We’re proud to bring to inSync our Summer NAMM ’03 report! This week you’ve read about all the latest and greatest gear developments from this summer’s most exciting show! Some of what you’ll see in inSync this week might be available now, next week or six months from now so be sure to call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at 1-800-222-4700 for more information regarding anything that peaks your interest. Enjoy!
Aphex Punch Factory Compressor Guitar Pedal
Utilizing powerful proprietary circuitry and a custom designed LDR, the Aphex Punch Factory combines the elegance of optical compression and the flexibility of a balanced DI output in a rugged, road-worthy, and portable design. Best of all, the Punch Factory is the only compressor pedal on the market that provides unrivaled high quality sound without overload distortion at almost any compression depth. The easy-to-use design of the Punch Factory includes discrete control knobs for compression and volume, while convenient front panel, full bar graph metering quickly shows the gain-changing action of the compressor, calibrated in dB. Additionally, Punch Factory features an on/off foot switch, providing a hardwire bypass when the “off” position is selected; a glowing LED indicator quickly shows whether the unit is on or off; and the Punch Factory is equipped with a high quality, balanced DI output that can be connected to the microphone input of any preamplifier or sound mixer. The Punch Factory can be powered either by the any standard external DC power supply or by 9V battery for maximum convenience and portability.
Auralex Aural-Xpanders Acoustic Isolaters
Whether you’re a home and project studio owner, or the largest industrial studio, engineers everywhere often contend with and balance sonic issues such as external noise bleed, structure-borne resonance and off-axis colorations in order to arrive at sounds that are truly sonically robust. Aural-Xpanders from Auralex give the engineer a high degree of control by providing the capability to filter the undesirable external overtones that tend to push the engineer to over-process on the back end during the mixing process. Plus, the Aural-Xpander offers a means of tonal control and passive filtering before the sound ever hits the signal path. The Aural-Xpander set consits of 2 8-inch Tri-Xpander baffles (triangle shaped for larger microphones), 4 6-inch Trap-Xpanders (trapezoidal baffles for smaller microphones such as drum mics) and 6 PlatFeet to float 2 tripod or round-based mic stands.
Fender 400 Pro Combo Bass Amp
The brand new 400 Pro is a truly professional grade combo designed for pros who are looking for a high-powered, hi-fi versatile combo that is portable, easy to use and sounds great. Offering more, the 400 Pro includes Korg’s DTR-1000 rack mount tuner for a limited time only. This high-end tuner fits into the included rack and offers professional tuning for stage. Other features of the 400 Pro include a 5-band EQ, an adjustable compressor and a “Room Balance” control which compensates for extreme acoustics. Rugged wheels on a road-ready rack round out the package!
Fender 800 Pro Amp Head
Fender’s new Bass Amplification division rolled out the flagship 800 Pro. This amp head is high-powered and designed to sound clean and LOUD – the ultimate building block for any serious bass rig! Pumping out a whopping 800 watts of power, the 800 Pro combines power and control with a 5-band EQ section, variable compression, gain control and “Room Balance” which compensates for extreme acoustics. The 800 Pro was hard to see at the Fender booth due to the countless crowding bass enthusiasts; however, it wasn’t difficult to hear! The 800 Pro amp head is designed and built for the professional bass player with enough power and features to deliver big!
Fender Rumble Series Bass Amps
Displaying attributes usually found on more expensive amps, Rumble bass amps from Fender feature a nice-looking carpet covering, oversized plastic corners, metal grille and loads of bass thmpin’ power to get your sound out! Offered in four different models, 15, 25, 60 and 100, the Rumble series is entry-level priced but offers low-end killer tone for slapping and popping. Additionally, the 100, 60 and 25 combos exclusive red “stage light” pulsates with your playing – pretty cool stage feature!
Fender Acoustasonic SFX II Amplifier
Are you looking for a great, all-in-one instrument and vocal amplifier for clubs, church or local coffeehouse? Or, do you want to simply lose yourself in shimmering stereo sound in the privacy of your own home studio? If so, look no further than the new Fender Acoustasonic SFX II amplifier! This dual 80-watt combo houses an 8″ low-frequency driver, high-frequency tweeter and side-radiating 6″ speaker to maximize Fender’s exclusive Stereo Field Expansion (SFX) technology for “more-than-stereo” imagery.The amps two separate instrument and mic channels contain individual EQ, feedback notch, and DSP select and level controls. It’s a uniquely sounding amp that songwriters/performers would really enjoy!
