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NAMM 2006
My friend Mike and I arrive at the Quality Inn in Anaheim on Friday morning. The Quality Inn is neither quality nor an inn. More on that later. After a short drive to the convention center we hit the Peavey booth.
Peavey had a nice assortment of Wolfgang guitars (or whatever the hell they’re called now) with gorgeous flame tops, flame graphics, flame throwers (just kidding). I’m beginning to like the necks on these guitars more and more. Dave Ellefson of Megadeth was working at the booth. I was tempted to tell him to get me a cord so I could play Peace Sells over and over and ask him if I was playing it correctly.
Kahler had a booth with all their new trems on display as well as an assortment of Kahler equipped guitars, the coolest being one of Kerry King’s BC Rich Wartribe Warlocks. It played and felt just like mine except his had the correct neck angle whereas mine doesn’t. The Kahler folks were very cool and informative. ESP Japan will be using Kahlers since they have been using knockoffs for years. ESP USA…they’re working on it.
A quick stop at Hamer…nothing too interesting but their custom guitars do have very nice tops.
Rico Jr Guitars had a booth with their latest customs on display, mostly V shaped guitars. They feel and play almost exactly like a handmade BC Rich with a slightly flatter neck profile. I asked where the guitars are being made and the crew said Hesperia and they said Shawn Ortiz doesn’t paint them. Overall they were nice. My only criticism is that the body shaped and inlays could use a little more finesse. They’re well built but visually they’re a little clunky looking (to me anyways).
Let’s move on to Dean Guitars, shall we? Dean had a huge wall of Dimebag tribute ML guitars. All sorts of musicians were given one to paint or decorate. I know who I won’t be hiring to do custom graphics for me… However, many of them were very nice, with the most innovative coming from Paul Booth. Even Kelly Clarkson got to paint one. There’s now 973 Dimebag model guitars, each with a different exciting finish. The custom Confederate Flag model was very nicely painted, albeit in a General Lee sort of way. The Schenker brothers faces were laser etched into a limited edition V guitar. Let’s see if this graphic can last longer than Michael’s current US tour. Oh wait, there is no tour…The Dean guitars overall were very nice with great looking tops. I don’t care for the V neck profile on most of the models and I wish they came with jumbo frets. The setups were good, not great, with many guitars having fairly high action. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Dean guitar; even the imports play very nicely and are well constructed.
Downstairs we find the Moser Custom Shop booth. This year many Templar and Import series guitars were featured. The build quality on all, especially the handmades, is simply top notch. I don’t think you’ll find lower action on any guitar. I spent a lot of time with Neal discussing neck profiles and the subtle differences between some of the Templar and custom guitar necks. Most were C shaped while one had more of a U shape (the neck on the SS ST, the multi-laminated guitar). I really liked the neck on the black SRi import guitar. I’m coming to like those beefier 1 11/16” necks. On Saturday Jorge Pesaye, a builder from BC South came by the booth for a visit. Nice guy and expert craftsman. We didn’t talk much (he doesn’t speak much English) but it was nice to finally meet the man responsible for building so many BC Rich guitars. Until now, B.C. South was like the Chupacabra…seen by many but unable to prove it’s existence. I didn’t see his brother Enrique anywhere though. Much gusto, my friend! MCS introduced a new shape, the Reaper. It’s not bad but I don’t care for it.
Since Caparison was 2 booths down from MCS’ I paid them a visit. The guitars are well built and play nicely but they just didn’t do anything for me. On Saturday James Murphy did a performance against a backing track he recorded the day before. While the sound quality was a little muddy, his performance was amazing. As James’ tech set up his Powerbook and speakers, James chatted with my friend Mike and I for quite a while. He’s a super nice guy and very humble.
On the way from the Caparison booth I checked out the Zemaitis display. These guitars have insane engraved metal tops. Some of them even had mosaic tops. Beautiful guitars with an average price tage of $8000-$12000. Yikes.
