I just happened to be visiting Nashville, TN for the first time this past weekend, and when I was at the Guitar Center there (I knew they'd have some awesome stuff...pics later in the thread), one of the employees I was chatting with told me that the 3rd Annual Nashville Amp Expo happened to be in town that weekend.
I was really caught off guard by the enormity of the event, and the quality of all the builders/vendors involved. I met some amazing people, too.
there were definitely a few highlights from the past weekend, though. the first of which is Blackfoot Amps (
http://www.blackfootcustomamps.com). I had never heard of these guys before, and their BB400-JFE bass amp (435 watts, all tube) sounded absolutely KILLER! especially through their extended 4x10.
I talked to Brent a little bit, and he said the amp is customizable from 100 watts all the way up to
800 watts!!!!! ALL TUBE!!!!![/b][/u]
oh yea, it uses
TWELVE 6L6GC's IN THE POWER SECTION!!!! 
The preamp has 2-12AX7's, 1-12AT7, and 1-12AU7, and utilizes a Solid State rectifier. if you're interested, you could also have a hotted up second gain channel that is footswitchable, and they are planning on putting a graphic EQ in the amp, as well. if you are looking for a boutique SVT killer, honestly, this is the cream of the crop. also, the guys were some of the coolest there, too.
another product that REALLY impressed the crap out of me was the Spaceman Gemeni III (
Spaceman Effects :: Gemini III: Dual Fuzz Generator - Boutique Fuzz Pedal). this is hands down the
BEST fuzz pedal I've EVER played through. also easily the most versatile, as well. I don't have the knowledge to go through what all the details are, but there is a lot of information on that page, and you can definitely contact Zak, too. if I had the $320 necessary for one, I would be the current owner of one. and I
HATE pedals.
some great other mentions were Stratage Guitars, RG Custom Basses, and Steamboat Ampworks.
Stratage Guitars (
Custom Electric Guitar | Great Sound | Stratage Guitars) has a REALLY innovative electronics system that basically puts a buffer between each pickup in the chain of signal which keeps the tone totally transparent and clear from your fingers to the amp. in short, these are the ONLY active basses I've ever liked the sound of. also, the pickup selector system is also really neat, too. push button right on the bass for each possible pickup position, along with a boost option.
RG Custom Basses (
rgcustombasses.com - HOME) are another honorable mention simply for the fact that they aren't what I'm looking for, but I was still incredibly impressed with their product. I played everything from a 5 pound bass (literally) to their 13/14 pound wrecking ball of a bass that was the most sensitive instrument I've ever plugged up. all of their instruments played incredibly well and were very snug under my fingertips, and they all got a great, clean modern sound. I'm just simply more of a p-bass on steroids kind of bassist. I like wider necks, and the sound of a p-pickup, along with dual outputs. even though this wasn't what I was looking for (I'm not really looking, anyway...my Warmoth fits all I need), I was still unbelievably impressed with the wide range of their products along with their personalities.
Steamboat Ampworks (
Steamboat Ampworks, Home) was a FUNNNNNN room to be in. haha. it's ran by an entertaining group of smart late 20 year old musicians who are into great tone, and great cabs. they actually had a 200 watt bunker buster of a bass amp called the Steamroller 200 and the matching cab on display. it was very responsive to the touch, and sounded great, to boot. the cab they had it running through was a 1x10/2x12/1x15 sealed cab. it was made for the bassist of The Raconteurs, and I believe they decided to make it a staple in their lineup of offerings. it was a great combination, that produced great tone. the only downside was their decision to seal the cab. it was ridiculously loud, and at one point had the volume up to max, but I had to roll the low end down a little bit because it was farting towards the top end (like, 7 or 8). but don't get me wrong, killer cab! they also had a SWEET prototype guitar amp present called the Big Fish that I plugged my second output into that had a mix of of EL84's and 6V6's which had independent volume controls. it was the first guitar amp that I've actually turned DOWN the treble on it. I may possibly own one of these in the future. I REALLY liked it.
about that awesome stuff at the Nashville GC.....well, I saw about $30-$40k of vintage Fender hanging in their used gear section:
they also had a '53 P-Bass for sale (for $10k!!!!) that played surprisingly well for it's age. and the SOUUUUUUNNNNNNDDDDDDDD!!!!!! IT WAS KILLER!!!!! surprisingly light weight, too! the saddle on the G-string was bottomed out, though. not sure if it was broken, or just needed adjustment due to the bridge cover. it just looked like it needed new saddle screws, though:
and last, but not least, was the Fender Custom Shop Jaco reproduction Jazz Bass they had for sale. this was by far the easiest playing bass I've ever put my hands on. a truly amazing instrument. music just kept coming out of that bass, and the harmonics just JUMPED out of that thing! it was REALLY unbelievable. they captured every last detail of Jaco's bass down to the bent E-string tuning peg:
lemme know what you guys think! don't forget to look up the guys I've mentioned. super awesome products, and made me wish I had more money for gear! was anyone else there, by any chance?
