NAMM 2010 – the ultimate round-up
| Posted in Music Technology, News
The 2010 NAMM show in California has now come to an end, bringing to a close three days in which hundreds of new products were released, from guitars and amplifiers to sequencers and synths. NAMM is the biggest exhibition of new instruments in the world, setting the tone for the year to come in the music industry. If you want to know everything about the gear you’ll be lusting after in the coming months, then here’s our ultimate round-up of the news coming out of America. Just follow the links through to find detailed stories on every manufacturer, or check the index of every NAMM story that we’ve written at the bottom of this blog.
Though the NAMM show started on January 14th, our coverage started much earlier on January 5th, as news began to leak from manufacturers. The first big brand to break its silence was Fender, whose 50th Anniversary Fender Jazz Bass led headed up an onslaught of new instruments that also included US-made American Special Strats and Teles, plus the revamped Rumble range of bass amplifiers. Later on that same day, news followed of the Fender G-Dec 3 amplifier series, boasting onboard loops and presets created by artists and session musicians.
The pre-NAMM dash to report all the news was underway, and we followed a day later with an article on the Nord Piano 88, which launched at the show. It promised to take keyboard players “one step closer to the ultimate stage piano” – a claim that would be tested in the days following as other manufacturers launched stage pianos of their own.
January 8th saw us rounding up all the Takamine news, including four electro-acoustics, an electro-acoustic bass, a classical electro-acoustic and a straight acoustic dreadnought. Marc Noel Johnson was particularly impressed with the two new Pro Series models, the EF340 SCGN and EF440 SCGN.
Jackson guitars appeared that same day, delighting “Shredders, metalheads, and pilgrims to all things rock”, according to Rob Sandall. Among the guitars included within our round-up was the PDX Demmelition King V – a six string that we expect to hear a lot about this year as fans of the metal flock to its unique body styling.
Indeed, metalheads were having a good couple of days – less than 48 hours later news broke of Ibanez’s plans for the show, including dozens of new acoustic and electric guitars and basses. We brought you everything you needed to know in a three-part Ibanez round-up.
Ibanez part one concentrated on the signature guitars that were making their debut in the US, with the much-anticipated JSA10 Joe Satriani Signature electro-acoustic leading the range, closely followed by Satriani electric models, a Steve Vai signature and the MTM2 Mick Thomsun signature. In Ibanez part two we revealed the wealth of new Ibanez guitars appearing within the next few months, including the Weathered Black S420, plus three new bass guitars including the retro JTKB300 – the first bass guitar to join the Jet King range. Finally, Ibanez part three brought news of the new acoustic models including the EW35ABE, with its unusual combination of Olive, Ash and Burl.
Moving away from guitars for a moment, January 12th saw Yamaha announce its new Pocketrak C24 and W24 portable recorders, promising “the fastest start-up time of any portable recorder” in 4.5 seconds. Elsewhere, Paul Dakeyne previewed the appearance at NAMM of Teenage Engineering with the OP-1 synth controller. Paul described the sound of the controller as “other-worldly, in a faulty oscillator, weird kind of sci-fi way”.
With NAMM news now appearing by the hour, one of the biggest stories of the show broke as we brought news of the Akai APC20. Paul Dakeyne analysed the new compact controller and where it fits into the world of Ableton. A full review, he promised, is imminent.
The EKS Otus Raw DJ controller swiftly followed in a blog that saw Otus fan Paul Dakeyne speculating on how it will perform in a live situation. Paul swiftly followed with details of three new digital products from Numark, including the single-platter Numark V7 DJ controller, the Numark X7 four channel, 24-bit digital club mixer, and the Numark NS7 FX, which Paul described as the big brother of the already popular NS7.
But proving that NAMM is nothing if not varied, news for bass players quickly appeared in a round-up article outlining all of the Ampeg products being released at the show. Among them was the American made 300 Watt all tube bass head, the Heritage SVT-CL.
The NAMM show started on the morning of January 14th, officially lifting the veil on a huge amount of gear that we knew about but hadn’t yet been allowed to talk about. First among the revelations that we brought to you on the busiest day ever on the DV247 blog was the controversially named Korg Sound on Sound multitrack recorder, which promises unlimited over-dubbing.
