Check out the latest and greatest gear from the final day of the 2014 Winter NAMM show.
Analog Alien's new Alien Bass Station has three independent effects for bass or guitar. First in the path is the 3-knob limiter, then the amp generatorāwhich is voiced like an Ampeg B15āand then the gama fuzz. It goes for $399 street.
Demeter brought the new VTBP-M-800D head to NAMM. Based on the VTBP-201 preamp used by bass legend Lee Sklar for many, many years, the 800D uses a 280V power supply, an 800-watt, class D amp, and full-voiced preamp with input mode switch, bass and presence voicing toggles, DI and line outputs, and two Speakon speaker jacks. All in a 10.5-pound head with options starting at $1,359.
Diamond Tactical debuted their modular guitar bag system at this year's NAMM show. They utilize the MOLLE system (the same used by a number of NATO forces) for their gig bags, which allows players to customize and deck out their bags with modular pouches for everything from dedicated repair kits to cable pouches to pedal pouches to chart pouches and more.
Mayones was at the show with an array of stunning handcrafted instruments. Shown here is the Patriot Classic V-Fret with a "transparent black jeans" finish. It has an American ash body with flamed maple top, a wenge/padouk neck, and an ebony fan-fretted board. For pickups, this axe is decked out with a Bartolini xxP46C set.
Michael Anthony with one of his battered ol' Yamaha BB series basses at the company's NAMM room.
While certainly best known for his basses, Michael Tobias Designs came to NAMM with a new guitar in towāthe MTD Kingston Rubicon. Starting at $999, the Rubicon has a carved alder body with a flame maple top, an asymmetrical one-piece maple neck, choice of rosewood or maple fretboard, and custom-wound humbuckers with onboard series/parallel switches.
Fanned-fret pioneer Ralph Novak brought two 25th-anniversary Novax Guitars models to the show this year. The Sweet Annie (pictured) has a mahogany body and neck, ebony fretboard, two custom-voiced, passive Bartolini soapbar pickups, and innovative 5-way switching for a variety of warm tones. Meanwhile, the Sassy Annie has three single-coils, a 5-way selector, a contoured swamp-ash body, and an ebony-topped maple neck. Both go for an anniversary price of $2,500.
Phil Jones Bass just unveiled the 300-watt Suitcase Compact bass combo. This small yet powerful 2-channel amp houses four of Jones' 5" PJB Piranha speakers and weighs in at a back-friendly 40 pounds.
Sonuus' new Voluum features an all-analog signal path and multiple effectsāLFO, compressor, limiter, gate/expander, and volumeāthat can be extensively tweaked with the included editing software (Mac and PC). It comes with 30 factory presets and has 100 user memory slots. Street price is $319.
Yamahaās new TRBX304 4-string has a sculpted, solid mahogany body, a 5-ply maple-and-mahogany bolt-on neck with a rosewood fretboard, and M3 ceramic-magnet pickups with thumb rests. Controls include master volume, pickup balance, 2-band active EQ, and a 5-position "performance EQ" switch with preset EQ curves for on-the-fly adjustments.
TC Electronic's Ditto X2 Looper is the follow up to their uber-popular Ditto Looper. It has a dedicated stop/clear switch, a button for reverse/half-speed looping, stereo I/O, and the ability to import and export loops.
Diamond Amplification's new 100-watt F-4 has two independent channels (clean and crunch), each with a 3-band EQ, as well as volume, gain, and presence controls. A footswitch is included and the street price for this all-tube rig is just $999.
Former Nirvana tech Earnie Bailey is building absolutely beautiful guitars under the Wire Instruments name. These instruments are inspired takes on the old Gretsch Astro Jet profile called the Supercollider. The one on the left is a Korina bodied specimen with Lindy Fralin Pickups Plus P-92s. On the right, an Alder body with Railhammers.
