Guitar and Bass Goodies from Winter NAMM
February 15, 2000 - Hi again all you follow gear heads. I'm back with more goodies from the land of NAMM. I have been scouring high and low to find the stuff that will make you drool, gasp, or at least raise an eyebrow. I know that in the last week you have been barraged by product release information of all kinds from Harmony Central. However, I'm sure that you have been asking yourself "What did Cliff Suttle like at the NAMM show"? Ok . . . so maybe you weren't asking yourself that, but I still found some cool stuff that I thought every guitar or bass player out there should take notice of. So enough of this chatter, let's get to the goodies.
First, from the land of PRS (Paul Reed Smith Guitars), comes two new goodies. File this first one under "That's not a PRS!". Ah, but it is. PRS has released their first new body shape in ten years. This single cutaway is the latest of the quality products from PRS. "We have been getting pressure from dealers to release a single cut-away for years", stated Doug Chandler, marketing director at PRS. "The single cutaway increases neck support and thereby increases the midrange tones", he continued. The new PRS plays very nice, but I think I'll stick with my Custom 22 personally. I guess I'm just a double cutaway sort of guy. But, for you Les Paul fans this should make PRS guitars even more attractive. Sorry, but I didn't see a left hand model yet.
Secondly, PRS is now making a bass again. If you're saying, "Hey, PRS never made a bass in the first place", you'd be wrong. They did make a bass for a short time around late 80's early 90's. That bass today sells for more than when it was new (if you can find one, they are quite rare). The new bass is similar to the old bass in the fact that the body is not carved (unlike the PRS custom guitars) and it has a bolt on neck. There the similarities stops. The new PRS bass has a brand new pickup system that makes the sound brighter and more responsive. You can also get the bass with birds on the neck and a piezo pickup system due sometime this summer. PRS wouldn't say exactly when, but I did see the prototype with my own eyes.
For more information on either of these products check out the PRS web site at www.prsguitars.com.
Is
this a torture device from the middle ages? No, it "The Bass Hammer".
Now before you say, "That's the goofiest thing I've ever seen"
. . . oh, too late - you already said it. That's what I said to myself
too until I heard about what it does. Basically, this odd looking device
turns your pinky finger into a second thumb. This allows you to slap with
both your thumb and little finger in an alternating pattern. Thereby you
can slap multiple strings at the same time in a pattern that would be
very hard to play otherwise. I tried this new gizmo out myself and found
it quite easy to get use to. This is of course assuming that you know
how to slap in the first place. This little goody costs $50 U.S. and is
available only by mail from Jefferson Guitars, No 1 Old Surrenden Manor,
Bethersden, Kent TN26 3DL, England, or phone 01233 820 071.
 |
| Emmett Chapman and the NS Stick (Click for a close-up of the NS Stick) |
Looking for a new alternative to bass guitar? Maybe you should give the NS Stick a try. No this isn't a guitar that had the body cut off with a chain saw. It's a stick bass from Stick Enterprises. The NS Stick is a new product from the mind of Emmett Chapman creator of the Chapman Stick. If you're not familiar with the Stick, this is a guitar-like instrument except you don't pick or strum it. What you do is mainly is tap on it, although you can pick or strum if you want to. The pick ups on this instrument are so hot that you can produce pleasing sound with light taps on the fingerboard. The sound produced by this instrument is a unique cross somewhere between a bass guitar and a keyboard. If you play bass, guitar, or keyboards this instrument is a natural extension of the skills you have already attained in your musical experience. And, the stick can be equipped with a built in midi controller that has a direct 5 pin connector. So, basically this is a two handed, tap ready, eight string bass with midi (you can also get a 10 or 12 string model). How cool is that.
To contact Stick Enterprises about the Bass Stick, email stick@earthlink.net or check out their web site at www.stick.com.
Well that's it for now. But don't worry, I'm looking for more all the time. I'd better go buy some more film my camera.
Keep Jamming,
Cliff
Cliff Suttle (cliffnotes@harmony-central.com) has been studying music for over twenty years including studies at the University of Michigan. Fluent on keyboards, guitar, and bass, Cliff is currently playing in an all original rock band Middle Earth. Cliff's motto: Understand the theory and you can play anything.
| Advertisement |
Latest Headlines
Neumann Introduces The Digital Version Of The Classic TLM 103
Sennheiser Announces The Evolution e 965 Condenser Microphone
Mix Foundation Announces 2008 TECnology Hall Of Fame Inductees
Alfred Adds Basic Bass Method Book 2 To Best-Selling Series
Reverend Introduces Roundhouse HB Electric Guitar with Plaintop
Leone MusicReader B.V. Launches MusicReader Solo V.2 and SheetMusicSearch
BTE Audio Releases BEQ5 British Console Equaliser Algorithm
SKB Introduces New Rolling Roto-Rack Models
Features