NAMM 2019: No Treble’s Bass Gear Roundup

Fender announced a new line of limited edition Made in Japan instruments including a handful of new basses at the 2019 NAMM Show. The new lineup includes models with traditional specs as well two with “hybrid” models.

Strandberg was turning heads this year at the Winter NAMM Show as they unveiled the Boden bass. The instrument, which they say has been years in the making, is a headless design with an ergonomic body shape and multi-scale neck.

It’s been 20 years since Ibanez first introduced the BTB. They’re celebrating in 2019 with the BTB 20th Anniversary Bass, available in five and six-string versions.

Ernie Ball Music Man has announced a limited run of a short scale version of their StingRay bass. The 2019 Short Scale StingRay Special is a passive bass that has a 30-inch scale for easier playability.

Warwick has added the Sklar Bass I Signature to their Teambuilt Artist Series as well as their Rockbass line. Developed with session legend Leland Sklar, the semi-hollow bass is a modified version of their Star Bass.

Ampeg is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the SVT bass amp, and they’re doing it by turning it up to 11. The company will be displaying a custom-built, one-of-a-kind 11-foot tall SVT bass amp at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show.

Ashdown Engineering introduced an interesting new bass cabinet called the CL-310-DH. Rated at 450 watts at 8 ohms, the cabs were inspired by vintage British PA systems and feature a 3×10" configuration with dual high-frequency horns.

TC Electronic unveiled a new bass amp at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show called the BAM200. The unit is a miniature 200-watt amp intended for “club gigs and practice rigs.” Its Class D power section keeps the weight down while its preamp gives a more natural sound.

Darkglass Electronics took to the Winter NAMM Show to unveil two new products in their line of bass amplifiers: The Alpha-Omega 900 and the Microtubes 900 v2. While the latter upgrades an existing model, the Alpha-Omega 900 is a brand new amp that pairs elements of their Alpha-Omega distortion preamplifier with a 900-watt power section.

Hartke was at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show to unveil the XL Series V2 bass cabinets, which commemorate 35 years of the business and the original aluminum-cone cabinet that was hand-built by Larry Hartke. The new version of the XL Series will include two new models and a revamped design.

Back in 2017, one of the biggest stories from the NAMM Show was the release of the Tech 21 Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp GED-2112 preamp. Tech 21 is turning heads again this year with the introduction of the Geddy Lee Signature SansAmp YYZ Pedal.

Electro-Harmonix has unveiled the Bass Mono Synth, a new pedal that offers 11 different bass-specific synthesizer styles: Laser, X-Fade, Acid, Cosmic, Sub, Growl, Wub, Unison, Twin, Spectre, and Oblivion.

EBS expanded their bass pedal offerings this year at the Winter NAMM Show with the EBS MicroBass 3, an analog “multi-tool” for bassists. The unit is a two-channel preamp that brings together features from their HD360 and Fafner II bass amplifiers.

Ashdown Engineering introduced a new practice device at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show. The Phone Box allows you to plug into any solid state amplifier and listen to its output through headphones.

Fender unveiled six new effects pedals featuring original designed circuits at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show. Notable among the new stompboxes is the Downtown Express, which marks the company’s first official bass effects pedal.

The Ray Ross Bass Bridge is now available via AP International. Created by Aaron Ross and originally shown on his Bass No. 27, the bridge uses saddle-less design to streamline the string’s path.

EMG has introduced three new signature sets of pickups with three of the biggest metal bass stars: Slayer’s Tom Araya, Anthrax’s Frank Bello, and Megadeth’s David Ellefson. Introduced at the 2019 Winter NAMM Show, each of the sets was dialed in with the artists.

Fishman has expanded their Fluence line of pickups with a new set of Soapbar multi-voice bass pickups. The active pickups, come in four and five-string versions, offer three distinct voices to cover different playing styles.

Aguilar has expanded their offering of split-coil bass pickups with the Super Split. The hum-canceling pickups are built in a soapbar shape and designed to create “rich bass tone – crisp and open treble, barking midrange and huge lows.”

Lollar Pickups has expanded their line of bass pickups with a new ’70s J-Bass set. The new pickups are designed to replicate the sound of an original ’75 Jazz Bass, but they’re not exact replicas.