HUNKY HYBRID

Aguilar's DB 750 bass head ($1,995) combines a discrete solid-state power section with an all-tube preamp section, powered by three 12AX7s and a 12AU7, to give you the best of both worlds. The 36-pound, 3-rackspace behemoth delivers a solid 750W at 4Ω and 975W at 2Ω — more than enough power to satisfy all but the most aurally challenged.

The preamp has active and passive ¼-inch inputs; tube-driven Bass, Mid-Range, and Treble controls; Deep and Bright switches; a clever effects loop with a push or pull Send pot that selects line or instrument levels; and a push or pull Return pot that switches between parallel or series loop configurations.

Outputs include two Speakon speaker outputs, a preamp out, a tuner out, and a tube-buffered Jensen transformer-balanced XLR direct out that is switchable between pre- and post-EQ. The DB 750 also features self-diagnostic circuits and thermal overload protection circuits and comes with a ten-year warranty. Aguilar Amplification; tel. (800) 304-1875; e-mail info@aguilaramp.com; Web www.aguilaramp.com.

PETITE POWERHOUSE

Lots of compact powered P.A. mixers have been introduced in the past few years, but Etek's MA400 NoteMix ($699) is in a class by itself. Billed as a laptop powered mixer, the MA400 is indeed the size of a laptop computer and comes in a laptop-style carrying case.

Despite its diminutive size, the MA400 delivers plenty of professional features. The mixer section sports six mono channels with XLR inputs as well as ¼-inch line inputs (that double as channel inserts), 3-band EQ, mic pres, three aux sends, and pan and level controls. It also has four stereo channels with ¼-inch connectors, for a total of 14 mixer inputs. The stereo power amp section delivers an astonishing 200W per channel at 8Ω through Speakon connectors. The MA400 also has nonpowered stereo outputs.

Additional features include an onboard digital-effects section with 99 presets (reverbs, delays, echoes, and various dual effects), tape and CD inputs, two headphone outputs, an in-ear monitoring section, surround effects, and much more. Etek/Music Industries Corp. (distributor); tel. (800) 431-6699 or (516) 794-1888; e-mail info@musicindustries.com; Web www.etekaudio.com.

RAINBOW IN A RACK

If you've ever burned your hand on a hot halogen or incandescent rack-light bulb or if you've simply become tired of replacing such bulbs regularly, the single-rackspace Racklight from RPM Optoelectronics may brighten your life. The company — which designs and manufactures products for the aerospace, biomedical, and telecommunications industries among others — has developed a lighting system that combines a neonlike solid-state LED that lasts for 100,000 hours with a new wave-guide technology.

The 19-inch Racklight provides cool, visually uniform LED lighting for up to three feet of rackspace. The unit is ruggedly constructed, virtually maintenance free, and backed by a five-year warranty. It comes in six colors (red, amber, blue, purple, green, and white), and a Chameleon model shifts between the colors.

The seven models are available with black plastic faceplates in the Pro Audio series ($109.95 for individual colors; $129.00 for the Chameleon) and with anodized aluminum faceplates in the Pro Audio Deluxe series ($129.95 for individual colors; $149.95 for the Chameleon). RPM Optoelectronics; tel. (707) 573-7067; e-mail info@racklight.com; Web www.racklight.com.

FOUR-WAY FEUD

Designed by tube-amp innovator Bruce Egnater, the Rocktron Vendetta guitar amp head ($1,999) offers four — yes, four — channels of analog tone power. The Vendetta's power section sports four EL34 power tubes, and it pumps 100W into 4, 8, or 16Ω loads. External bias test and adjustment points add to the amp's road-friendliness.

Master, presence, and density controls are global, and each channel has separate gain and master controls as well as a Bright switch. Two sets of British-style tone controls — both with voicing switches for vintage or modern sounds — add tonal range, and MIDI-controlled channel switching provides extra live-performance versatility. You also get separate series and parallel effects loops, with a Mix control for the latter.

Rocktron also makes matching straight or slant 4×12 Vendetta speaker cabinets ($899) with Vintage Celestion 30s, or for the same price as the head, you can get a combo version of the amp with Vintage Celestion 30s. Rocktron; tel. (800) 432-7625 or (616) 968-3351; e-mail info@rocktron.com; Web www.rocktron.com.

