Ibanez AFB200BS and AGB200TBR
Ibanez debuted two new Artcore basses sweetened by ƒ-holes and air cavities. The AFB200BS hollowbody 4-string and AGB200TBR semi-hollow 4-string (both $599 list, $450 street) have maple bodies, two pickups, gold hardware, and a 30"-scale set neck with a rosewood fingerboard. The AFB200 has a deep, hollow body and a rosewood bridge, while the AGB200 has a slim, semi-hollow body and a Gibraltar III metal bridge. Ibanez, (215) 638-8670, www.ibanez.com.
Mike Lull MX4L
It looks like Mike Lull has been obsessed with 24—frets, that is, not the hyper-dramatic TV show. The new Mike Lull M4XL 4-string ($3,699 list, $2,900 street) is Lull’s first 24-fret bass, available with a maple or rosewood fingerboard. Other accouterments include custom Lindy Fralin pickups and an 18-volt Bartolini preamp. Mike Lull, (425) 643-8074, www.mikelull.com.
Spector Performer Classic
Spector’s new budget-minded Performer Classic series (4-string: $549 list, $400 street; 5-string: $599 list, $425 street) doesn’t skimp on the classic qualities that made the curvaceous and comfortable instruments so influential. The Performers have bolt-on maple necks, curly-maple tops on carved basswood bodies, 24-fret rosewood fingerboards, and passive EMG humbuckers. Spector, (845) 246-1385, www.spectorbass.com.
Yamaha RBX4 A2
The Yamaha RBX4 A2 4-string ($999 list, $600 street) combines a high-tech, Apple-esque look with high-tech construction—and a lightshow. Using its “alternative internal resonance” (or A.I.R.) concept, Yamaha sandwiches softwood in a hardwood shell for a lightweight bass with resonance and sustain. Other features include a dot-less 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, bolt-on maple neck, and Yamaha single-coil pickups. The backlit knobs’ brightness varies with volume changes. Yamaha, www.yamaha.com.
Markbass heads, cabinets, and a combo
Markbass came out swingin’ at the show with a pile of new lightweight heads and cabinets (prices not available). In the blue corner, weighing in at 4.4 pounds, we have the 500-watt Markbass F1 head. The lightweight contender, with a digital power amp and solid-state preamp, features vintage loudspeaker emulator (VLE) and variable preshape filter (VPF) filter circuits, 4-band EQ, xlr out, and an effect loop. And, in the red corner, weighing in at 20.7 pounds, we have the Minimark 150-watt 2x6 combo. The Italian amp builder also showed its vintage-inspired Classic series head and cabinets, with the Classic 300 all-tube head, the CL 104 4x10, CL 106 6x10, and CL 108 8x10 closed cabinets loaded with neodymium speakers. Markbass, www.markbass.it.
Tone Tubby Tone Tunnels
Northern California’s Tone Tubby rolled out the barrel with its new Tone Tunnel cabinets. Built into a John Bonham-size kick drum shell, the visually striking 4x10 and 1x15 cabinets (prices unavailable at press time) are loaded with Super Boy hemp cone speakers. The 4x10 is rated at 600 watts and the 1x15 is rated at 400 watts. Pass it on. Tone Tubby, (415) 479-2124, www.tonetubby.com.
Electro-Harmonix Nano & XO Pedals
Electro-Harmonix unveiled two new lines of pedals: the mid-size XO and the small Nano series. In addition to the Micro Q-Tron voltage-controlled filter ($110 list, $83 street), which we reviewed in December ’06, the XO series includes the Stereo Polyphase ($278 list, $210 street), Hum Debugger hum eliminator ($158 list, $120 street), and Little Big Muff distortion ($89 list, $67 street). The Nano line is a new breed of E-H halflings whose bass-friendly members are the Nano Bassballs envelope filter ($110 list, $83 street), Nano Small Stone phase shifter ($104 list, $78 street), Nano Clone analog chorus ($69 list, $52 street), Nano Muff Overdrive ($59 list, $43 street), and Nano Dr. Q auto-wah ($72 list, $54 street). Many are reworked E-H classics designed to sound better and to take up less floor space than their ancestors. Electro-Harmonix, (718) 937-8300, www.ehx.com.
Line 6 Bass Floor POD
The latest sprout from Line 6’s POD clan is the company’s most affordable POD yet. The Bass Floor POD ($279 list; $200 street) breaks it down to five amp models, a synth, a volume/wah-wah pedal, and effects including an envelope filter, octave, chorus, and compressor. The Floor POD also has an onboard tuner, CD/mp3 input, q" preamp out, and q" direct out. Line 6, (818) 575-3600, www.line6.com.
Rocktron Utopia B100
With 128 preset sounds available under your Adidas, the Rocktron Utopia B100 multi-effect ($289 list) might be some players’ idea of sound-stompin’ Shangri-La. The compact Utopia has 64 factory and 64 user programmable presets, with a rainbow of effects, including wah, phaser, compressor, chorus, and flanger. Other Utopian tools include Rocktron’s Hush noise reduction, tube emulation, and a “speaker exciter.” Peaceful coexistence and goodwill toward man not included. Rocktron, 800-388-4447, www.rocktron.com.
Basslines SJ5-3 Pickup
For years, the SJB-3 Quarter Pound Jazz Bass pickup has been Basslines’ most popular pickup because it works so well in J-style 4-strings. Five-string J-Bass players will appreciate that Basslines recently created the SJ5-3 Quarter Pound for 5-string Jazz Bass ($95 list, $67 street for one pickup; $179 list, $125 for a pair), for meeting the challenges associated with articulating the 5-string’s low range. Basslines, (805) 964-9610, www.basslines.com.