Empress Effects reinvented its famous Tremolo pedal. The Tremolo2 has an all-analog signal path with incredibly powerful digital controls, including an innovative new multi-colored LED system for identifying up to eight presets. Also new is the control port which can be used with an external tap-tempo footswitch, an expression pedal (to control almost any function), or even with Empress' MIDI Box to recall presets or sync the pedal with time code. $249 street.
The new 100-watt Invader II from Engl features two clean channels and two overdrive channels that are all switchable between a hi/lo gain mode, and each channel has a dedicated 3-band EQ. As an add-on option for the Invader II, Engl offers the Sound Wizard Module Z16 for ultimate tone-tweaking hi-jinx.
Fano Guitars' newest, beautiful Alt De Facto RB6 mutation unites Rickenbacker, Kay, and Jazzmaster cues including Gold Foil pickups, Mastery bridge and vibrato, and checkerboard binding. Definitely one of the most fun guitars at Winter NAMM 2014.
Lehle introduced a trio of new bass pedals including the two shown here: the Basswitch Sonic Spark and the Basswitch Classic Boost. The Sonic Spark is an acoustic flavor enhancer pedal that's able to really fatten up bass tone. The Classic Boost is a booster pedal with voicing specifically developed for passive JJ, P, and P/J type basses.
Seymour Duncan's new Vapor Trail delay feature 600ms of completely analog delay with two mini pots for modulation, a transparent delay knob with an embedded rate LED, and a cool wet insert that you can use with an expression pedal to control volume of repeats or to use with a y-cable to loop in any other effect and have it only affect repeats. It goes for $149 street.
Glorious resurrection!!! Travis Bean Guitars is back! This particular all-metal marvel is Buzz Osborne's signature model, loaded with EGC humbuckers.
Universal Audio's new Apollo Twin recording interface features two high-quality XLR preamps, a 1/4" guitar input, a suite of 14 included plug-insāfrom guitar amp and effects to reverbs and models of classic UA studio unitsāas well as available plug-ins from partnerships with Boss, ENGL, and more. Most notably, all plug-in processing happens with SHARC chips built into the unit itself, which translates to low-latency tracking. The one-processor Solo goes for $699, and the Duo goes for $899.
Z.Vex Effects put their Fat Fuzz circuit into the new Fat Fuzz Probe. The theremin control governs the stab parameter, and there are also drive, comp, gate, and volume knobs, as well as a 3-position voicing toggle for standard Fuzz Factory sounds, and "deep" and "deeper" subharmonic modes. It'll be available in late summer for $369 street.
Among their numerous new offerings at NAMM, DBZ Guitars introduced a new vintage-inspired body shape to their line with the Maverick. The Maverick SM variation shown here has a mahogany body topped with spalted maple, and a mahogany neck capped with a rosewood fretboard. For electronics, the Maverick SM is packed with a Pearly Gates/'59 Seymour Duncan combo.
Brubaker Musical Instruments brought bass No. 1 of a brand new series called the JXB Standard. This J-style, handcrafted axe has an alder body, maple neck, and East Indian rosewood fretboard. Outfitted with a traditional JJ configuration, Brubaker chose Aguilar AG 4J-HC hum-canceling pups for the JXB.
Decibel Eleven's new Loop Expander is a four-relay unit that adds true-bypass loop switching to any MIDI setup. The fourth loop can function as an amp switcher, you can connect multiple units in series for large pedalboards, and it works with MIDI program or control changes. There's also a switchable class A buffer. $189 street.
Diezelās new 100-watt Lil Fokker is its simplest design to date. Powered by a quartet of KT77s, it features clean and dirty channels, a series effects loop, and a two-button footswitch for switching channels or between two different master volumes. $2,499 street.
Fargen Amplification debuted its first-ever combo to street for under two grand. At $1,699, the 6V6-powered Townhouse 20 has two circuitsātweed '50s style and '60s brownfaceāand external bias points for using 6L6 output tubes.
