Tour Dates

Les Claypool and Primus will be touring the U.S. this spring to help promote their first studio album release in 11 years.The album is due out during the tail end of spring or early summer.

The tour will take them primarily through the South with a few dates in the Mid-West. 

Tickets are now available for presale, but you will need to use the password “salmonman”.

Check out the tour dates and purchase tickets at: Primus Tour

Info by Vintage Bass Guitar

Learn to Play Bass With Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton

Here is an opportunity to learn bass from one of the world's most accomplished musicians!

Bassist Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith is teaming up with CharityBuzz.com to auction off an exclusive bass lesson with Mr. Sweet Emotion himself. All proceeds go to benefit the “Music and Youth Initiative.”

Aerosmith, of course, is the best-selling U.S. hard rock band ever. Tom co-authored some of their hits like “Sweet Emotion”, “Jamie’s Got a Gun”, “Jaded”, “Sick as a Dog” and “Uncle Salty.”

Check out the details on how you can win a Tom Hamilton bass lesson.

 

Info by Vintage Bass Guitar.

Victor Wooten/Steve Bailey Concerts

The two world-renown musicians and teachers are masters of their craft, Wooten having thrice been named Bass Player magazine's Bassist of the Year, and Bailey twice a runner up for the honor. Each have a who's who of performance and recording credits under their collective belts. Within their 20-year friendship the two have toured together, recorded together, and taught together.

Even though they are playing essentially the same instrument, their styles are dramatically different. You can find videos of them on YouTube playing anything from "Chick from Corea" to the "Benny Hill Theme."

Tonight, March 3, they will perform at 6pm and again at 8pm at the intimate, 150-seat Edwards Recital Hall at CCU's College of Humanities and Fine Arts in Myrtle Beach, SC

Saturday they will be at the SCBDA Jazz Festival at Newberry College, SC. The show begins at 9am with Wooten and Bailey scheduled to take the stage at 1pm.

Sunday may be you best bet to see them together when they appear at Beckwith Recital Hall, Cultural Arts building, Randall Drive at UNCW in Wilmington, NC. The show starts at 4pm.

You can get further info here: Steve Bailey

Info by Vintage Bass Guitar

Dan Armstrong Lucite Vintage Bass Guitar

On the one hand you had Ampeg which was a renowned maker of amplifiers and had recently started offering their own bass and guitar line.

On the other hand there was Dan Armstrong who was a studio musician and owner of his own guitar repair shop. Besides repairs, he also improved the look and sound of instruments with his modifications.

In the late 60s the two would combine to create the Dan Armstrong Lucite Bass, an eye-catching jaw-dropping instrument if there ever was one.

Check out the full story here: Vintage Bass Guitar

Larry Graham's Funk Around the World Tour

Larry Graham is cited with inventing the slap technique… he calls it Thumpin’ & Pluckin’. He took Graham Central Station out on a tour around the world last year and in 2011 he's going to be touring the U.S., at least for a portion of the year.

After he appeared on Prince's "Welcome 2 America" tour for a few dates he has announced his own set of concert dates this year. His "Funk Around the World Tour" begins April 8 in San Francisco.

Check out the rest of his schedule and see special packages on his website: Larry Graham

Info by Vintage Bass Guitar

Win a Free Bass Lesson (via Skype) from Marcus Miller

To celebrate the release of Marcus Miller's latest album "A Night In Monte-Carlo" Concord Music Group is doing something cool.They are running a contest where the grand prize is a bass lesson with Marcus Miller via Skype.

Check out the details and sign-up here: Marcus Miller

Info by Vintage Bass Guitar

B.C. Rich and Their Vintage Bass Guitars of the 70s & early 80s

B.C. Rich created some unusual guitar shapes that were, and still are, very popular. Their first truly unique design was the Mockingbird which appeared in 1976. In 1981 B.C. Rich gave us their most famous bass model the Warlock.

Their unconventional body styles are what set B.C. Rich apart from other manufacturers of guitars.

Check out the full story here: Vintage Bass Guitars

Gerald Veasley’s 2011 Bass BootCamp

Gerald Veasley's Bass BootCamp was founded in 2002 by Gerald Veasley, Roxanne Veasley and Lee Patterson. Since that time, the bootcamp has served more than 500 bass players from around the world. The players learn, perform and are exposed to many of the leading bass players along with bass related music concerts.

This year marks a milestone as it is the 10th anniversary Bass Boot Camp, and they have announced that Rhonda Smith will be one of the instructors along with Veasley, Adam Nitti, Jimmy Haslip, Anthony Wellington, David Dyson, Bryan Beller and Richard Waller.

The camp is open to all bassists, from beginners to advanced and runs from March 25 through 27, 2011 in Wyomissing, PA.

Check out all the details here: Bass Bootcamp

Vintage Bass Guitar suggests you check it out soon if interested as space is limited.

Victor Wooten Bass Clinic Dates

Hartke Amplification has provided Victor Wooten's bass clinic dates. If you're anywhere in the area you'll definitely want to check it out.

