GUITAR and AMP Stuff at Austin NAMM ...

[Jon Chappell]

[See added photos and comments later on in this thread. --JC]

There's not a whole lot of new stuff, but there's some. I liked the general "relaxing" (read into that, if you will) atmosphere of the show, because it gave me time to hang with some of the boutique and smaller guys who get swallowed up in the larger winter show. These include Judybox Amps (Austin), Meyers Custom Guitars (Louisiana), Burriss Amps, Minarik Guitars, Mad Professor Amps, Ruokangas Guitars, Gretschgear.com (which did live demos of Bigsby installations), G# Guitars, etc.

Taylor re-introduced their all-Koa guitar, which had been dropped from production. They had a few '07 limited editions, including an 814 and a 914 made of Brazilian rosewood and Fiddleback walnut. I've always liked walnut, but not necessarily on a guitar, till I saw this one.

Martin had the Travis Tritt LTD, and guess what? Tritt can play his ass off -- blues, acoustic, country, fingerpicking, hybrid, etc.

Peavey was online (with an actual live hook-up) with their web-based user-designed guitar system. The best part is browsing to an image you've created on your computer, uploading, and manipulating the image on the guitar. You can move, rotate, and scale the image on the guitar's face in real time. Then you can save your work -- or buy the guitar right there! The system isn't live (though the interface was -- it wasn't a hard-drive-driven demo), but it will be soon.

HiWatt had a new series of solid-state amps, the MaxWatt series, that provides some entry-level options to their line, already occupied by the more expensive PCB and custom (Pete Townshend signature, etc.) series.

Ibanez re-introduced the TubeKing (it's red!), and Paul Reed Smith had the DGT, the David Grissom signature (the "T" is for "Trem," as in McCarty Tremolo). I got to talk to Dave about the guitar, which was nice (again, the slower pace of the show afforded this).

John Jorgenson gave a gypsy jazz acoustic concert, where he and his band just burned. He played scary clarinet, too.

Pics and more news soon....

[Anderton]

Here are some shots of Peavey custom shop guitar "finishes." They've licensed some propretary process for transferring images to guitars, you can pretty much put any image you want on a guitar...notice how it even goes over the pickups, and arcs around the side of the guitar. The pictures look really glossy and high-def.

[MikeRivers]

]Taylor re-introduced their all-Koa guitar, which had been dropped from production.Maybe koa trees are maturing. Martin also introduced not one, but two koa guitars, the Robbie Robertson models (did he play a koa guitar? probably), one all koa, the other with a spruce top, 00-21 style. I had to ask three people at the Martin booth (and give the last one a very strong hint) before I could find out what the difference between their 150 and 240 strings was, both listed in the catalog as the same material and the same top and bottom (all that's specified) gauges. The answer . . . . . a couple of strings are heavier by .0005" in the "Bluegrass" set. Martin was giving away strings, but all were light gauge. Some were Nashville "high strung" sets - wonder how many people picked those up and, when they got home, wondered what the heck to do with them.
John Jorgenson gave a gypsy jazz acoustic concert, where he and his band just burned. He played scary clarinet, too. That was indeed a great concert. He broke a couple of strings and still managed to play out the tunes. And, unusual for concert sound at a trade show, the mix, tone, and volume were really good. Kudos to the engineer for this one.

[Anderton]

I saw this at a booth and I thought it looked really cool. But apparently it was "floating" from another booth, and no one could give me any details on the manufacturer etc. But it sure looked cool, and had a pretty warm sound...so I thought you'd like the pix :)

[Polaris20]

I saw this at a booth and I thought it looked really cool. But apparently it was "floating" from another booth, and no one could give me any details on the manufacturer etc. But it sure looked cool, and had a pretty warm sound...so I thought you'd like the pix :)

Looks like a Zemaitis.

[Anderton]

American Idol finalist (and son of Bobby Head) Sundance Head played on Friday at the Composite Acoustics booth. These guitars are made of various carbon-composite materials - the necks are made of carbon and guaranteed not to warp or change for life, and the fretboard is injection molded from carbon fibers and claimed to be nearly indestructible. To get the point across, they had the guitar sitting in water with a showerhead streaming water over it...they say you never have to worry about how the weather is going to affect your guitar.

[roxtar1]

I saw this at a booth and I thought it looked really cool. But apparently it was "floating" from another booth, and no one could give me any details on the manufacturer etc. But it sure looked cool, and had a pretty warm sound...so I thought you'd like the pix :)

The company is called Teye Guitars.I just read a review about them in Premier Guitar magazine.Here's their website:
http://www.teye.com

[Xance]

I saw this at a booth and I thought it looked really cool. But apparently it was "floating" from another booth, and no one could give me any details on the manufacturer etc. But it sure looked cool, and had a pretty warm sound...so I thought you'd like the pix :)

It is a Teye Guitars Electric Gypsy. teye.com


whoops... little late.

