You’ve got to love the NAMM show! Not only do you get to meet cool and creative people who live and breathe music, but you also get to check out the newest gear and learn about brand new companies that are just breaking in. Walking up and down the aisles, you can’t help but feel like a kid in a candy store, as each vendor temptingly shows its latest wares. This reporter spent hours wandering the exhibit floor (especially Hall E) of the Anaheim Convention Center, in the process getting a fascinating look at the Class of 2010 companies that were generating buzz among the tens of thousands in attendance. Join us, as we share a glimpse of what MI’s future might hold.
 Due to his tenure at Telex Communications, Mathias von Heydekampf is a very recognizable figure in our industry. He was at the show promoting a brand new company, Movek, of which he is the managing director. Movek offers myMix, which, according to the company, allows musicians to create their own personal mix and record multi-track audio at the same time. It enables musicians to create their own personal mix with a user-friendly interface and full-color LCD display. Input signals appear as named channels on all myMix units, providing control over volume, tone, pan, and effect level. With the press of a button, up to 16 individual channels plus a stereo mix can be multi-track recorded to an optional SD or SDHC card. Recorded audio can be imported into any recording software for overdubs, mixing, and mastering.
Utilizing common Ethernet hardware, a myMix system can provide up to eight individual stereo mixes with up to 16 channels of networked audio. Systems with more than two units connect via standard Ethernet switches. myMix units can be powered with the included external power supply, or from a power-over-Ethernet (POE) switch. myMix uses the Ethernet AVB protocol, ensuring compatibility with the next generation of computer networking devices.
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Greg Binions and Phillip Jarrell, Jarrell Guitars |
Visions of the Future
We also spoke to Ben Lewry, the founder of Visionary Instruments, which was created in September 2009. His NAMM booth gained a lot of attention due to his Video Guitar development, wherein a video screen is embedded right in the face of the instrument. The Video Guitar was designed to play exactly like a traditional electric guitar. It uses a custom analog circuit to reproduce three different classic pickup tones. It is powered by an external 12V supply that is routed through a remote control pedal. The power connects to the instrument with a standard XLR cable and the audio outputs through a normal guitar cable.
The instrument features a 13.3-inch LCD screen, with the imagery coming from 2GB of internal RAM or, alternatively, a USB flash drive expandable to 8GB RAM. The Video Guitar, which plays MPEG and JPEG video and image file types, averages 8.3 pounds. Various body styles and colors are available. Right now, the business is strictly dealing with guitars, although there have been numerous requests for basses. According to Lewry, in a retailer setting, he anticipates the Video Guitar might cost $2,300 to $2,500 to start.
Strolling a bit further down the aisle, we came to Nalu Ukulele Company. We spoke to Gary Rogers, managing partner, according to whom Nalu was created as a result of the passion its founders have for the ukulele. The company is two-and-a-half years old and offers mid-range pricing, with a focus on quality appearance and sound. At the booth, three models were specifically highlighted, each with a creative Hawaiian name with a revealing translation: the Ahua series (meaning, “swell”), the Hokua series (meaning, “wave crest”), and the Kaiko’o series (meaning, “tidal wave”). The Ahua and Hokua are solid mahogany, whereas the Kaiko’o boasts a solid spruce top with gloss black finish and a solid zebrawood back and sides.
For the Ahua, the price range is $249 to $299, with Hokua running $349 to $589 and, finally, Kaiko’o coming in at $699. According to Rogers, Nalu targets its products to the second- or third-time instrument buyer who is looking for a quality product. He specifically mentioned that his ukuleles are easy for crossover guitarists to pick up.
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Pete Lewis, Rock On Audio |
Eigenlabs, a British musical instrument company that was founded in 2001, made a prominent debut at Winter NAMM. Chairman John Lambert was showcasing the Eigenharp, which is billed as the most expressive electronic musical instrument made. With the Eigenharp, a musician can play and improvise using an unlimited range of sounds. It can play and record loops, change key, transpose, alter tempo, program beats, switch and layer sounds, all while the musician is performing on stage. The Eigenharp Alpha is the flagship instrument. It has 120 highly sensitive keys, 12 percussion keys, two strip controllers, a breath pipe, and numerous pedal inputs. Each key uses a unique sensor technology detecting movement in all directions to within a micron. The software system provides a range of musical performance features.
