Friday, January 23, 2015

NAMM 2015 update: Taylor Guitars, Roland, Marshall Amplification, IK Multimedia

Headed to NAMM this weekend? Here are some noteworthy new products to check out while in Anaheim…

The Expression System Baby™ Pickup with Onboard Tuner joins the Baby Taylor Series

ANAHEIM, Calif. - January 23, 2015 - For the ultimate on-the-go, plug-and-play experience, Taylor Guitars is announcing the addition of the Expression System Baby™ pickup to its line of popular travel guitars, the Baby Taylor Series. The Expression System Baby, or the ES-B, is based on Taylor's patented behind-the-saddle pickup, the Expression System 2, which features three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated piezo sensors.

The location of the sensors enables a more dynamic range of acoustic sound to be captured than ever before. The ES-B is powered by an onboard preamp that incorporates volume and tone controls, plus another handy feature: a built-in digital chromatic tuner. The integrated electronics blend exceptional amplified tone and tuning capabilities into an all-in-one system for a seamless plug-and-play experience.
The new models include the three-quarter-size Dreadnought Baby Taylor, the Baby Taylor Mahogany, and the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor, along with the 15/16-scale Big Baby Taylor. All models feature a solid wood top (mahogany or Sitka spruce), layered sapele back and sides, and a genuine ebony fretboard and bridge. The ultra-portable Baby Taylor models are perfect for beginners, as a travel guitar, or for alternate tunings. Now paired with the ES-B pickup, players can record, plug-in or perform just about anywhere.

The electronics-equipped models will be designated with the addition of "e" as Baby Taylor-e, Baby Mahogany-e, Taylor Swift Baby Taylor-e, and Big Baby Taylor-e, and will be available at authorized Taylor dealers in February. To locate a dealer, please visit http://www.taylorguitars.com/dealers
 
To experience the guitars during the 2015 NAMM Show, please visit the Taylor Guitars Showcase on the second floor, Room 213 ABC.
 
For additional news from Taylor Guitars, please visit:
www.taylorguitars.com/news
www.twitter.com/TaylorGuitars

Roland announces Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule

Custom Voicing Circuit for the Blues Cube Amplifier Series

Roland is pleased to announce the Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule, a user-installable voicing circuit for the innovative Blues Cube guitar amplifier series. Developed with GRAMMY-winning guitarist and tone connoisseur Eric Johnson, the Tone Capsule changes the sound and response characteristics of the Blues Cube amps to provide custom voicings tuned and approved by the legendary artist himself.

Featuring Roland’s unique Tube Logic design approach, the reinvented Blues Cube amps deliver the rich sound and musical touch response of finely tuned vintage tube combos, along with convenient modern features and reduced weight. In developing the Blues Cube, Roland engineers integrated the ability to re-voice the amplifier via a Tone Capsule socket on the chassis, a powerful capability now unveiled for the first time.

Eric Johnson’s fluid playing style and exceptional tone are iconic, and his ear for meticulous perfection is well known among guitar enthusiasts. Desiring the same high level of sound, feel, and responsiveness that Eric demands from his vintage amplifiers, the Blues Cube team asked the guitarist to work closely with them on the Tone Capsule project. “I am very interested in pursuing new paths to getting tone,” Eric explains. “When the Blues Cube team asked if they could present an amp with new tone capabilities, I was intrigued.”

The Eric Johnson Tone Capsule takes the Blues Cube’s already great sound and fine-tunes it to suit the guitarist’s exacting requirements. Eric’s expert audio design captures his discriminating tastes in texture, voicing, and rich tone, enabling every Blues Cube owner to put the legend’s remarkable vintage amp insights under their fingers.

Eric is extremely impressed with the Blues Cube’s factory tone, and he likes the idea of having both the factory tone and his custom settings available separately. “Many guitarists may prefer the factory Blues Cube sound over mine,” Eric explains. “The factory tone will appeal to many kinds of players.”

“I’ve spent years finding amplifiers to suit my tonal quest and discerning criteria to get my sound,” Eric says. “I’m excited to work with Roland to create many aspects and persona of that sound in a more compact, tangible, and affordable version for all kinds of players.”

To learn more about the Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule and the detailed story behind its development, visit www.RolandUS.com.


