MI Pro

This year’s NAMM show had just about everything. From the impossible schedule of new product launches before lunch on the first day to the constant stream of news and gossip, all bound up in the excitement that the California show always supplies in bucket loads, there was more of everything this year…

Well, almost everything. One thing there was less of this year was unwanted visitors from outside the trade. Although the ‘freak factor’ has been something many of us have accepted at NAMM for some time now, there is no denying that the sheer weight of ‘fake’ visitors can shred nerves and tire out the genuine dealers and buyers.

The full extent of the problem was illustrated to me when talking to a guy at a bar on the day I arrived at the show. Upon hearing I was in town for the NAMM show, he beamed: “Is it NAMM? I’ll have to get along. I want to see some new saxophones.” Such has been the attitude.

This year, my friend at the bar would have had to have registered, had an accompanying business card that tied him in with an associated MI trade and photo ID to prove he was the person alluded to by the badge. He would then have had to show his photo ID each time he entered a hall. Okay, so it slowed things down a bit for the legitimate visitors, but it made for an atmosphere that was an utter pleasure to be a part of this year.

Figures show the footfall to be up this year, but the aisles felt emptier and calmer. Could this be because the extra weight in traffic was seriously conducting business on the stands, discussing strategies, filling order forms, and not hanging about waiting for pop star autographs?

It would seem to be the case.

There seemed to be elbow room and a lot less noise, and while the calls for meetings (certainly in my diary) were more numerous than ever, the ad hoc meetings with people biding time on their stands were much less frequent. The usual call of “I’ll pop by your stand” was all but redundant in the heavy schedule until the final day, when the show finally slowed
to a calm.

The initial figures at the close of the show showed a grand total of 88,128 registrants visiting the all-time record of number of 1,560 exhibitors. International attendance showed a seven per cent increase to 10,605 registrants from over 100 countries.

NAMM as a show organiser (and as a trade association offering educational breakfasts and constant ‘Idea Center sessions’) has got the formula and the balance just about right this year. Business was the order of the day, but the party atmosphere was maintained.

As an aisle stomping journo, however, exhibitors might like to consider that this is a four-day show and it simply isn’t necessary to cram all the product launches into the first five hours of the first day. Lunchtime on the Thursday saw MI media people with eyes like saucers wobbling uncertainly above jangling mandibles with little idea of what they had just witnessed.

Product launches were, of course, de rigeur, and one has to wonder what could possibly be left for the Musikmesse (just 40 odd days away as you read this report), although you can be sure there will be plenty there, too. From Harman to JHS, from Laney to Bras for Guitars, almost everybody had something new to offer – and a good deal of it is on the pages that follow…

Yet above all of this loomed the stories of Fender’s continued accumulation of all things guitar shaped (and a few percussion pieces, too) and Gibson’s merger with TC Electronic. Two companies of almost identical roots, both on an acquisition trail that shows little sign of abating, but now both moving in very different directions.

After the initial eyebrow activity had died down, questions began to be asked. “What does this mean for…?” (Enter name of company effected.) Conversations invariably rebounded until they settled on these two stories and so both days and evenings passed by, with some questions being answered, but a whole batch of new questions arising.

In all, then, the NAMM show delivered this year, whether on atmosphere, business done, new products or trade-shaking news. It will be a tough act to follow – by NAMM itself, let alone any other show, but rest assured after this showing (and remembering that these are officially ‘tough times’ at the moment) the next NAMM Winter Session will be bigger than ever. No-one will want to miss the sequel to this one.

So, what about these product launches? The news wasn’t earth shattering for the most part, but there was a lot of it – quantity can sometimes play a part (though no-one would suggest that quality was being compromised).

Roland, for example, had rakes of gear to show off, including an addition to the V-Drum family in the form of the TD-9SX. The new mid-range kit has the TD-9 module at its heart, featuring a large backlit display with an icon-based user interface and USB connectivity.

The kit itself features mesh heads, a three-way ride trigger and redesigned snare and cymbal mounts, and is a great addition to the already formidable V-Drums line. The Fantom G range of workstations was another big launch for Roland, with the G6, G7 and G8 models featuring a newly designed sequencer enabling the use of up to 128 tracks. A large LCD screen, ivory feel keys and an advanced audio processor round things off nicely.

Before now, Elixir has made a name for itself thanks to the inventive technology it applied to its coated, long life strings. NAMM 08 saw the brand break away from the string market for the first time, with the launch of Elixir cables. In lengths of ten, 15, 20 and 30 feet, with non-twist memory and both right-angle and straight jacks available, Elixir aims to deliver a cable that delivers clearer high frequencies and smoother mids.

Leading the charge for the Brits was Laney, which announced a number of upgrades cross its lines including extensive redesigns. For example, the LC range has been given a fresher contemporary look, as well as a new Celestion 10-inch speaker and improved controls. Also benefiting from a facelift is the VC Series, which features all-new badging, fretcloth, white piping and ventilation grilles. The range also benefits from Laney’s global tone control, which is best compared to the tone pot on a guitar, immediately working across all channels to allow the player to have total tonal control.

