I’m still catching up on news from NAMM this year. One bit of news I was glad to see is about Guild building electric guitars again. One of the most interesting “new” models is a reissue of the M-75 Aristocrat:

Guild’s compact and lightweight M-75 Aristocrat™ model expertly evokes its predecessor of the early 1950s, with a gracefully sculpted single-cutaway hollow body specifically designed to produce the resonance of a larger instrument. Other premium features include a comfortable and rock-solid three-piece neck and the tonal magnificence of dual single-coil pickups. Features include a 13.5″ x 2″ hollow body, laminated spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides, three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck, 24.75″ scale length, rosewood fingerboard with 9.45″ radius and 22 “vintage tall” frets, pearloid block inlays, dual single-coil pickups, three-way pickup toggle switch, two volume and two tone controls, Adjusto-Matic™ bridge, Guild “harp” tailpiece, Grover® Sta-Tite™ tuning machines and gold-plated hardware. Available in Antique Burst finish.

I’m looking forward to checking these out when they hit stores.

I’m not sure if this is specifically NAMM related, but PRS Guitars announced the news this month that they are reintroducing the Custom 22:

Reintroduced for 2013, the Custom 22 is a classic workhorse with all the tones you’ve come to expect from your PRS and a distinctive, musical, warm midrange. Along with its standard features – maple top, mahogany back, mahogany or rosewood 25” scale length Pattern or Pattern Thin neck, and rosewood fretboard – the Custom 22 and 24 are now both offered with the choice of 57/08 pickups or HFS treble and Vintage bass pickups wired for a redesigned 5-way blade switch, which offers a unique dual humbucker option.

I used to own a Custom 22, and it was and is one of the best made guitars I’ve ever owned. I only sold it to purchase another PRS. I’m glad to see that they’re reintroducing it.

This is an interesting new guitar from Fender: the Vince Ray Voodoo-Bucket 300CE:

You get skulls and skeletons, motorcycles, black cats and serpents, demons and witches, disembodied hands beating bongos from hell, fortunes told and spells cast, stars, flames, headstones and more. In short, you get the mind of Vince Ray himself embodied in a 500-instrument run of guitars that look they jumped straight out of the previews from some drive-in B-movie nightmare.

Speaking of acoustics, Fender seems to be really ramping up their acoustic guitar production with the introduction of a new Acoustic Custom Shop:

(Press Release)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  (January 22, 2013) – Fender is thrilled to announce its all-new Fender Acoustic Custom Shop, located in New Hartford, Conn. Operated by Fender’s most experienced guitar luthiers, the Fender Acoustic Custom Shop is committed to delivering the highest levels of acoustic guitar craftsmanship.

New from the Acoustic Custom Shop are the Pro Custom Series and Master designed models, which include the TPD-1 Dreadnought,TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed, and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed.

The Pro Custom Series includes the TPD-1 Dreadnought and TPDCE-1 Dreadnought, which feature a solid Engelmann spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, a convenient cutaway on the TPDCE-1, scalloped “X” bracing shifted forward for more traditional tone, a mahogany neck with soft “V”-shaped profile and dual-action truss rod, 20-fret ebony fingerboard with bone nut and mother-of-pearl inlays, bone bridge saddle and pins, a nitrocellulose lacquer finish, and Fishman® electronics on the TPDCE-1.

Part of the Master Designed Series, the Traditional Triple-”O” Custom Shop Designed and Newporter™ Custom Shop Designed feature a striking solid Carpathian spruce top, forward-shifted scalloped “X” bracing and solid figured walnut matched back and sides. The models’ two-piece neck in figured curly maple has a soft “V” profile with comfortably rolled edges, 10″ radius ebony fretboard, bone nut and a traditional three-on-a-side headstock (Stratocaster® headstock on the Newporter Custom Shop Designed).

Another nice new guitar from Martin: Martin 000-17SM:

Resurrecting the look of our early Style 17 guitars, the 17 Series features a shaded gloss Sitka Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, and tortoise brown binding. The 000-17SM features a tight, 12-fret body and vintage slotted headstock for a truly one-of-a-kind instrument.

I’m a big fan of 000-sized guitars, especially ones that feature mahogany. Add in a slotted headstock, and I’m really interested. I think this model looks really nice.

Martin is introducing a new John Mayer signature model: the John Mayer 00-42sc Custom Signature Edition:

John Mayer and C.F. Martin & Co. were happy to join forces once again to create a new version of the “cowboy guitar” – the 00-42SC John Mayer Custom Signature Edition. Conceived as a direct follow-up to the successful 00-45SC John Mayer Stagecoach Edition that was produced in extremely limited quantity in 2012, this new model was created to be a more affordable option to collectors and Mayer fans alike.

“More affordable” is relative, as the MAP on the new model is still in the $8,000 range. However, it is nice to see them bringing the model to more people.

