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GALLERY: Summer NAMM 2011 - Day 1 Editors' Picks

The cool gear we saw on the floor on the first day of Summer NAMM.

"Bad Cat announced a partnership with Hanser Music Group at Summer NAMM 2011. They're offering three new PCB-construction amps at more affordable price points than US-made Bad Cats. The Cougar 50 head ($999, shown) features two footswitchable channels and tube-driven reverb, and is powered by JJ EL34s. A 2x12 combo ($1299) is also available, in addition to the 5-watt Cougar 5 ($699), which features an EL84 tube, three knobs (Volume, Master, and Tone), and a Celestion Vintage 30."

Check out our other galleries from Summer NAMM: Day 2 - Day 3

The tiniest TS on Earth has loads of practical upside and sounds that keep pace with esteemed overdrive company.

Solid Tube Screamer tones in a microscopic machine. Light and easy to affix to anything.

Small enough to lose easily! Vulnerable in the presence of heavy steppers?

$99


Olinthus Cicada

olinthus.com

4
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5

The Olinthus Cicada’s Tube Screamer-on-a-postage-stamp concept is a captivating one. But contemplating the engineering impetus behind it begs questions: How much area does the pedal and mandatory/included TRRS breakout cable actually conserve? Where do you situate it in relation to other pedals so you can actually tap the bypass—which is the pedal enclosure itself! Would my neighbor’s cat eat it? As it turns out, there’s many good reasons for the Cicada to be.

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Why Randy Rhoads Makes Chris Shiflett Cry
- YouTube

Your esteemed hosts of the 100 Guitarists podcast have been listening to Randy Rhoads’s body of work since they learned the word “pentatonic.” His short discography with Ozzy Osbourne has been emblazoned on both of our fingertips, and we’ve each put in our hours working out everything from the “Crazy Train” riff to the fingerpicked intro to “Diary of a Madman.” But in our extended Premier Guitar fam, we have an expert who’s been studying Randy’s licks since longer than either of us have been alive.

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Limited edition Squier Stratocaster features iconic Hello Kitty design, high-quality craftsmanship, and versatile tones.

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The Meteora’s upscale second outing has a lot more in common with its offset siblings than its sleek modern looks imply—and that’s a wonderful thing.

Excellent array of tones, from heavy to bluesy, indie, and funky. Great playability.

Pricey. Knobs feel somewhat rough. On-the-fly contour adjustments take some getting used to.

$2,249

Fender American II Meteora
fender.com

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3.5

When Fender debuted the Meteora body shape in 2018 (as the Parallel Universe Meteora), I was among those who immediately thought it looked like a pretty worthy addition to the company’s venerated line of “offset” guitars. Taken in hand, though, the guitar may have struck some as having a bit of an identity crisis—which may account for the changes we see in the third iteration, the new American Ultra II.

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