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This month, while we were were sipping balloon glasses of brandy in celebration of Fender’s James Jamerson P-Bass, Dream Theater’s John Myung casually returned to 4-strings after decades of defining prog metal on a 6-string bass.
“While the 6-string is my comfort zone, I missed the physical freedom and generous string spacing of the 4-string bass,” said Myung of his latest signature collaboration with Ernie Ball Music Man, and who are we to judge?
For this month’s roundup we also heard from Rickenbacker’s Brendan Duff on the release of the company’s 3030 semi-acoustic bass, which combines the body of the iconic Rickenbacker 330 guitar and a bass guitar neck. Yes, it looks nuts – so what? We like crazy-looking gear.
According to Duff, “The control layout is the same as the 330/360 Rickenbacker models, with a single mono output, three way selector switch, two tone, two volume and a blend knob that acts as a secondary volume for the neck pickup.”
Now available in limited supplies on the company’s Boutique site, so order three today, plus one to keep in a lead-lined vault.
From vintage-inspired signature basses and artist-approved short-scale strings to cutting-edge firmware, here’s our pick of the best bass gear from June 2026.
Fender James Jamerson 1962 Precision Bass
What can we say about James Jamerson that you don’t know already? As part of Motown’s house band, Jamerson played bass on more number-one pop hits than Elvis Presley and The Beatles combined.
Arguably the most accomplished bass player ever to stalk the earth, Jamerson made his bones with a ’62 P-Bass dubbed “The Funk Machine,” which has now been faithfully reproduced by Fender, complete with a nitrocellulose lacquer sunburst finish, and that all-important single-pickup.
Other appointments include a chrome Pure Vintage four-saddle bridge with threaded steel saddles and a chrome cover, knurled flat-top controls, and reverse open-gear tuners.
In keeping with Jamerson’s preferences, each bass comes with La Bella Flatwound strings. Quite right too.
Squier Paranormal Precision Bass Thinline SJ
Reliable, versatile and great-looking. But that’s enough about our editor-in-chief… Squier’s bass guitar range fills a gap in the market in which a reasonable amount of money meets a respectable amount of quality, and they fill it well.
The Squier Paranormal Precision Bass Thinline SJ is the latest bass addition to Fender’s 75th Anniversary collection. As you might expect, this new model reimagines the iconic Precision Bass outline through a semi-hollow “Thinline” construction and a distinctive SJ-style body design.
It’s equipped with a carefully voiced pickup configuration that comprises an alnico single-coil ’51 P-Bass pickup in the neck position and an alnico single-coil Jazz Bass pickup at the bridge.
Other player-friendly features include a 4-saddle vintage-style bridge with slotted barrel saddles, a satin urethane neck finish, and vintage-style open-gear tuners. It’s available in Olive, Vintage White and 3-Color Sunburst.
Darkglass Anagram KosmOS 1.16
The latest firmware update for the Darkglass Anagram is one of the platform’s biggest updates to date. The standout addition is a completely overhauled Scene Manager. While previous firmware limited users to three scenes per preset, KosmOS 1.16 increases that figure to an impressive 126 scenes.
Darkglass also added two new amplifier models. Peggy Classic delivers the warm, rounded response associated with one of the most revered bass amp designs ever produced, while Peggy Fliptop captures the unmistakable character of a vintage flip-top combo.
For users embracing Neural Amp Modeler technology, KosmOS 1.16 introduces full support for NAM Architecture 2 (A2).
Another welcome addition is a combined HPF/LPF block, merging high-pass and low-pass filtering into a single processor and freeing up additional space within the signal chain for effects or routing options.
Ernie Ball Music Man John Myung Bongo 4
While John Myung has been quietly pushing the barriers of 6-string bass playing for decades with his band Dream Theater, his latest signature model stems from a renewed appreciation for the traditional 4-string.
Available in JM Purple or JM Green, with Stealth pickup covers, the John Myung 4 sees a return to the normal string spacing of the original Bongo design.
“While the 6-string is my comfort zone, I missed the physical freedom and generous string spacing of the 4-string bass,” said Myung. “Each song needs to be played on what it was written for to capture its original soul. Returning to a 4-string during our 40th Anniversary Tour for the Images & Words tracks completely restored the musical conviction of those songs live.”