On Friday I played a KXK V in the Kahler booth. I noticed that the Kahler was recessed and the saddles were low. So I played a few others at the KXK booth. Same deal with the Kahlers. I asked the guy at the booth (Mr KXK?) if the guitars were handmade or CNC’d. He told me he wouldn’t tell me and that he hates getting in that discussion because as he claims “whenever someone says they make a handmade guitar, they’re really using machines” and that it was a pointless discussion. He said “these are my products, I make them custom, one at a time”. Personally I don’t care how a guitar is made but I am curious and I like to learn. The guy was really defensive and I seemed to have touched a nerve with him. I should have pissed him off royally and asked if he used Carvin neck blanks that aren’t angled properly for a Kahler. Oh well. The guitars weren’t bad but I found the necks too thin for my tastes.
ESP announced 7,986 new signature models and endorsers. As usual the really cool guitars were strapped to the wall but this time the non custom ESP’s were actually playable and of course the LTD guitars were playable. The fit and finish overall was top notch and some of the paintjobs were amazing. The new George Lynch V looks retarded IMHO but I’m sure Georgie likes it and will play it at least for a week. According to the new ESP catalog the Jeff Hanneman ESP model will FINALLY have a Kahler again.
BC Rich had the usual import overload display. NJ Platinum Tin made of some wood you never heard of availablewith metal attachments in a box at Media Play… Steve Smythe from Nevermore was at the booth so we talked for a bit. He’s a really nice guy and really down to earth. The handmade BCR’s FINALLY had good setups and quality all around. The 10 string Bich a the booth played really well as did the archtop Warlock and archtop Bich with natural binding on the neck and body. Really nice touch on that one. They had a really cool KK Wartribe Warlock with a blue marbleized finish that also played really well. As much as I question their business ethics, I gotta give them credit for building a nice guitar. Well, give BC South credit for doing a good job.
Ibanez had some unique finishes on their guitars. Some had engraved or inlaid puzzle pieces while others had beautiful flame and quilt tops. The prices seem to be going up accordingly. On display was a beautiful HR Gieger protoype guitar that seemed to have a metal body that was carved into. Now that’s a metal guitar!
Guitar virtuoso and comedian Mattias IA Eklund performed at the Laney booth. This is my first time hearing him play and meeting him. He’s a very funny and nice guy; he really knows how to work a crowd. His playing is unbelieveable and his technique is flawless. I have close to 20 minutes of video footage of him playing that I’ll have to upload soon.
The Carvin California Carved Top guitars were amazing. Perfect fit and finish and super low action. They felt the closest to the MCS guitars in terms of neck profile and playability. The stained quilt and flame tops were superb and very dimensional. I never seriously played a Carvin until this show and now I want one.
At the DigiTech room Paul Crook had just finished a performance. He was playing some of his Ed Roman made guitars. Some of the MCS guys got to check them out and said they felt just like a BC Rich, which makes sense since the unverified rumor is that BC South builds them. Metal Mike Chlasciak took the stage and shredded like a mofo. Even his warmup licks were incredible.
Next we went to the Fender/Jackson room for some serious guitar porn. Jackson had the best and most varied finishes at the whole show. Mike Learn and Dan Lawrence’s stuff is amazing; some of the new painters did a great job as well, especially on the Charvel with the engraved pickguard. The new Warren DiMartini Charvels are nice as were all the Charvels. It seemed to me that the action on the Charvels was pretty high and I noticed some neck bow on some of the models. I chatted with Dan and Mike a bit. Like just about everyone I met at the show they were very cool and answered all my questions. I also met Ron (RacerX) from the JCF. He’s a total dick so I kicked him like he kicked Ed Roman. Just kidding. Ron is super cool.
While standing in line for beer I met Rudy Sarzo and got my picture taken with him. He also showed me how to play Crazy Train since it’s never been tabbed. Just kidding.