Fender American Series With S-1 Switch
Why choose between hot humbuckers and vibrant single-coils? Play the best of both worlds when you own the all-new American Series HSS or HH guitars and basses! All American Series HSS, HH, HH Hardtail Stratocaster, P Bass and J Bass guitars now come equipped with the impressive S-1 switching system. This new system allows players to choose from an endless array of pickup configurations! With the simple push of a button (secretly located on the top of the master volume knob) you can switch humbuckers into single coils in an instant! The switch is visually undetectable but tonally it turns your instrument into the most versatile axe on the planet! One push of a button will place your pickups in a seemingly endless assemblage of parallel and series pickup configurations! If you’ve ever wondered if somebody could reinvent the wheel, check out the new American Series S-1 switch!
Fender Cyber-Champ Modeling Guitar Amplifer
Fender’s Cyber series amplifiers are finally joined by a new baby brother – the Cyber-Champ! This easy-to-use firecracker contains 21 preset tones from Fender clean to outrageous distortion. You can write up to seven of your own tones choosing from a variety of analog preamp voicings and a full palette of handcrafted DSP effects. The fun, flexible and affordable Cyber-Champ pumps out a genuine 65 watts of power through a Celestion G12T-100 speaker! If you’ve been waiting to complete your home studio or are looking for the perfect practice amp, look no further than the newborn Cyber-Champ!
Fender FM Series Guitar Amplifiers
The Fm series amps matches Fender tone and reliability with 65 or 100 watts of juiced up power being pushed through one or two 12″ Fender special design drivers. The FM212R and FM65R combo amps are versatile featuring three channels, on-board spring reverb and a new mid contour switch that lets players dial in a multitude of distortion tones. Legendary Fender tone, tons of power and an affordable price tag make the all-new FM series hard to pass up!
Fender Cyclone HH
The popular Cyclone model is now available with one Fender Atomic humbucker and one Fender Santa Ana humbucker for tons of smooth and raunchy tone selections! The Cyclone HH combines a comfortable feel with excellent playability with an offset waist alder body and a 24.75″-scale maple neck. The Cyclone HH also features a synchronous tremolo, a three-position toggle switch, one volume and one tone knob and chrome hardware.
Fender Highway 1 Texas Telecaster
The affordable Highway 1 series from Fender has put American made Fender guitars into the hands of working musicians everywhere. Building on this theme, Fender showed the all-new Highway 1 Texas Telecaster! By pairing an ash body and a one-piece maple neck with a modern 12″ radius and jumbo frets, Fender has created a guitar that feels as familiar as your favorite lounge chair. Two new Hot Vintage pickups and strings through-the-body bridge complete with brass barrel saddles adds deep tone and vintage vibe!
Fender Kurt Cobain Jag-Stang Reissue
By combining the raw, do-it-yourself punk rock ethic with the extremely catchy power pop songs, the Seatle-based Nirvana made Grunge history and created a sound that will live forever. Designed in collaboration with the late Cobain, the Jag-Stang reissue blends features from two distinctive designs, the Fender Jaguar and Mustang! In 1993 Cobain came to Fender with some cut-up photographs of his two favorite guitars stuck together and the Jag-Stang was born. With one humbucker a vintage-style single-coil and a Fender floating vibrato gives the Jag-Stang its voice and tone – distinctive above all else!
Fender Mark Knopfler Stratocaster
While it may not get your money for nothing or your chicks for free, the Mark Knopfler Strat will help you conjure up the same tones that made the legendary Dire Strait’s guitarist and vocalist famous! This all-star Strat features a ’57 Strat design on an ash body and a vintage ’62 C-shaped maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Three Texas Special single-coil Strat pickups and a five-way switch round out the Knopfler Sultan of Swing sound!
Fender Splatter Stratocaster
Finally, art you can touch! Each Splatter Strat guitar has its own one-of-a kind finish which makes them all a collector’s item. Fender starts with a Standard Series Stratocaster and drip various colors in different sequences on the front and the back of the spinning body to create a truly individual finish. Each color variation on display at the Fender booth was different and really interesting – art to hang on the wall or play all night long!
Wechter Pathmaker 3135 Acoustic Electric Guitar
Sweetwater began offering Abe Wechter’s line of guitars after seeing them at last summer’s NAMM show. Abe Wechter has an extensive backgound as a designer for Gibson through the 70s and 80s and on his own building guitars for such clientele as John McLaughlin, Al DiMeola, Earl Klugh and many others. The Pathmaker 3100 series is the Wechter calling card due to its affordability and unique design. New this year is the Pathmaker 3135. This guitar features a gorgeous Lacewood back and sides, tortoise shell binding, abalone trim across the top and a natural finish that is complementing and stunning. The Pathmaker 3135 is a beautiful guitar at any price, but at under $500 (List Price), it’s a steal.