Bassweek #9: new bass Shector CB4, crooked Fender, an Italian booster, DIY from Harley Benton, AI music generator
In this episode: a new bass from Shector, anniversary Boss pedals, a crooked Fender, an Italian booster, DIY from Harley Benton, and another AI music generator. Get comfortable, put like, let’s go!
- Shector signature CB-4 bass.
- BOSS anniversary pedals.
- New Fender pickup.
- Harley Benton DIY bass kit (MB Style Kit Bass).
- AI Pack Generator
- HeliumX / Ghost Saddle from Graph Tech Guitar Labs.
- OPFXS Twin Boost effect.
- Korpiklaani have announced a new album entitled “Rankarumpu”.
- Cautionary story.
The Shector company and famous bass blogger Charles Berthoud have introduced a new signature bass Shector CB-4. The body is made of ash with a flame maple top, and the neck is a pie of walnut, padauk, and carbon fiber with a rosewood fretboard. The bass has neck-through construction. The body has a deep cutout for easier access to high frets. The neck itself is quite narrow. The guitar is equipped with two active pickups and a three-band equalizer from EMG. The bass easily allows you to get both a vintage soapy and a modern punchy sound. Grover tuners and Schecter Diamond Custom bridge installed on the bass. The bass will go on sale next month for $1,500. For the left-handed version they ask for $50 more. Discrimination.
And we have an anniversary! 50 years ago in 1973 in Japan, the Roland Corporation created a special division, MEG Electronics, which was engaged in research and development of guitar effects. A year later, the company was renamed to BOSS, registered the logo, and began its path to worldwide fame. Especially for the anniversary, collectible effects pedals were released in a limited edition of 7,000 devices. The anniversary line includes DS-1 Distortion, SD-1 Super Overdrive and BD-2 Blues Driver. The effects come in exclusive packaging, unique four-digit serial numbers, a special logo and gold-colored controls. Otherwise, the devices are made according to standard designs and provide a familiar and beloved sound.
The Fender company seems intent on shaking the foundations and reshaping the universe. According to Product Director Allen Abbassi, they have created the most versatile pick ever. The pick is made of durable “polycarbonate material”, has an asymmetrical shape and a special recess for the thumb. The embossed Fender logo also helps improve grip. At launch, only the 0.83mm caliber will be available. A set of six multi-colored or black picks will cost the buyer $9.
Harley Benton presented the MB Style Kit Bass. Chinese factories have long sold guitars and basses unassembled and unpainted. Anyone can buy a kit and, if they have basic skills, assemble a completely working instrument, modifying it to suit themselves if necessary. Now the Germans have a similar bass kit. The MB Style Kit Bass includes an unpainted body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, passive humbucker, two-band EQ, bridge, tuners, strings, screws, everything you need to assemble a working instrument. They are asking $136 for the bass kit. In addition to bass ones, Harley Benton produces a bunch of guitar kits, among which I would especially note Kit Square. The body in this kit literally a board with holes from which you can cut any shape, or leave it that way.
Output has pleased us with an interesting release. The guys created a music generator based on artificial intelligence. The product is called Pack Generator. It is based on the recently announced Co-Producer generative AI platform. You simply enter a text description of what you want to receive, and the program will generate four options for a musical phrase. If you like the phrase, you can download the archive with samples for free. According to the developers, the AI did not use copyrighted music for training, so there should be no problems with the license. The musical phrases themselves are quite short, 10-20 seconds. The thing is interesting and sticky. Link in description. Pack Generator
Graph Tech Guitar Labs has announced the release of the ‘HeliumX / Ghost Saddle’. It is a universal compound bridge for bass guitars and ukuleles. Each string has an independent saddle block. From such blocks you can assemble a bridge for up to 8 string instruments. The block saddle allows for both hanging and through fastening of the string through the body. The feature of the bridge is the presence of a Graph Tech Ghost piezo pickup in each saddle. The signal from the pickups can be send to a Graph Tech Bass Acousti-Phonic preamp, and then mixed with the signal from the magnetic pickups or used separately. Suggested retail price is $69.95 per saddle.
OPFXS, an Italian guitar effects manufacturer, has announced the Twin Boost effect. The new stereo booster combines an analog effect circuit with digital control. You can add 3 presets to the pedal and use an external MIDI controller for control. Twin Boost allows you to increase the input signal level by 24db. The device has two independent channels, which makes it possible to send a signal to two different amplifiers. In Join mode, both channels work the same; in Separate mode, each of them can be configured differently. The footswitch allows you to change presets or change the gain by a specified amount. Depending on the settings, changes may take effect immediately after you press it or with some delay. The f1 and f2 buttons allow to configure the pedal. The digital indicator shows the current gain level. The starting price of the booster is €150.
Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani have announced a new album entitled “Rankarumpu”. The album will be released on April 5, 2024. The album will be presented at concerts in Mexico City on April 5 and 6. Next, the band will tour North America. Korpiklaani will go on a European tour with new material in the second half of the year. It is expected that the new album will be faster than the band’s last releases. Korpiklaani intends to return to its roots. On the album we will again hear Olli Vänska’s violin and Sami Perttula’s accordion. We are waiting for the release.
That’s all for today, oh yes, a cautionary tale. In one small town there lived a good boy who knew all the scales and never argued with his elders, unfortunately he was not subscribed to our channel, so the beavers from the neighboring swamp stole his bass and made whistles. Think about it…