Yamaha guitar news broke next, with a made-over Yamaha SG model, the SG1800, particularly catching Marc Noel Johnson’s eye. Elsewhere, Paul Dakeyne was writing excitedly of the improvements to be found in the Yamaha Tenori-On Version 2.
Our coverage of PRS followed, leading with the PRS SE Torero, which is “aimed squarely at the metal and shredding fraternity”. A further PRS update followed days later, when more news of PRS signature guitars was announced.
By now, the world was slowly waking up to a chorus of amplifier news. We started with a round-up of Vox amplifers that were due to be launched in California. Among the details we revealed were the AC15C1 and the ASC30C2 amps, both of which have been added to the Custom range, and excited Marc Noel Johnson.
Feeling similarly giddy at the new launches was Rob Sandall, whose coverage of Marshall Amplification’s JMD:1 range marked the first time the news had been written about worldwide. Rob wrote that he suspected “that even the most sceptical tone purist may well change their mind when offered so many glorious tones within the confines of a single amplifier”.
The TC Helicon VoiceTone Create XT was next when DV247 again broke news of the vocal processor - dubbed the “ultimate all-in-one vocal producer pedal” – before anyone else.
Another first was the TC Electronic PolyTune - arguably one of the most important products of all NAMM 2010. As the world’s first Polyphonic guitar tuner, promising to tune all of the strings of a guitar at once, with just a single strum of all the open strings, it has fast become a talking point since our story was published. Coverage of the TC Electronic Vintage Guitar Pedal plug-in for PowerCore followed soon after.
Huge news broke at midday on the 14th, as the veil was lifted on the Octopre MkII Dynamic from Focusrite. Paul Dakeyne looked in-depth at the specifications for the new processor, deciding that “Focusrite has again scored a bullseye!”
IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 3 was similarly well received in the office, as Rob Sandall broke the news of its launch at the show. Joining it later in the day was the IK Multimedia StealthBoard, a stomp-board for guitarists allowing them to bring virtual guitar tones onto the stage.
Paul Dakeyne meanwhile was busy studying the new Korg Kaossilator Pro, describing it as “a hybrid of the manufacturer’s massively popular mini DJ tech-tool the Kaossilator, blended with the creative sampling power of the Kaoss Pad 3″. Look out for a review of this headline-grabbing product on DV247 as soon as it arrives in the UK.
Universal Audio had a very busy NAMM show, announcing partnerships with a host of companies including Dunlop, whose range of world-famous effects stomp boxes are soon to be given the UAD-2 treatment. Also announced was the imminent release of the Manley Massive Passive EQ plug-in.
Arguably having the busiest NAMM of all however was guitar legend Slash, who first appeared on the Gibson stand to help launch the 2010 Appetite For Destruction Les Paul, which is due for release later this year in limited numbers. Then later during the weekend, the former Guns ‘n’ Roses star reappeared on the Marshall booth to introduce the AFD100, an under-development amplifier which will attempt to recreate Slash’s unique tone on Appetite for Destruction. If there was one album that summed up the show, then it was GNR’s first record.
We brought you news of all the latest Roland products on a two-part article on the 14th, including the Roland Octapad SPD-30 percussion pad and the TD-12KX V-Drums kit in part one. The second part concentrated on the Japanese manufacturer’s newly added pianos and keyboards, including the ‘Supernatural’ HP Series. Fellow Roland brand Boss had an article all of its own, meanwhile, introducing the Boss ME-25 multi-effects board.
Among the biggest stories of the weekend was the announcement that Avid has bundled together some of the most popular Pro Tools plug-ins in the Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack. We broke the news first before the rest of the world knew. More good news for computer-based musicians quickly followed with the launch of Cakewalk A-Pro series MIDI controller keyboards.
Still on the 14th, it was time to return briefly to guitar and bass news, firstly with Gibson’s revamped signature acoustic range, including the Keb’ Mo’ Bluesmaster, and then with the release of TC Electronic’s ComboClassic and ComboStaccato bass amplifiers. The two bass cabinets sit within the TC range alongside the recently reviewed Combo450.
Elsewhere in the show, Solid State Logic introduced a new solution for analogue processing in modern studios with the SSL X-Patch, described as “aiming to bring plug-in style flexibility to analogue processor routing”. More keyboards quickly followed as well, with Arturia introducing its three-strong Analog Experience range.
