Gear Watch: Gold Tone PBB and BB-400+

While checking out all the great new gear at NAMM, the Gold Tone booth really caught our eye with some great twists on the bass. New for 2010 is their PBB model, a resonator bass with an extending aluminum endpin allowing it to sit in an upright position.

The bass has a 32″ scale, with a mahogany body and maple neck. Tone and volume knobs on the body control the humbucking pickup, and the cone and spider of the resonator are made of aluminum.

Designer Paul Beard gave this bass the right tone to replicate an upright’s sound.

Also not to be missed is the BB-400+, a banjo built for low-enders.

That’s right, it’s the body of banjo with a bass neck and strings. The BB-400+ features a 32″ scale and a 14″ pot assembly. A thumb rest is installed on the banjo head for comfortable playing. What’s more is that it has an adjustable pickup, built onto the bottom of the banjo.

We’d love to hear “Dueling Banjos” on a couple of these bad boys.

The PBB resonator retails for $799.00, and the BB-400+ goes for $1,019.00. For more information, visit the Gold Tone website.