GALLERY: Summer NAMM 2016 Day 1
Broken Crow Amplification BC-T20
Broken Crow Amplification is a new company making their NAMM debut with some fine-looking amps. Their BC-T20 is a handwired affair based on classic American tweed designs that features two channels blended to drive each other, a shared tone control, and bright and heavy boost switches for uber clean tones to overdriven to all our screaming.
Levy's Leather Special Edition Strap
Levy's Leathers Ltd. kicked off Summer NAMM by presenting a check for $10,000 to Guitars for Vets, who help veterans with PTSD by providing them guitars for music therapy. 100 percent of a special edition Levy strap goes to the cause.
Teye Knights Templar
The latest from guitar designer Teye: the Knights Templar. More in the pipeline for winter. Teye says the guitar features a new, more resonant construction.
Old Blood Noise Endeavors Mondegreen
Old Blood Noise Endeavors new Mondegreen digital delay is, in part, an octave or "shimmer" delay, but it's capable of being both more subtle and deeper sounding than many shimmer delays. The onboard modulation flavors include tremolo and chorus--adding up to copious delay shades. It'll hit the streets in August at $199. oldbloodnoise.com
Guild Guitars D-40
Oh my dreadnaught! Guild Guitars is at Summer NAMM debuting the U.S. made D-40 here in Nashville. Featuring a Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and options like a burst finish and LR Baggs electronics, these workhorses start at $1,599.
ToneLounge Wedge
ToneLounge's Wedge is a sweet mash up of Firebird and Fender offset influences that adds up to a pretty unique whole. The 25.5" scale and medium jumbo frets make it a string bender's delight and the body shape itself is both comfortable and balanced. It'll be $2,199 direct (with standard P-90s.)
Guild Guitars S-200 T-Bird
On the electric side of their wares, Guild Guitars is showing off the new S-200 T-Birds. These anticipated reissues feature a Hagstrom Vintage Tremar, a pair of LB-1 humbuckers (replicas of the original Guild pickups), and a cornucopia of tones available through the unique control set.
ToneLounge Element
ToneLounge's Element Is also new at Summer NAMM 2016. The more Gibson-like cousin to the new Wedge has a 24.74" scale and medium jumbo frets as well as ToneLounge P-90s. It's light, compact, and primed to rip. $1,999 direct.
Fender Mustang
Whether in the hands of Bill Wyman, Tina Weymouth, or Television's Fred Smith, the short scale Mustang bass was always an expressive, fast, and unique sounding bass. This new Mexico-built version unveiled at NAMM feels authentically original and at $549 street is among the most affordable Fender-branded basses.
Fender P-90
In addition to the new AlNiCo 5-fitted standard Mustang. Fender also released this P-90 version at NAMM. Like its brother 'Stang it's priced at $449 street.
Fender Mustang
Though the Mustang never really left the Fender line (several special editions and Modern Player versions have come and gone in recent years) this new version unveiled at NAMM is the first standard Fender 'Stang in a while. There are a few deviations from vintage spec--most notably the hard tail bridge. But they feel slinky, spanky, sassy at at $449 street are priced right too.
B.C. Rich MK3 Villain
Entry level shredders aren't left out at NAMM The revived B.C. Rich line returned to the Summer show, including the MK3 Villain with a bolt on maple neck, stock factory humbuckers, a 3-way switch, single volume and tone controls and Floyd Rose Special whammy, with a street price of $379.
JangleBox J-Boost
JangleBox's new at NAMM J-Boost is a beautifully dynamic and touch sensitive boost with functionality that's enhanced by a very sensitive and rangy set of treble, mid, and bass controls. It's a heavenly match for a Telecaster as I discovered, but with such a tunable and transparent nature it's no doubt an ideal boost partner for any axe. $215 street.
GoGo Tuners Horizon Chromatic Tuner
GoGo Tuners is taking things horizontal with the new Horizon chromatic tuner. It manages to cram a big display into a 3/4-size pedal while still offering up a wide detection range of -/+ 0.5 cent.
323 Effects
Mo Nelson's 323 Effects company previously built limited edition effects for Pure Salem guitars. His own 323 branded effects debuted at NAMM. Steel City $130 street) is a very nice JFET overdrive sounds great for Stonsey riffs!) His Ram's Head Muff clone ($120 street) is a very versatile take on the breed--with switchable Ge/Si clipping--and a smooth sustaining monster. The Timbers OD ($130) is a great sounding MOSFET/l.e.d. switchable unit. And the Ridges digital reverb ($175) switches between hall, spring, and a tasteful shimmer mode.