"In March Victor Wooten will be touring with the Victor Wooten Band and hosting Hartke in store bass clinics at selected Hartke dealers. Meet, hear, and learn from the most in demand bassist and teacher anywhere. Victor clinics will open your eyes to many new possibilities no matter what instrument you play. Details below" -Hartke

Clinic Dates:

Tuesday, March 15 – Minneapolis, MN
Twin Town Guitars (2PM)
3400 South Lyndale Ave. Minneapolis, MN

Friday, March 18th – New Berlin, WI
Cascio Interstate Music (2PM)
13819 West National Ave. New Berlin, WI

Monday, March 21st – Rochester, NY
House of Guitars (2PM)
645 Titus Ave. Rochester, NY

Wednesday, March 23rd – Sterling, VA
Melodee Music (2PM)
46077 Lake Center Plaza Sterling, VA

Thursday, March 14th – Boston, MA
Daddy’s Junky Music (2PM)
159-165 Mass Ave. Boston, MA

Friday, March 25th – New York, NY
Sam Ash Music (1-3PM)
160 W. 48th St. New York, NY

Info brought to you by: Vintage Bass Guitar

Become an Ampeg Product demonstrator at The London Bass Guitar Show

Do you have what it takes to be a demonstrator for one of the world's leading bass amplification brands? Ampeg is offering one lucky winner the chance to win not only this opportunity but also the prospect of walking away with Ampeg gear worth in excess of £2000. Here's what they have to say...

As a demonstrator the winner will be at the forefront of the low end scene, demonstrating the hottest Ampeg gear live at the new London Bass Guitar Show 2011. Then the winner gets to take home with the Ampeg SVT7Pro Head, SVT410HLF Cab and SVT15E Cab with a total RRP of £2103 inc. VAT.

If you think you have what it takes to demonstrate these amazing products email them at youtube@bassguitarmagazine.com and upload a video of yourself showing how you can display your bass playing abilities. Your performance, exhibiting all things low end, will be judged by the editor of Bass Guitar Magazine and a senior member of the Loud Technologies Inc. / Ampeg team.

Check out all the details here:London Bass Guitar Show

Information brought to you by Vintage Bass Guitar.

Les Claypool Designing Own Unique Bass

Les Claypool was sporting a mystery bass while performing at Primus’ New Year’s Eve shows and he has finally let the cat out of the bag.

According to Les, what he played was a prototype that “I designed and had built by my old pal Dan Maloney.”

You may, or may not know, that Claypool's "Banji" was also built by Maloney.

Les mentioned that it's a design that he has been working on for awhile now which incorporates some elements from his favorite basses. "Besides my own design fanciness, it is part Fender Jazz Bass, Precision, Rickenbacker 4001, Carl Thompson, Jaguar E-Type (yes, the car) and a bit of Dr. Suess… Ideally some of these instruments I’m developing will be available at some point but I want to work with and refine the bass for a while before we start selling them.”

Claypool has typically been associated with Carl Thompson basses, so he's going to have to raise the bar with his new bass.

Les went on to say: “I am a picky bastard and for me to put my Carl Thompson aside, this has got to be an exceptional instrument. Some may wonder why I didn’t have Carl make the instrument and the answer is that Carl is a unique artist and his designs stand on their own. Carl’s instruments are beautiful because they are all unique unto themselves.”

Well, no arguing with that. Just don't expect to purchase Claypool's design anytime soon.

To read about some truly unique classic basses check out Vintage Bass Guitar.

The Fender Bass V Guitar

Fender is no stranger when it comes to being the first to create a unique instrument... (Precision Bass anyone?)

It should therefore be no surprise to anyone to learn that in 1965 Fender produced the first 5-string bass ever made, the Bass V. What might surprise you, however, was its lack of success.

The Bass V was oddly designed but even stranger was how that 5th string was used. These factors combined gave Fender another first... it was the first Fender bass to be discontinued.

You can read about this unique instrument here: Fender Bass Guitar.

The Vintage Black Widow Bass by Acoustic

Black Widow was a perfect name given to this bass. It had a black finish with a large red pad on the backside that had an hourglass design stitched into it, what else could it be called? It was a really cool looking and sounding instrument which was mostly made in Japan during the early 1970s.

Sold by amplifier maker Acoustic, it was actually manufactured by several different companies during its brief lifespan. One of these companies was Mosrite, as Semie Moseley reportedly made a few hundred Black Widow guitars and basses.

For more information check out Vintage Acoustic.

Marcus Miller “A Night in Monte-Carlo” Contest: Enter to win CDs, DR Strings, Back Stage Passes, etc.

As a bassist, composer, producer and all-around musical artist Marcus Miller has been a student and a leader, a creator and an interpreter of music since his teenage years.

His latest album, A Night in Monte-Carlo made its U.S. debut on February 1. To celebrate its release, the Concord Music Group along with DR Strings joined forces to give you a chance to win some cool prizes.