Later that evening we went to the Hilton to party with what seemed like every NAMM attendee. What a freakin madhouse. Every depraved person is in that lobby drinking. My favorite look of the evening were the little guys with black eye makeup and the dyed black hair that’s short in the back and hangs over one eye in the front. I wonder if it takes a while to make your hair do that or if it just happens. I was talking to Pat Lachman (formerly of Halford and Damageplan) if he still plays his Jacksons or if ESP bought him out. He laughed and said he got away from playing pointy guitars. I told him that the more spindles you have on a guitar, the better player you are, so he must not be that good anymore. Then I asked him to tell me how much ESP pays him. He was a very good sport about it and laughed the whole time. He then said he had to go get ready to play the show and I asked him if he would play Priest’s Hot Rockin. He laughed and did a very metal HOT ROCKIN scream. Kerry King and Paul Crook were hanging out with him and were very cool to us as well. Pat’s new band, The Mercy Clinic, played at the EMG party at the Hilton. They weren’t bad but I wasn’t really into them. At the bar there was a fellow my friend swore was Kirk Hammet and another said was Marco Mendoza of Twisted Sister. The next day I realized it was Oz Fox of Stryper; he was in the VHT demo room with me getting a demo of the VHT Deliverance amp. Shortly after witnessing George Lynch being propped up and placed in an elevator we left the Hilton.
On Saturday I focused most of my attention on playing guitars and amps. I got an in depth demo of the VHT Deliverance along with Oz Fox and another guy. It’s a pretty versatile amp for having only one channel. I played through the VHT Ultra Lead and almost broke out with Stryper’s Soldiers Under Command but didn’t; I feared that Oz would damn me to hell. I finally played all 3 Krank heads and wasn’t impressed. The cleans were more sterile than a Recto’s; the Chadwick head had a slightly better sounding clean than the others. These amps have a tight feel but seem to have an inherent buzz to the sound that I couldn’t dial out. Gain wise, I didn’t think they were over the top. I’ll stick to my Framus.
Speaking of Framus, I finally got to play the Dragon and compare it to the Cobra. The cleans on both amps are similar but I like the bright switch on the Cobra. The Crunch on the Dragon has far less gain than the Cobra’s and has more of a vintage vibe to it. The Lead channel has plenty of gain on tap but sounds compressed, almost scooped. I think the Cobra is more versatile but the Dragon is still a cool amp.
On Saturday morning as we waited for our cab at the Quality Inn, which is neither Quality nor an inn, up drives an Audi A4. Carmine Appice and his lady friend get out and go to their room. What would posess Carmine to stay at a hotel whose shower curtains barely touch the top of the tub, aren’t even as long as the tub, and whose shower has 2 settings: trickle and drip? Maybe those King Kobra royalty checks finally bounced.
When we got to the Hilton I turned around and there was CC Deville. He wasn’t as short as I thought he was…oh wait…2 inch platforms will do wonders for your height. In all fairness, he seemed a like a nice guy. My friend Kenny got his picture taken with a guy right behind us. Lo and behold. I’m headed for a hearbreak. It’s KIP WINGER. So I got my picture taken with him as well and tried to resist asking him if he watches Beavis and Butthead.
My friend scored us passes to the Coffin Case party at the Hilton which was supposed to consist of a fashion show, and a variety of bands playing, including players such as CC Deville and Tracii Guns. I figure I needed a good laugh so we went upstairs to the party room. So we waited. And waited. And waited. The only good thing about the wait was listening to Anthrax’s Sound of White Noise blaring over the PA system. The crowd had a lot of the aforementioned black hair over one eye Hot Topic employees, followed closely by a few Marilyn Manson look alikes. After close to an hour of waiting, we left. After all, who the hell wants to see Tracii Guns play? And why, pray tell, does he have 2 letter i’s in his name?
After the Coffin fiasco, Mike and I actually found some empty couch space in the corner bar. A few minutes later a guy sits next to us and we get talking. Turns out he’s Tod Howarth; he played keyboard with Cheap Trick, guitar with Frehley’s Comet, and also played guitar and keyboard with Ted Nugent. Tod had the best stories, including one about buying 2 Marshall heads from the factory in the 80’s with Jim Marshall’s discount, eating bear and deer with the Nuge (said bear tastes like shit), and others.