A notable change from the traditional Bongo is the streamlined control layout. Myung instead opted for a simplified setup featuring a volume control that doubles as an on/off kill switch alongside a five-way rotary pickup blend selector.
If that’s not enough to grab your attention, the roasted maple neck has been paired with a hybrid rosewood and roasted maple fingerboard that Music Man refers to as a “Golden Ratio” design.
EMG NS-Wav Retro Fit
If Han Solo played bass in Star Wars, the NS Design Wav4 upright bass would be the one he’d choose. It’s the bass you want stored in the Millennium Falcon in case of ‘imperial entanglements’.
The good news is that EMG has introduced a new drop-in system specifically for the Wav bass that’s designed to give you more control beyond the standard volume, tone, and arco/pizzicato controls.
It features a 20megOhm input impedance for each Piezo pickup for more low-end, and changes the Arco/Pizz switch to a blend control.
Along with master volume, there’s also a variable low pass filter that maintains low frequency gain while cutting the high frequency response at 12dB per octave. The system runs on 18 Volts, so there’s plenty of headroom. It comes complete with a new backplate, battery holders, and takes minutes to install.
Rickenbacker 3030
If you’ve got a couple of grand to spare, you could do worse than investing in one of these splendid Rickenbacker basses. Combining the body of a 330 guitar and a bass guitar neck, the 3030 has a scale length that’s 9 1/4 inches shorter than a standard long-scale and 5 1/4 inches shorter than a typical short-scale.
It’s built with a maple body, a maple/walnut neck, and rosewood fingerboard in Jetglo, Mapleglo, and Fireglo finishes. A Walnut version features a walnut body and maple fingerboard. Both are fitted with a pair of Hot Toaster pickups.
“The control layout is the same as the 330/360 models,” said Rickenbacker’s Brendan Duff. “A single mono output, three way selector switch, two tone, two volume and a blend knob that acts as a secondary volume for the neck pickup.”
Other features include the “R” tailpiece, a four-saddle bridge, mono output, and Schaller M4 tuners.
Available in limited supplies on the company’s Boutique site, and expected to be offered in small batches from time to time. Most of the rest of us will never get to own one, but hey, a bassist can dream, right?
Trickfish Amplification L212
Trickfish Amplification has expanded its acclaimed L Series lineup with the introduction of the L212, a lightweight bass cabinet designed for players seeking the punch and warmth of dual 12-inch speakers in a compact enclosure.
Rated at 800 watts AES and weighing just 45 pounds (20.4 kg), the L212 features two Lavoce neodymium 12-inch drivers in a unique diagonal configuration, with the same compact footprint as the company’s L410.
“Players who want the warmth of 12-inch drivers at full gigging volume now have a single cabinet that gets them there,” said Trickfish president Ryan Owens. “The diagonal driver placement supports better stage coverage without changing the cabinet’s footprint, so you get more coverage without giving anything up.”
D’Addario Backline Bass Case
Ever since there have been expensive bass guitars to love, cherish and obey, a range of protective bags and cases has grown up around them. This new gig bag from D’Addario’s Backline series has a water-resistant exterior, reinforced zippers, and an assortment of straps, handles and pockets.
There’s plenty of “shock-absorbing” padding too, and room to carry all of your gig essentials thanks to a detachable Breakaway Bag with Auto Lock mechanisms for storing your accessories.
La Bella Ian Martin Allison Signature Short-Scale Bass Strings
La Bella has been a big player in the bass strings game for quite some time – the original Deep Talkin’ range took the bass world by storm back in the late ‘50s. More recently, the company has widened its focus to include a signature set for bassist Ian Martin Allison, which is now available as a short-scale set.
Made with a hex core and polished stainless steel roundwound wrap, the new scale option has the same feel and custom gauges as the original set (.045, .063, .083, and .103) with the five-string adding a .125 B-string.
Z.Vex DB-1
If you like your pedals to be hand-built by people who love their work, it’s worth taking a look at the wacky world of Z.Vex Effects, which now plays host to the DB-1. The DB-1 continues the company’s tradition of mutating classic designs into modern versions with a twist.
It functions as an ultra-high impedance analog signal meter that monitors signal activity on your pedalboard. It can be used anywhere in your signal chain without fear of affecting your tone. It also works in both directions.
We love the retro VU meter, which scales up to a maximum level of eleven in homage to the great Nigel Tufnel.
