NAMM News: Well… That’s Different!
Winding through the endless aisles of gear at the Summer NAMM show, the WTDP? crew was greeted by a couple of truly unique offerings we thought were worth sharing. These products aren’t our usual suspects for coverage, but we were attracted by the novelty… and, in some cases, performance! Some ideas seemed silly… others seemed bizarre… and a few were startling at first, but really proved out to be pretty damn cool. Finally, some were just nuts… real nuts. A group of ladies set up in the corner of the hall were selling nuts. They offered free samples, too!
First off was a NAMM award winner from last year that was back again hawking its bio-degradeable wares. Wheatware had both drum sticks and guitar picks available fashioned not from wood, but yes… from wheat! The company started out by offering eco-friendly alternatives to wooden chop-sticks. Later, the group – which includes a few musicians – opted for diversification into drum sticks and various guitar picks.
Next, we were floored by the boys from Bogdon… and their cardboard box bass kits. A NAMM Best In Show award winner this year, these handmade upright basses look like they were assembled from scraps found in a garage. However, these beauties sound phenomenal. The basses work with our without an amplifier and can be ordered as kits or as fully assembled units. Bogdon offers two-string and three-string box basses priced between $75 and $115.
Other highlights of the interesting kind included a humidor… for your guitars! There was also a company hawking customized amp trays… these were simple catch-all trays that would sit atop your amp or cab to hold your picks, capo, keys, sandwich… or whatever else you needed held.
Can’t wait until next year!
