Big tones–and a bunch of them–in an inexpensive vintage-style bass.
Great price. Appealing playability. Tonal versatility.
A bit body heavy. Buzzy factory setup. Taper of tone pot could be wider.
$449
Epiphone Newport
epiphone.com
When you look at the Epiphone Newport, it hits a lot of fun, familiar notes. The cherry finish and headstock, for example, are lovely traditional Gibson/Epiphone touchstones. Take a closer look, though, and this bass reveals itself as an instrument of more complex makeup. Indeed, the mix of throwback logo on the headstock, the modern bridge, and a pickup array that blends original Newport, Gibson EB-0, and modern flavors all give the instrument the feel of an old friend that’s been modded over decades.
The Newport, which shares more than a little lineage with its 6-string cousin, the Coronet, debuted in 1961. And the mashup of style elements and components will tell any vintage Epiphone spotter that this new China-built version is not an exact replica. But it manages to look completely classic and offers a much more varied selection of tones than you can get from many vintage basses. At just $449, the price is incredibly appealing, too.
Expect the Unexpected
Though the mahogany body and 30 1/2" short scale would be familiar to a Gibson EB-0 or original Epiphone Newport player, the new Newport’s got a medium-C profile neck and a smart 3-control array that includes master volume, tone, and a cool pickup/blend knob for the Sidewinder neck and TB Pro bridge pickups that’s a new addition to the mix. The linear arrangement of the knobs looks and feels sleek. All three controls have a slick brushed-metal-looking top and a very usable center notch that gives you extra, tangible reference for your control position.
The combination of the instrument’s compact size and scale length make the Newport very comfortable and made me eager to play it. As set up from the factory, I heard a bit of buzz that was fixed with a few small tweaks. The extra weight of the mahogany body may feel foreign to some players, too. In general, though, the Newport is a smooth performer.
Modern Modes
For all its early-1960s visual appeal, when I plugged the Newport in and set all the controls at full blast, a very non-vintage sound leapt from the instrument—bright, punchy tones that didn’t necessarily match the old-school look of the pickups producing them. Using both pickups together at maximum volume and tone is reminiscent of a Music Man StingRay with a bit of Gibson Thunderbird thrown in, which, in my experience, is not a common combination. Even without digging in very hard, the Epiphone produced upper-mid snarl that responded well when I added extra attitude to my picking approach.
”Using both pickups together at maximum volume and tone is reminiscent of a Music Man StingRay with a bit of Gibson Thunderbird thrown in, which, in my experience, is not a common combination.“
The discovery of that dynamic inspired me to use sounds I would not normally go for right away. Keen to check out the barky upper midrange with a pick, I set up a blend favoring the bridge pickup and rolled back the tone, which rewarded me with a very tight, mix-friendly sound that would undoubtedly work even better with flatwounds. This setting also brought out a more obvious helping of that Music Man humbucker-type tone—yet rolling back the tone control got me close to a snappy, late-’ 60s pick tone that would make Carol Kaye proud.
Just seeing the beefy Bass Sidewinder pickup, which is installed right at the base of the neck, inspired thoughts of classic, sub-drenched tones. But there’s a welcome tightness in the Sidewinder’s output without any help from the TB-Pro in the bridge. Reggae grooves stayed punchy, even with the tone way back, and that combination of definition and mellowness can be a rarity. By the way, the placement of the neck pickup also provides a great resting place for the thumb while exploring warmer sounds in a forward picking position.
The Verdict
The Newport’s breadth of tone options is an asset and superpower. It’s also a bit of a sneak attack because the bass looks so traditional. The Newport’s ability to sound tight, punchy, and modern when needed will surprise many players. I do wish the tone control could cut even more top end for dubbier tones. And while the Epiphone ships with roundwounds, it’s hard to not think about how good flatwounds might sound with that tone profile.
