Amplifying acoustic guitars is a thorny task for the typical guitar amp. The AG-110H Acoustic Field amplifier ($899.95) from Motion Sound promises a lush, natural sound that emulates the vibrating surface of your guitar. Furthermore, the amp provides a rotary speaker system that casts the sound image throughout the performance space.

The AG-110H offers adjustable fast and slow speeds for its rotary effect; you can create sounds ranging from chorus effects to a subtle, moving sound field. There is also a control for the effect's acceleration rate. The provided dual-button footswitch lets you select fast or slow speeds or stop rotation.

You get active or passive input gain control and a Contour shelving control for boosting or cutting midrange frequencies. In addition, you get tone controls for bass, midrange, and treble. The unit provides a genuine spring reverb with separate knobs for volume and tone. The amp outputs 100W RMS and offers a 10-inch, 150W speaker with a 3.5-inch Ferro-cooled dynamic horn.

Inputs are an unbalanced ¼-inch jack and an unbalanced ¼-inch line input for a power amp. Outputs are an XLR jack each for the rotary and unprocessed guitar signal. Motion Sound; tel. (801) 265-0917; e-mail sales@motion-sound.com; Web www.motion-sound.com.

OXYGEN 8 YOUR SHOW

The Midiman Oxygen 8 ($179.95) is a MIDI software controller that has 25 full-size keys and eight fully programmable rotary knobs for real-time animation of your synthesizer sounds. The keyboard accepts power through a USB cable when connected to any Macintosh or Windows computer with a USB port. You can also use the included power supply or six AA batteries and take the controller to your gigs.

The unit's rotary knobs support any MIDI message on any MIDI channel, providing continuous control for MIDI mixers or for tweaking synthesizers. You also get a data slider that can create Velocity offsets or transmit MIDI Volume, Pan, chorus, reverb depth, and more. The Oxygen 8 includes a wheel for Modulation and one for Pitch Bend. Naturally, you can also transpose the output of the keyboard. Midiman; tel. (626) 445-2842 or (800) 969-6434; e-mail info@midiman.com; Web www.midiman.com.

MANDO IMPERSONATOR

Now guitarists can generate sounds like those of a mandolin without having to learn a new tuning. Gibson's M-6 ($2,250) sports a short-scale guitar neck on a mandolin body. The instrument's six strings are tuned like a guitar, albeit an octave higher, and the teardrop-shaped body and F-holes help produce mandolin-like timbres.

The M-6 features a spruce top with a maple neck, back, and sides. The fingerboard is ebony with ivoroid binding. The headstock displays a mother-of-pearl fleur-de-lis inlay with an old-school “The Gibson” inlaid at its top. All metal hardware is nickel plated. The instrument is available in cherry sunburst, blue, or green lacquer finishes, and includes a shaped hard-shell case. Gibson; tel. (800) 444-2766 or (615) 871-4500; Web www.gibson.com.

LOUD AND CLEAR

The Mackie SA1232 ($1,999 each) is an active three-way speaker system designed for high-output sound reinforcement for larger venues. The company promises clarity and midrange reproduction previously found only in high-end P.A. systems.

The SA1232's horn assembly is the same as the SR1530's, featuring a one-piece design with 90×40-degree dispersion for mid- and high-frequency ranges. The SA1232 delivers more than 136 dB of acoustic output in those ranges.

The speakers handle extended bass output with dual 12-inch woofers, delivering a low-frequency sensitivity of 101 dB at 1W. All in all, the speakers offer a linear frequency response between 45 Hz and 18 kHz. Signal and AC power panels are separated by a large aluminum heat sink, and the signal-input panel offers an XLR jack for line-level signal. Four LEDs provide status information for power, signal, limiting, and thermal functions. Mackie Designs; tel. (800) 898-3211 or (425) 487-4333; e-mail sales@mackie.com; Web www.mackie.com.