So closed the busiest day ever on this blog, or so we thought until a small nugget of news broke that everyone had been waiting for – the announcement of a new partnership between Ableton and Serato culminating in The Bridge. Paul Dakeyne, our resident DJ guru, quickly leaped on the news and analysed it from an insider’s point of view, raising a lot of interesting questions in the process.
January 15th began with a round-up of the Tascam news from California, before Marc Noel Johnson examined the new Gibson 50th Anniversary Les Paul Standard in depth. But if anyone suspected that the major new announcements were thinning, they were about to disproved, as the Steinberg Nuendo Syncstation was released to the public. Indeed, new gear just kept arriving, including a massive 50 new products from Behringer, with new loudspeakers, mixers and DJ equipment.
Capturing headlines, Rane swiftly launched the Rane Sixty-Eight Mixer, a product that excited Paul Dakeyne greatly as he wrote that it heralded “a new age as the DJ mixer finally jumps head first into the 21st century computer-world”.
Having already covered the new Vox range of amplifiers, our next round-up was for Vox guitars, with Marc Noel Johnson running through the specifications of the new models. The DigiTech JamMan Solo and JamMan Stereo looping pedals were also made public, updating a classic pedal from the last decade.
Having brought you news of almost all the new gear arriving at NAMM, we edged towards the end of the show with a round-up of Bugera’s new guitar amplifiers, including the all-valve 30 Watt BC30-212 combo. Paul Dakeyne meanwhile was busying himself pondering on the possibilities presented by Fxpansion’s BFD Eco plug-in.
While NAMM itself is now closed for another year, news from the show will continue to sneak out over the coming week and we’ll be here to ensure that our readers are the first to know everything that matters. Even this morning, we have posted Taylor Guitar news on its new Baritone eight-string electro-acoustic and a Serj Tankian STSM-T5 signature model. Expect much more to follow.
In the meantime, keep reading the DV247 blog as these new instruments arrive. We’ll be reviewing all of the gear that matters in the coming months to ensure that you know everything first about NAMM 2010.
NAMM 2010 article index:
NAMM 2010 NAMM Fender news part one
NAMM 2010 NAMM Fender news part two
Nord Piano 88 launches at NAMM 2010
NAMM 2010 Jackson Guitars news
NAMM 2010 Ibanez news part one: signature guitars
NAMM 2010 Ibanez news part two: electric guitars and basses
NAMM 2010 Ibanez news part three: acoustic guitars
Yamaha Pocketrak C24 / W24 launches at NAMM
Teenage Engineering OP-1 Synth Controller
Akai APC20 Compact Ableton Controller
PRS SE Torero – NAMM 2010 PRS news
Marshall JMD:1 series launched at NAMM 2010
TC-Helicon VoiceTone Create XT
TC Electronic Vintage Guitar Pedal plug-in for PowerCore
Focusrite OctoPre MkII Dynamic launched
IK Multimedia AmpliTube 3 launches at NAMM
Korg Kaossilator Pro launches at NAMM 2010
UAD2 plug-ins for Dunlop, Lexicon, Studer, dbx, AKG and Manley
Gibson Slash 2010 Appetite for Destruction Les Paul
NAMM 2010 Roland news part one: drums and percussion
NAMM 2010 Roland news part two: pianos and more
Boss ME-25 guitar multiple effects pedal
Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack
NAMM 2010 Cakewalk news – A-PRO keyboard controllers
NAMM 2010 Gibson signature acoustic news
TC Electronic bass combos launch
SSL X-Patch arrives at NAMM 2010
Serato Scratch Live 2 brings Ableton Bridge
Tascam NAMM roundup: US800, DR2, DR08, DR680, HS8 and HS2
Gibson 50th Anniversary 1960 Les Paul Standard
Steinberg Nuendo Syncstation announced at NAMM
Rane Sixty-Eight Mixer: 21st Century DJ Mixing arrives
DigiTech JamMan Solo and JamMan Stereo Looper
PRS 25th Anniversary Custom 24 SE
Marshall AFD100 announced by Slash at NAMM
Taylor Baritone 8 String Guitar and Serj Tankian STSM-T5
NAMM 2010 Peavey amp head news
Peavey Revalver MkIII.V and Nano Vypyr
NAMM 2010 – Danelectro 50th Anniversary Guitars
Mesa Boogie Transatlantic TA-15
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: NAMM 2010, NAMM gear guide, NAMM round-up