Category Archives: Bass

Dennis Dunaway Used Rotosounds on the Alice Cooper Group Classic “School’s Out”

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Dennis Dunaway, original bass player with the Alice Cooper Group was recently asked about what he used to record the classic track ‘School’s out’ and gave the following revealing story : “I had just finished recording a track in the studio when a roadie came in with some new strings called Rotosound. I strung up my bass and immediately decided to re-dub the bass part on the track. The song – well it was “School’s Out” – and the rest as they say is history!”

Dennis Dunaway, co writer of “School’s Out”, has used Rotosound RS 66LD 45-105 Swing Bass strings ever since. In fact the Fender Custom Shop will soon announce a limited edition of the Billion Dollar Bass, which is a remarkably detailed replica of Dennis’s original 1970 Fender Jazz Bass that he used on the majority of the Alice Cooper Group recordings. This was the first bass that he used Rotosound Strings on, to record “School’s Out.”

Fans of Dennis and the original Alice Cooper Group (ACG) recently saw him use his Rotosound strung bass ‘live’ at the ground breaking Jagermeister Ice Cold Event at Battersea Power Station in 4-D Holographic form on 11th May 2011. This performance was the first one since 1972 to ‘feature’ the surviving members of the band, all together overseas. Billed at the ‘UK’s first holographic 4D rock gig’, the performance was shot in a Hollywood studio and beamed onto the eight metre Battersea stage. Recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the group’s appearance celebrates the release on 6th June 2011 of the collectable ‘Old School: 1964-1974’ box set which captures the bands early shock rock years.

Dennis currently plays live with his bands Blue Coupe and Fifth Avenue Vampires.

For more information about Rotosound and its endorsees visit www.rotosound.com and to buy on-line visit http://ukstore.rotosound.com/home/index/7454.1

Posted in Bass, Guitar, News, Strings

Troy D. Antunes to host Institute bass masterclass

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance is delighted to welcome one of the busiest bass players and Musical Directors in contemporary, commercial music, Troy D. Antunes, for an intimate and exclusive bass masterclass at their London facility on Tuesday 20th June 2011.

Those who may have read his cover story from this month’s Bass Guitar magazine will already know that Troy, who is also known as FunkySillohuette, has been an integral part of the music industry for over 20 years. He has worked with some of the most successful high-profile pop artist of recent times, including the Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Gloria Estefan, Marky Mark, Ciara and Samantha Mumba.

As a music producer Troy has developed the sound of a diverse range of artists from hip hop legend DMX to Liz McClarnon of Atomic Kitten and Bradley McIntosh, formally of the group S Club 7, for each of their solo projects.

Troy is now based in the UK where he runs FunkyViva Productions Ltd – a Production and Management company.

For more information on this Masterclass or other events at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Bass, Education, Events

Rotosound Add 45-100 Gauge Nickel Strings To Their Swing Bass Range

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Rotosound have just added 45-100 gauge nickel strings to the Swing Bass range, their popular round wound bass string range.

Round wound strings were developed by Rotosound at the behest of the Who’s John Entwhistle, who was looking for a brighter, more piano like bass tone to complement his trebly and fleet fingered lead bass style. Introduced in 1962, with widespread usage since the 1970’s, they changed the bass sound instantly, and have led the pack ever since.

Bass players insist on resilient, versatile and consistent strings, which give them the sound they want. The Swing Bass range offers 4 to 8 string sets in a wide range of gauges, made from either stainless steel or nickel, with a choice of double ball ends or not and even non standard lengths. All have the red silk ends making them instantly recognisable as Rotosound.

The new 45-100 gauge nickel strings ( Product Code RS66LN ) are manufactured to the same high specification as the Swing Bass Stainless Steel sets, but are much, much smoother to play. The slightly muted, smoother tone, with the vintage vibe of the nickel plate makes them a good alternative to the punchier sounding stainless steel. These strings are kinder to your fingers with their softer feel and give a warmer sound which develops the more you play them.

Árni Hjörvar the bass player of The Vaccines uses the RS66LN 45-100 Swing Bass Nickel strings to get his distinctive sound. The Vaccines were recently placed third in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll, and have been nominated for MTV’s ‘Best New Band of 2011’ award. BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe declared their demo single ‘If You Wanna’ released summer 2010 the ‘Hottest Record in the World’ and their first single ‘Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra RA)’ was Q Magazine’s ‘Track Of The Day’, following its release in November 2010.

All Rotosound strings are produced using a highly secretive, quality manufacturing process. Many are still made today the same as they were back in the 1960’s helping them retain their unique tone and sound, and Rotosound are passionate about keeping it that way. To find out more visit www.rotosound.com.

