With Winter NAMM just around the corner, the rumor mill is firing on all cylinders. Sweetwater will be there to bring you the latest CONFIRMED news straight off the showroom floor. Stay tuned for all the latest product launches, news, and announcements from Winter NAMM 2019.
Ibanez
Ibanez kicked off the new year with offerings that run the gamut from new signature models representing today’s hardest rockers to basses, acoustic guitars, and Artcore hollowbodies. The line is vast and there’s certainly something to fit anyone’s needs.
TAMA
TAMA brings cool wood combinations and finishes to their refresh of the Starclassic line. Pairing walnut and birch, these kits offer a superb blend of warmth and attack, allowing them to cross genres and styles. And as you’ve come to expect from TAMA, they’re available in a variety of vintage-style throwback finishes along with more modern artistic expressions.
Zildjian
Zildjian enters the world of ready-made cymbal stacks with the fx Stack series. Each fx Stack gives you two specially designed cymbals: a top cymbal crafted from a proprietary alloy manufactured to cut through, and a bottom cymbal made of cold-rolled steel to focus the sound. You can orient the cymbals in traditional (stacked) or inverted (hi-hat-style) setups with the Cymbolt adapter for additional flexibility. Also of note is the 22″ Oriental Crash of Doom. This beast of a cymbal carries on the legacy begun by a Dennis Chambers original cymbal around 2000. Its flat profile, wavy edge, and irregular lathing deliver funky tones that seasoned drummers will take to immediately. The CoD’s full, somewhat-trashy attack is nice for accents, and its big wash scarfs up bandwidth.
Supro Blues King
Supro celebrates the sound of ’60s Chicago blues and the British Invasion with the Blues King. You can get the same soulful grit and smooth charm that launched rock ‘n’ roll, packed into a 15-watt 1 x 12″ combo. It comes complete with real analog spring reverb, an effects loop, and a custom BK12 speaker. A foot-switchable Fat Boost adds girth to your tone, perfect for fattening up single-coil pickups. A high-gain mode gives you the drive and sustain you need for sweet lead tones.
Shure MV88+ Video Kit
With the MV88+, Shure takes the MV88 to whole new levels. Through the free iOS app, you can record in variable cardioid, figure-8, and mid-side stereo (among other options). It’s great for recording in a variety of environments, whether you’re inches from the source or in a noisy, crowded room.
HeadRush FRFR-108
Take your modeling rig to the stage with the FRFR-108. Boasting an 8″ woofer and an HF compression driver, it covers a ton of territory. An XLR in lets you plug your vocal mic in, and the tilt-back design makes it great as an onstage monitor. The XLR output takes your guitar and vocal sound to the PA for FOH needs.
EarthQuaker Devices
The Akron-based boutique pedal manufacturer released two new pedals. First up is a new Dispatch Master. The shimmering waves of reverb and delay are still there, but V3 adds a Flexi-Switch. Hold it for momentary operation or tap it to toggle the effect on or off. The second pedal, Swiss Things, is being billed as a “Pedalboard Reconciler.” Swiss Things combines two true bypass, Flexi-Switch-enabled effects loops, A/B/Y functionality (with transformer-isolated outputs), a buffered tuner output, a 20dB clean boost, and an expression pedal jack for volume control. One effects loop is unbuffered for best operation with fuzzes and other finicky pedals; the other effects loop is buffered and intended for reverbs, delays, and other time-based effects.
Learn more about the Dispatch Master V3 Delay and Reverb Pedal!
Learn more about the Swiss Things Pedalboard Reconciler!
Orange Pedal Baby 100
If you’ve built your rig around pedals or modelers, the Pedal Baby 100 is a must-have. Utilizing Orange’s classic Class AB circuitry and analog circuitry, the Pedal Baby 100 lets your pedal tone shine through. If you need further tonal tweaking, there’s a 2-band EQ. With 100 watts of cab-driving power, the Pedal Baby is a great centerpiece of your main rig or a great backup amp.
Blackstar HT20RH MkII
With 20 watts of true tube tone plus clean and crunch channels, the HT20RH MkII covers a ton of sonic ground. The patented Infinite Shape Feature lets you dial in everything from big British sounds to American-style crunch. Add to that reverb and a speaker-emulated output, and you have an amp that’s primed for versatility.
Supro Delay
The Supro Delay brings back a classic analog sound but uses modern circuitry to improve headroom and lower the noise floor. The newly produced MN3005 bucket brigade chips deliver higher headroom and better signal to noise performance, and the filter control pulls lowpass and bandpass filters into the mix.
Korg
Korg has plenty to talk about, with a handful of additions to their line. The minilogue expands into new territory, with the minilogue XD. With a 4-voice analog synth paired with a digital engine, built-in effects, a sequencer, and a whole lot more, this is a powerful compact synth for experienced and uninitiated synth enthusiasts alike. Also new for 2019, the Volca series adds a pair of modules aimed at synthesis fans and electronic music makers. The Volca Modular brings the expansive creative potential of modular synths to the Volca platform, and it’s a great fit with your Eurorack rig with CV inputs. The Volca Drum gives you six dual-layered parts, an impressive sequencer, and 16 motion sequencer parameters for incredible flexibility.
Learn more about the minilogue XD!
Learn more about the Volca Modular!
Learn more about the Volca Drum!
Yamaha CP Series
The CP series — the 73-key CP73 and the 88-key CP88 — is perfect for the gigging keyboardist. Onboard sounds include Yamaha’s own world-class CFX and S700 concert grands, as well as the inimitable Bösendorfer Imperial 290, two uprights, EPs, and much more. The 73 boasts a newly designed 73-key BHS (Balanced Hammer Standard) E1–E7 keyboard, with the 88 sporting NW-GH (Natural Wood Graded Hammer) action. Either one will up the sound and feel of your stage show.
Get the latest on the CP73 73-note!
Get the latest on the CP88 88-note!
We’ll keep adding to this page as we learn of new launches. Bookmark this page and check back often between now and January 24 to see the latest breaking news.