If you’re attracted to the vintage looks and expect vintage sounds, you might find many settings too modern and in your face. But if you’re looking for a lot of sounds … the Newport definitely delivers. It’s easy to get around the neck and it’s friendly to smaller hands. Given all that and the low price, the Newport is impressive as an entry-level bass. But this fun-to-play instrument has a lot to offer to professionals that like the assurance of having many cool, alternative tones close at hand.
Epiphone Newport Bass Demo | First Look
Do you overuse vibrato? Could you survive without it?
Vibrato is a powerful tool, but it should be used intentionally. Different players have different styles—B.B. King’s shake, Clapton’s subtle touch—but the key is control. Tom Butwin suggests a few exercises to build awareness, tone, and touch.
The goal? Find a balance—don’t overdo it, but don’t avoid it completely. Try it out and see how it changes your playing!
The author dials in one of his 20-watt Sonzera amps, with an extension cabinet.
Knowing how guitar amplifiers were developed and have evolved is important to understanding why they sound the way they do when you’re plugged in.
Let’s talk about guitar amp history. I think it’s important for guitar players to have a general overview of amplifiers, so the sound makes more sense when they plug in. As far as I can figure out, guitar amps originally came from radios—although I’ve never had the opportunity to interview the inventors of the original amps. Early tube amps looked like radio boxes, and once there was an AM signal, it needed to be amplified through a speaker so you could hear it. I’m reasonably certain that other people know more about this than I do.
For me, the story of guitar amps picks up with early Fenders and Marshalls. If you look at the schematics, amplifier input, and tone control layout of an early tweed Fender Bassman, it’s clear that’s where the original Marshall JTM45 amps came from. Also, I’ve heard secondhand that the early Marshall cabinets were 8x12s, and the roadies requested that Marshall cut them in half so they became 4x12s. Similarly, 8x10 SVT cabinets were cut in half to make the now-industry-standard 4x10 bass cabinets. Our amp designer Doug Sewell and I understand that, for the early Fender amps we love, the design directed the guitar signal into half a tube, into a tone stack, into another half a tube, and the reverb would join it with another half a tube, and then there would be a phase splitter and output tubes and a transformer. (All 12AX7 tubes are really two tubes in one, so when I say a half-tube, I’m saying we’re using only the first half.) The tone stack and layout of these amps is an industry standard and have a beautiful, clean way of removing low midrange to clear up the sound of the guitar. I believe all but the first Marshalls came from a high-powered tweed Twin preamp (which was a 80-watt combo amp) and a Bassman power amp. The schematic was a little different. It was one half-tube into a full-tube cathode follower, into a more midrange-y tone stack, into the phase splitter and power tubes and output transformer. Both of these circuits have different kinds of sounds. What’s interesting is Marshall kept modifying their amps for less bass, more high midrange and treble, and more gain. In addition, master volume controls started being added by Fender and Marshall around 1976. The goal was to give more gain at less volume. Understanding these circuits has been a lifelong event for Doug and me.
Then, another designer came along by the name of Alexander Dumble. He modified the tone stack in Fender amps so you could get more bass and a different kind of midrange. Then, after the preamp, he put in a distortion circuit in a switchable in and out “loop.” In this arrangement, the distortion was like putting a distortion pedal in a loop after the tone controls. In a Fender amp, most of the distortion comes from the output section, so turning the tone controls changes the sound of the guitar, not the distortion. In a Marshall, the distortion comes before the tone controls, so when you turn the tone controls, the distortion changes. The way these amps compress and add harmonics as you turn up the gain is the game. All of these designs have real merit and are the basis of our modern tube–and then modeling—amplifiers.
Everything in these amps makes a difference. The circuits, the capacitor values and types, the resistor values and types, the power and output transformers, and the power supplies—including all those capacitor values and capacitor manufacturers.
I give you this truncated, general history to let you know that the amp business is just as complicated as the guitar business. I didn’t even mention the speakers or speaker cabinets and the artform behind those. But what’s most important is: When you plug into the amp, do you like it? And how much do you like it? Most guitar players have not played through a real Dumble or even a real blackface Deluxe Reverb or a 1966 Marshall plexi head. In a way, you’re trusting the amp designers to understand all the highly complex variations from this history, and then make a product that you love playing through. It’s daunting, but I love it. There is a complicated, deep, and rich history that has influenced and shaped how amps are made today.