The Eigenharp Pico is a smaller, more affordable version. It has 22 keys, a breath pipe, and strip controller. It shares many of the performance features of the Alpha. It serves as a good introduction to the Eigenharp and is suitable for all levels of player, from beginner to soloist.
A Rockin’ Show
Next up is Rock On Audio, to whose owner, Pete Lewis, we spoke. The two-year-old company, which is seeking music store distribution, offers two key products. The Rockon Cable provides signal flow for both one’s instrument and in-ear monitor mix. An in-line 1/8-inch splitter allows the user to plug his/her in-ear monitors directly into the cable. This splitter is located 12 inches away from the instrument plug. The other end of the cable splits into two connectors. There, the user can access his/her instrument and monitor mix signals.
It also offers the Rockbox Limiter Headphone Amp. For use with in-ear monitors, this headphone amp has output limiting. This will protect a user’s ears from feedback and accidental pops. Besides standard balanced line-level signals, it can accept a speaker-line signal. This allows the user to access his/her monitor mix directly from a floor wedge parallel out (active or passive). The Rockbox Limiter and Cable Package costs $199.99, whereas only the Limiter Headphone Amp is $129.99 and the Rockon Cable alone (standard 15 feet) is $79.99. Custom cable orders in 20, 25, and 30 feet are available.
Next, we checked in with Dynamico Guitars and its owner, Jay Ottenwess. This one-and-a-half-year-old company, which was founded in late 2008, offers products that have “a vintage look, without being derivative.” The company also specializes in those instruments that are asymmetrical and unconventional, suiting players ranging from hard rock to country to surf. The company has four models: Los Alamos, Swingin’ 66, Wrecktangle, and Megami. They all feature patent-applied-for Mega-Tenon deep-set-neck design and are offered in a variety of finishes/motifs.
Among the finishes offered are Motor City, Louisiana Hayride, Fifty Nine, and Muroc. Standard features on all models/motifs include 13-degree headstock angle, four-degree neck to body angle, all guitars are built with Mega-Tenon neck joint, 22 frets, and Dynamico “Domino” gold pearl fretboard inlays.
We spoke to Ed Gonzales, president, EDG Guitars, about his three-month-old company’s full-featured foldable travel guitars. There are two different models: the Bluesette and the Rougette, with the only difference being the former has an alder body whereas the latter’s is in basswood. There are two different ways the folding can be achieved, those being with a hinge or a detachable neck. The guitars suit businesspeople who travel frequently but require all the functions of a regular guitar, as, apart from the folding capability, the models have all the features of a typical Stratocaster.
Inspired Instruments was at the show featuring the You Rock Guitar, the first hybrid guitar and gaming platform that works equally well when plugged into a computer, an amplifier or a video game console. The You Rock Guitar offers three playing modes: Music Mode, Game Mode, and You Rock Mode. One of the first devices, according to the company, to offer this degree of versatility, the product can find a home with guitarists, digital music composers, and gamers. In Guitar Mode, it plugs into any guitar amplifier for “real rocking” or into headphones for silent practice. It can also be used with an Apple iPod, iPhone or other MP3 player, allowing people to play with their favorite tracks from iTunes. A fully functional whammy bar allows for pitch bending both up and down.
Well-known Italian luthier Fabio Ragghianti recently started a new U.S. company, Ragghianti Guitars, which will distribute his new line of handcrafted instruments. The company’s new Radical Classical line features lattice top bracing and a thinner soundboard for more powerful resonance. The guitars employ a multi-scale fret system for improved tonal balance, a raised fingerboard for easy access to the higher registers, plus a personal side sound port. Each of the instruments is built under the instructions and supervision of Ragghianti by a luthier team in China. The soundboard can be chosen in Canadian Western Red Cedar (Thuja Plicata) or in Canadian Sitka Spruce (Picea Sitchensis). The back and sides are in solid Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia Latifolia). The retail price starts under $2,500.
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