SPIRITS WERE HIGH AT THIS YEAR’S NAMM Show, as last year’s spark of economic optimism seems to have encouraged some new innovation in the bass world. Walking the vast show floor over the course of several days, we were able to get a sense of at least a few low-end trends. Here’s what we spotted.

BASSES

There’s never a shortage of wild new bass creations at NAMM, and with literally hundreds of boutique basses carved from exotic wood and stuffed with cutting-edge electronics, this year was no exception. The traditionalist crowd of those who pay tribute to Leo Fender’s classic bass designs were well represented, but there were a few beyond-the-box basses that pushed the envelope. From Brubaker’s hot-swappable bass preamp to Fodera/Mike Pope’s sliding pickup design and Ernie Ball’s Game Changer pickup selector system, flexibility seemed to be the name of the game in terms of electronics innovation.

AMPS

The demand for lightweight, high-power amplification is nothing new, and the field of companies offering featherweight heads—mostly with Class D switching power supplies—continues to grow. Somewhat paradoxically, there were also a handful of manufacturers either reissuing or reinventing the classic flip-top amp design made famous by Jess Oliver with the Ampeg B-15, with Ashdown’s Drophead combo looking to challenge the Ampeg Heritage B-15 head-on. (If you missed it, check out last month’s issue for the full story behind the legendary B-15.)

EFFECTS

Innovation in the effects realm was equally dynamic, with established companies such as Ibanez, MXR, and Tech 21 expanding their offerings, and newcomers Daring Audio and Fishman (new to effects) entering the ring swinging. Octave effects seemed especially well represented.

NEXT UP

With Germany’s massive Musikmesse show and Summer NAMM just around the corner, 2011 is sure to see more new products. You can always read about it here in BP; for the latest developments as they’re announced, be sure to check bassplayer.com.

A 500-watt Aguilar Tone Hammer head sits atop two new CL 410 cabinets, which feature Neodymium drivers and weigh around 70 pounds apiece. aguilaramp.com

A former design engineer at Marshall, Steve Grindrod introduced a slew of his new Albion amplifiers. albionamps.com

The Ashdown Drophead200 is the latest entrant in the all-tube, flip-top combo game. ashdownmusic.com

People were flipping over the new Ampeg PF-500, a 500-watt head that folds over to fit into the new PF-210HE and PF-115HE cabinets. A 350-watt version of the head is also available. ampeg.com

The Carvin BX Micro Bass is an absurdly light head with all the bells and whistles a gigging bassist could want. carvinguitars.com

This wild Brubaker Brute sounded as stunning as it looked. brubakerguitars.com

The new EXP Reds from D’Addario combine a copper/ steel wrap with the company’s popular EXP coating. daddario.com

The Danelectro Wild Thing ups Dano’s already considerable cool factor. danelectro.com

Daring Audio had a bunch of their brand spanking new pedals on display. daringaudio.com

DBZ Guitars, a new venture by Dean Guitars founder Dean Zelinsky, showed off this hot little number, the Imperial FM Bass 4. dbzguitars.com

The EBS booth featured the company’s new ClassicLine 110 and 112 Mini Cabinets. bass.se

Epifani had three new heads on display— the UL 501, the Epifunky 300, and this Piccolo 600, a Class A/B head that weighs 4.5 pounds and pumps 600 watts through 4Ω. epifani.com

Ernie Ball was proud to debut their Game Changer, an innovative new pickup switching system that allows players to access a staggering 250,000 pickup confi gurations. Heavy, man! ernieball.com

Fretless master Alain Caron was on hand to demo his updated signature basses from F Bass. fbass.com

Fender’s ’60s Anniversary Precision Bass is like a mashup of all the greatest eras in P-Bass design. fender.com

The Fender Rumble 350 head has magnetic feet to keep it in place atop a rumbling cabinet. Killer! fender.com

The new Fishman Fission Bass Powerchord FX is loaded with out-of-thisworld effects. fishman.com

Fodera unveiled the Yin Yang Standard, a more affordable iteration of Victor Wooten’s famous bass. foderaguitars.com

The Hartke Kilo is one mean machine, with 1000 watts of power (mono) and extensive EQ controls. samsontech.com

Ibanez had lots of new bass goodies, from its Grooveline basses to its new TS9B Bass Tube Screamer. ibanez.com

Genz Benz bolstered its line of highpowered, lightweight heads with the STM-900 (left) and STM-600. genzbenz.com

Lakland brought a few of its new Precision- inspired models. lakland.com

Mike Lull shows off his latest creation, the TPT4 Tom Petersson Signature. mikelull.com

Marleaux displayed an array of fine 4-, 5-, and 6-strings. marleaux-bass.de

Markbass weighed in with its new 500-watt TTE 500, which features a tube preamp and compressor and the company’s Tube Technology Emulator power amp. markbass.it

This pocket-sized Bass Compressor is the latest from MXR Bass Innovations. jimdunlop.com

With its isobaric cabinet design, the Terror Bass combo is a tasty new treat from Orange Amplifiers. orangeamps.com

Costing roughly $0.50 per watt, the 600-watt Peavey Headliner threatens to take center stage in the featherweight amp arena. peavey.com

Reverend Guitars has returned with a righteous line of new basses. reverendguitars.com

Roland’s Bass Cube amplifiers pack huge sound into itty-bitty boxes. roland.com

Stuart Spector and Down’s Rex Brown show off Rex’s new signature Spector RXT Bass. spectorbass.com

If you dig TC Electronic’s RH heads but want something in a bigger, badder box, the Blacksmith is ready to rock your socks off. tcelectronic.com

The Tech 21 Boost Chorus Bass is a two-fer type of stompbox that can make your head spin with its lush chorus effect— if it isn’t ripping it clean off your body. tech21nyc.com

The mighty Traynor YBA300 head—especially through a TC412 cabinet—is bold enough to strike fear to the heart of even the stoutest stack. traynoramps.com

This Veillette Concorde (center) was just one of the Woodstock, NY-based lutier’s beautiful new creations. veilletteguitars.com

Warrior Instruments always brings a few stunners to the NAMM show. This year, the Isabella 5 (center) caught our eye. warriorbass.com

Stu Hamm was on hand at Washburn to demo his new signature electric, the Hammer. washburn.com

The Warwick booth was awash with talented peeps plying their wares, including this new range of BC combo amps. warwickbass.com