Our Favorite Gear from NAMM 2016
Once a year people from all over the world gather in Anaheim to celebrate the musical arts at the National Association of Music Merchants. I traversed the wonders of this show and this is some of the cool stuff I was able to discover.
Breedlove: Journey Concert Series
MSRP: $5332.00
Release: currently available
I stumbled upon the Breedlove line of guitars and quickly realized I was onto something incredible. These guys go find and salvage fallen Redwoods and Brazilian Rosewoods and turn them into the most phenomenal sounding guitars. The one I featured is the Journey Concert series because it was not only beautiful looking, but man did it sound great. The top is salvaged Redwood which is paired with aged Brazilian Rosewood. They can also custom hand-tune each individual guitar to its wood’s frequency potential. Basically: they know their wood, and they know how to unlock the highest potential of each guitar they build. Link
MTD Electric Bass Guitar
MSRP: $5000-$6000
Release: Custom made to order
Going along with the beautifully handcrafted wooden theme that I seem to be following, I had to introduce everyone to MTD’s line of bass guitars. As you can see from the photo below, they are downright beautiful. This one is the MTD 535 with a figured Walnut top and a birdseed maple fretboard. Michael Tobias custom makes each bass and it takes him about 17 weeks to build one from start to finish. Link
Noble & Cooley: Solid Shell Oak Kit
MSRP: $12,085
Built to Order
Every piece in this set is hand-crafted. Noble & Cooley has been building drums from the ground up (literally) for 150 years. This is the Red Oak in “Honey Maple” oil finish with black chrome hardware. This set just looked so fantastic I had to share. If you happen to have an extra $12k to spare, put it towards a kick-ass set of drums. Their logo is “tag your tree,” meaning you can go and pick a tree (within 10 miles of their factory) and they will steam bend that baby into the most glorious sounding drums from here to Cleveland. Link
Jamkazam
MSRP: FREE!
Available now
This is an app that musicians can download that lets them play music live with other musicians from all different locations. The product is free and lets you use all of your own equipment. They do offer the Jamblaster ($299), which is supposed to tighten up any latency issues for people with slower internet. This little puppy opens up all kinds of avenues for people to practice and start bands without having to be in the same geographic location. I have a buddy that recently relocated to Denver from Philly, he was devastated to leave his band behind. With Jamkazam, he can be reunited via the web and jam out with his homies ’till the sun comes up. Link
Denon DJ
MSRP: $1299
Release: Q2 2016
There is a time and place for every type of music. When I entered the Electronic Music area of NAMM, I was suddenly transported to my college days. I was ready to throw on the toga, flip on the strobe lights, and rave the F out. This little DJ booth packs all the punches one might need in order to throw a kick-ass party: no computer required, and filled with lots of important buttons. If you know how to mix music, I am sure you will appreciate the beauty of this powerful little DJ booth. Link
OMEZ custom DJ lighting booth
MSRP: Roughly $8-$10k
Release: Custom built to order
As I found myself rounding the corner of DJ booths, I walked into their counterparts, the lighting specialists. When those lights hit my face, the only thing I can compare it to is when those kids walk into that wardrobe and are suddenly transported to another world. I was immediately transported to an Orlando House of Blues concert where Tiesto ripped it up in 08′. There were many phenomenal lighting booths at the show, but the guys over at OMEZ had the coolest (and trippiest) setup around. I wish I knew how to show what these lights were capable of in a photo, but you will just have to take my word for it. At one point I swear I was on rainbow road in Mario Kart … oh, the memories. Link
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