Posted in Bass, Guitar, Strings

Ampeg Offers Bassists and Guitarists a Chance to Win

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Ampeg today announces the Other Side of the Stage Facebook contest to promote their all-new GVT Series All-Tube Guitar Amplifiers.

“We need you Ampeg-obsessed bassists to help us to spread the word about our new GVT Series all-tube guitar amps, coming out this summer,” commented Paul Audi, Ampeg marketing manager. “Spread the word for a chance to win an all-new GVT52-212 Guitar Combo for your guitarist and an all-new PF-350 and PF-210HLF for you.”

To learn more and to enter the contest go to Ampeg’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/AmpegUSA on April 6th, contest ends April 30th.

Visit Ampeg during Musikmesse from April 6-9, 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany in Halle 4.1, Stand E31.  For more information about the new GVT Series Guitar Amps visit www.ampeg.com/GVT.

Posted in Amplification, Bass, Guitar, Special Offers

Back by Popular Demand – Ampeg Continues Heritage Series Build Plan into 2011

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Following the sell-out of all 2010 units, Ampeg today announces the 2011 build plan for the U.S.-built Heritage Series. First launched at NAMM in 2010, the Heritage SVT-CL, Heritage SVT-810E and Heritage SVT-410HLF represent the pinnacle of classic Ampeg tone, styling and construction.

“Ampeg customers wanted premium, U.S.-built Ampeg products, and we are pleased to see continued demand for this series,” remarks Ampeg’s director of amplification, Pyotr Belov. “We’ve re-jigged the production numbers to better reflect demand and are proud to be building Heritage SVT gear in a newly upgraded facility at our home office in Washington State.”

Ampeg’s Heritage Series heads deliver massive, all-tube power using premium JJ tubes for the preamp stage and power tubes. The Heritage SVT-CL pushes 300 watts of power, which is perfect for the companion cabinets. The Heritage SVT-810E and SVT-410HLF both feature custom U.S.-made Eminence® drivers and are built using rugged 15 mm birch plywood.

The Heritage SVT-CL has a U.S. MSRP of $3359.99, the Heritage SVT-810E has a U.S. MSRP of $1819.99 and the Heritage SVT-410HLF has a U.S. MSRP of $1259.99.

Posted in Accessories, Bass, Guitar

Avid Announces Eleven Rack Expansion Pack

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Eleven Rack Expansion Pack: Expanded Guitar Amp Emulation, Vocal and Bass Workflows and Effect.

The Eleven Rack Expansion Pack, a software add-on option for Avid’s award-winning Eleven Rack guitar amp and effects processor, provides a series of new features and enhancements to the system, including:

  • New guitar and bass amp effects emulations—deliver users an expanded sonic palette with 19 new guitar amp and effects emulations, including an all-new bass amp/cabinet simulation that invokes the sounds of legendary bass tones.
  • Parametric EQ and studio compressor channel strip effects—allow customers to easily capture vocal and instrument performances using new channel strip-style signal processing.
  • Dynamic stereo delay—provides customers more options to enhance their sound, create custom effects and widen their guitar tone with full ducking, panning and filtering control on delay feedback.
  • Speaker break-up emulation—re-creates the natural distortion characteristics heard when turning up an analog amp with speaker breakup emulation added to all amps.

Pricing and availability

The Eleven Rack Expansion Pack will be available worldwide on March 22, 2011 for $99 USD / £76.95 via the Avid Web store only.

www.Shop.Avid.com

Specific link to product: http://shop.avid.com/store/product.do?product=324834580953840

For more information on features and availability, visit: www.avid.com.

Posted in Amplification, Bass, Effects, Guitar, Software, Technology

Jazz fusion master, Laurence Cottle to host Institute masterclass

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Planet-Musician

The Institute is pleased to welcome back their revered visiting faculty member Laurence Cottle for an exclusive bass masterclass at their London facility on Thursday 31st March.

Laurence has performed with some of the world’s greatest artists including Sting, Cher, Brian Eno, Eric Clapton and Black Sabbath.  He is well known and highly respected for his incredible talent in jazz fusion, has recorded music for films such as Lethal Weapon and Mr. Holland’s Opus and is a master of live performance.  Laurence has also composed music for television shows including Matlock, the Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America.

During the day, Institute students will be given the chance to have private lessons with Laurence, followed by a masterclass where the Bass expert will speak about his industry experiences, and demonstrate new techniques.