[roxtar1]

I've seen a couple pics from Charvel,but what about Jackson? They seem to be awfully quiet since Winter NAMM.

[book_of_lies777]

Here are some shots of Peavey custom shop guitar "finishes." They've licensed some propretary process for transferring images to guitars, you can pretty much put any image you want on a guitar...notice how it even goes over the pickups, and arcs around the side of the guitar. The pictures look really glossy and high-def.



that's awesome! Any clues as to cost?

[Anderton]

that's awesome! Any clues as to cost?

Well, I'm assuming it varies depending on what you want...I didn't get firm pricing at the show, but I'll try emailing Peavey.

BTW I found another picture :)

[Anderton]

Voyage-Air showed a fold-up travel guitar. Yawn, right? But what impressed me was that it was an acoustic guitar, not an electric, and they claim it will fit in the overhead compartments of airplanes (although I don't think they'd fit in those 2- or 3-seat across commuter planes where you have to gate check just about everything except a purse or laptop bag). The kicker was that when they put it back together again, it was in tune. I asked how they managed to do it; they claimed it was from using a zero fret and a few other tricks.

[Anderton]

Here's what Peavey replied concerning price: "We're finalizing the pricing structure now, so I should have some information for you soon. In the meantime, the beta version is live at http://www.peaveycustomshop.com ."

[Kerouac]

American Idol finalist (and son of Bobby Head) Sundance Head played on Friday at the Composite Acoustics booth. These guitars are made of various carbon-composite materials - the necks are made of carbon and guaranteed not to warp or change for life, and the fretboard is injection molded from carbon fibers and claimed to be nearly indestructible. To get the point across, they had the guitar sitting in water with a showerhead streaming water over it...they say you never have to worry about how the weather is going to affect your guitar.

Craig,

One of our local music stores got one of the CA models in early this year and I *loved* it. Necks felt great, sounded really good... better than most of my guitars, and verrrrry close to my vintage Fender and my Avalon. I really liked the finish as well, and when I went in for my lesson each week I came into play it for a good 30 minutes while I warmed up. I'm not sure which model I played because it didn't have the model name on the tag (I think it was the Vintage, but can't confirm, and the staff is more or less useless there.)

The only downside as far as I'm concerned, is that the finish, while very cool looking, is quite easy to get fingerprints on, or marks from your arm against the body. Also, the price tag is more than I'm comfortable with paying, but I still often consider it. I believe that it was tagged at 1999, and I'm not sure about it including a case, most guitars that store carries don't come with them. Having the composite technology, with the accompanying durability and being practically impervious to weather is a definite plus, especially when traveling overseas, on tour, or just taking a great sounding guitar camping, yet I purchased my Avalon for a little less with case, and would like to explore a custom acoustic in the future.

That said, Composite Acoustics's guitars do still intrigue me, and I'd be quite interested in your take or review of them if you get a chance!

[book_of_lies777]

Here's what Peavey replied concerning price: "We're finalizing the pricing structure now, so I should have some information for you soon. In the meantime, the beta version is live at http://www.peaveycustomshop.com ."


thank you!

[Anderton]

BTW I couldn't help but notice your handle, Book Of Lies. Do you work as a media adviser to political campaigns? :)

[book_of_lies777]

BTW I couldn't help but notice your handle, Book Of Lies. Do you work as a media adviser to political campaigns? :)

it would fit, wouldn't it? LOL


It's actually a nod to a book written in 1913 by Aleister Crowley.

[FocusPlayer]

I got to play and sing with Composite Acoustics eastern sales rep a few months ago. Nice guy, good player, great folk voice.... oh, and the guitars were cool too <G> Honestly, I liked all 3 styles I played better than Rainsongs.

The smaller cutaway with the electronics was my fav. That black finish does show fingerprints like a black car attracts cat tracks tho <G>

[ratthedd]

If NAMM is still going on, would someone please stop by the Gallien-Krueger booth and check on the status of the new 250ML-III guitar amp that's supposed to be coming out?

I've seen it featured in a couple videos online, but unfortunately none of the videos show the amp in action.

Thanks.

