Gear Highlight

Gear Highlight

Best Pedals From NAMM 2020

October 5, 2020

Every year, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) puts up the most awaited music gear and equipment promotion event in America. This year is no different. And it’s been an especially awesome year for effects pedal-hogging guitarists. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the best pedals NAMM featured at the start of 2020. Nobels ODR-1 VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcwJ94ejw_c This beloved overdrive pedal needs no introduction. As Tonebox’s Nobels ODR-1 review notes, the pedal is already world-famous for its natural, tube amp-sounding overdrive and high dynamic sensitivity. For that reason, the German makers of the now-classic effect unit improved on it in the only way they could. The overdrive pedal now comes with an internal Bass Cut switch, which gives it even more tonal range over the low end that it had before – as if guitarists needed any more reasons to put the Nobels ODR-1 on their pedalboards. As any session musician will tell you, there’s nothing better than a feature you didn’t know you needed until it was put there. It’s a useful improvement that [Read More]

Gear Highlight

NAMM NEWS: Gibson will premiere The Slash Collection at Winter NAMM

January 9, 2020

Gibson announces history making new Slash Collection to premiere at Winter NAMM later this month. Check out the news below: NASHVILLE, TN (January 9, 2020) By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into an innovative future, Gibson has set the stage for the next era of shaping sound for present and future generations. The new Gibson celebrates the iconic models of Gibson’s Golden Era while leaning into the future with instruments that nurture new players across generations, genders and genres of music. A partnership that crosses over three decades, Gibson and Slash announced today, January 9, the release of the first-ever Slash Collection. In a history-making move for the brand, the Slash Collection will feature multiple acoustic and electric guitars. The new Slash Collection will officially premiere at the Gibson experience space, 3rd Floor, Ballroom A, during Winter NAMM2020 in Anaheim, CA (January 15-19).  Slash and Gibson’s Luthiers worked in close collaboration with attention to the fine details at Gibson’s headquarters in Nashville, TN. The Gibson Slash Collection features fourLes Paul Standard electric guitarsand two J-45 Standard acoustic guitars. Inspiring multiple generations of players around the world, the Slash Collection is comprised of the most influential Gibson guitars Slash has used throughout his career and can be seen live onstage with Slash today. Each Slash Collection Les Paul Standard features a AAA maple top, a solid Mahogany body and Slash’s personal touches including [Read More]

Gear Highlight

BINX at NAMM. Learning to DJ on the Hercules Controller. By Patrick O’Heffernan

February 5, 2019

  Patrick O’Heffernan (Anaheim, CA) I have never DJ’ed nor used electronic musical instruments.  I play the Cajon – about as nonelectronic as you can get.  But, while I was at NAMM last week I  decided to take  advantage of the opportunity for a 15 min lesson at the Hercules booth on their DJ equipment.  I got to try out their new Inpulse 300 Controller, and look at the DJ starter kit. It was one of the high points of NAMM for me.   One of the Hercules staff took me through the basics – beat matching, effects, etc.  It was a lot easier than I thought it would be, with some of the tasks semi-automated so a beginner like me could do them.  At the end of the 15 minute, I understood what a DJ controller is, what it does and what you need to be an entertaining DJ.  In my case, the last part was a problem because what you need most to be a DJ is talent or at least a knack [Read More]