MIND YOUR Ps AND Ks

The E-mu PK-6 Proteus Keys ($1,295) synthesizer gives you the sound engine of the Proteus 2000 but with a faster processor and a host of real-time tweaking features in a 61-key package. As with its rackmountable cousin, you can expand the unit's ROM to accommodate up to 128 MB of sample memory.

The keyboard provides up to 64 notes of polyphony. You can tweak sounds while you play, thanks to four control knobs that can access more than 16 synthesizer parameters, including filters. Sound-shaping tools abound with more than 50 types of E-mu's Z-Plane filters. Sixteen buttons let you trigger onboard grooves and arpeggiator patterns. You can play as many as 16 synchronized arpeggios simultaneously. The PK-6 features dual effects processors for dressing up sounds, and some effects synchronize to bpm with Tap Tempo or MIDI Clock.

Four analog outputs are on unbalanced ¼-inch jacks, configured in stereo pairs. The standard complement of MIDI In, Out, and Thru is provided, along with a ¼-inch footswitch and control pedal jack. E-mu/Ensoniq; tel. (831) 438-1921; e-mail info@emu.com; Web www.emu.com.

YOUR FLY IS SHOWING

Parker Guitars has unveiled the Fly Bass in a four-string model ($2,999) and a five-string model ($3,099). Both weigh less than seven pounds and feature two custom-wound DiMarzio Ultra-Jazz pickups as well as a Fishman active piezoelectric pickup, preamp, and mixer system.

Parker Fly basses offer a figured maple top and back, a Sitka spruce body, and a mahogany neck. The fingerboard is composed of a carbon-fiber composite material and has stainless-steel frets. The instruments also have Sperzel locking tuners.

The basses have a master volume control, a selector switch for the magnetic pickups, and individual volume knobs for the piezo and magnetic pickups. Magnetic pickups provide active 2-band EQ; piezo pickups have an active Tone control. Fishman Transducers Inc. (distributor); tel. (978) 988-9199; e-mail sales@parkerguitars.com; Web www.parkerguitars.com.

WAHS UP, BOSS?

The Boss PW-10 V-Wah ($195) is an optical footpedal that models several types of wah pedals and various effects, including overdrive and distortion. Three memory locations are provided for customized settings.

The V-Wah includes simulations of classic analog pedals that have suggestive titles such as CBY-Wah (Cry Baby) and VO-Wah (Vox). Uni-V replicates a well-known rotary effect. In addition to classic sounds, the PW-10 includes Voice mode, which lets you sweep through vowels to create a talking effect, and Double Resonance, which imparts synthesizer-like characteristics.

For some extra raunch, the PW-10 includes eight adjustable overdrive types that are modeled after Boss's own OD-1 and OD-2 pedals, the MT-2 Metal Zone, and others. The unit features Bass mode, which tailors the pedal for lower frequency ranges. Infrared sensors track pedal position, thereby minimizing parts replacement and ensuring noise-free operation. Roland Corp. U.S.; tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com.

IT'S ALL OVER NOW, BABY BABY BLUE

SWR has taken the amp section of the original Baby Blue combo amp and combined it with a 10-inch speaker and a piezo tweeter. The result is the Baby Baby Blue ($1,099), a portable combo amp for bass.

You get unbalanced ¼-inch high- and low-sensitivity inputs, an XLR out with a select switch for Line or Direct mode, a headphone jack, a ¼-inch sidechain effects loop, and a dedicated ¼-inch send for tuners.

Other features include a gain-control knob with an LED peak-clipping meter, SWR's built-in aural enhancer, and a 3-band EQ with a bypass switch. The unit offers a blending control to balance direct signal with your effects loop; an effects bypass switch is also provided. The amp uses a 12AX7A preamp tube and puts out 120W RMS at 8•. SWR Sound Corp.; tel. (818) 253-4797; e-mail support@swrsound.com; Web www.swrsound.com.