Larose Guitars Hollowboy
Nashville's own Larose Guitars are masters of creative, recombinant lutherie--using cool combinations of cocobolo, alder, and maple, subtly splashy inlay, and Lollar pickup combinations that all come together in the company's familiar but dashingly original Hollowboy line. This one of a kind Hollowboy stopped many NAMM goers in their tracks. It features gorgeous art by company founder Todd D'Agostino's wife Chauntelle as well as a luxurious Madagascar Rosewood neck and fretboard, Lollar high wound Imperials and a quilted maple top.
ESP Guitars BK-600
Mastodon's Bill Kelliher teamed up with ESP Guitars for a brand-new signature model, the BK-600. It features a robust mahogany body, 3-piece mahogany neck, and a pair of Bill's signature Lace Sensor pickups. It will street for $899.
Reverend Guitars Jenn Wasner Signature JW-1
Reverend Guitars is here in Nashville showing off the new Jenn Wasner signature JW-1. Loaded up with a set of Reverend's custom humbuckers to deliver the dynamic power of their Charger HB model, this eye-grabbing axe features a front-side graphic from the textile designer who creates Wasner's stage wear.
Heritage H-157W
Heritage brought this new variation of its signature solidbody, the H-157W (the W is for 'western'). The curly maple top is s knockout, and it comes fitted with ThroBak P.A.F. Style humbuckers.
MC Systems GLA
Sydney's MC SYSTEMS very discreetly hinted at the development of their new line at Winter NAMM, but did a official release here in Nashville. The GLA all-in-one bass stomp (the GLA airport designation honors Jack Bruce's Glaswegian roots) includes optical compressor and copious drive and EQ shaping options.
Black Cat Pedals Monster K-Fuzz
Black Cat Pedals is here at summer NAMM with a brand-new fuzz machine called the Monster K-Fuzz. It's a roaring, hot-rodded take on the '60s Kay Fuzztone and pairs nicely with an expression pedal to control the fuzz frequency.
Daredevil Pedals Fearless Distortion & Red Light District
Chicago's Daredevil Pedals typically brings something cool to Nashville NAMM. This year it was this two-beastie complement of Op-Amp based distortion boxes, the Fearless Distortion ($159) and the Red Light District distortion. Both are based on the same basic Op-Amp circuit and have switchable hi/low gain settings that enable the pedals to range from light Faces-style crunch to much more in-your-face distortion. The Red Light District adds a killer switchable and tunable scoop control that dishes tight, stony, and super-heavy desert rock sounds among other super-sick tones.
AJ Peat
First-time NAMM exhibitor AJ Peat brought out four brand-new pedals for the Nashville show. Over the years Peat has built effects for Warren Haynes, Rev. Horton Heath, Mike Ness, and many more. From left to right we have the Rooster Booster, Screaming Flamingo, Dirty Buzzard, and Wild Goose.
Fryette Amplicication Sound City Master Hundred
Fryette Amplification head honcho/tube-amp genius Steven Fryette has revived the Sound City brand this NAMM with the intent of bringing the late, great Dave Reeves' famed brawny tones into the 21st century. Featuring PCB construction and Heyboer transformers similar to the old Partridge designs, the Master Fifty and Master Hundred (shown) feature EL34 power sections, a unique and highly interactive triple-volume section (normal, brilliant, and master), plus a 3-band EQ and presence control. To our ears, the amps—which hover around the $2k mark—sounded glorious through the rear-loaded 4x12 and 2x12 cabs with repro Fane speakers.
Martin Guitar LE-Cowboy 2016
Martin Guitar came to NAMM with the second installment in their series featuring the art of celebrated Western painter William Matthews. The LE-Cowboy 2016 ($4,999 list) will only be available is year, and features a solid Sitka spruce top with Vintage Tone System, as well as quilted solid mahogany back and sides. The instrument comes with copies of both Matthews' book "Working the West" and his DVD "Drawn to Paint."
Cusack Music Pedal Cracker
Cusack Music's Pedal Cracker allows vocalists (or even horn players) to mix guitar effects alongside their guitar signal. The small mini-toggle switch gives you the option of letting trails fade off into the distance. It will retail for $250 and should be out in a few months.
Seymour Duncan Palladium
During our NAMM video-demo shoot of Seymour Duncan's new Palladium preamp $299 street), we were shocked to find that its super-tweakable gain, boost, and parametric EQ controls were so powerful they turned a trad Tele into a ferociously convincing metal machine. Meanwhile, the tamer Forza availed a variety of classic-rock dirt tones via 3-band EQ and drive and tone knobs.
