The first day of the NAMM 2019 show was full of both new and familiar faces. Adorama has partnered with the Gear Gods crew to bring you the latest coverage of the show, including the newest releases from the top audio, guitar, amp and pedal brands, from companies like Kiesel and Balaguer Guitars to Victory and Peavey Amplification, and more.
This recap of Day One of NAMM 2019 will give you some insight into some of our first picks, including a couple surprises that many attendees did not expect.
Sennheiser:
From Sennheiser this year at the NAMM show, the company unveiled their newest line of wireless transmitters: the XS Wireless Digital. This new line of wireless devices function in the 2.4 GHz frequency range for a very simple and effortless connection, and consists of three different types of transmitters and receivers which vary depending on the type of use. For vocals, there is an XLR pair, and for instruments, there are two types of ¼” transmitters and receivers.
Fender x Jimmy Page:
To mark the 50th anniversary of the debut Led Zeppelin album, Fender has released a duo of Telecaster guitars, designed in partnership with Jimmy Page. The multicolored Telecaster, and the Mirror Telecaster were inspired by the rocker’s original guitar.
Balaguer Guitars:
Balaguer Guitars was one of many custom guitar companies this year who were unveiling quite a few new guitar models for 2019. The first of which, the “Grace” (above), is Balaguer’s first venture into the world of semi hollow guitars. This brand new model for 2019 featured both an arched top and back, a gorgeous flamed maple top, mahogany sides and back, and an ebony fretboard to round things out.
The second release from Balaguer this year came in the form of the “Toro”, which is the company’s take on a super strat-style guitar. Although all of the specs are customizable, this specific model came with a roasted swamp ash body, maple neck, and an ebony fingerboard. The strat-style guitar body is something that is new to Balaguer as of 2019, but will be sure to please many players out there who have been longing for that specific style and tone of the classic stratocaster.
The third new model from Balaguer is the signature Fluff (Rest, Repose) Hyperion guitar, which comes in a gorgeous satin metallic emerald green finish. The guitar includes an ebony fingerboard, graphtech nut, and locking tuners for maximum stability. Fluff is a guitarist known for his love of vintage-style guitars, but with a twist for modern players who occupy the realms of metal, rock, and country, and his new signature Hyperion does the job for all three genres and more.
Lastly, Balaguer announced that they are venturing into the world of guitar effects pedals. That’s right, the custom guitar company have created the first version of a pedal they are calling the Fission Drive, which is a preamp overdrive pedal. This overdrive pedal is unique, due to the fact that it has two specific voicing options: boosted and vintage. The boosted voicing replicates a more modern diode sound, while the vintage has more of a classic voiced tone.
BC Audio:
This year, B.C. Audio announced their new Bel Air 40 amplifier. This specific 1-channel, 40-watt amp comes loaded with four 6V6s, two 6SL7 Octo preamp tubes, and a GC34 Rectifier. This is absolutely a great start, and it gets even better with the added bonus of being able to rewire the power sections on-the-fly via a series of front switches on the face of the amplifier.
Kiesel Guitars:
At the Kiesel Guitars booth this year, the company unveiled their newest model, the “Dellos” which is a modern take on the old, classic strat-style guitar. Notable features of the instrument include dual carbon fiber rods, comfortable arm and tummy cuts, and an extremely sloped neck heel for ultimate comfort and accessibility while playing the higher frets. The company also unveiled some new artist signature models, including axes from shredder Andy James and Lee McKinney of Born of Osiris.
Victory Amps:
This year, Victory Amps showed off their new V140 Deluxe amplifier, which is the big brother to original V40 Deluxe amplifier. The V140 has more headroom, external BIAS points, 4 6L6s, a large reverb tank, and an additional third mid-range position for extra added presence.
Peavey Amps:
Peavey Amps unleashed the all-new Misha Mansoor Invective MH amplifier, which is the mini-version of the Invective 120 amp. The new lunchbox-style amp features 10 knobs, a built-in boost circuit, “tight” and “gate” knobs, and has the ability to run at 20, 5, or 1 watts while still producing a super modern metal tone for most players.
Pedal Pods:
One of the more unique products that were shown off today on the NAMM floor were the Pedal Pods. This modular locking pedalboard system is designed with “pods” that each have isolated power and selectable voltage. These “pods” can be interlocked with one another, give the user unlimited power to add or subtract from the size when creating their pedalboard.
Revv Amplification:
Revv Amplification was at NAMM to show off their new D20 lunchbox head amplifier, which is the first Revv amp to come embedded with a Two Notes Torpedo Reactive Load box. This allows the user to select from up to 6 cab IRs (or via MIDI) for cabinet simulation, as well as access to a tone that is a great pedal platform but can go into classic rock territory with the added push/pull gain pot.
Sully Guitars:
Lastly, Sully Guitars showed off the second run of their Conspiracy series of guitars this year. This included the “Raven” model, with a matte/gloss black finish, set neck, luminlay side dots, and hipshot/floyd rose bridge options, as well as the “Elita” which features a mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, and a split coil push/pull knob for ultimate tonal control.
Stay tuned for more NAMM 2019 coverage here on ALC, and check out this Day 1 Recap video from Gear Gods:
