Premier Guitar features affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases.

GALLERY: Musikmesse 2014 - Amps

From low-watt heads to high-powered, fire-breathing monsters, here are some of the amps we caught at Musikmesse.

Germany’s Gladius, producers of boutique amps inspired by vintage British models, debuted their MC30 at #Musikmesse 2014. It’s a 30-watt, dual-channel head powered by a quartet of EL-84s. One side mimics a top-boost Vox, while the other is more Marshallesque. You can engage the feedback loop for tighter response, or disconnect it for a louder, looser sound. There’s also a six-way power switch that lowers the wattage from 30 watts to 1 with astonishing consistency of tone.

Musikmesse isn’t 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.

NAMM’s European equivalent, held each year in Frankfurt, Germany, is substantially larger than its Anaheim counterpart. Far louder, too: As at NAMM, “sound police” armed with decibel meters patrol the floor, but they’re slackers. Messe is deafening.

But, hey, what’s 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, it’s probably the chance to fondle the phenomenal creations of small-production European shops whose instruments tend to be scarce in the States. The phrase “Old World craftsmanship” may be a cliché, 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 isn’t just some glamour-gear buyers’ 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.

It’s hard to summarize such a vast event with a simple tag—but if pressed, I’d go with “retro fun.” 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 were—and it’s not just the beer and schnitzel talking!

LA LOM from left: Jake Faulkner, Nicholas Baker, and Zac Socolow

Guitarist Zac Socolow takes us on a tour of tropical guitar styles with a set of the cover songs that inspired the trio’s Los Angeles League of Musicians.

There’s long been a cottage industry, driven by record collectors, musicologists, and guitar-heads, dedicated to the sounds that happened when cultures around the world got their hands on electric guitars. The influence goes in all directions. Dick Dale’s propulsive, percussive adaptation of “Misirlou”—a folk song among a variety of Eastern Mediterranean cultures—made the case for American musicians to explore sounds beyond our shores, and guitarists from Ry Cooder and David Lindley to Marc Ribot and Richard Bishop have spent decades fitting global guitar influences into their own musical concepts.

Read MoreShow less

Walrus Audio's MAKO MkII Series offers premium all-in-one, multi-algorithm pedals with improved tonality, new UI, and added controls for versatility. Featuring new amplifier models, OLED navigation screens, and updated programs based on user feedback, these pedals are designed for inspiring studio-grade tones.

Read MoreShow less

Introducing the WA-C1 Chorus Vibrato and Pedal76 from Warm Audio, faithful recreations of legendary studio gear in pedal form. The WA-C1 offers lush chorus and vibrato tones with modern upgrades, while the Pedal76 delivers professional studio compression for guitar and bass players. Available now at authorized retailers worldwide.

Read MoreShow less

Experience the legendary tones of the Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp emulator from Universal Audio Inc. Featuring dual-engine processing and world-class UAD modeling, this pedal captures the iconic "D-style" tube tones of guitar greats like John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Explore customizable options and classic mic/speaker combinations for authentic ODS tones.

Read MoreShow less