If you’re a gear nut and you don’t know about Musikmesse, you should. Taking place in Frankfurt, Germany, Musikmesse functions much like NAMM, as a trade fair for anything and everything music-related, from gear and instruments to sheet music. Musikmesse 2016, which runs from April 7 through April 10, brings with it announcements for tons of cool new products from companies like Martin, Boss, Korg and Nord. We’ll be running a live roundup of some of the most exciting new releases as Musikmesse continues.
Chandler Limited TG Microphone Cassette
Wade Goeke of Chandler Limited has a definite obsession with old EMI TG consoles from Abbey Road, and Chandler’s newest offering takes the circuitry and sound from these classic consoles and stuffs it into a feature-rich outboard channel strip. With the mic preamp/DI from the acclaimed TG-2, a broad-stroke equalizer derived from the Curve Bender, and a special optical rendition of the TG-1 limiter, the TG Microphone Cassette is a surefire way to get the Abbey Road sound in your rack.
Chandler Limited TG Microphone Cassette
DigiTech Whammy Ricochet & Dirty Robot
DigiTech is issuing the Ricochet as a part of its famous Whammy line, taking the pitch-shifting sounds of the original Whammy pedals and putting it into a more typical chassis format, giving it control knobs and switches rather than the classic Whammy format. Along with the Ricochet is the Dirty Robot, DigiTech’s feature-heavy entry into the realm of synth effects pedals.
DigiTech Whammy Ricochet & Dirty Robot
Martin John Lennon & Macassar Guitars
Along with a few other new products, Martin has announced the release of the D-28 John Lennon, a dreadnought featuring many Lennon-themed adornments, including a peace sign back inlay. Three new models, part of the aptly-named Macassar series, feature Macassar laminate and lean towards the more affordable of Martin’s models.
Martin D-28 John Lennon
Martin DCX1AE Macassar
Martin DX2AE Macassar
Martin GPCX2AE Macassar
Nord Drum 3
Leveling up the Drum 2 is the Nord Drum 3, along with its ultra-compact companion: the Drum 3P. The 3P comes with sensitive, responsive multipad and kick inputs, while the 3 has a simpler interface with a far more streamlined preset and sound selection method.
Nord Drum 3
Epiphone Brent Hinds Flying V
Lead singer and guitarist of Mastodon Brent Hinds is releasing his first signature guitar in collaboration with Epiphone, bringing us the classic Flying V body in a silvery finish with custom specs picked out by Hinds himself. It’s even got Hinds’ own skull logo hidden on the back of the headstock!
Blackstar ID:Core Amps
The affordable new ID:Core line from Blackstar are designed specifically for practice purposes, sporting a ton of neat effects, like a built-in polyphonic octaver, modulation and delay effects, and even an onboard looper with unlimited overdubs. The series currently houses two amps: the 100, which sits at 2x50 watts, and the 150, which clocks in at 2x75 watts.
Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40H
Roland FD-9 & KT-9
Rounding out releases in the land of drums, Roland announced the FD-9 and KT-9, ultra-quiet kick and hi-hat pedals that, according to Roland, reduce noise by 50% and 85%, respectively. The KT-9 features a beater-less design while the FD-9 has a newly designed, silent-link mechanism. If you get noise complaints from neighbors, these might be your saving grace.
Roland FD-9
Yamaha TransAcoustic
Yamaha is taking it to the next level with their TransAcoustic guitar, a guitar that is, for all intents and purposes, acoustic, but its internal actuator and built-in reverb and chorus effects blur the lines. Thanks to the actuator, you can actually hear the effects without being plugged in!
Korg Sledgehammer Custom 100 Tuner
For fans of the functionally funky, the Korg Sledgehammer Custom 100 Tuner might be right up your alley. Shaped, in fact, like a sledgehammer, this new addition to the Korg tuner lineup is a clip-on that can run for a whopping 100 hours on just one AAA battery.
Korg Sledgehammer
Boss VE-8, RC-202, TU-3W, & TU-3S
Korg isn’t the only one digging in on the tuner game; Boss is releasing some followups to its much-beloved tuner series, the TU-3W, part of the Waza Craft Series, and TU-3S, a micro-tuner. The RC-202 continues in Boss’ tradition of crafting impressive looping stations, this newest offering geared towards electronic musicians. Boss also announced the VE-8, a multi-effects unit aimed at supporting acoustic-based musical outfits.
Boss VE-8
Boss TU-3S
Boss RC-202
Vox V860
Carrying on the tradition of classic Vox volume pedals, Vox will release the V860. Hand-wired and sturdy, the V860 is meant to emulate the older, popular Vox wah pedals of the ‘60s in terms of design and aesthetics.
Vox V860
Keep an eye on this post for updates and new products announced at Musikmesse 2016!