My friend Mike and I arrive at the Quality Inn in Anaheim on Friday morning. The Quality Inn is neither quality nor an inn. More on that later. After a short drive to the convention center we hit the Peavey booth.
Peavey had a nice assortment of Wolfgang guitars (or whatever the hell they’re called now) with gorgeous flame tops, flame graphics, flame throwers (just kidding). I’m beginning to like the necks on these guitars more and more. Dave Ellefson of Megadeth was working at the booth. I was tempted to tell him to get me a cord so I could play Peace Sells over and over and ask him if I was playing it correctly.
Kahler had a booth with all their new trems on display as well as an assortment of Kahler equipped guitars, the coolest being one of Kerry King’s BC Rich Wartribe Warlocks. It played and felt just like mine except his had the correct neck angle whereas mine doesn’t. The Kahler folks were very cool and informative. ESP Japan will be using Kahlers since they have been using knockoffs for years. ESP USA…they’re working on it.
A quick stop at Hamer…nothing too interesting but their custom guitars do have very nice tops.
Rico Jr Guitars had a booth with their latest customs on display, mostly V shaped guitars. They feel and play almost exactly like a handmade BC Rich with a slightly flatter neck profile. I asked where the guitars are being made and the crew said Hesperia and they said Shawn Ortiz doesn’t paint them. Overall they were nice. My only criticism is that the body shaped and inlays could use a little more finesse. They’re well built but visually they’re a little clunky looking (to me anyways).
Let’s move on to Dean Guitars, shall we? Dean had a huge wall of Dimebag tribute ML guitars. All sorts of musicians were given one to paint or decorate. I know who I won’t be hiring to do custom graphics for me… However, many of them were very nice, with the most innovative coming from Paul Booth. Even Kelly Clarkson got to paint one. There’s now 973 Dimebag model guitars, each with a different exciting finish. The custom Confederate Flag model was very nicely painted, albeit in a General Lee sort of way. The Schenker brothers faces were laser etched into a limited edition V guitar. Let’s see if this graphic can last longer than Michael’s current US tour. Oh wait, there is no tour…The Dean guitars overall were very nice with great looking tops. I don’t care for the V neck profile on most of the models and I wish they came with jumbo frets. The setups were good, not great, with many guitars having fairly high action. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Dean guitar; even the imports play very nicely and are well constructed.
Downstairs we find the Moser Custom Shop booth. This year many Templar and Import series guitars were featured. The build quality on all, especially the handmades, is simply top notch. I don’t think you’ll find lower action on any guitar. I spent a lot of time with Neal discussing neck profiles and the subtle differences between some of the Templar and custom guitar necks. Most were C shaped while one had more of a U shape (the neck on the SS ST, the multi-laminated guitar). I really liked the neck on the black SRi import guitar. I’m coming to like those beefier 1 11/16” necks. On Saturday Jorge Pesaye, a builder from BC South came by the booth for a visit. Nice guy and expert craftsman. We didn’t talk much (he doesn’t speak much English) but it was nice to finally meet the man responsible for building so many BC Rich guitars. Until now, B.C. South was like the Chupacabra…seen by many but unable to prove it’s existence. I didn’t see his brother Enrique anywhere though. Much gusto, my friend! MCS introduced a new shape, the Reaper. It’s not bad but I don’t care for it.
Since Caparison was 2 booths down from MCS’ I paid them a visit. The guitars are well built and play nicely but they just didn’t do anything for me. On Saturday James Murphy did a performance against a backing track he recorded the day before. While the sound quality was a little muddy, his performance was amazing. As James’ tech set up his Powerbook and speakers, James chatted with my friend Mike and I for quite a while. He’s a super nice guy and very humble.
On the way from the Caparison booth I checked out the Zemaitis display. These guitars have insane engraved metal tops. Some of them even had mosaic tops. Beautiful guitars with an average price tage of $8000-$12000. Yikes.
