St. Blues Workshop Series
St. Blues guitars have remained a nice, affordable alternative in the boutique scene by manufacturing out of the country, and finishing in their shop. In celebration of their 25th anniversary hey've now introduced the Workshop Series, which is built entirely in the U.S. Models include Silver Anniversary Editions, limited to 25 for each edition, and U.S.-made versions of their 61 South, Bluesmaster and Mississippi Bluesmaster guitars. Prices range from $2300-$2600.
MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
The M288 Bass Octave Deluxe is a dual-voice octave pedal from MXR Bass Innovations that offers organic analog tone, true bypass, and a wide variety of tone-shaping options. Powered by a single 9-volt battery, MXR's 18-volt Constant Headroom Technology provides studio-performance headroom and superior tracking. The Dry knob mixes your direct bass signal with the octave effect, while the Mid+ switch adds up to +15dB of internally adjustable low-mid punch (400Hz) or midrange pop (800Hz). There are two indiviually voiced octave controls: Growl, for troaty midrange octave-below tone; and Girth, for deep and smooth octave below.
Bogner Goldfinger
Bogner's new Goldfinger amp will be available as a 1x12 combo or a head with a 2x12 cabinet. It is a 45-watt amp with a switch that can cut the power to 22 watts. It features four 6V6 output tubes and 5 preamp tubes; two channels, each with a clean or high gain option; two effects loops to run both pedals and rack effects; and spring reverb.
Louder & More
Louder and More is a collaboration between Bjorn Juhl (Mad Professor) and Aleksander Niemand (Tubewonder). It is a 3-watt amp that delivers recording-quality sounds at low-to-manageable levels. The amp features a solid-state preamp with a tube power-amp section. The output varies between 1 and 3 watts, and is designed specifically for the Eminence Red Fang speaker in a way that allows it to compete with up to 18-watt amps. It will be available as a head (pictured) or combo.
Vox Night Train
Vox's new Night Train is a 15-watt head with two 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL84 power tubes. It features a selectable BRIGHT or THICK mode switch, which provides EQ and Gain variations for just the right tone. As with many of the lower-power amps we saw at the show, the Night Train's 15 watts can be slashed in half to just 7.5W.
Stage Ninja Recycled Rubber Guitar Straps & Guitar Case Roadie
Stage Ninja had some interesting, useable accessories on display. The strap is made of 100 percent recycled rubber from tires, inner tubes and more, and the rubber offers a comfortable strech while still feeling really solid. The Guitar Case roadie is one of those *duh* tools that allows you to carry two cases at a time, which is useful at pretty much any gig.
Essential Sound Products Colored Cords
Essential Sound Products is making some really great high-end power cords for those into the purest of sound, and they brought out some custom color cords at NAMM. There was no word when they'd be available, but if you like them, you should hit up the company and they might make it into production.
Awesome Shredding Boy
We didn't get his name, but this kid shredding at the Washburn booth was on fire. He had great stage presence and phenomenal skills, so we're looking forward to seeing him in the next ten years or so.