The Grand Prize consists of 2 backstage passes to a Marcus Miller show, an autographed copy of "A Night in Monte-Carlo" and four sets of "Fat Beams" bass strings. But even if you don't win the grand prize there will be an assortment of prizes given out to 25 other winners.

You can check out the details and fill out the entry form at this link: Marcus Miller.

When your done why not visit Fender Bass to learn about the signature bass that Marcus Miller uses.

Victor Wooten Releases New Album

VICTOR WOOTEN RE-RELEASES UNIQUE RECORDING

 

Fifteen years after releasing his groundbreaking debut CD:A Show of Hands, 5-time Grammy winner Victor Wooten is doing it again with his first release of 2011: A Show of Hands – 15.

Celebrating the fifteen-year anniversary of the original release in 1996, A Show of Hands – 15 hits the streets in March, which will also mark the launch of VIX RECORDS - Victor’s new self owned record label.

Years ago, Wooten shocked the music world by doing something no one had ever done before. With only two hands, one 4-string bass guitar, and no overdubs, he secured his place in history by releasing a masterful CD that raised the level and credibility of the instrument into a class previously reserved only for pianist and guitarist.

A Show of Hands – 15 is a re-mastered version that includes 3 bonus tracks, two of which feature Wooten’s longtime friend and drummer JD Blair, as well as an unedited live solo performance showcasing Wooten’s astonishing command of the bass guitar.

Heralded as “the Michael Jordan of the bass” and “the most influential bassist since Jaco Pastorius”, Victor has gone on to win just about every award possible for a bass guitarist, including Bass Player Magazine’s Bassist of the Year Award (which he won three times - the only person to win it more than once.)

Beginning with A Show of Hands – 15, Victor Wooten will begin taking complete control of his creations by releasing all of his future recordings through VIX RECORDS. Wooten says of his label, “We aim to provide, by example, a different standard and model for record labels and artists, as well as for how they relate to each other. Following my successful approach of creating Music that focuses on filling my soul rather than my pockets, I’ve found that this is the best recipe for doing both.“

Thanks for reading: Vintage Bass Guitar

Silvertone Vintage Bass Guitars

Silvertone was a Sears brand name that was used on musical instruments from the 1930s to the early 1970s.

Although their guitars were inexpensive they produced a sound you would expect from far more expensive instruments.

Find out why their guitars sounded so great at Vintage Bass Guitars.

 

Hook Up Your Vintage Bass to a Vintage Amp... Sort of

From reissued vintage bass guitars to reissued vintage amps.

Ampeg has decided to recreate the legendary Heritage B-15 amp using two circuit paths with separate channels based on the 1964 and 1966 models.

They are hand made and hand wired in the good old USA with the goal being to equal or surpass the look, tone and performance of the original.

They have limited production to only 50 units so they may not be around for too long.

Of course all this craftsmanship does come at a hefty price, namely $4k (the last I saw).

You can check out the look and specs here: Ampeg

 

What Makes Vintage Bass Guitars So Popular?

A vintage bass guitar possesses an appeal that the majority of present day guitars can't match.

Vintage stands for a classic and everlasting appeal which endures for ages. It's their exceptional quality that people still appreciate long after production has ceased. Such instruments possess a worth which is truly unique.

Bass guitars manufactured from the 1950's to 1970"s are held in high regard and many popular artists love the feel and look of these classic works of art. Over time, the bass guitar has changed from a simple instrument which just creates sound to an instrument that is treasured by many rock and roll buffs.

However, a vintage bass guitar isn’t merely a collector's item. There are numerous musicians throughout the world who love to perform on these amazing instruments which, although old, have a charm as well as a sound which is unequalled.

The workmanship, styling and materials used in making these vintage bass guitars are viewed as being far superior to those used today. As a result, they can command quite a bit of money depending on their condition. The only downside to owning one is the fact that you might not be able to make repairs or replace components with original parts.

A vintage bass guitar has a personality which is all its own and it is just as distinct as the musicians who play them.

Fender launches 60th Anniversary Precision Bass

"The Precision was and still is the first word in electric bass; an instrument that transformed popular music and created a new kind of musician - the electric bassist."

That quote pretty much says it all. Sixty years after it was first released, the P-Bass has been reincarnated... again. Check out the details and photos at 60th Anniv

Better yet, head on over to Vintage Bass Guitars to learn all about the original Precision Bass.

Vintage Bass Guitar - The Mosrite Story

Semie Moseley founded Mosrite in 1956 and built high quality custom guitars with some imaginative designs.

Their biggest claim to fame, however, came in the '60s when they partnered with a popular band to promote their instruments.

Read all about Mosrite at Vintage Bass Guitar.

Mary J. Blige picks up bass guitar

Apparently she ordered a bass for herself and is now taking lessons. Check out the link: Mary J. Blige

A bass makes everybody look even better. Check out some legendary basses at Vintage Bass Guitar.