Majik Box new Body Blow Jake E. Lee Mod overdrive is similar to the existing Body Blow, but it's missing the two toggles because this box has more low end than the original, and Lee prefers the original's diode-clipping vintage mode. Unlike many overdrives, it accentuates low-mids to give more oomph to solos.
Walrus Audio's new Descent reverb goes from lush, dreamy soundscapes to twisted and trippy. Modes include hall, reverse, and shimmer, and -1 and +1 knobs add low and high octaves to the reverberations. There are three available presets, plus manual mode. Jacks include a mono input, stereo outs, and an expression-pedal input that lets you control reverb time or wet mix. $300 street
After 40+ years of making his instruments by hand, luthier Joe Veillette announced at NAMM that he is beginning production on an import line. The 18 1/2"-scale Avante by Veillette Gryphon short-scale 12-string is tuned D to D (above standard) and features solid-mahogany back and sides, solid maple top, piezo bridge pickup, and volume and treble-rolloff controls for $1,399 street.
An easy guide to re-anchoring a loose tuning machine, restoring a ālostā input jack, refinishing dinged frets, and staunching a dinged surface. Result: no repair fees!
Unleash your inner metal icon with the Jackson Lee Malia LM-87, a high-performance shred-ready axe designed in collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Lee Malia. Featuring custom Jackson signature pickups, a fast D-profile neck, and a TOM-style bridge for rock-solid stability, this signature model is a must-have for commanding metal tone and smooth playability.
British metal icon and Bring Me The Horizon guitarist Lee Malia has partnered with Jackson to create his signature LM-87, a shred-ready axe built for heavy riffing and alternative modern metal. As a founding member and lead guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band, Malia is renowned for his aggressive playing style and intricate solos. This high-performance guitar matches his demanding musicality.
With its offset Surfcaster⢠body shape and vintage appeal, the LM-87 melds classic design with modern appointments. The thin open pore finish on the bound Okoume body and neck exudes organic style, while the unique 3-ply pickguard and chrome hardware add striking accents. The fast D-profile 3- piece okoume neck allows smooth riffing across the bound amaranth fingerboard.
Custom Jackson signature pickups, including a bridge humbucker with push-pull coil-split, equip the LM-87 with versatile tone-shaping options to fulfill Malia's sonic vision. The TOM-style bridge with anchored tailpiece and fine tuners provides rock-solid stability for low tunings and heavy picking.
Designed in close collaboration with the legendary guitarist, the Jackson Lee Malia LM-87 is built for shredding. Its blend of vintage vibe and high-performance features make this signature model a must-have for players who value commanding metal tone and smooth playability.
The Tune-o-matic bridge with an anchored tailpiece and fine tuners offers enhanced tuning stability and precise, incremental adjustments. This setup ensures consistent pitch control, improved sustain, and easier fine-tuning without affecting overall string tension.
The guitarās three-piece set-neck guitar with graphite reinforcement offers exceptional strength, stability, and resistance to warping. The multi-piece construction enhances sustain and tonal clarity, while the graphite reinforcement adds extra durability and prevents neck shifting due to humidity or temperature changes. This design ensures a solid, reliable performance with improved resonance and longevity.
Features Include:
- Okoume body
- Three-piece okoume set neck construction with graphite reinforcement
- 12"-16" compound radius amaranth fingerboard
- 3-ply pickguard
- Chrome hardware
- Custom wound Jackson LM-87 pickups
- Volume with push-pull coil-split and tone control
- TOM-style bridge with anchored tailpiece and fine tuners
- Gig bag included
The Jackson LM-87 carries a street price of $899.99.
For more information, please visit jacksonguitars.com.
Unleashing the Pro Series Signature Lee Malia LM-87 | Jackson Guitars - YouTube
Jackson Pro Series Signature Lee Malia LM-87 Electric Guitar - Open Pore Black
Pro Series Lee Malia Signature LM-87 Open Pore BlackWith a bit of downtime back in Nashville, co-shredders-in-chief Megan and Rebecca Lovell joined Shred With Shifty to deconstruct their face-melting leads on āSummertime Sunset,ā off of their 2022 record Blood Harmony.
