Disappointed in NAMM

[SJan3]

It did seem that this year was light on the amplification side, but man ,were there a lot of phenomenal basses (different thread, I know).

On the amplification side, the new RB Legacy heads were far and away the most interesting/exciting. Sure, they may be "only" 400w, but if you have experience with the former RB heads, you will know that they are in no way limited when it comes to volume at a gig. They really did sound great, though I will admit that with their larger size and weight, they aren't meant for the masses.

Trickfish's Bullhead 3k was officially introduced as a demo last year, and was on display as a production unit this year, alongside their new lightweight cabs - which really did sound great!

As previously mentioned, Warwick has a new line of heads in 300/500/800w flavors, with one and two-channel options, plus a line dedicated to those who use pedalboard preamps. According to HP, the output module is proprietary to Warwick, and is not made by ICE or Pascal. I didn't spend a ton of time with them, but they looked very promising.

But yeah, all in all, this was a lighter than average year at NAMM in terms of new bass amplification products.

It was also the year of horrific mixes. Every performance I heard, from the smaller acts playing the beer garden, to Jon Batiste playing the NAMM main stage, had truly awful mixes.

Hi Tom, Yes I've owned an early RB400(big amp), a 400RB and 800RB amps. They were super reliable and had plenty of power. I didn't mean to poopoo 400 watts. Just meant that nowadays we have amps with twice the power and 1/5th the weight. That bodes well for my aging body.
I did enjoy your interview with John Myung from Dream Theater! He struck me as a very humble man.
I also saw a combo amp from Trickfish. I'm looking for a quality combo amp. And there did seem to be a plethora of new basses.

 

[ad9000]

I was focused more on basses at the show, but as a blanket observation it did seem like there were less offerings than usual on the amp side.

I'm not a big fan of GK, especially their cabs, but walking by I heard a couple of guys playing through the new legacy heads and I was struck by the clarity and punch they were putting out. Made me think they are worth a second look.

GR got a lot of traffic - the ultra lightweight aspect of their cabs is definitely a hook, but my overall impression was that they sounded thin. That could have been user error by whoever was demoing, not sure.

Trickfish was busy - seems like they have a lot of fans.

Aguilar always has a legion of guys busily thumping away on whatever they have to display. It always sounds about the same to me.

The winner of the saddest bass amplification booth (again) is Wayne Jones Audio - for some reason they're always stuck over in the software/pro audio area and they seem to get very little action. Makes me wonder why they even bother coming to the show, as it's got to be a costly endeavor these days.

 

[tombowlus]

I was focused more on basses at the show, but as a blanket observation it did seem like there were less offerings than usual on the amp side.

I'm not a big fan of GK, especially their cabs, but walking by I heard a couple of guys playing through the new legacy heads and I was struck by the clarity and punch they were putting out. Made me think they are worth a second look.

GR got a lot of traffic - the ultra lightweight aspect of their cabs is definitely a hook, but my overall impression was that they sounded thin. That could have been user error by whoever was demoing, not sure.

Trickfish was busy - seems like they have a lot of fans.

Aguilar always has a legion of guys busily thumping away on whatever they have to display. It always sounds about the same to me.

The winner of the saddest bass amplification booth (again) is Wayne Jones Audio - for some reason they're always stuck over in the software/pro audio area and they seem to get very little action. Makes me wonder why they even bother coming to the show, as it's got to be a costly endeavor these days.

Ah, yes! GR Bass also had a new head, the Groove. We will have a video up on that, soon.

 

[Alvin2022]

I'd never buy a "MIT" Fender product.

Never.

Why is that the case, particularly in the context of Texas? Many individuals on this forum have repeatedly asserted that the country of origin doesn’t significantly affect a product’s quality or performance. However, when we examine the specific dynamics of Texas, we see that the state’s manufacturing standards, labor laws, and even regional supply chains can contribute distinctively to the end product. Texas has a strong history of both high-tech and traditional industries, each influenced by local regulatory frameworks and economic conditions. Dismissing the state of origin—especially in a state as economically diverse and industrially robust as Texas—oversimplifies the complex factors at play. While the broader principles of production hold, it’s critical to consider how state-level policies and workforce dynamics may shape the final product, particularly in areas like energy, aerospace, and electronics where Texas plays a significant role.

 

[Alvin2022]

I was focused more on basses at the show, but as a blanket observation it did seem like there were less offerings than usual on the amp side.

I'm not a big fan of GK, especially their cabs, but walking by I heard a couple of guys playing through the new legacy heads and I was struck by the clarity and punch they were putting out. Made me think they are worth a second look.

GR got a lot of traffic - the ultra lightweight aspect of their cabs is definitely a hook, but my overall impression was that they sounded thin. That could have been user error by whoever was demoing, not sure.

Trickfish was busy - seems like they have a lot of fans.

Aguilar always has a legion of guys busily thumping away on whatever they have to display. It always sounds about the same to me.

The winner of the saddest bass amplification booth (again) is Wayne Jones Audio - for some reason they're always stuck over in the software/pro audio area and they seem to get very little action. Makes me wonder why they even bother coming to the show, as it's got to be a costly endeavor these days.

I had the opportunity to visit the Trickfish booth and was thoroughly impressed by both their exceptional product line and the professionalism of their representatives. It was a truly standout .

 

[FRoss6788]

Why is that the case, particularly in the context of Texas? Many individuals on this forum have repeatedly asserted that the country of origin doesn’t significantly affect a product’s quality or performance. However, when we examine the specific dynamics of Texas, we see that the state’s manufacturing standards, labor laws, and even regional supply chains can contribute distinctively to the end product. Texas has a strong history of both high-tech and traditional industries, each influenced by local regulatory frameworks and economic conditions. Dismissing the state of origin—especially in a state as economically diverse and industrially robust as Texas—oversimplifies the complex factors at play. While the broader principles of production hold, it’s critical to consider how state-level policies and workforce dynamics may shape the final product, particularly in areas like energy, aerospace, and electronics where Texas plays a significant role.

