Barry Wood's NAMM Oddities 2014 Edition

 Packrat Barry

Other Goodies

Amp Head Light Show

I think I need my own variant of Rule 34 that states:

If a piece of musical gear exists, someone will put lights in it.

Glass Cockpit for Guitars

This replaces your volume, tone, and pickup selectors with a touchpad system that digitally controls the analog signal.

Not only does it look cool, but it also allows you create any pickup blend you like without being limited to the way a traditional selector switch would have to be wired. You can also easily do volume and tone sweeps simultaneously with one finger.

Touchmark Guitars

Incowgnito

Odds are good that the cellist who owns one of these cases has this music in their repertoire.

  • Bam Cases
  • Rue de la Vignerie
  • 14160, Dives-sur-Mer, France
  • 33(0)2 31 24 55 72
  • www.bamcases.com
Bam Cases

Handicrafted

Tokyo-based Shin's Music makes some interesting faux-alligator-skinned effect and volume pedals. I was also taken by the steam-punk-inspired overdrive pedal.

I thought maybe that Shin was hoarding a stockpile of the label tape for one of those vintage label makers but it looks like you can still buy them.

Moridair Musical Instrument Co.

Carrion Amps

Like a scavenger going for the tasty bits, Analog Outfitters cull the old and infirm Hammond organs roaming Craigslist and turn them into custom guitar amps.

They don't let the rest of the carcass go to waste either.

Analog Outfitters

The No-Roadie Zone

This is an amp that only the owner would be allowed to touch.

Minarik Guitars

Serial Killer

The momentary switch on the Memento will mute the output like a pickup tap (kill switch) on a guitar.

The pedal will record a real-time pattern of switch taps and will loop them allowing you to put whatever audio you like through the kill switch pattern.

Dwarfcraft Devices

Mecha Pedals

I expect to see little Shinji Ikari inside these things, turning the knobs for you.

  • Ogre
  • Seogeun-ri 205, Paltan-myeon,
  • Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
  • 445-914
  • www.ogre.kr
Ogre

Split Personality

With these pickups you've got two outputs for groups of strings. You can split them 3/3 (EAD/GBE) or 2/4 (EA-DGBE).

You need to use a TRS cable for your guitar since it puts out two separate signals but they've got a breakout box to provide two separate outputs.

Ultramagnetics

9-Volt Banishment

This battery unit will power up to eight 9V stomp boxes. Their ad copy says, "break away with messy wires" and since you actually don't eliminate any wires, I'm guess that this should be read literally.

  • Caline Music
  • Room303, D Building, HuanchengNan Rd South 129th
  • Pingdi Longgang, Shenzhen City, China
  • 0755-29365691
  • www.calinemusic.com
Caline Music

As If By Magic

On the other hand, these pedals do away with power cables completely. When walking past the booth I almost missed the fact that these effects pedals were working without power adapters or batteries. They have a base unit that provides power wirelessly to the pedals. Now they just need to get the guitar signal routed wirelessly.

  • F-Vision LLC
  • 5405 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 279
  • Los Angeles, CA 90036
  • www.f-pedals.com
F-Vision LLC

A Bomb Shelter for Your Guitar

The wheels you see on this case are not just for convenience. The substantial weight of these heavy duty cases pretty well requires them. There's a nice integrated handle up at the headstock end of the case.

If you've got a valuable guitar doesn't it deserve a case of this caliber?

Timbre Cases

Great for Open Carry Gigs

It might look like a guitar strap with integrated holster, but it's really just a handy place to stash your money, keys, cell phone, and picks.

This strap system also distributes the weight of the instrument across your back instead of just your shoulder.

Extreme Straps USA

For the Tuning-Challenged

Here is the latest entry in the ongoing campaign to free guitarists of the tyranny of tuning their guitars by hand.

This entrant uses a smartphone as the brains behind the tuning.

A Forehead Slap Inducer

This is one of those "why didn't someone think of this sooner?

It's actually a pretty impressive little drum machine. It has multi-sampled kits parts and is driven by MIDI files that can be loaded from an SD card.

Singular Sound

Say No To Velcro

That's the Temple Audio catchphrase. Instead of using velcro like many pedalboards, their system works by sticking a plate to underside of your pedal that then screws into the perforated plate. The plate also offers plenty of holes so that you can route your cables on the underside.

Temple Audio Design

Speaker Shims

These clever rings allow you to slightly change the angle of the speaker. For a straight guitar cabinet you could have the bottom two speakers angling up a bit.

I think the killer application would be to have a 4x12 that would focus all four speakers on the guitar player's head so that it would be really, really loud just for him.

Tilt-A-Speaker

Control Freak

Some effects use MIDI, others don't. Molten Voltage's products let you create preset patches that integrate all of your analog devices using their MIDI-controlled effects loop box and a number of other utility boxes.

I think my favorite is the Simi pedal that can display 16 characters. This would be a great way for the entire band to know what song is up next.

Molten Voltage

All Up in the Grill

At NAMM it's often pointless to get an audio demo because of the ambient noise so I can't really tell you how these cabinets sound, but that's not why they're appearing here, is it?

  • Dragoon
  • Via Pietro Thouar n. 2
  • 50122 Firenze, Italy
  • +39 055 2345883
  • www.dragoon.it
Dragoon

I'm Sure It Does Something

…but I couldn't tell you exactly what. It looks like a car stereo built into something that looks like half a guitar case that has a shoulder strap. At least, that's my guess.

  • Eno Music Co., Ltd
  • 1-3 Floors, 7th Building
  • Jiademaluan Industrial Estate, Tangkeng Rd.
  • Pingshan District, Shenzhen, China 518118
  • eno-music.com
Eno Music Co., Ltd

If Harvey Dent Played Guitar

They made a great call when they named this Tremolo/Fuzz pedal.

I quite like the artwork on their Voyager and Iron Horse pedals.

Walrus Audio

Re-Skinnable Guitar Cases

Speaking of multiple faces, this company makes gig bags with removable front panels. They've got a series of panels with artwork by Stanley Mouse who created iconic album covers for bands like the Grateful Dead and Journey.

What I think is more interesting is that you can upload your own artwork for a panel of your own design.

  • Boldface Gear
  • 350 N. Pacific Coast Hwy.
  • Redondo Beach, CA 90277
  • (310) 991-3643
  • www.boldfacegear.com
Boldface Gear

7-String Conversion

This clever system adds an octave G string to your acoustic guitar. With just that one additional string you get a pretty good 12-string vibe. You can also quickly lock out that string for a normal guitar sound or lock out the regular G string for a high-strung sound.

The only permanent modification is a tiny notch in the nut.

Addventor B.V.

EBow On Board

McMillen seems to always come out with some product that's unlike anything they've released before.

This year they were showing a guitar add-on that provides EBow-like sustain. They've also got a motion-sensing switch that, as of NAMM, has not yet been assigned a function.

Keith McMillen Instruments
Next Up: Percussion

©2014 Barry Wood