Gear Highlight

NAMM Spotlight: ICONIC, AMERICAN-MADE GUITAR BRAND USHERS IN NEW ERA

January 14, 2019

UNVEILS GIBSON EXPERIENCE FOR WINTER NAMM 2019 JAN. 23-27   FEATURING PERFORMANCES AND APPEARANCES FROM LEGENDARY ARTISTS AND FUTURE HITMAKERS INCLUDING BILLY GIBBONS, ROBBY KRIEGER, PETER FRAMPTON, RICK NIELSEN, NANCY WILSON, MICHAEL CLIFFORD, VIVIAN CAMPBELL, JASON HOOK, TRINI LOPEZ, DAVE AMATO, DAVE RUDE, CAM, BLACK PISTOL FIRE, JARED JAMES NICHOLS AND MORE Historical accuracy. Contemporary solutions. Limited runs and customized creations. New levels of artist and fan engagement. New energy, products and focus. Welcome to Gibson in 2019.   Since 1894, the GIBSON story has been central to the development of sound and the guitar itself. In 2019, after more than a century, GIBSON artists, players and fans will experience the all American-made instrument brand rejuvenated. GIBSON announced today, January 14 it will unveil a new era in product evolution and brand building with multiple experiences at NAMM 2019 next week in Anaheim, CA. The GIBSON NAMM 2019 experience will feature daily events from artist performances, Q&A’s and new product debuts at the GIBSON space in Room #207, (daily 11-5pm). GIBSON’s events will start with a media preview and Custom Shop preview sale on Wednesday, January 23 and an opening party will launch Thursday, January 24 at City National Grove of Anaheim with [Read More]

Gear Highlight

Guitar News: PRS Private Stock “Graveyard II” Limited Edition Guitar

December 5, 2018

Check out the latest Guitar News from PRS Private Stock: (STEVENSVILLE, MD) December 5, 2018 – PRS Private Stock is proud to announce the McCarty 594 “Graveyard II” Limited Edition model. Earlier this year, PRS announced an eighty-piece limited run of Private Stock “Graveyard” guitars based on the vintage-inspired McCarty 594 model. The Graveyard II also takes the McCarty 594 model as its platform, but adds a unique aesthetic.   The Wood   In early 2018, PRS purchased more than 150 curly maple tops from the outskirts of a Graveyard on top of a moun­tain on the East Coast of the USA. The Gravestones were dated around 1884, and the trees were clearly at least that old as they were forty feet to the first limb. The trees were logged in 2017, and the tops very closely resemble the wood used on guitars coming out of Kalamazoo in 1959.   “At first I thought the wood appeared to be some sort of sub-species of “Michigan” red maple, but with more thought it may just be the [Read More]

Gear Highlight

BOSS announces release of Katana-Air, the first wireless guitar amplifier

July 11, 2018

BOSS Katana-Air new Guitar Amplifier Now Available   Premium Katana tone in a totally wireless guitar amp   Los Angeles, CA, July 11, 2018 — BOSS announces the availability of the Katana-Air, the world’s first totally wireless guitar amplifier. Compact and battery-powered, the Katana-Air features new low-latency wireless guitar technology developed by BOSS and a custom wireless transmitter that plugs into any electric guitar. This gives players the freedom to jam and practice anywhere without fussing with guitar cables or AC connections. It’s also possible to play along with audio streamed via Bluetooth® from an iOS or Android smartphone, and remotely edit tones and effects from the dedicated BOSS Tone Studio app.      Equipped with the same sound-shaping features found in the Katana Version 2 amplifiers, the Katana-Air delivers premium tones for all styles of music. Five channels provide a wide range of sounds, from sparkling clean to BOSS’s custom high-gain Brown sound. There’s also integrated access to over 50 BOSS effects, plus six memories for storing favorite amp and effects setups.  The Katana-Air is a true stereo amplifier [Read More]

Gear Highlight

PRS Guitars Announces New John Mayer Signature Model: The Silver Sky

March 5, 2018

  PRS have announced a new John Mayer signature model: The Silver Sky. Check out the details below: The PRS Silver Sky is the result of a close collaboration between Grammy Award-winning musician John Mayer and Paul Reed Smith. More than two and half years in the making, the Silver Sky is a vintage-inspired instrument that is both familiar and uniquely PRS.  This model, which has been a highly-anticipated announcement since Mayer was first seen with one back in the spring of 2017, was inspired by Mayer and Smith’s favorite elements of 1963 and 1964 vintage instruments, resulting in an idealized version of a vintage single-coil guitar. The attention that was paid to every detail sets this guitar apart.  “It’s been a dream of mine for years to design a guitar that includes some of my favorite vintage specifications but with a modern spirit and aesthetic. After two years of study and refinement, the Silver Sky is my vision of what a reboot of the electric guitar should look and feel like,” said John Mayer. [Read More]