Bax Music, one of Europe’s largest musical instrument retailers, files for bankruptcy and ceases operations
The Dutch retailer currently employs over 300 people across six brick-and-mortar stores and its online division
Latest
Sterling by Music Man completes its trilogy of Joe Dart signature models with a trio of made-to-order basses that cost less than $500
The Vulfpeck funk maestro has unveiled two all-new models that slash more than $2k off the price of his Ernie Ball Music Man basses – and revived the OG Sterling Dart I that proved such a hit last year
On July 3, 1973, David Bowie retired Ziggy Stardust – that same day, Steve Jones stole his equipment
Turns out the Sex Pistols guitarist had a lucrative “side hustle” as a gear thief...
Mick Rogers recalls Kiss supporting Manfred Mann's Earth Band in their early days
Kiss opened for Manfred Mann's Earth Band back in 1974, hot on the heels of their self-titled debut album
Laney and Nathan East team up for a versatile signature bass head that ends a 40-year wait for the session legend
East, one of the most celebrated bass players in history, knows a thing or two about tone – and he’s put practicality at the forefront of his new signature model
One of the UK’s biggest music retailers takes website offline and shuts store for “maintenance”, fueling closure speculation
GAK, which opened in 1992 and has become a community staple in Brighton, was acquired in 2021 with the aim of expanding the business and its online presence
TC Electronic upgrades its beloved looper with the Ditto 2 – but can it keep up in an increasingly competitive market?
The Ditto was lauded for its simplicity, and now it’s back with more features than ever – and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to operate
Bassists
John Myung on how the return of Mike Portnoy has changed the band – and his bass playing
Parasomnia is Dream Theater's first new album with drummer Mike Portnoy for 16 years
21 slap bass legends who made thumpin’ and pluckin’ their own
From the godfather of thumpin’ and pluckin’ to Victor Wooten’s game-changing slap technique, we bring you the players that you must know if you want to call yourself a true bass aficionado
How Nicole Row went from a wild ride in Panic! at the Disco to laying down the low-end in Incubus – and rerecording their biggest album
The former Panic! At The Disco bassist on the challenges she faced when replacing Ben Kenney in the alt-rock institution – and why she’s finally come around to using a pick…
The bassists of James Brown reveal what life was really like playing alongside the Godfather of Soul
Fred Thomas, Ray Brundidge and Bootsy Collins dig into what it meant to play with Soul Band No. 1
20 funk bass legends who took low-end groove to new heights
A rundown of the best funk bass players of all time, featuring the trailblazers, the early innovators, and the monster groovers around today
“There’s an art to simplicity, and Jason Newsted brought that art”: The bassists of Metallica
From Ron McGovney to Robert Trujillo, we trace the evolution of Metallica’s low-end sound
“If Leo Fender could come back today I think he would approve”: 10 6-string bassists you need to know
From John Myung to Felix Pastorius to Thundercat, we follow their historic quest for the ultimate extended-range axe
Bass Gear
Sterling by Music Man completes its trilogy of Joe Dart signature models with a trio of made-to-order basses that cost less than $500
The Vulfpeck funk maestro has unveiled two all-new models that slash more than $2k off the price of his Ernie Ball Music Man basses – and revived the OG Sterling Dart I that proved such a hit last year
Laney and Nathan East team up for a versatile signature bass head that ends a 40-year wait for the session legend
East, one of the most celebrated bass players in history, knows a thing or two about tone – and he’s put practicality at the forefront of his new signature model
Tobias instruments were trailblazers in the bass world. Now they’re back as part of the Gibson family
Luthier Michael Tobias’ ergonomic and tonally versatile bass guitars were lauded in the late ’70s, and now Gibson has spearheaded their return
“We’ve only changed the strings one time”: Travis Barker reveals the bass he uses on everything he records
The Blink-182 drummer and producer has made a revelation about a go-to bass that has proved perfect for almost every record he's produced
Seymour Duncan pushes the boundaries of its PowerStage series with dedicated bass unit
The latest PowerStage offers an onboard preamp and built-in overdrive in a bid to cover all bases for bassists
Jack Bruce’s Gibson EB-1 is going up for a one-time-only public display
Bruce’s iconic EB-1 will go on display for four weeks at the Gibson Garage in London as part of the Gibson Garage Fest later this month
Tim Commerford’s new Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay is a love letter to the pawnshop bass that crafted the first Rage record
Passive and active editions have been launched, but both come optimized with some clever, player-adjustable additions
Reviews
“My initial reaction was to marvel at just how creative an effect it is”: DigiTech MonoNeon Whammy review
Designed in collaboration with bassist Dywane Thomas Jr, aka MonoNeon, this tone-bending pedal delivers signature sounds in the Whammy format
“Playing the Bass VI is a really strange experience”: Squier Limited Edition Classic Vibe Bass VI review
Part bass, part guitar, we get to grips with the Classic Vibe version of Fender’s very own dichotomy of tone
“Gene Simmons used a Grabber for a reason – because they play like nothing else on earth”: Epiphone Grabber Bass review
With its classic looks and budget-friendly price tag, is the revived Grabber still as iconic?
“In terms of sheer value for money, it’s hard to beat”: Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Artist Series Bass review
On paper, the Sterling Joe Dart model looks like a remarkable reproduction of Music Man’s pro-standard version. Could this be as good as it gets for a $399 bass?
“Thrill-seekers wishing to add ear-melting fuzz to their bass will be in tonal nirvana”: Goliath FX Hornburg Fuzz review
With drive tones verging on the mythical, is this the ultimate bass fuzz?
“As a compact amp modeler/cab simulator/Capture device, this is perhaps the best option out there, screen or no screen”: Neural DSP Nano Cortex review
The follow-up to the game-changing Quad Cortex is here at last, and with its ultra-powerful Nano Cortex, Neural DSP has set its sights on challenging IK Multimedia and Kemper to offer the ultimate all-in-one rig solution
Fender Vintera II ’60s Precision Bass review
Vintage looks? Timeless P-Bass tones? We size up the latest incarnation of Fender’s flagship 4-string
“You’d be hard-pushed to find a bass sound that you couldn’t gig with almost immediately”: Boss Katana-500 Bass Head review
This newly developed, feature-packed bass head features an Amp Feel switch and ‘Cabinet Resonance’ calibration technology to get the best from your cab – but is it a game-changer for bassists?
“If you can handle the fanned frets, this is a bass you’ll cherish for decades”: Dingwall John Taylor Signature review
After playing a custom Dingwall live with Duran Duran, John Taylor has launched his production model, loaded with a new bridge design, a Rupert Neve Design preamp to die for and a monster tonal range