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Flashback Review – Musitronics Mu-tron Octave Divider

By
Michael DiMattio
– April 12, 2012

A Look Back at a Guitar Effects Icon and His Iconic Mu-Tron Octave Divider

Musitronics Corp. was founded in 1972 in Rosemont, New Jersey, and operated until the sale of its Mu-Tron product line to A.R.P. in 1978. The original Mu-Tron products have since become collectors items. Mike Beigel is the inventor of the original Mu-Tron III and principal developer of the Mu-Tron product line. The Mu-Tron Octave Divider was developed in collaboration with Dan Armstrong and George Merriman after Musitronics started producing Armstrong’s line of Made in USA products.

Elliott Randall and Mike Beigel in the studio, 1979

Elliott Randall and Mike Beigel in the studio, 1979

Mutron pedals were used by Jerry Garcia of the Greatful Dead, Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone, and many other artists in the late 70s and early 80s. As an octave divider there are many modern pedals by EBS, Boss, Dunlop, Ampeg and others that have better tracking and up and down octave features. But none can replicate the signature sound that the Mu-tron Octave Divider creates with the built in Green Ringer circuit. The Ringer sounds excellent on bass with heaps of growling and distorted overtones for added dimension to your sound. The Green Ringer circuit was used “so it would produce a fairly reliable octave above as well as an octave below.” The Ringer is a Dan Armstrong circuit that was manufactured by Musitronics in the early 70s along with other Dan Armstrong US Made effects pedals. The Mu-Tron “OD” pedal is so sought after by current day bassists that a cottage industry has sprung up to clone it as a new product and refurbish what units may still exist from the 70s.

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Nordstrand Guitars at NAMM 2012

By
Michael DiMattio
– February 12, 2012

Carey Introduces a New Music Man Style Bass and an External Bass Preamp

All week I kept stopping by Carey’s booth but he was always swamped by throngs of drooling bass players. Finally, on Sunday, just hours before the close of the 2012 NAMM show, I was able to meet with him for a few minutes and check out his hot new products. We also set plans for an interview and factory tour that will be posted in the near future.

Nordy vM Bass Available as vM4 or vM5 — Music Man revisited

We have to give the original team credit – without  Leo Fender, Forrest White, Sterling Ball and Tom Walker - Carey would not have known where to begin on this one. But boy did he finish it. I was at first taken by the beauty of the wood and overall construction and attention to detail on this fine instrument. Then, to pick it up – bracing for the weight – but surprise, its quite light, unlike it’s vertebrae disk crushing progenitor. Quite comfortable and balanced, this bass is punchier – if thats possible – fatter and quieter than a stock Music Man while retaining the vibe and style that makes this form factor so appealing.

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David Allen Pickups at NAMM 2012 Johnny Hiland Signature Series

By
Michael DiMattio
– February 3, 2012

Pickups Built Using the Finest Materials on Earth – and a Lotta Mojo

So here it was, the 4th and final day NAMM 2012. I arrived early that morning to get a good seat at the NAMM U Breakfast. By happenstance, and a little mis-direction, I was put on the right path to meet David Allen and his friend Billy Rowe of Rock N’ Roll Relics. In the 10 minute walk around the Anaheim Convention Center to the Hilton David gave me the lowdown on his unique brand of pickups that are created from an alchemy of cold rolled steel, maple wood and modern day engineering.

David’s story has a common thread that I’ve heard many times over the past several years from people starting new businesses. His employer, a mobile satellite and radio networks company, was imposing a forced job relocation. Not wanting to move his family to a different state, he chose to turn his years of part-time pickup tinkering into a full-time business.

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Mellotron – M4000D Digital Mellotron at NAMM 2012

By
Michael DiMattio
– January 30, 2012

The Digital Mellotron is Exactly Like the Vintage Mellotron M400 – Only Better!

Same styling, same keyboard – the M4000 Digital Mellotron is a 24-bit digital, uncompressed audio playback unit with 100 Mellotron and Chamberlin sounds. All 100 sounds are immediately accessible. Markus Resch at Mellotron, the company that owns the Mellotron name and revived the brand in 1999, is still making the Mellotron Mark VI (classic magnetic tape Mellotron based on the M400). He has incorporated the strange “in-between settings” with his digital version in order to capture some of the traits of the tape version. Markus didn’t go with cheap plastic keys, the M4000D has wooden keys with mechanical, instead of hammer, action; and the playability is perfect. The keys have great weight and a sense of depth to them without being clunky or slowing you down in the least bit. A beauty but no longer a beast – the M400 weighed in at 122 lbs. – the M4000D replicates the soft white look and feel of the original.

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Molecules Drum Company Debuts It’s New Shape at NAMM 2012

By
Michael DiMattio
– January 26, 2012

Just When We Thought That “Drums are Drums”

These drums are totally cool and they sound great. Acrylics and other materials have been used before to manufacture drums, but this is the first drum line that I’ve seen using a molding process to create a non-standard drum shape. The use of tuned ports combined with the rounded shape delivers a tight and focused sound unlike that of conventional wood construction. Available in clear as well as solid colors, Molecules gives musicians another choice when building their percussion arsenal.

molecules white bass drum NAMM 2012 on mikesgig.comMOLECULES’ unique shape produces a full bodied sound with great projection and lots of “low end” frequencies. “If you want big bottom, MOLECULES got em” explains inventor Rob Lerner.

Not yet available in stores, MOLECULES have caught the eye and ear of numerous celebrity drummers (see youtube videos of the 2010 BET Awards and 2009 Guitar Center Drum-off). Industry veterans and sound engineers are amazed and describe the sound as pre compressed and EQ-ed. Whether on stage or in the studio, MOLECULES will elevate any performance. The drums are made of light weight Acrylic and fit in standard hard cases. Whether on stage or in the studio, MOLECULES will elevate any performance. The drum set has evolved.

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NAMM U Picks Best in Show for NAMM 2012

By
Michael DiMattio
– January 24, 2012

The last day of the NAMM show features the NAMM University “Best of NAMM” presentation at the Breakfast Session

And the breakfast was pretty darn good this year – biscuits and gravy, bacon and scrambled eggs, taters, sweet rolls and croissants, fruits, orange juice and strong coffee. The best part of the morning was the stellar playing of the Kruger Brothers. I had no idea that a banjo could do that – Jens Kruger plays it like a Stradivarius. The Brothers (Jens, Uwe and Joel Landsberg) were respected with a standing ovation at the end of their set.

Frank Alkyer, publisher of Music Inc. and a panel of experts that included Gayle Beacock, Vic Salazar, Steve Fortner, Tim Pratt, Jonathan Lipp and Chris Basile, announced the recipients in the following categories:

Best In Show

  • P-Bone, Conn-Selmer
  • Atlas Hardware, Ludwig
  • StageScape M20D Mixer, Line 6
  • DL-1608 Digital Mixer, Mackie
  • MyDentity Drums, Mapex

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