I vote with my dollars.

That’s all I’ll say about it.

 

[Alvin2022]

I vote with my dollars.

That’s all I’ll say about it.

That’s a sound decision. However, you have yet to address the question I posed: Why not consider acquiring an MIT bass, despite the fact that MIT is presently fictional?

Of course, you are free to choose any state—I merely suggested Texas based on the reasons I outlined earlier.

As for my own preferences, I’m fond of and own several MIM Fenders, Corona Fenders, and even a Squier. Ultimately, the origin is of little consequence to many, as I mentioned earlier. I do appreciate you sharing your perspective, though.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

That’s a sound decision. However, you have yet to address the question I posed: Why not consider acquiring an MIT bass, despite the fact that MIT is presently fictional?

Of course, you are free to choose any state—I merely suggested Texas based on the reasons I outlined earlier.

As for my own preferences, I’m fond of and own several MIM Fenders, Corona Fenders, and even a Squier. Ultimately, the origin is of little consequence to many, as I mentioned earlier. I do appreciate you sharing your perspective, though.

If Texas can produce the same quality at the same price point as Mexico (and if I was seeking to buy something like that), Texas it would be. Somehow I suspect Texas pricing will be heftier than Mexico. Probably moot since the physical instrument market is likely to shrink as AI takes over the playlists. The day is quickly approaching when people who want to hear Mustang Sally will be dead.

 

[InkCow]

The MI market is exponentially bigger than the U.S.

The tariffs don’t affect Mexican exports to anywhere else and for the U.S. we apparently will now have a new acronym: MII Fenders

 

[Alvin2022]

If Texas can produce the same quality at the same price point as Mexico (and if I was seeking to buy something like that), Texas it would be. Somehow I suspect Texas pricing will be heftier than Mexico. Probably moot since the physical instrument market is likely to shrink as AI takes over the playlists. The day is quickly approaching when people who want to hear Mustang Sally will be dead.

You were the original poster who mentioned higher costs, and I wanted to point out that there may be a silver lining to consider. Nevada, for example, could serve as an alternative to Texas, especially since one person mentioned they'd never buy a 'Made in Texas' Fender. They never explained why .
What about a 'Made in Nevada' label instead? Nevada itself offers several distinct advantages worth exploring. But that would depend on FMIC.

 

[tombowlus]

I actually forgot a couple of other cool new amplification products, the Peavey Super Festival F-1200B and 610 Bass Cab. We will have a video up soon, but the head and cab are both rated for 1,200 watts, and the head has treble, middle, bass, as well as three semi-parametric bands of EQ, plus a variable solid state overdrive which really captures that synthy Peavey overdrive of yore. The cab sounded nice, but I don't know the other specs (other than it is an 8-ohm enclosure).

 

[tombowlus]

It did seem that this year was light on the amplification side, but man ,were there a lot of phenomenal basses (different thread, I know).

On the amplification side, the new RB Legacy heads were far and away the most interesting/exciting. Sure, they may be "only" 400w, but if you have experience with the former RB heads, you will know that they are in no way limited when it comes to volume at a gig. They really did sound great, though I will admit that with their larger size and weight, they aren't meant for the masses.

Trickfish's Bullhead 3k was officially introduced as a demo last year, and was on display as a production unit this year, alongside their new lightweight cabs - which really did sound great!

As previously mentioned, Warwick has a new line of heads in 300/500/800w flavors, with one and two-channel options, plus a line dedicated to those who use pedalboard preamps. According to HP, the output module is proprietary to Warwick, and is not made by ICE or Pascal. I didn't spend a ton of time with them, but they looked very promising.

But yeah, all in all, this was a lighter than average year at NAMM in terms of new bass amplification products.

It was also the year of horrific mixes. Every performance I heard, from the smaller acts playing the beer garden, to Jon Batiste playing the NAMM main stage, had truly awful mixes.

Here is a link to our interview with Andy Irvine regarding the new Warwick heads:

 

[ole Jason]

Was Henriksen there? He's supposed to release a bass combo this year but haven't heard much about it in awhile

 

[John D Harris]

Are there any companies that are putting out newer active / powered speaker cabinets specifically for bass guitar (like GR Bass & a few others)?

I'm trying to find & consider options for use with my Two Notes Opus - amp / cab sim unit.

Looking for units under 40 lbs. that are fairly transparent and the best bang for the buck.

Enough output for a medium (maybe on the smaller side of medium) sized venue - no EDM or Metal or real high SPL stuff.

[The Genzler MG350 combo is tempting as I think it is transparent enough to either run the Opus into the regular the instrument input with everything set flat or possibly run it into the "Aux. In" to bypass the 350 preamp. The Phil Jones Bass BG-450 combo would probably work as well.]

Also, I wonder if the NF - Natural Fiber models of the GR Bass cabs are more durable than the AT Carbon Fiber cabs - if so, I think those would be my first choice, in spite of their high prices.

I also have a thread about active PA cabs for the same use with the EV ZLX-12P-G2 leading my consideration with the QSC CP12 in the running as well.

I would think that with modeling and preamps on pedal boards coming into much more use, that companies building FRFR cabs for guitarists, that some would cater to bassists as well.

I know Barefaced has added their Activer to the One10 cabs, but I'm looking for something more transparent.

Bergantino used to have the "IP" series of powered bass cabs, though pricey, something like that would be great!

The powered Bag End cabs are a bit too heavy, even with the Neo drivers.

My objective is ease of transport and set up with as few pieces as possible.