On Friday I played a KXK V in the Kahler booth. I noticed that the Kahler was recessed and the saddles were low. So I played a few others at the KXK booth. Same deal with the Kahlers. I asked the guy at the booth (Mr KXK?) if the guitars were handmade or CNC’d. He told me he wouldn’t tell me and that he hates getting in that discussion because as he claims “whenever someone says they make a handmade guitar, they’re really using machines” and that it was a pointless discussion. He said “these are my products, I make them custom, one at a time”. Personally I don’t care how a guitar is made but I am curious and I like to learn. The guy was really defensive and I seemed to have touched a nerve with him. I should have pissed him off royally and asked if he used Carvin neck blanks that aren’t angled properly for a Kahler. Oh well. The guitars weren’t bad but I found the necks too thin for my tastes.
ESP announced 7,986 new signature models and endorsers. As usual the really cool guitars were strapped to the wall but this time the non custom ESP’s were actually playable and of course the LTD guitars were playable. The fit and finish overall was top notch and some of the paintjobs were amazing. The new George Lynch V looks retarded IMHO but I’m sure Georgie likes it and will play it at least for a week. According to the new ESP catalog the Jeff Hanneman ESP model will FINALLY have a Kahler again.
BC Rich had the usual import overload display. NJ Platinum Tin made of some wood you never heard of availablewith metal attachments in a box at Media Play… Steve Smythe from Nevermore was at the booth so we talked for a bit. He’s a really nice guy and really down to earth. The handmade BCR’s FINALLY had good setups and quality all around. The 10 string Bich a the booth played really well as did the archtop Warlock and archtop Bich with natural binding on the neck and body. Really nice touch on that one. They had a really cool KK Wartribe Warlock with a blue marbleized finish that also played really well. As much as I question their business ethics, I gotta give them credit for building a nice guitar. Well, give BC South credit for doing a good job.
Ibanez had some unique finishes on their guitars. Some had engraved or inlaid puzzle pieces while others had beautiful flame and quilt tops. The prices seem to be going up accordingly. On display was a beautiful HR Gieger protoype guitar that seemed to have a metal body that was carved into. Now that’s a metal guitar!
Guitar virtuoso and comedian Mattias IA Eklund performed at the Laney booth. This is my first time hearing him play and meeting him. He’s a very funny and nice guy; he really knows how to work a crowd. His playing is unbelieveable and his technique is flawless. I have close to 20 minutes of video footage of him playing that I’ll have to upload soon.
The Carvin California Carved Top guitars were amazing. Perfect fit and finish and super low action. They felt the closest to the MCS guitars in terms of neck profile and playability. The stained quilt and flame tops were superb and very dimensional. I never seriously played a Carvin until this show and now I want one.
At the DigiTech room Paul Crook had just finished a performance. He was playing some of his Ed Roman made guitars. Some of the MCS guys got to check them out and said they felt just like a BC Rich, which makes sense since the unverified rumor is that BC South builds them. Metal Mike Chlasciak took the stage and shredded like a mofo. Even his warmup licks were incredible.
Next we went to the Fender/Jackson room for some serious guitar porn. Jackson had the best and most varied finishes at the whole show. Mike Learn and Dan Lawrence’s stuff is amazing; some of the new painters did a great job as well, especially on the Charvel with the engraved pickguard. The new Warren DiMartini Charvels are nice as were all the Charvels. It seemed to me that the action on the Charvels was pretty high and I noticed some neck bow on some of the models. I chatted with Dan and Mike a bit. Like just about everyone I met at the show they were very cool and answered all my questions. I also met Ron (RacerX) from the JCF. He’s a total dick so I kicked him like he kicked Ed Roman. Just kidding. Ron is super cool.
While standing in line for beer I met Rudy Sarzo and got my picture taken with him. He also showed me how to play Crazy Train since it’s never been tabbed. Just kidding.