[Jon Chappell]

Here's an interesting idea for an amp from Burriss Amps: It's a head, designed to stand snugly on top of a cab, but it's got a built-in speaker. So when you stand it up on its edge, you have a practice/combo amp. Unplugging the speaker cab taps the transformer at the proper place to drive its internal, custom-made 8" Eminence speaker.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/BurrissTopCombo.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

G Sharp Guitars had a great demo guy, and these guitars are just really cool-looking and sound great. I was told by the rep that the Elton John band had just ordered 21 of them!

http://jonchappell.com/hc/GSharp.jpg

The demo artist is Jon Petterson -- a great player!

[Jon Chappell]

Austin NAMM gives the smaller guys a chance -- like Meyers Custom Guitars from southern Louisiana.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/Meyers0490.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

Because the show was small, it gave us mortals a chance to actually talk to the mfrs. and artists. I chatted with Dave Grissom for a while about his signature model (DGT) Paul Reed Smith guitar.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/PRS_Grissom.jpg

http://jonchappell.com/hc/Grissom0544.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

Here's a shot of the new all-Koa (not to be confused with Alcoa, an aluminum manufacturer), and it's just gorgeous!

http://jonchappell.com/hc/TaylorKoa1.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

Taylor also has a 12-string version of their T-5 hybrid. What's interesting here is that they preserved the neck width from the 6-string to the 12-string version -- a very svelte 1-11/16" at the nut, and sure to be a hit with players coming over from the electric side.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/TaylorT-5-12.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

HiWatt introduced three models in a low-cost, solid-state platform: the MaxWatt series. Here are photos of the 8-watt, 50-watt, and 100-watt versions.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/MaxWattSpitfire0507.jpg

http://jonchappell.com/hc/MaxWatt50.0508.jpg

http://jonchappell.com/hc/MaxWatt100.0510.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

A local amp maker, whose company is called Judybox, was exhibiting, and I checked out a few of his handmade amps. Nice stuff!

http://jonchappell.com/hc/JudyBox10484.jpg

Anybody know of this guy and his products?

[Jon Chappell]

If you have about $8,000 to spend on an amp, consider this one from Finnish boutique amp maker Mad Professor.

Despite the show being slow, MP sold this model -- right off the show floor. Try telling THEM that Austin was a dud!

http://jonchappell.com/hc/MadProfessor0538.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

In the NAMM highlights video that Craig and I did, Craig mentions the Peavey Windsor amp, which allows you to swap out any octal socket tube in its chassis -- 6L6, EL-34, KT-66, KT-88, etc.

So to help guitarists along with that concept, Peavey released their Tube Pack, containing five replacement tubes.

So whadd'ya think? Is this a gimmick, or is it a viable method for deriving tonal variation from your amp?

http://jonchappell.com/hc/WindsorTubePack0552.jpg

http://jonchappell.com/hc/WindsorTubePack2.jpg

[Black Cat Tone]

John Sebastian dropped by the Burriss Amps booth at summer NAMM. He loved the tone of the amps so much he ran to the collings booth to get a guitar he was familiar with to make sure he wasnt missing something. After 20-30 minutes of playing he was ready to Endorse our Amps. He was playing the Shadow 2x10 combo.We hope to have pics and video of John and others playing in our booth tommorrow. They will be posted at http://www.burrissamps.comSome other fun video is of Bill Lawrence Jammin away. Even after the show ended he had to play a couple more tunes:+)

[the recluse]

In the NAMM highlights video that Craig and I did, Craig mentions the Peavey Windsor amp, which allows you to swap out any octal socket tube in its chassis -- 6L6, EL-34, KT-66, KT-88, etc.

So to help guitarists along with that concept, Peavey released their Tube Pack, containing five replacement tubes.

So whadd'ya think? Is this a gimmick, or is it a viable method for deriving tonal variation from your amp?


This seems very similar in concept to what THD amps have been doing for years. As the owner of a THD Bivalve, I can confirm that by changing tubes you can definitely get into some different sounds, but I would imagine the amount of difference will also depend heavily on the actual circuit.

The tube combo pack is a nice idea for those who wish to start experimenting, depending on the price. If it is just repackaged tubes I wonder if it would just be cheaper to buy them separately.

Does the pack contain one matched pair of each type of tube or just individual tubes?

[mapdude]

I saw this at a booth and I thought it looked really cool. But apparently it was "floating" from another booth, and no one could give me any details on the manufacturer etc. But it sure looked cool, and had a pretty warm sound...so I thought you'd like the pix :)

now that is one fugly guitar...

[Jon Chappell]

This seems very similar in concept to what THD amps have been doing for years. As the owner of a THD Bivalve, I can confirm that by changing tubes you can definitely get into some different sounds, but I would imagine the amount of difference will also depend heavily on the actual circuit.