Having the likes of Razorlight guitarist Bjorn Agren flying the Laney flag on some of the world’s biggest stages has meant that Laney is not only a name associated with a great heritage in British amplification, but also something of a brand du jour, as up and coming players are turned on to the name by their big-selling heroes.

A new cymbal line from Sabian concentrated on the rockier side of things, with the APX line designed to cut through heavily overdriven, high volume guitar sounds. High decibel, with extremely bright designs, the APX range has already picked up a number of endorsees (such as Type O Negative’s Jonny Kelly), and will no doubt find a market of rock drummers itching for a more aggressive cymbal sound.

Marshall kicked off the show with the emotional unveiling of its all-new Randy Rhoads signature head, launched in tribute to the most revered of Ozzy Osborne’s sidemen, whose two albums with the grizzled star were hugely influential. The 1959RR head is an exact replica of the amp Rhoads used on these albums; it features white vinyl covering, 100w output, three-band eq and components sourced form the original suppliers, while over half of the electronics in the amp are loaded into the circuit by hand in the UK.

There was big news from Vox, whose Virage guitars were unveiled to an intrigued crowd. The double and single-cut semi’s are certainly great lookers, with a unique body style under some wonderful finishes. The passive, hum-free Three-90 pickups, manufactured by DiMarzio in the US, offer a range of tones, combining a single coil, a P90 and a humbucker all in one unit.

Audio-Technica launched the AT2020 USB, an affordable large diaphragm studio condenser microphone with USB connectivity. Based on the popular AT2020 and featuring a custom-engineered low-mass diaphragm, the AT2020 USB is a side-address condenser microphone, which offers the performance advantages of a high-quality studio mic with a USB interface. The AT2020 USB has been designed for direct to computer recording and is ideal for use with all popular desktop recording software – it is Mac and Windows compatible.

A number of announcements at the Gibson room included the Elvis Costello Century of Progress model, which will be released in a very limited run of only 300, numbered from 001 to 300, with an exclusive black hard-shell case adorned with a special Elvis Costello/Gibson stamped commemorative plaque and certificate of authenticity. Each guitar’s label will also be personally autographed by Costello. The SJ-200 EC, J-185 EC and J-165 EC all had a pretty subtle re-shaping, whilst also receiving an electrics upgrade with Fishman’s new Aura Pro onboard preamp system.

Flying the flag for the UK, Trev Wilkinson’s Fret King guitars received their first airing, with JHS proudly showing off its latest guitar line. Green Label Fret Kings offer a number of re-styled classic shapes featuring Wilkinson’s intricately designed hardware and hand-selected tonewoods, and are constructed in the UK.

Blue Label Fret Kings are built with the aim of producing ‘modern classics’, again using Wilkinson’s personal take on traditional shapes, and melding them into something new. Vintage construction methods, custom wound pickups and circuitry, Wilkinson and Gotoh hardware as well as quality imported tonewoods are the order of the day here, and the UK will no doubt be hearing a lot more from Fret King in the coming months.

TC Electronic, in between the major announcement made regarding the TC Group’s merger with Gibson, still managed to get a few new products out there. The company’s effects are extremely well regarded, and the Nova System, a new floor-based all-in-one pedal that combines analog distortion and overdrive with digital control, is sure to prove popular with fans of the brand. The drive effects can be tweaked, stored and recalled in exactly the same way as any of the digital effects, and the amount of distortion can be controlled in real time by hooking up an expression pedal.

Danelectro made the most of the show to present two new products, primarily the sixties-tastic Dano ’63 guitar range. Based on Danelectro model 1449, popular with Stateside garage rockers in the early ‘60’s, it features historically accurate lipstick pickups, upgraded hardware and tuners coated in a ‘no-gloss’ finish. Baritone, long-scale and short-scale bass options are available alongside the standard six-string guitar.

Also being displayed at the stand were the Cool Cat range of pedals. Sturdier that past Dano designs, with metal cases and well-placed controls, the cheap and cheerful effects ranging from an excellent tremolo to a swirling chorus and a nicely scuzzy fuzz all hit the spot, especially with the extremely low price tags attached.

Yamaha used NAMM as a platform to announce relatively minor tweaks to their lines, but tweaks that should nonetheless result in excellent sales. For example, the new addition to the CPX range, the CPX 500, combines aspects of Yamaha’s popular acoustic lines, the APX and CPX, to provide a sub-£300 small-bodied jumbo that reeks of class and is sure to fly off the shelves.

The flagship L-Series receives something of a makeover, with new Acoustic Resonance Engineering – a wood steam treatment system which crystallises the cellulose fibres in the woods as natural aging does – being used on the guitars to give them the feel of a played in instrument. An electronic spruce up on the L-series couples the 3-way ART sensor system to the all-new System 60 preamp, which combines ultra-simple controls with hi-fi grade components to provide a transparent and powerful acoustic pickup system.

Loud made a number of product announcements, one of the most noticeable being the return of the ADA4 bass, an undoubted icon thanks to its looks and sound. An almost exact replica of the original, the bass will feature removable pickups and an improved bolt-on neck joint. New Blackheart amps signalled a fresh injection of product into the brand, launched in the last quarter of 2007.