The Georgia-born, Nashville-based roots-rock outfit Larkin Poe have had a busy year. Last summer, they toured across the U.S. supporting Slash, and released their seventh studio album, Bloom, on January 22. With a bit of downtime back in Nashville, co-shredders-in-chief Megan and Rebecca Lovell joined Shred With Shifty to deconstruct their face-melting leads on āSummertime Sunset,ā off of their 2022 record Blood Harmony.
The Lovells grew up reading sheet music and learning violin via the Suzuki methodāthere was little room for going off the beaten path until they fell in love with Jerry Douglasā dobro playing on Alison Krauss records. Rebecca took up the mandolin, while Megan went for the dobro and the slide side of things. It took a while for them to get comfortable turning up from their bluegrass roots, but eventually they built Larkin Poeās amplified, blues-rock sound.
First up, Rebecca, playing a pristine ā60s SG, shows how she put together her stinging, fuzzy solo by āhunting and pecking outā melodies in her mind, building up the chops to follow her intuition. Then Megan, playing a Rickenbacker-inspired lap steel of her own design through a Rodenberg TB Drive, details her dizzyingly fast slide acrobatics, and her particular ārakeā technique that she copped from Jerry Douglas and Derek Trucks.
Tune in to hear them talk about how to sustain family relationships while going professional, keeping music community-minded, and whether or not theyāll go back to bluegrass.
If youāre 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.
The legendary Louisville rockers brought tons of vintage tone tools on the road this year.
My Morning Jacketās Is, their 10th album, released on March 21, and as we reported in our feature on the band in our May print issue, it showcased a band exercising their classic strengths as well as newfound vision and curiosity. Helmed by superstar producer Brendan OāBrien, Is finds MMJ at their anthemic, psychedelic best.
We caught up with Carl Broemel for a Rig Rundown back in 2015, but on this yearās tour, PGās John Bohlinger checked in with all three axemenāJim James, Broemel, and bassist Tom Blankenshipāto hear about their road rigs. In Broemelās estimation, theyāre lazyāthey just like to bring everything.
Brought to you by DāAddario.
Three's a Crowd
This gorgeous Gibson Jimi Hendrix 1967 SG Custom, aged by Murphy Labs, initially had three humbuckers, but James kept hitting his pick on the middle pickup, so it got the yankāas did the hefty bridge and Maestro Vibrola system, which were replaced with a simple stopbar tailpiece.
Mirror Image
James picked up this 1998 Gibson Flying V right around when My Morning Jacket got started. He traced and ordered the flashy mirror pickguard himself. Itās got Gibson pickups, though James isnāt sure of the models.
Jim James' Jimmy
James plucked this one-of-a-kind from Scott Baxendaleās collection of restored vintage guitars. He guesses itās either an old Kay or Harmony guitar, but the decorations, including the custom plastic headstock plaque, make exact identification difficult. But it was clear this one was meant for James, since it has his name on it.
Elsewhere backstage is Jamesā Epiphone Jim James ES-335, a custom shop FenderĀ Telecaster and Strat, a 1967 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, and a Gibson Barney Kessel.
Make Love, Not War
James loves repurposing old military equipment for creative, peaceful purposes, which is how this old radar system came to be a part of his live amplification kit. Along with the old tech, James runs two 3 Monkeys Orangutan heads through a 3 Monkeys cab.
Jim James' Pedalboard
Jamesā board is built around a pair of GigRig QuarterMaster switching systems, which lets him navigate the stomps you see here: a Devi Ever US Fuzz, Boss BD-2w, SoloDallas Schaffer Boost, Boss OC-2, EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery, Strymon blueSky, EQD Ghost Echo, Malekko Spring Chicken, ISP Deci-Mate, Electro-Harmonix Mel9, UA Starlight Echo Station, and UA Astra Modulation Machine. A DāAddario Chromatic Pedal Tuner duo keep things on pitch, a Strymon Zuma and Ojai pair handle the power, and a Radial SGI-44 line driver maintains clarity.
