Bass Gear Roundup: The Top Gear Stories in January 2018

January is always a stellar month for gear stories, thanks to the annual NAMM Show. This year is no different. While we’re still working on tons of new gear stories from the show, many appeared on No Treble in January. Here are the top 10 reader favorites.

Be sure to check out all our continuing NAMM coverage too!

Ibanez Announces Upswing Electric Upright Bass

1. Ibanez Upswing Electric Upright Bass

Ibanez will be introducing their very first electric upright bass at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show. Dubbed the UB804 or “Upswing”, the bass was designed to mimic the tone of an acoustic upright bass. “The special AeroSilk Piezo pickup, along with the Walnut, Maple, and Jatoboa woods, combine to create a tone that is incredibly…

Fender Reveals American Original Series Including Four New Basses

2. Fender American Original Series Basses

Fender will be unveiling the American Original series at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show, including four new basses. The line focuses on recreating instruments from the company’s past while updating them with enhancements. “For more than six decades, Fender’s core models of guitars and basses have developed their own distinct personalities and legions of devoted…

Yamaha Introduces Flame Maple Models To TRBX Series

3. Yamaha TRBX Series Flame Maple Models

Yamaha’s TRBX bass series will get two models this year. The company will be unveiling the TRBX604FM and TRBX605FM at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Four and five-string basses, respectively, the TRBX604FM and TRBX605FM upgrade the bass’s looks with flame maple tops with matching headstocks. They carry many of the same features…

Schecter Unveils The Apocalypse Bass Series

4. Schecter Apocalypse Bass Series

Schecter will be rolling out a new line of basses at the Winter NAMM Show called the Apocalypse Bass Series. Designed with “high-end specs and aggressive style,” the company says that the C-4 and C-5 Apocalypse basses pack a punch thanks to their pickups. “[They are] powered by Schecter US Custom Shop Apocalypse Bass Humbucker…

Aguilar Amplification Releases SL 212 Bass Cabinet

5. Aguilar Amplification SL 212 Bass Cabinet

Aguilar Amplification is kicking 2018 off by unveiling the SL 212, a new bass cabinet in their superlight SL series. Weighing in at 45 pounds, the 4-ohm cab is fitted with two custom-voiced woofers with Neodymium magnets and a phenolic tweeter with variable level control. It can handle 500 watts RMS. “We spent a lot…

Genzler Amplification Unveils the BA12-3 SLT Cabinet

6. Genzler Amplification BA12-3 SLT Cabinet

Two years after introducing their Bass Array design, Genzler Amplification has unveiled a slanted model called the BA12-3 SLT. The new cab fits a 12-inch woofer in a vented bass reflex design and a 4 x 3-inch neodymium cone-driver line array into a slanted cab. “The slanted version further enhances all benefits of the BA…

Fano Guitars Announces the JM4-FB Bass

7. Fano Guitars JM4-FB Bass

Fano Guitars has introduced the JM4-FB bass, and instrument they say is inspired by the classics and redefined by creativity. The model, which will be debuting at the Winter NAMM Show, is based on one of their guitars. “Using the ever-popular JM6 as a springboard, we designed the JM4 Bass to look and feel as…

Tech 21 and dUg Pinnick Team Up For DP-3X Signature Pedal

8. Tech 21 and dUg Pinnick DP-3X Signature Pedal

dUg Pinnick has a new signature pedal from Tech 21 called the DP-3X that will be debuted at the Winter NAMM Show. The unit is a compact adaptation of his Ultra Bass 1000 head from the company, who says that both pieces of gear recreate the sound Pinnick developed in the ’80s that merges high-end…

Tech 21 Introduces the VT Bass 200 Combo Amp

9. Tech 21 VT Bass 200 Combo Amp

Tech 21 has packaged their SansAmp preamp with a Class D power amp and 12-inch driver to create the VT Bass 200 Combo Amp. The rear-ported 200-watt amp is described as lightweight, portable, and offering both vintage and modern bass tones. “Like its pedal predecessors in the SansAmp Character Series, it has a unique, continuously-variable…

F Bass Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Limited Edition PJ Bass

10. F Bass 40th Anniversary Limited Edition PJ Bass

2018 marks forty years since F Bass owner and founder George Furlanetto started the company. To celebrate, the company has announced a special limited edition 40th Anniversary PJ based off of the first ever fretted F Bass. The model will be limited to four pieces each of which will be crafted, signed, and numbered by…

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