Radial Engineering Direct-Drive JDX
Imagine being able to dial in excellent guitar tone at your gig or session without hauling around heavy amps or worrying about lousy backline. Radial Engineering’s Direct-Drive JDX combines direct-box functions with sharp amp simulations (think Marshall, Fender Twin), allowing players to sound authentic through the house PA. $199 MAP. radialeng.com
Sabian HH Vanguard Cymbals
The venerable cymbal brand’s “Remastered” HH line now includes the Vanguard series-several lightweight, thin models with smaller cups and larger profiles, for drummers who seek, as the literature reads, “darker cymbals with quick responses” and “clean, woody stick definition.” Cymbals include 16 and 18-inch crashes; 20, 21 and 22-inch rides; and 14-inch hi-hats. $299-$499 online. sabian.com
Rovner Mouthpiece Manager
Tired of your pricey new and vintage mouthpieces clanging around in your desk drawer or gig bag? Check out Rovner’s simple, efficient Mouthpiece Manager, with its 12 pegs that accommodate saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces of any size. Shops and manufacturers will want to take note too, for demo and display purposes. MSRP $24.95.
Ibanez’s Latest Gary Willis Bass
For nearly two decades, fusion bass virtuoso Gary Willis has refined his vision of the perfect fretless model with Ibanez’s help, collaborating on sleek, supremely playable instruments at a variety of price points. This latest signature model from the Tribal Tech cofounder, the GWB205E, features an ash body, a three-piece maple neck with ebony fretboard, specialized Bartolini electronics and a standard bridge. The bass also features Willis’ detachable finger ramp, for a nimble, even attack, and his custom-shaped tuning machines. $1,999 list. ibanez.com
Yamaha 20th Anniversary Xeno Trombone
Yamaha celebrates 20 years of its popular Xeno Series with this limited-edition trombone, which is based on the YSL-882O but boasts a number of special features. Among those selling points are a wide hand slide with a silver-nickel crook, making for a more robust tone; a gold-brass main tuning slide; a rotary-valve cap design taken from a bass trombone model, resulting in deeper resonance; commemorative details and decorations; and a hip, vintage-inspired instrument case. Other specs include a .547-inch large bore, with a yellow brass bell and open-wrap F-attachment. $3,359 online. usa.yamaha.com
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