Lenny Kravitz’s lead-guitar maestro shares how his scorching hit solo came together.
Hold onto your hats—Shred With Shifty is back! This time, Chris Shiflett sits down with fellow west coaster Craig Ross, who calls in from Madrid equipped with a lawsuit-era Ibanez 2393. The two buddies kick things off commiserating over an increasingly common tragedy for guitarists: losing precious gear in natural disasters. The takeaway? Don’t leave your gear in storage! Take it on the road!
Ross started out in the Los Angeles band Broken Homes, influenced by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and the Beatles, but his big break came when he auditioned for Lenny Kravitz. Kravitz phoned him up the next day to tell him to be at rehearsal that evening. In 1993, they cut one of their biggest hits ever, “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” Ross explains that it came together from a loose, improvisatory jam in the studio—testament to the magic that can be found off-leash during studio time.
Ross recalls his rig for recording the solo, which consisted of just two items: Kravitz’s goldtop Les Paul and a tiny Gibson combo. (No fuzz or drive pedals, sorry Chris.) As Ross remembers, he was going for a Cream-era Clapton sound with the solo, which jumps between pentatonic and pentatonic major scales.
Tune in to learn how he frets and plays the song’s blistering lead bits, plus learn about what amps Ross is leaning on these days.
If you’re able to help, here are some charities aimed at assisting musicians affected by the fires in L.A:
https://guitarcenterfoundation.org
https://www.cciarts.org/relief.html
https://www.musiciansfoundation.org
https://fireaidla.org
https://www.musicares.org
https://www.sweetrelief.org
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editor: Addison Sauvan
Graphic Design: Megan Pralle
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
Tobias bass guitars, beloved by bass players for nearly half a century, are back with the all-new Tobias Original Collection.
Built for unrivaled articulation, low-end punch, and exceptional ergonomics, the all-new Tobias Original Collection comprises an array of six four and five-string bass models all offered in both right and left-handed orientations. The Tobias range features Classic, Killer B, and Growler models, and each is equipped with high-quality hardware from Babicz and Gotoh, active electronics from Bartolini, and the iconic Tobias asymmetrical neck design. Crafted from the finest tonewoods, Tobias Original Collection bass guitars are now available worldwide on Gibson.com, at the Gibson Garage locations, and at authorized Gibson dealers.
The bass world has been clamoring for the return of the authentic, high-end Tobias basses, and now, Tobias has returned. Combining the look and tone of the finest exotic tonewoods, such as quilted maple, royal paulownia, purpleheart, sapele, walnut, ebony, and wenge, with the feel of the famous Tobias Asym asymmetrical neck and the eye-catching shapes of the perfectly balanced contoured bodies, Tobias basses are attractive in look and exceptional in playing feel. However, their sonic versatility is what makes them so well suited to the needs of modern bassists. The superior tone from the exotic hardwoods, premium hardware, and active Bartolini® pickups and preamps results in basses with the tonal flexibility that today’s players require. Don’t settle for less than a bass that delivers everything you want and need –the look, the feel, and the sound, Tobias.
“I’m thrilled to release Tobias basses, emphasizing the use of exotic woods, ergonomics, and authenticity to the original Tobias basses,” says Aljon Go, Product Development Manager for Tobias, Epiphone, and Kramer. “This revival is a dream come true, blending modern craftsmanship with the timeless essence of Tobias.”
“It’s amazing to see this icon of the bass world return,” adds Andrew Ladner, Brand Manager for Epiphone and Kramer. “These models are truly a bass player’s bass, and true to the DNA that makes Tobias world-class—the ace up the sleeve of bass players around the globe since 1978. Today’s players can find that unique voice and feel that only Tobias can offer.”
For more information, please visit gibson.com.