Local Music Gear Feature Story
Written By: Jac Harrison
So to this years show coverage -- 2013 was a great year for new and exciting products at the NY Amp Show. It took me a full two days to visit every room/booth -- but I got to play every amp, guitar and pedal that I came to the show to play. A very small percentage of the manufacturers didn't have anything new for this show and only one manufacture was a egotistical jackass (if you hold your tongue and say "Marshall" -- you will know who I'm referring to). But with that said -- every other manufacturer was pleasant and a joy to be around -- and most importantly they all make wonderful products. You are always sure to find something at this show from Apex - Zexcoil -- no matter what your style of play is.
SHOW TRENDS
One of the trends I noticed was the reduction of speaker cabinet size and weight. Only a few rooms/booths were displaying their amp heads with a 4 x 12 1/2 stack. For the most part a 2x10, 2x12 or a single 12/15 was king. I also found that the manufacturers were offering weight reduction cabinets made out of new build materials that offer the same tone qualities as traditional speaker cabinets -- just at a 1/2 the weight.
When it came to effects pedals -- old is still the "new" new. For the 3rd year in a row most effects manufacturers were offering a striped-down version of what was the standard a few years back. It was not uncommon to find a (1) dial pedal with just one function/application at this years show. This is a trend that I hope stays around, as I have found that the quality of effects pedals (especially the OD pedals) have come a long way in the tone category since the manufacturers have removed all of the "fru fru" and focused just on the application of the pedal for its original design and function.
My favorite trend was what I have dubbed the "amp on-the-go". I found a few manufacturers breaking into the extremely portable category, each with their own take on it. For example -- VVT was offering an all-tube amp head that was specifically designed and voiced to run off of the board like an all tube DI. Phil Jones was offering a 500 watt eight inch combo guitar amp while Metal Pedals had an OD pedal with a 3-band EQ and "amp like" voicing that could be used with a DI box. But trends are just that and the staples of the industry will always be there -- and they were. This show always has the best manufacturers of boutique musical gear and always will in my mind.
MY ADVISE
If you live in the NY tri state area and play guitar or bass -- this is a must go to show and offers you the chance to play some of the best gear in the world in an intimate setting with the manufacturer or luthier. In my opinion -- it does not get any better than that. If you are a manufacturer or a luthier -- this is a show you may want to exhibit at next year.
*Loni also has the same show in LA -- check them out at www.ampshow.com
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Please enjoy the following reviews of some of the products I found at this years NY Amp show. There will more reviews from this show in the coming weeks.
Written By: Jac Harrison
June 1st & 2nd 2013 - The annual NY Amp Show took place
in beautiful downtown Piscatawy NJ. Like always, Loni and his team put on a
hell of a show. Now before I really dig deep into this year’s show there are a
few points I want to touch on. To start -- this is my personal favorite show. I
know that is a bold statement, but as a guitarist there is no better place that
I have found to date where you can really play the gear -- and hear it. I attend
everything from industry trade shows such as NAMM, to open floor small regional
consumer tabletop shows and they all have one thing in common -- the noise
police. There is nothing that pisses me off more at a guitar/amp show than
having someone come by to tell me to turn it down. How the hell are you suppose
to demo your gear as a manufacturer and more importantly play the gear as a
consumer if someone is coming by with a meter to "protect your hearing". If I wanted to hear someone tell me to "turn-it-down", I would go
to my mothers house. Now I get the fact that the organizers of the
shows are legally obligated to protect the consumers hearing -- but come on --
get creative with your show layout and design. When I pay $20 to get into a show, I'm looking to buy gear and I want to hear it at stage volume or there will be
no sale. This is why I love the Amp Show -- there is no noise police! Each
manufacturer has their own hotel room that is staged as a mini
showroom. You can play as loud as you
want and for as long as you want -- you can even close the door for a private
meeting. If you are professional musician or retailer, you can talk
business in private. These are things that you just cannot do at a traditional tabletop or open floor plan guitar/amp shows. So to sum it up -- you can play loud and for a long time without being bothered by the noise police -- and you can talk in private with the manufacturer . That is why I love the NY Amp Show!
So to this years show coverage -- 2013 was a great year for new and exciting products at the NY Amp Show. It took me a full two days to visit every room/booth -- but I got to play every amp, guitar and pedal that I came to the show to play. A very small percentage of the manufacturers didn't have anything new for this show and only one manufacture was a egotistical jackass (if you hold your tongue and say "Marshall" -- you will know who I'm referring to). But with that said -- every other manufacturer was pleasant and a joy to be around -- and most importantly they all make wonderful products. You are always sure to find something at this show from Apex - Zexcoil -- no matter what your style of play is.
SHOW TRENDS
One of the trends I noticed was the reduction of speaker cabinet size and weight. Only a few rooms/booths were displaying their amp heads with a 4 x 12 1/2 stack. For the most part a 2x10, 2x12 or a single 12/15 was king. I also found that the manufacturers were offering weight reduction cabinets made out of new build materials that offer the same tone qualities as traditional speaker cabinets -- just at a 1/2 the weight.
When it came to effects pedals -- old is still the "new" new. For the 3rd year in a row most effects manufacturers were offering a striped-down version of what was the standard a few years back. It was not uncommon to find a (1) dial pedal with just one function/application at this years show. This is a trend that I hope stays around, as I have found that the quality of effects pedals (especially the OD pedals) have come a long way in the tone category since the manufacturers have removed all of the "fru fru" and focused just on the application of the pedal for its original design and function.
My favorite trend was what I have dubbed the "amp on-the-go". I found a few manufacturers breaking into the extremely portable category, each with their own take on it. For example -- VVT was offering an all-tube amp head that was specifically designed and voiced to run off of the board like an all tube DI. Phil Jones was offering a 500 watt eight inch combo guitar amp while Metal Pedals had an OD pedal with a 3-band EQ and "amp like" voicing that could be used with a DI box. But trends are just that and the staples of the industry will always be there -- and they were. This show always has the best manufacturers of boutique musical gear and always will in my mind.
If you live in the NY tri state area and play guitar or bass -- this is a must go to show and offers you the chance to play some of the best gear in the world in an intimate setting with the manufacturer or luthier. In my opinion -- it does not get any better than that. If you are a manufacturer or a luthier -- this is a show you may want to exhibit at next year.
*Loni also has the same show in LA -- check them out at www.ampshow.com
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Please enjoy the following reviews of some of the products I found at this years NY Amp show. There will more reviews from this show in the coming weeks.
- The GAGA 90 by Milbert Amplifiers
- Vintage Vacuum Tube Amplifiers (VVT Amplifiers) Lindy Fralin Model 1
- The Blackjack-21® II by Fuchs Audio Technology
- The Howlin' Moon model #152 by Malinoski Guitars
- Ala Carte Boutique Amplifiers by Booya Amplifier Services
- G12M-65 Creamback by Celestion
- Metal Pedals Blue Crunch OD Pedal
- The Barracuda by Satellite Amplifiers
Posted 06/2013
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