Alpine Guitars alpineguitar.fr
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BOURNS PRO AUDIO................24 CE DISTRIBUTION....................25 CHAUVET LIGHTING................16 CHAUVET LIGHTING................17 CHEM-PAK..................................53 D'ADDARIO.................................45 EBAY........................................ C-III FENDER.......................................7 FENDER.......................................21 G7TH, THE CAPO COMPANY................................39 GATOR CASES............................19 HAL LEONARD..........................5
Bass guitars are always a popular item on The NAMM Show floor, and Alpine Guitars came all the way from France to show off its collection of them. Run by David Bazin (co-leader), Matthieu Combe (head luthier) and Pierre Labrosse (leader), Alpine Guitars creates both limited-series and custommade basses, offering musicians something unique with each one. The company was founded four years ago, and it prides itself on making limited-series bass guitars with French wood exclusively. “We use principally walnut because French walnut is not so heavy, like West walnut,” Bazin explained. “West walnut is a good wood, but very heavy, you know? And we use, too, French maple, French alder. The French maple is very white. It’s a very clear color. And in hardware, we use Hipshot USA, because it’s a very good company and very good material. And in pickups, we use Nordstrand Pickups.” According to Bazin, Alpine Guitars’ first NAMM Show went well, with the company receiving interest from dealers on the show floor. “It’s a good show for us,” he said. “And next year, we’ll come back with pleasure, because we spoke with distributors, with shops, with our contacts, which is very good.” Anyone seeking further information on Alpine Guitars can contact the company through its website.
JMAZ LIGHTING........................10 KYSER MUSICAL PRODUCTS...............................40 LYON & HEALY..........................31 MANHASSET SPECIALTY COMPANY................................3 MUSIC NOMAD..........................12 NAMM..................................... 14-15 ODYSSEY INNOVATIVE DESIGNS...................................11 OMG MUSIC................................6 PRO X...........................................29 PRS GUITARS.............................41 QRS MUSIC TECHNOLOGIES.....................30 STRING SWING..........................8 SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL.......9 TASCAM..................................C-II TECH 21.......................................27 VOCOPRO....................................13 YORKVILLE........................... C-IV While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, The Music & Sound Retailer does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors.
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Wizzdrum wizzdrum.com Wizzdrum is the brainchild of Dutch inventor Wouter Hietkamp, who wanted to take the idea of the portable drum kit to a whole new level. Each Wizzdrum kit fits inside a carrying case that’s about the same size as a typical rolling briefcase, so drummers can take their kits with them on the road, or even on a plane. And the kits are quiet enough to play in a hotel room, so drummers can still get some practice in on the road. Each of the drums is comprised of two rings with a drumhead placed in between. All of the sets are completely 3D printed. The kits come in two sizes. The Wizzdrum Base Kit comes with a stand, a 13-inch bass drum, a 10-inch snare drum, a 10-inch tom, an eight-inch tom, two cymbal stands, a hi-hat manual system, a tuning key and a carrying case. The Wizzdrum Extended Kit comes with a stand, a 13-inch bass drum, a 10-inch snare drum, two 10-inch toms, an eight-inch tom, a hi-hat foot pedal, a bass drum foot pedal, two cymbal stands, a hi-hat manual system, a tuning key and a carrying case. Neither of the sets come with cymbals, so drummers will have to provide their own; however, both sets have room for cymbals in their carrying cases. According to Hietkamp, drummers will find a lot to like about the portability and comparatively low volume of the Wizzdrum sets. “Drum sets are pretty loud, and they’re heavy and bulky. And for every drummer, it’s the same problem: Guys in the band always complaining about the level of sound. So I wanted to change that,” Hietkamp explained. “This kit is very lightweight. It has a great sound. Tuning is really easy. And you can set it up in like five minutes from a box.” Hietkamp added that the Wizzdrum kits are especially suited for drummers who play certain styles of music, or who play in smaller venues, or on cramped stages. “There are some styles which are more suitable than others, like funk, or when you’re playing in the street,” he said. “Small venues — it’s excellent for that. If you play big rock concerts, I would suggest you get a double bass drum and the biggest set you can find. But for all the others, I think this is the most suitable kit that you can find. It has a very low sound level. So if you want to play acoustically with like a guitar or a piano, you don’t have to amplify the other instruments.” Hietkamp welcomed retailers to reach out if they are interested in stocking some Wizzdrum sets. “If there are distributors or large retailers [who are interested], they can always contact us through Wouter Hietkamp our website, and we can see if we can make a deal,” he said.
David Bazin