Arts and Crafts Night
One night while a bit tipsy, Broemel took out his paint pens and set to work on this Gibson Les Paul Standard Faded, resulting in this masterpiece. He also removed the pickup selector switch; even though the neck pickup remains, it never gets used.
Relic By Broemel
This 1988 Les Paul Standard predates the band, and Broemel has given it its aged finish over the yearsāon one occasion, it fell out of a truck. Itās been treated to a Seymour Duncan pickup upgrade and occasional refrets when required.
Carl's Creston
This Creston Lea offset has two Novak lipstick pickups in the neck, with a switch to engage just one or both, plus a low-end roll-off control. Itās finished in the same blue-black color as Broemelās house and sports a basil leaf on the headstock in tribute to Broemelās son, Basil.
Also in the wardrobe are a shiny new Duesenberg tuned to open G, and a custom shop Fender Telecaster with a fattened neck and Bigsby to swing it closer to Broemelās beloved LPs.
Milk Route
Broemel routes his GFI Ultra pedal steel, which is tuned to E9, through a board which includes a Milkman The Amp, which is projected through the speaker of a Fender Princeton Reissue combo. Operated with another GigRig QuarterMaster, the board also includes an Eventide H9, Moog MF Delay, Fender The Pelt, MXR Phase 90, EHX Nano POG, Xotic Effects EP Booster, Source Audio C4, and a Peterson StroboStomp HD.
Side-Carr
This time out, Broemel is running two Carr Slant 6V heads in stereo.
Carl Broemel's Pedalboard
Broemel commissioned XAct Tone Solutions to build this double-decker board, which depends on a GigRig G3S switching system. From top to bottom (literally), it includes a Boss TU-3, Durham Electronics Sex Drive, JAM Pedals Tubedreamer, Source Audio Spectrum, JAM Retrovibe, MXR Phase 100, Fender The Pelt, Origin Effects SlideRIG, 29 Pedals EUNA, two Eventide H9s, Kingsley Harlot V3, JAM Delay Llama, Merix LVX, Hologram Chroma Console, and EHX POGIII. A wah and Mission Engineering expression pedal sit on the left side, while a Lehle volume pedal and Gamechanger Audio Plus hold down the right edge.
Utility units include two SGI TX interfaces, two Strymon Ojais and a Strymon Zuma, and a Cioks Crux.
More From the Creston Crew
Blankenship, too, has brought along a few guitars from Lea, including these Precision-bass and Jazz-bass models. The dark-sparkle P-style rocks with GHS flatwound strings, while the natural-finish J-style has roundwounds.
Emperor's New Groove
Blankenship just got these brand-new Emperor cabinets, through which he cranks his Mesa Boogie WD-800 Subway heads.
Tom Blankenshipās Pedalboard
Like James, Blankenship uses a GigRig QuarterMaster to jump between his effects. After his Boss TU-3, that includes an Origin Effects Cali76, DigiTech Whammy Ricochet, Pepersā Pedals Humongous Fuzz, MXR Bass Octave Deluxe, Tronographic Rusty Box, and EHX Bassballs Nano. A Voodoo Labs Pedal Power 2 Plus lights things up, and a Radial SGI TX keeps the signal squeaky clean.
Shop My Morning Jacket's Rig
EarthQuaker Devices host Echo Reverb Pedal
ISP Technologies DECI-MATE Micro Noise Reduction Pedal
Electro-Harmonix Mel9 Tape Replay Machine Pedal
EarthQuaker Devices Spatial Delivery Envelope Filter Pedal
Universal Audio UAFX Starlight Echo Station Delay Pedal
Universal Audio UAFX Astra Modulation Machine Pedal
Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster