Groovin' Goodies
By Naughty Mickie  notymickie@earthlink.net
Photos by Keith Durflinger

The NAMM show was full of interesting and innovative products and we selected some of our favorites to share with you.

JAMMIT
Three different apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch let you "play with the masters." The programs for guitar, bass and drums are created from original recordings and allow you to separate your choice of instruments from the rest of the mix. There is an introduction with tuning, tempo and album details, plus a four channel mixer, loop function, recorder and more. You can slow down the song while you learn and pause, rewind and fast forward the song as needed. www.jammit.com.

FRET-N-REST
Guitar players who have to maintain day jobs in front of a computer will like this cool tool. Flat side down while you work, the sturdy-soft foam provides wrist support for typing. Got time to take a break? Pick up the Fret-N-Rest, turn it over and it is the same dimensions of a guitar neck, complete with a full-sized fretboard. Practice your scales, chords, drills or just jam. www.fretnrest.com

GUITAR GRIP - GRIP STUDIOS
When you're not playing your guitar, turn it into a work of art with a touch of fun. Artist Mike Ryan came up with this idea while sipping soda and chatting with his artist mother. Calling on his creativity, Ryan has made a line of sculptures that keep your guitar at the ready, hanging on your wall. Each hand-shaped hanger is steel reinforced and cushioned so that it doesn't hurt your guitar or the wall, plus it's easy to mount. Gripping hands currently come in eight models, including human, alien, skeleton, devil, monster and robot and a range of colors. www.myspace.com/gripstudios

GUISTAR PICKS
What's better than catching and keeping a pick tossed into the concert crowd by your favorite axe slinger? Owning a pick with his fingerprint. Each guitar pick is imprinted on one side with an artist's print, while the other side boasts his logo or photo and signature. This company is just getting started, but its roster already includes Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Tracii Guns, the Poverty Neck Hillbillies and more. You can also purchase jewelry and other items specially created to hold the pick and let you show off your star sense. www.guistarpicks.com

HOT PICKS
It seems every year we go to NAMM, we keep being drawn to the Hot Picks booth. It's hard to resist adding some fun to your strum with this company creating new lines every time we look. This year we found our favorite monsters, skulls and chic designs, but there were also Girls Rock, Peace, Faith, Stained Glass, Ride 'Em Cowboy and a ton more. In addition to its classic shaped guitar picks, the company has answered its customers' call and has a growing line of standard (normal) shaped picks. It has also branched out with guitar pick holders, straps and guard skins (that change the look of your axe in minutes) and - believe it or not - guitars. www.kpicks.com

LOWRIDER CUSTOMS
Walking down one aisle brought a smile to my face when what I thought was just a fancy wheelchair turned out to be a drum set on wheels. It looked interesting, but did it work? A short demo proved it did, perhaps not as well as your standard kit, but good enough to add some sass to your show. Whether you're seriously shopping for something different or just want to waste some time looking for a new water cooler subject, check this out. The designer creates drums, hover-drums, drumcarts and drumtrikes. www.myspace.com/therealloudog

ORANGE AMPS
This company has grown and flourished and can now stand proudly next to any of the other big names in amplification. Its Crush PiX amps have been upgraded and also now boast the CR100 BXT bass amp combo, plus there's a new stereo Micro Crush practice amp. Rockerverb II has been launched with an enhanced valve F/X loop, improved reverb, a middle control on the clean channel, front mounted controls on combos and more. Replacing the Rocker 30 amp is the Thunder 30 combo and head, which blends the best of the two series and has classic vintage and overdrive/distortion channels. Not enough to absorb? There's also a 10-inch speaker version of the company's Tiny Terror Combo. We know you gear heads want all the details, but you can get that on your own and more. www.orangeamps.com

TWO OLD HIPPIES
Guitar designer Tom Bedell launched a line of axes at age 14. He has been both a musician and a teacher and with his wife (the other hippie), he is back for a second round. Acoustic guitars that sound as good as they look are at the center of this company's line. There are also accessories and an impressive budding jewelry collection. "We are in the business of peace, love and rock and roll," Bedell says. It just proves once more that everything old is new again. www.twooldhippies.com

VIC FIRTH GOURMET
Do you spend as much time in the kitchen as you do behind your drums? Whether you do or not, foodies will relish this new unexpected line of tools all crafted with the same high standards as the company's more musical products. Its pepper mills, salt mills and rolling pins come in traditional styles to sleek modern looks, as well as perky ones like snowmen and lighthouses. Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, chefs and owners of Border Grill and Ciudad, are bragging about custom lines created for them by architect Josh Schweitzer, which you can buy for your own kitchen. Perfect for gift-giving, but you had better treat yourself too or you may not want to give your present away. www.vicfirthgourmet.com

THE WAFER - CALZONE/ANVIL CASES
I could make a joke about drummers being lazy, but this product is so simple and so effective that I'd be out of line. The Wafer is a 14-inch round metal plate that you place on the floor under your snare stand. It reflects the drum's sound, increasing it and making it more vibrant, so the player doesn't have to hit so hard. It's great for those quirky carpeted stages that dull your beats. Joe Calzone, owner of Calzone/Anvil Cases, was showing us about this new product when drummer extraordinaire Carmine Appice stopped by the booth and added his praises. 'Nuff said. www.calzonecase.com

WING-BAT - KIK AXE GUITARS
Designed for Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Playstation X Box, this bat-shaped guitar controller caught our eye. It is black with red detailing and a flourish of bats on the fretboard, plus if you wail on the whammy bar, the turbine tail glows. We didn't get to try it out, but it sure looked cool and gamers need to look something other than pasty and malnourished from spending too many hours conquering the evil music menace or whatever. At any rate, we're told there are other awesome controllers available, such as the soon-to-be-released Wing Walker design. Worth a look-see. www.kikaxeguitars.com and www.hallmarkguitars.com

WOOGIE BOARD
The weirdest instrument we saw this year was this baby, an electric washboard. It actually sounds a lot better than it sounds, if you know what we mean. The guy demonstrating it claimed it was easy to learn and fun to play. He also tried to convince us that it would get him more girls than an unattractive, but extremely talented guitar player (not to mention any names, but he hinted at Slash).  We're not buying that story, but we agree that the Woogie Board might just be the next hot thing. www.woogieboard.com

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