Ernie Ball brought only new models to the show. This included the Stingray Classic (which now come with either a flamed or birdseye maple neck, standard!), the Reflex (a somewhat trimmed-down version of the 25th Anniversary SR HH), the Big Al 5-string (which Ed Friedland reviews in issue #5 of BGM). Check out those flamed maple necks!

One of my personal highlights was getting the chance to meet with Bob Babbitt at the Asterope booth. Asterope is a relative newcomer to the high-end instrument cable market. Bob does swear by them, and he had some other very interesting tales to spin! Asterope will certainly be included in our up-coming instrument cable roundup (several issue out, yet).

TC Electronic didn't have any new bass-specific gear to show us, but their new VoiceLive Touch was very cool! Basically, it takes the power of the VoiceLive 2, and puts it in a package that is smaller, mounts easily on a mic stand, works by touching with your hand (instead of stomping with your feet), and is actually less expensive! If you play and sing, this is definitely worth checking out!

Next week, we’ll talk about the Bass Gear Magazine Summer NAMM Show Award recipients!



Take care,

Tom Bowlus
Editor-in-Chief