Here’s a happy discovery… and I should have been tipped off by the name! Turns out one of the new Visual Sound GarageTone pedals – to officially debut at NAMM next month – is actually an updated Reverend Drivetrain II. Originally designed by Visual Sound chief Bob Weil in cooperation with Joe Naylor for Reverend back in 2000, the Reverend Drivetrain is a bit of a legend. Now, Visual Sound has repackaged and updated the Drivetrain II as part of the GarageTone line. At $50, the GarageTone Drivetrain is a no-brainer. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one to do a comparison with the old Reverend stomp!

The Summer NAMM show is much, much more than just a guitar event. Nearly every instrument imaginable is represented on the exhibit floor – from bass banjos to french horns, violins to crystal flutes. The show is both a place for buyers to get the drop on new offerings coming from their favorite manufacturers and a place for education on how to survive in the music biz.

The volume of activity on the show floor often results in treasure hunt-style journey into the various booths searching for elusive pedal scoops. The WTDP? crew combed the carpet to come up with little stomp tidbits… and here is what we found!