Marshall Introduces Woburn Bluetooth Music Speakers

Named for locations in London that are significant to the history of Marshall Amplification, Marshall Headphones has produced a range of portable music speakers with high quality audio reproduction and the classic look of Marshall amps.  

Just like the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll the Woburn signifies freedom – the freedom to play your music wherever you want, in multiple ways. The largest in the Marshall music speaker series, the Woburn can really rock the place. It’s built to thrill.

The Woburn produces clean pronounced high frequencies and handles bass with ease, with defined and articulate midrange. The analogue Treble, Middle and Bass controls give you a tactile experience that is becoming increasingly rare in the digital world.
And with two standby modes, the Woburn’s over all environmental impact is reduced, by switching to Powersaver mode when not actively in use.  

The Woburn’s big, powerful sound holds true to the legacy of Marshall. Its vinyl covering, gold piping, vintage style fret and the iconic Marshall script logo gives this modern technology a vintage aesthetic straight from the rock ‘n’ roll era.

Available now at your local dealer and marshallamps.com, Stanmore is supplied with a double ended 3.5mm coiled audio lead and features Bluetooth connectivity. The Woburn’s clear, accurate sound is produced by a two 5 ¼” woofers and two 1” dome tweeters.
Marshall Amplification is distributed in the USA by US Music Corp. US Music Corp, located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois is an international musical instrument company that manufactures and distributes products worldwide under the Washburn, Parker, Randall, and Oscar Schmidt brand names, as well as being the exclusive US distributor for Marshall, Eden, Natal, Hagstrom, Warwick, Framus, Quik Lok and DigiTech. US Music is a subsidiary of Jam Industries, Ltd.

For more information on Marshall Amplification, visit www.marshallamps.com
For more information on US Music Corp, visit www.usmusiccorp.com

For more information on Jam Industries, Ltd., visit www.jamindustries.com


IK Multimedia announces iRig PowerBridge, the universal charging solution for all iRig accessories using iPhone, iPad and iPod touch 

Now musicians can play endlessly with their favorite iRig accessories on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

IK Multimedia, the leader in mobile music creation technology, today announced (Jan. 22, 2015) iRig® PowerBridge, a new charging system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that allows for the continuous charge of the device while using iRig accessories. Now mobile musicians can practice, perform and record with their favorite 30-pin or Lightning compatible digital IK gear — like iRig Mic HD, iRig HD, iRig Keys, iRig PRO or iRig MIDI 2 — for as long as they want, anytime and everywhere.

A streamlined solution
The reason IK Multimedia’s iRig range of digital interfaces, microphones and controllers are so popular among musicians is because they offer the highest quality sound in every mobile situation. IK’s iRig accessories are able to accomplish this because they connect via the 30-pin or Lightning connector of an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. While this offers significant advantages in terms of performance, it comes at the expense of battery life — with an accessory connected, it is impossible to perform for an extended period of time without recharging. iRig PowerBridge is an elegant solution to this problem. 

iRig PowerBridge combines a power supply and an ultra-low noise power conditioner that connects to a power outlet on one end and a Lightning or 30-pin iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on the other. Between both ends is a female Mini-DIN connector that can be used to connect any digital iRig accessory with a Mini-DIN or Micro-USB port. Through this connection, iRig PowerBridge allows continuous charging while also passing along audio and MIDI information between the digital iRig accessory and the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Through this streamlined setup, musicians can keep their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch charged and play with their favorite digital iRig accessories and powerful IK apps for as long as they want, whether they’re performing on stage, recording in the studio or just jamming at home.

Effortless portability, intuitive use
iRig PowerBridge has been designed with portability in mind. It sports a lightweight and compact enclosure that musicians can easily carry in their gig bag of choice. Available as either a 30-pin or Lightning version, it connects quickly for use and features an LED that provides at-a-glance visual feedback while charging. 

Pricing and availability 
iRig PowerBridge comes in two versions — one for Lightning and one for 30-pin — both are available for preorder for $69.99/€54.99 (excluding taxes). iRig PowerBridge will ship Q1, 2015 from music and electronics retailers worldwide, and from the IK online store. 

For more information, please visit www.irigpowerbridge.com

To see the official video of iRig PowerBridge in action, go to: www.irigpowerbridge.com/video 

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