NAMM show 2014 was a hoot. I left San Diego at about 7:30, and it only took an hour and a half to get to Anaheim ... and another half hour to get from the freeway offramp to a parking space. Fortunately, the parking people there are complete pros, having to deal with Disneyland crowds, so it was slow, but methodical. And parking for NAMM was $4 less than parking for Disney, which was very nice. Badge pickup was also very well organized. NAMM (And the Anaheim convention center in general) is very professional, and there are things that happened there that Comic-Con could learn from. The crowds were nowhere near as dense as Comic-Con, though the numbers were almost as big. The food trucks parked at the venue are a very nice touch, though their prices are high even by Con standards. My goal was to look for a good, dual trigger, independent valve bass trombone. Gotta have that second trigger for the pedal B and C! I played every independent double trigger bass trombone there, and only two of them fit the standards I set - that means a FAT Pedal C, even response throughout the register, and a good full sound without being woofy. Those are the Getzen 3062 AF, and the Yamaha YBL-380. They play very differently from each other, but both have the qualities Im after, and which I end up getting depends on pricing and availability. When Id done that, I had fun. I played a bunch of trumpets and flugelhorns. The trumpets that fit me the best were the Paul Mauriat, the Yamaha Bobby Shew (which really surprised me, as its a small bore horn, but doesnt play tight), the Schilke X3 (which is basically what I play now), and a few of the other horns there. The Wayne Bergeron horn doesnt fit my technique and feel at all, sad to say. Wayne is a monster player and a great guy, but he apparently approaches the horn very differently from me. The Schilke B1 (I used to own one, back in the day) is too small for me now. I guess playing all that trombone and tuba had changed me over the years. Got to see a bunch of friends there - Stan Martin , Trent Austin , Rick Baptist, Evan Walsh , Greg Adams, Tyler Richardson , and to meet some folks I had only talked with on-line, like Adam Getzen and Brian ... something (on the Trumpet Herald as Shofar Guy). And it was not as hard on the feet as, say, Comic-Con. Of course, I was only there for 6 hours, not 5 days, which may be a factor, but ... it was fun! Thanks to Peter Arcidiacono. for getting me a pass!!
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 20:33:34 +0000
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