For more information events and masterclasses at the Institute, contact us directly:

Posted in Bass, Education, Events

Rotosound Launch Multi-Purpose Digital Tuners

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Rotosound are proud to launch their new Digital Clip-On Tuner and Metronome Tuner designed to be used with a range of stringed instruments including the guitar, bass, ukulele, violin and viola.

These tuners are intuitive to use and work by simply clipping the unit on your instrument, where it can pick up the sting vibration. When the note is played the digital tuner displays it and indicates how close you are to having that note in tune helping you accurately get perfect pitch every time.

The Clip-On Tuner (Product Code AT350) comes with the following specifications:

  • Tuning Items: Chromatic, Guitar, Bass, Violin, Viola
  • Tuning Key: C, F, B♭, E♭
  • Detection Range: A0 (27.5Hz) to C8(4186.0Hz)
  • Pitch Range: 430Hz to 450Hz (1Hz stops)
  • Detection Accuracy: ± 0.5%

The Metronome Tuner (Product Code AMT530) has the following additional specifications:

  • Tuning Items: Ukulele
  • Tempo Range: 30bpm to 260bpm

These ingeniously designed tuners are highly sensitive, very useable, convenient, reliable as well as being stylish with easy to read displays. The build, design and performance of these compact, light weight tuners are of the highest specification and quality. They are also highly affordable:

The Clip-On Tuner AT350 is £16.95 ($19.95)

The Clip-On Metronome Tuner AMT530 is £17.95 ($21.95)

Rotosound Tuners are designed for players that want easy tuning from a tuner with high performance and consistency. To find out more visit www.rotosound.com.

Posted in Accessories, Bass, Guitar

Rotosound Endorsees Bruce Foxton, Paul Geary and Martin Turner To Appear At The London Bass Guitar Show 2011

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Rotosound are pleased to announce a killer line-up of top artists and fantastic show offers on their stand at the forthcoming London Bass Guitar Show 2011.

Bruce Foxton, bass player of The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers, will be joining them on the stand at 1pm on Saturday 12th March. Bruce was recently immortalised on the Cavern Club wall earlier this year alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry. Recognition indeed for his part in the English Rock and Roll establishment as part of the driving force, power and rhythm section of legendary band The Jam.

At 3pm on the Saturday top session bassist Paul Geary will be on the Rotosound stand. Paul is currently playing with Nik Kershaw and has recorded and toured with many artists including Mary J Blige, Simply Red, Rachel Stevens, George Michael and The Lighthouse Family.

On Sunday at 1pm, Rotosound will have new endorsee and founder member of Wishbone Ash,

Martin Turner on their stand. Martin is the original bassist, lead vocalist and songwriter of Wishbone Ash who now leads the band Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash.

To really make this an unmissable show, Rotosound will be offering a free black webbing guitar strap with every set of strings purchased at the show.

For more information about Rotosound and its endorsees visit www.rotosound.com and see the show website at www.londonbassguitarshow.com.

Posted in Bass, Events, Strings

Frankfurt Musikmesse 2011: Ampeg Announces Two New BA Series Combo Practice Amps

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Planet-Musician

Classic Ampeg tone in portable, affordable designs.

Ampeg proudly announces the ultra-compact, incredibly affordable new BA-108 and BA-110. Ideal for virtually any practice environment, these latest additions to the highly successful BA Series combos are the first-ever genuine Ampeg amps designed specifically for entry-level bassists.

“Classic tone, lightweight and rugged design, practice-friendly features…,” remarks Ampeg product manager, Zane Williams. “The new BA Series combo amps are the very definition of a portable practice amp.”

The 25-watt BA-108 and 35-watt BA-110 are perfect for beginning bassists, offering tools like 3-band EQ, MP3 input and a headphone out for silent practice. The high-output, custom-designed 8˝ (BA-108) and 10˝ (BA-110) speakers are specifically matched to the powerful amplifiers for optimal performance. The impact resistant, tilt-back cabinet design features durable black tolex, white piping and Ampeg’s classic logo badge. The designs are lightweight and portable (both under 32 lbs / 14.5 kg), each with an integrated carrying handle.

The new Ampeg BA Series combo amps will be available in the U.S. in April, 2011 and internationally in May, 2011. The BA-108 will be €125 inc. tax & £105 inc. VAT and the BA-110 will be €225 inc. tax & £189 inc. VAT. Visit Ampeg during Musikmesse from April 6-9, 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany in Halle 4.1, Stand E31.  For more detailed product information, please visit www.ampeg.com.

Posted in Amplification, Bass, Frankfurt Musikmesse