Check out the most interesting and unusual guitars and basses from Musikmesse 2014.
Ogre drew crowds at Musikmesse 2014 with their new guitar model and a new bass made almost entirely from single pieces of cast magnesium, plus cool cast-metal guitar stands. This guitar is loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups.
Musikmesse isnāt what it used to be, show veterans say. Attendance is far from peak. There are fewer full exhibition halls. High participation costs (and the ability to announce and publicize products digitally) have prompted numerous companies to bypass the once-essential event.
But you know what? Messe is still huge.
NAMMās European equivalent, held each year in Frankfurt, Germany, is substantially larger than its Anaheim counterpart. Far louder, too: As at NAMM, āsound policeā armed with decibel meters patrol the floor, but theyāre slackers. Messe is deafening.
But, hey, whatās a little tinnitus when you get to spend four days ogling so many cool new music products? From March 12th through 16th we roamed the vast halls, marveling at superbly crafted boutique instruments, solid working-player tools, and some remarkable budget-gear bargains.
The show highlights? For North American players like us, itās probably the chance to fondle the phenomenal creations of small-production European shops whose instruments tend to be scarce in the States. The phrase āOld World craftsmanshipā may be a clichĆ©, but Messe schools you on how it became one. You can hardly turn around without being dumbstruck by a ravishing instrument that blends the engineering chops of Stuttgart or Turin with the design elegance of Milan or Barcelona.
But our report isnāt just some glamour-gear buyersā guide for investment bankers and lottery winners indulging in a European grand tour. Quality work and compelling style were equally evident in mid-priced gear for working stiffs and in some remarkable entry-level bargains.
Itās hard to summarize such a vast event with a simple tagābut if pressed, Iād go with āretro fun.ā Per usual, vintage-inspired designs reigned supreme. But we saw more manufactures playing with vintage aesthetics, recombining old-school elements in winning new ways. By and large, manufacturers seem to be having fun. We certainly wereāand itās not just the beer and schnitzel talking!
Get premium spring reverb tones in a compact and practical format with the Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini. Featuring two independent reverb channels, mono and stereo I/O, and durable metal construction, this pedal is perfect for musicians on the go.
The Carl Martin HeadRoom Mini is a digital emulation of the beloved HeadRoom spring reverb pedal, offering the same warm, natural toneāplus a little extraāin a more compact and practical format. It delivers everything from subtle room ambiance to deep, cathedral-like reverberation, making it a versatile addition to any setup.
With two independent reverb channels, each featuring dedicated tone and level controls, you can easily switch between two different reverb settings - for example, rhythm and lead. The two footswitches allow seamless toggling between channels or full bypass.
Unlike the original HeadRoom, the Mini also includes both mono and stereo inputs and outputs, providing greater flexibility for stereo rigs. Built to withstand the rigors of live performance, it features a durable metal enclosure, buffered bypass for signal integrity, and a remote jack for external channel switching.
Key features
- Two independent reverb channels with individual tone and level controls
- Mono and stereo I/O for versatile routing options
- Buffered bypass ensures a strong, clear signal
- Rugged metal construction for durability
- Remote jack for external channel switching
- Compact and pedalboard-friendly design
HeadRoom Mini brings premium spring reverb tones in a flexible and space-savingformatāperfect for any musician looking for high-quality, studio-grade reverb on the go.
You can purchase HeadRoom Mini for $279 directly from carlmartin.com and, of course, also from leading music retailers worldwide.
For more information, please visit carlmartin.com.
Designed to preserve Jazzmaster charm while eliminating unwanted noise, these pickups combine classic aesthetics with cutting-edge technology.
Designed and crafted by SeymourDuncanās VP of Engineering Kevin Beller, these Jazzmaster pickups employ a patent-pending triple-coil system. With two outer coils canceling hum while an inner coil captures the unmistakable Jazzmaster sound, they offer pure, authentic vintage tone with plenty of punch and warmth, but with absolutely no hum.
Plus, the visible Alnico 5 pole pieces maintain the classic Jazzmaster look, so you get hum-free sound with an unaltered, vintage feel.
Enjoy the classic offset sound with a warm, punchy Jazzmaster neck tone and a bright and tight JazzmasterĀ® bridge sound with plenty of snap. Our Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer pickups are a drop-in replacement for any JazzmasterĀ®-sized pickups. Perfect for surf-inspired riffs, shimmering indie textures, modern pedal-driven explorations, and more, the Seymour Duncan Vintage JazzmasterĀ® Silencer pickups maintain bold presence without interferenceājust pure sonic clarity.
The Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer is a noiseless pickup that retains the bright, punchy neck tone and tight, snappy bridge sound that defines the Jazzmaster. Clean or overdriven, the Vintage Jazzmaster Silencer's vintage-voiced tone is perfect for shimmering indie textures, surf-inspired riffs, and modern pedal-driven explorations. No more hum holding you backājust the pure, classic JazzmasterĀ® tone you love.
The Hot Jazzmaster Silencer neck pickup has a crisp, full-bodied tone, adding extra warmth in the low end, while the bridge pickup brings sharp definition and sustain for solos that cut through any mix. Designed as a drop-in replacement for any Jazzmaster-sized pickups, this noiseless set lets you dive into gritty surf riffs, glimmering melodies, grungy fuzzed-out rock, reverb-drenched shoegaze, and beyond. With boosted output and zero hum, itās everything you love about the Jazzmaster, amped up.
The Hot Jazzmaster Silencer pickups offer iconic Jazzmaster tone with powerful output and zero hum. Their patent-pending triple-coil design cuts unwanted noise while enhancing the rich, gritty Jazzmaster sound. Enjoy clear, punchy highs and warm, solid lows, perfect for distortion or clean tones. Get the classic Jazzmaster sound with boosted outputāwithout the hum.
Kirk Hammettās Top Three Guitars (Yes, Greeny Is One of Them)
Photo courtesy of The Collection: Kirk Hammett, Gibson Publishing
In a lavish new coffee table book from Gibson, The Collection: Kirk Hammett, Metallicaās lead guitarist shares some of his most spectacular vintage instruments and the stories that go with them, as well as his love of Hawaii.
Together with Nathaniel, weāre decoding our favorite eras of the Edgeās tonesāfrom his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?
Thereās a good chance that if youāre a guitar fan, youāve seen Nathaniel Murphyās gear demosāeither on his Instagram account, where he goes by @zeppelinbarnatra, or on the Chicago Music Exchange page. His solo arrangements of classic tunes display his next-level technique and knack for clever arranging, and he makes our jaws drop every time he posts. When we learned that the Irish guitarist is a huge fan of U2ās The Edge, we knew he had to be our expert for this episode.
Together with Nathaniel, weāre decoding our favorite eras of the Edgeās tonesāfrom his early Memory Man days through his expanding delay rack rig, into his 1990s Achtung Baby sounds, and all the way through to his Sphere rig. How does he get those amazing delay tones? And what are those cool picks he uses?