Later that evening we went to the Hilton to party with what seemed like every NAMM attendee. What a freakin madhouse. Every depraved person is in that lobby drinking. My favorite look of the evening were the little guys with black eye makeup and the dyed black hair that’s short in the back and hangs over one eye in the front. I wonder if it takes a while to make your hair do that or if it just happens. I was talking to Pat Lachman (formerly of Halford and Damageplan) if he still plays his Jacksons or if ESP bought him out. He laughed and said he got away from playing pointy guitars. I told him that the more spindles you have on a guitar, the better player you are, so he must not be that good anymore. Then I asked him to tell me how much ESP pays him. He was a very good sport about it and laughed the whole time. He then said he had to go get ready to play the show and I asked him if he would play Priest’s Hot Rockin. He laughed and did a very metal HOT ROCKIN scream. Kerry King and Paul Crook were hanging out with him and were very cool to us as well. Pat’s new band, The Mercy Clinic, played at the EMG party at the Hilton. They weren’t bad but I wasn’t really into them. At the bar there was a fellow my friend swore was Kirk Hammet and another said was Marco Mendoza of Twisted Sister. The next day I realized it was Oz Fox of Stryper; he was in the VHT demo room with me getting a demo of the VHT Deliverance amp. Shortly after witnessing George Lynch being propped up and placed in an elevator we left the Hilton.
On Saturday I focused most of my attention on playing guitars and amps. I got an in depth demo of the VHT Deliverance along with Oz Fox and another guy. It’s a pretty versatile amp for having only one channel. I played through the VHT Ultra Lead and almost broke out with Stryper’s Soldiers Under Command but didn’t; I feared that Oz would damn me to hell. I finally played all 3 Krank heads and wasn’t impressed. The cleans were more sterile than a Recto’s; the Chadwick head had a slightly better sounding clean than the others. These amps have a tight feel but seem to have an inherent buzz to the sound that I couldn’t dial out. Gain wise, I didn’t think they were over the top. I’ll stick to my Framus.
Speaking of Framus, I finally got to play the Dragon and compare it to the Cobra. The cleans on both amps are similar but I like the bright switch on the Cobra. The Crunch on the Dragon has far less gain than the Cobra’s and has more of a vintage vibe to it. The Lead channel has plenty of gain on tap but sounds compressed, almost scooped. I think the Cobra is more versatile but the Dragon is still a cool amp.
On Saturday morning as we waited for our cab at the Quality Inn, which is neither Quality nor an inn, up drives an Audi A4. Carmine Appice and his lady friend get out and go to their room. What would posess Carmine to stay at a hotel whose shower curtains barely touch the top of the tub, aren’t even as long as the tub, and whose shower has 2 settings: trickle and drip? Maybe those King Kobra royalty checks finally bounced.
When we got to the Hilton I turned around and there was CC Deville. He wasn’t as short as I thought he was…oh wait…2 inch platforms will do wonders for your height. In all fairness, he seemed a like a nice guy. My friend Kenny got his picture taken with a guy right behind us. Lo and behold. I’m headed for a hearbreak. It’s KIP WINGER. So I got my picture taken with him as well and tried to resist asking him if he watches Beavis and Butthead.
My friend scored us passes to the Coffin Case party at the Hilton which was supposed to consist of a fashion show, and a variety of bands playing, including players such as CC Deville and Tracii Guns. I figure I needed a good laugh so we went upstairs to the party room. So we waited. And waited. And waited. The only good thing about the wait was listening to Anthrax’s Sound of White Noise blaring over the PA system. The crowd had a lot of the aforementioned black hair over one eye Hot Topic employees, followed closely by a few Marilyn Manson look alikes. After close to an hour of waiting, we left. After all, who the hell wants to see Tracii Guns play? And why, pray tell, does he have 2 letter i’s in his name?
After the Coffin fiasco, Mike and I actually found some empty couch space in the corner bar. A few minutes later a guy sits next to us and we get talking. Turns out he’s Tod Howarth; he played keyboard with Cheap Trick, guitar with Frehley’s Comet, and also played guitar and keyboard with Ted Nugent. Tod had the best stories, including one about buying 2 Marshall heads from the factory in the 80’s with Jim Marshall’s discount, eating bear and deer with the Nuge (said bear tastes like shit), and others.
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