Fender '57 Classic Tweed Deluxe
Fender brought out a whole line of '57 Classic tweed reissues including the Champ, Twin, Pro, and the 6V6-powered Deluxe shown here. It features the classic 12-watt 5E3 circuit with Pure Vintage "Yellow" paper/foil/resin tone capacitors. The first ones should be hitting stores in September.
The Loar LG-360T & L-014
The Loar came to Nashville NAMM with two mid-priced new axes—the Bigsby and Loar'Tron-equipped LG-360T hollowbody (left, available in green or orange for $699 street) and the L-014 flattop ($499 street), which features a solid spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides, and a body that's deeper than your typical 00-style.
Analog Outfitters Super Sarge 1x12
Analog Outfitters is here in Nashville with a few killer new combos including the Super Sarge 1x12. This class-A, 30-watt combo is packed with four EL84s, a pair of 12AX7s, and a 5U4 rectifier. Anticipated street price is $2,299.
Ovation Guitars Celebrity Elite Doubleneck
Double the fun! Ovation Guitars is bringing back the Celebrity Elite doubleneck. This one features a ruby red finish, spruce top, rosewood fretboard, and Op-24+ electronics. It will street for $1,200.
Jim Dunlop Super Badass Variac Fuzz, Double Double Overdrive, & Camel Toe MkII
Jim Dunlop Guitar Products came to NAMM with a trio of new nasties. The Super Badass Variac Fuzz ($129 street) features a voltage-starve control and massive output for tones that range from mangy overdrive too bloated bee buzzes, while the treble- and bass-knob-equipped Double Double Overdrive ($129 street) aims to put its own flexible tweaks on two of the most popular dirt stomps ever—the famed Japanese green meanies of yore and an"obsessive" boutique box of more recent vintage. Meanwhile, the Camel Toe MkII ($279) is a limited-run reissue that lets you choose Green Rhino MkIV distortion, Red Llama dirt (plus a new hi-cut control), or both in series.
Seagull Guitars Concert Hall CW
Seagull Guitars had their new 12-string in tow at summer NAMM. The sunburst-finished Concert Hall CW features EPM electronics with a built-in tuner, wild cherry back and sides, rosewood fretboard and bridge, and a solid spruce top. How much for this built-in-Canada beauty? $699 street.
Boss CE-2w
Every pedal in Boss' recent Waza Craft line has been pretty great. What's particularly cool about the CE-2w is that it resurrects the much adored CE-2 and adds a setting that replicates the deep and equally classic CE-1. There's also a very cool vibrato setting making the CE-2w one of the most potent Waza Craft machines yet. $199 street.
MEDEA Guitar Effects Red Cat Distortion & Green Fox Overdrive
Italy's MEDEA Guitar Effects is in Nashville with a few new pedals including the Red Cat distortion and Green Fox overdrive shown here. What's really cool about these stompboxes is the ability to store up to 10 patches and scroll through them via the secondary footswitch.
Sonic Farm Audio 1200-watt Class D Tantra Bass Head
Sonic Farm Audio came to NAMM with its new 1200-watt class D Tantra bass head ($2,799 street), which features a truly stunning array of tweakable features, from parametric EQ to built-in studio-quality compression, effects loop, DI, overdrive, mute, and more. Paired with collaborator Michael Arnopol Soundworks' proprietary cabinet technology ($999), which features unique internal porting and eight drivers—four 6.5" speakers, three 3.5" tweeters, and a horn—the Tantra sounds warm and massive, yet alive with detailed nuance.
Amptweaker Bass TightRock Jr, Bass TightDrive Jr, & Bass TightMetal Jr
Amptweaker is in town with a trio of new pedals for dirt-loving bassists. The Bass TightRock Jr, Bass TightDrive Jr, and Bass TightMetal Jr all feature a side-mount dry low knob, a fat/normal/tight switch to adjust the attack, and a noise-gate knob for subtle gating to hard stops. The pedals run on 9V for heavier, compressed sounds or 18V for more open and less distorted tone.
Bullhead Amplification Matador 20
Nashville's Bullhead Amplification, Inc didn't travel far to NAMM, but their new Matador 20 watt head bridged continents thanks to its British tone profile option. The single-channel workhorse has two 6V6s and three 12AX7s, and was paired on the floor with Bullhead's own Greenback stocked 4x12.
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