NAMM 2020

[Chris P.]

NAMM 2020. Some news I gathered for the magazine:

Some of it is embargoed so not even on my website yet.

Short scales:
Reverend short scale
Sire short scale (just a small Jazz)
Black Fender JMJ Mustang short scale
New colours for PJ Mustang short scale
Vox short scales with very modern looks
Sandberg short scale
First production models of Carey Nordstrand's short scale
Ashdown short scale (more on that later)
So I gues every brand just has a short scale now....

Headless fanned fret Ibanez series

Music Man Joe Dart production model

Warwick Rockbass Corvette 5 string fanned fret

Warwick models of the year

Sadowsky's made by Warwick Germany

Orange bi-amping pedal and small amp head

Distressed (relic) versions of the cheap Vintage P models (V4). Their cheap distressed Jaco copy is now fretted available too.

Ashdown bass series made by Dan 'Lakland' Lakin: a P, a J, a Fenderbirds and a Jaguar. J is also 5 string 35" and short scale.
Ashdown: 200W tube amp, in a cool retro looking block 19" rack
Rack version of the Ashdown ABM
A very small 200W amp in pedal shape: Ashdown The Ant. Similar to the small Warwick Gnome, Trace Elliot ELF and TC but really for a pedal board

Smaller version of the Way Huge Pork & Pickle

New small Hartke heads

Blackstar heads and cabs

Light Darkglass cabs

GR Bass cabs, not made of wood but a space age material, making it 40% lighter and still sounding like wood.

Aguilar booster pedal, lim ed 25 yrs ann pedals and purple cabs

Very very small Warwick heads: The Gnome: 100, 200 and 300W, similar to Trace Elliot ELF

[uwe]

Beware of the Warwickster, darn collaborator!



Im Ernst: Bedankt, Chris, but what is this craze about short scales all of the sudden, have I been missing something? 

[wellREDman]

and fanned frets becoming more mainstream, I so want to try one

[4stringer77]

More like Fenderbirdman based on the pickups. Kinda fugly with that pickguard but I'm sure it's a nice enough bass if designed by Dan.

https://ashdownmusic.com/collections/basses/products/the-low-rider?variant=31770668859485

[gearHed289]

NAMM 2020. Some news I gathered for the magazine:


Headless fanned fret Ibanez series


Orange bi-amping pedal and small amp head


Ashdown bass series made by Dan 'Lakland' Lakin: a Fenderbird

I saw the headless Ibanez fanned frets yesterday. Kinda dig it!



The Orange pedal sounds interesting.

Ashdown Fenderbird is a disaster. 

[Chris P.]

Short scales... strange everybody wants one nowadays...

[Pilgrim]

Short scales... strange everybody wants one nowadays...

Interesting indeed.  I'm a fan, but I'm near my max on numbers of basses.

[Dave W]

I can see the short scale market getting oversaturated soon.

[Dave W]

Mike Lull posted this on FB a couple of hours ago, from the reactions, it must be new. Another short scale?

[TBird1958]

I'm not sure about that Dave.

[4stringer77]

Mike's throwing some competition at the ASAT since nobody else is. Throwing some sardine cans in his 54P would have been a better choice perhaps than shoe horning a bass design into a shape better reserved for guitars.

[BTL]

Lull has offered the TXB for quite some time.

I'm guessing this is the same model, but with a Tele pickguard and control plate.

[westen44]

Short scales... strange everybody wants one nowadays...

I think it's possibly just an overreaction to short scales not quite getting the respect they deserved for so many years.  An extreme example would be from a friend in Denmark who said he has been to music stores there where short scales were displayed in the kid's section of a store.  A number of years ago I was on a forum in which a guy literally went berserk if anyone said anything positive about short scale basses.  Now you might see articles like this one more often. 

https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-best-short-scale-bass-guitars-you-can-buy

[ilan]

Now that's a trend I never would have predicted. But I'm glad shorties are finally making a comeback as serious pro basses and being appreciated for what they are - basses that enable you to play mid-neck and higher and still sound fat and bassy. Out of 15 basses I have, six are 30" and one is 32".

[4stringer77]

Lull has offered the TXB for quite some time.

I'm guessing this is the same model, but with a Tele pickguard and control plate.

I forgot about those and on second thought, I shouldn't be the one to criticize the use of guitar shapes for basses either seeing as I'm a big fan of long scale Les Paul basses. The pick guard and control plate is a nice touch compared to the naked looking TXB.