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GALLERY: NAMM 2015 - Day 2

Check out the highlights from the second day of NAMM '15.

Ashdown Engineering debuted the multi-functional B-Social at NAMM 2015. What started out as plan to create a nice looking and sounding bass amp for the home in a compact enclosure turned into much more. The B-Social features Bluetooth connectivity with an included wireless transmitter for cable-free jamming (and wireless audio streaming), a built-in USB interface, and an App-Tek socket to access the ever-growing range of amp sim and effects available. There's plenty more onboard and more importantly, it sounds really good.

Here’s how 21 killer players from the past year of Rig Rundowns—including Justin Chancellor, Zakk Wylde, MonoNeon, Carmen Vandenberg, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, and Grace Bowers—use stomps to take their sounds outside the box.


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The moe. frontline from left: Chuck Garvey (guitar), Rob Derhak (bass), Al Schnier (guitar), and Nate Wilson (keyboards). In the mist behind them is Jim Loughlin (percussion) and Vinnie Amico (drums).

Photo by Paul Citone

The two guitarists are known for their sympathetic 6-string interplay. They remain as tight as ever, despite setbacks, as they deliver the buoyant, vibrant Circle of Giants, the long-running jam band’s 14th studio record.

Thirty-five years ago, a group of University of Buffalo students gathered in a basement, drank a lot of beer, and played some tunes. They had no goal other than to have fun and party. But it wasn’t long before they headed into a studio housed in an apartment above local guitar shop Top Shelf Music to record the debut moe. album, Fatboy. Slowly, the band built a devoted fan base, crisscrossing the country in a van. As they persevered, the band and their audience grew up together, and now it’s the fans’ children who are discovering the group.

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Bassist Scott Thunes first started with Frank Zappa’s band when he was 21 years old.

The idiosyncratic musician has gone from Zappa to the classroom, even though he says ā€œI can’t write a bass line to save my life.ā€

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Eminence Speaker launches the Karnivore guitar speaker, developed in collaboration with metal producer Kristian Kohle.

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