The tube combo pack is a nice idea for those who wish to start experimenting, depending on the price. If it is just repackaged tubes I wonder if it would just be cheaper to buy them separately.

Does the pack contain one matched pair of each type of tube or just individual tubes?

The pack contains just five individual tubes. I don't know if you get a discount for buying them in a pack, because they didn't have the price on the box, nor was it published in the price list.

Also, another employer of the swappable tube, or circuit board, was the Seymour Duncan Convertible amp.

[BSTime]

Hey this is great, thanks for these pics and updates

[onbongos]

the swappable power tube thing sounds cool, but some manufacturer is going to do an amp where there's a turret and you can swap tubes by turning it

[CHANCE MCFADDEN]

I heard from the Allparts guy today about Sundance at the NAMM show in Texas, he gave me some interesting background info about American Idol, that may come in handy in the future, as it looks like my daughter may make the finals. We shall see.

[Anderton]

Good luck...

[Pocketman]

[See added photos and comments later on in this thread. --JC]

There's not a whole lot of new stuff, but there's some.

Too bad you didn't stop by the Traynor Amps booth, Jon. The new all tube YCS50 & YCS90 were the hit of the entire Yorkville Group booth. I'm not just being a 'home boy'... Their tone is truly glorious...

[Jon Chappell]

The new all tube YCS50 & YCS90 were the hit of the entire Yorkville Group booth. I'm not just being a 'home boy'... Their tone is truly glorious...

I didn't get to check out these amps personally, unfortunately, but I did hear the buzz about them. I'll keep my eye (and ear!) out for them. Here's a photo of the 90 version, scraped from the website, for all those who are curious.

http://jonchappell.com/hc/ycs90.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

the swappable power tube thing sounds cool, but some manufacturer is going to do an amp where there's a turret and you can swap tubes by turning it

Brilliant! :thu:

If they do, I'll attest that I saw the idea here first.

[Jon Chappell]

Roland released a battery-powered "street" amp, called the CUBE Street (which is really trapezoidally shaped). The thing packed a lot of power for its diminuitive size. The demo guy sang and played well, showing off not only the amp's clean power for vocals, but the COSM effects built into the guitar section. Here's a list of the features from the press release, plus some stock photos (mine didn't turn out so hot). Note that the amp section includes both Gain and Volume and that there are separate level controls for mod and ambient effects.

• Compact, lightweight stereo amplifier with slanted cabinet design
• Two high-performance 6.5” neodymium speakers
• Battery driven (6 x AA, maximum 15-hour continuous use)
• Dual-channel architecture with Guitar/Inst and Mic/Line inputs
• 8 COSM® AMPs, 6 digital effects, and chromatic tuner built in
• 2-band EQ, Delay/Reverb for the Mic/Line-channel
• AC Adaptor included

http://jonchappell.com/hc/Roland_Cube_Street_1.jpg

http://jonchappell.com/hc/Roland_Cube_Street_2.jpg

[DrewDruncan]

A local amp maker, whose company is called Judybox, was exhibiting, and I checked out a few of his handmade amps. Nice stuff!

Anybody know of this guy and his products?

Greetings all

We are a team of 4. The designer has been making custom one-off amps for some years for tours, studio guys and reampers.

These amps are partly made in China, to keep the price reasonable, since hand-wired amps cost more in labor than for parts.

We set up a very 50's style shop in China and make them just the way Leo did in the day- a small group of trained people working from layout drawings, rather than schematics. We stay for the whole production run to insure quality. We use good quality parts throughout and have all our transformers, speakers and cabs made to our specs. We also open every chassis in the US and do full QA with American techs.

The end result is something comparable to the new handwired AC15, a Marshall 18, a Z or a Cat, at nice price. We offer a 6V6, 6L6 and EL34 combo. All are lower wattage class A (15-34 watts) that street for about a grand.

[Jon Chappell]

We set up a very 50's style shop in China and make them just the way Leo did in the day- a small group of trained people working from layout drawings, rather than schematics. We stay for the whole production run to insure quality. We use good quality parts throughout and have all our transformers, speakers and cabs made to our specs. We also open every chassis in the US and do full QA with American techs.

The end result is something comparable to the new handwired AC15, a Marshall 18, a Z or a Cat, at nice price. We offer a 6V6, 6L6 and EL34 combo. All are lower wattage class A (15-34 watts) that street for about a grand.


Thanks for the insight, Drew. It really helps folks new to your products to know the process, and the care you take in ensuring quality while taking the necessary steps to keep it affordable. I've heard of this practice before -- the "overseas on-site supervision" approach, and it must take a toll on your domestic lives! But the amps are very cool.