I wasn’t able to attend Summer NAMM this year, but I’ve been keeping an eye out for interesting new gear. Gibson introduced its Grace Potter signature Flying V at the show:

In the image of the classic second wave of ’60s Flying Vs, the Grace Potter Signature Flying V from Gibson USA is crafted in solid Grade-A mahogany, a rich, resonant tonewood that has been responsible for many of the finest Gibson electric guitars ever to come off the line. Its glued-in Grade-A mahogany neck is carved to a “Slim V” profile that measures .800″ at the 1st fret and .850″ at the 12th, and topped with a luxurious dark-brown chechen fingerboard with 22 medium-jumbo frets. A PLEK-slotted Corian™ nut ensures a maximum amount of that crucial neck resonance arrives in the guitar’s final sonic brew, while vintage-style TonePros™ tuners with pearloid keystone buttons maintain a traditional look at the back-angled headstock. All this along with Gibson’s renowned craftsmanship and the classic specs of the 24-3/4″ scale length, a 1-11/16″ nut width, and a 12″ fingerboard radius ensure legendary playability, too.

I’ve always thought Flying V-style guitars looked cool, if a little odd. I’m a fan of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, but, as cool as this guitar looks, I must admit it seems odd to give Grace a signature guitar when she’s not the primary guitar player in her band.

Summer NAMM is a few weeks away. On Saturday, July 14, Summer NAMM is hosting a Public Day, where the show is open to the public. The public day will contain live music and workshops. The full schedule for the Summer NAMM public day is:

9:15 a.m. – 10 a.m. Richard Gilwitz, Fingerstyle Guitarist, Foundation Lounge, Room 210

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. World’s Fastest Drummer preliminary competition / Level 1, East Lobby

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.“Haiti 10 – Faith, Love and Music” / Idea Center Booth 837, Level 1

11:00 a.m. How to Use a Work Station in a studio setting / Room 102, Level 1
10 Best Social Networking Sites for Marketing to Fans / Room 211, Level 2
Win a Digital Record Deal with Guitar Player Records / Room 214, Level 2
Sticks ‘n’ Skins – The Sessions / Idea Center Booth 837, Level 1
Ergo We Play performs (SchoolJam USA winners) / Foundation Lounge, Rm. 210
Ukedelics Perform / Exhibit Hall Acoustic Stage

12:00 p.m. New TC-Helicon Vocal Effects for the Acoustic Singer / Songwriter / Room 102, L1
Live Sound Basics / Room 207, Level 2
10 Ways to Make Better Sounding Recordings / Room 211, Level 2

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Ukulele Circle hands-on demo / Foundation Lounge, Room 210

1:00 p.m. So, You Want To Be a Session Player panel discussion/ Room 208, Level 2
10 Tips for Effective Pre-Production / Room 211, Level 2

1:30 p.m. Live Sound Tips & Tricks / Room 207, Level 2

1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Ukedelics Perform / Foundation Lounge, Room 210

2:00 p.m. The Psychology of Producing Hit Songs / Idea Center Booth 837, L1
GigEasy Demo with Darren Kramer / Room 102, Level 1
10 Elements of a Hit Song / Room 211, Level 2

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. World’s Fastest Drummer Competition Finals / Level 1 East Lobby

3:00 p.m. Drum Circle hands-on demo / Level 3, East Lobby
10 Ways to Exploit Facebook for Success / Room 211, Level 2

The Seymour Duncan Custom Shop have partnered with Joe Bonamassa to create the Joe Bonamassa Signature Pickup Set, which attempt to replicate the P.A.F. pickups in Joe’s 1959 Les Paul:

Wound on the historic Leesona machine that created humbuckers for Gibson back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the set features an Alnico 2 magnet in the neck pickup and Alnico 3 in the bridge. Period-correct butyrate bobbins, lightly antiqued nickel covers, wooden spacer, and retro-style “Bonamassa” P.A.F. stickers heighten the vintage vibe.

Only 1,959 Custom Shop sets will be sold. Each will be hand signed by Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa and include a special USB flash drive with video interviews, special features, and more.

Here’s Joe talking about the pickups:

For the bassists among us who want an Ampeg amp in a more house-friendly setup, Ampeg have introduced the solid stte Micro-CL Stack:

Let’s face it. You are the type who would happily crank up a full Ampeg SVT stack in your living room. Heck, who needs neighbors anyway? And noise violations are really just a badge of honor, right? For the rest of us, there is the Ampeg Micro-CL Stack, delivering 100 watts of pure Ampeg tone. It’s perfect for those just getting into Ampeg or for the seasoned bassist looking to practice in far flung locations like the master bathroom.

• Includes tough 2 x 10″ cab
• Stereo input / headphone out for silent practice
• Effects loop and direct out