Day 2
Dateline: ANAHEIM, CA, USA – Sometimes it seems that just when you think you’ve seen damn near everything, something else comes along almost immediately that amazes you.
I spent a good part of today in the “E Hall”, which seems to be the hall for those with the least seniority… It’s a mix of displays… Far East knockoffs of popular products already on the market (at fabulous budget prices and marginal quality) next to some very cool (mostly smaller at this point) manufacturers with great ideas.
In one case, there were both. A few booths away from a couple of the cooler “boutique” audio companies, I discovered a manufacturer from Pakistan offering bagpipes and traditional Irish instruments.
Seriously… you can’t make this stuff up.
While I have no background in anthropology, I absolutely can’t think of two more diverse cultures… But there it was… Bagpipes from Pakistan. Who’d a thunk it?
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It never ceases to amaze me as to how many guitar amp manufacturers think they have a prayer of survival… And once again, I saw a plethora of new amp MFG’s who I’m sure I’ll never see again.
Same with guitar companies… Though for the first time I noticed that there were companies I thought went out of business in the 80s or 90s that are still at it.
Apparently they didn’t get the memo that the 80s are over… But then again there seem to be a fair number of attendees who missed the same memo, so I guess where there’s a market there’s an MFG to fill the void.
On the bright side… I have been remarkably pleased with how less “loud” this show was than in years previous. Yeah, there are still “DJ”s whose brand of spinning records is still an impediment to normal conversation, but on the whole it seems that most of the “louder” exhibitors have toned it down a notch.
I actually saw two guys from the “noise police” carrying Radio Shack SPL meters, and outfitted with Secret Service-like earpieces and official NAMM water bottles strapped to their hips. I could only guess the bottles were for squirting squirt at noise violators…
Wannabe noise cops and Pakistani bagpipes – what a day.