DOUBLE STRETCH

Have you ever wished your guitar's whammy bar could bend only a few strings rather than all six — sort of the way a pedal steel or B-Bender-equipped player can? Would you like your bass's whammy bar (you do have one, don't you?) to bend just two strings rather than four? Well, help is on the way: Vibro-Tek's Double Whammy series brings you the freedom that you have longed for.

The guitar model ($279) can be retrofitted to any guitar originally fitted with a standard vibrato unit, whereas the bass model ($329) is probably less likely to be installed as a replacement. Both units feature split plates and dual vibrato bars, allowing half the strings to be affected while the others remain on pitch.

The Double Whammy's special hinge mechanism allows bends across a four-octave range, and the feature called Neutral Position accurately returns the strings to their correct pitches. The devices can also operate in the conventional manner using a mechanism that locks the two plates together. Vibro-Tek Industries; tel. (604) 517-1677; e-mail info@mydoublewhammy.com; Web http://mydoublewhammy.com.

FLOOR MODELS

The GT-6 ($495) is the flagship in Boss's GT series of floor-based guitar effects processors. It features 24-bit sound quality and Boss's proprietary COSM modeling technology (including amplifier, speaker cabinet, and effects models), as well as classic effects such as chorus, delay, reverb, phasing, and flanging. A 15-knob user interface gives the unit an analog feel, and an EZ Tone feature allows rapid effects programming using templates.

Models include 30 vintage and modern amps with various speaker cabs, 15 overdrive and distortion models, 5 vintage and modern wahs, and 2 new specialty effects: Uni-V (guess what it does!) and De-Fretter, which is supposed to simulate a fretless guitar. The Customize function gives you a set of adjustable parameters for creating new amp, distortion, and wah models.

Additional amenities include an onboard expression pedal with automatic parameter assignments, stereo outputs, an external effects loop, a control or expression pedal input, MIDI I/O, and a coaxial S/PDIF digital output. Boss (Roland); tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com or www.bossus.com.

FREAK SHOW

Following on the heels of its popular Control Freak MIDI controller, Kenton Electronics' Control Freak Live (£249.50; about $400) brings many of its predecessor's features to the stage. The Control Freak Live gives you 16 knobs and 8 buttons — all fully programmable — along with 4 programmable Function keys, 4 Edit keys, and a Data knob. Pressing the Shift key doubles the number of buttons and Function keys. The knobs and buttons can send any MIDI message or multiple messages in real time, and the buttons operate in Momentary, Toggle, and On-Off modes.

The 10.63-by-6.30-by-2.16-inch metal unit comes loaded with preprogrammed control-assignment profiles for many applications (the Kenton Web site offers hundreds of additional profiles as free downloads). The Control Freak Live also features a built-in MIDI Clock generator, a Comprehensive MIDI Analyzer mode for troubleshooting, and a user-selectable global MIDI channel feature. Kenton Electronics; tel. 44-20-8544-9200; e-mail sales@kenton.co.uk; Web www.kenton.co.uk.

DIET DRUMS

Sure it's cool to be surrounded by tons of toms, cymbals, and hardware — but for gigs in tight spaces or times when you don't need a large kit, consider Ludwig's Classic Birch Gig-Lite drum set ($1,800). The American-made four-piece kit is smaller and lighter than regular sets because the shells are only half as deep; it has an 8" × 20" bass drum (with Accent folding spurs), a 5" × 10" tom, a 6" × 13" hanging floor tom, and a 3" × 13" snare.

Hardware includes Ludwig's 800-Series single braced hi-hat stand and cymbal stand, a 600-Series snare stand, a Mini-Boom cymbal stand, single tom and add-on single tom holders, a modular foot pedal, and double silver Keystone badges. The Gig-Lite set is available only in a silver-sparkle wrapped finish. You can order it with or without stands. Ludwig/Selmer; tel. (800) 348-7567; Web www.ludwig-drums.com.

NOW EAR THIS

Future Sonics' Marty Garcia invented the in-ear monitor (IEM) more than 20 years ago, and since 1991 his company has provided professional custom IEMs to countless top performers. If you like what you've heard about professional IEMs but balked at their prices, the new Future Sonics EARS model EM3 ($198) may be just what the, er, ear doctor ordered.

The EM3s have a Universal Fit design that bypasses the need for costly custom fittings — though custom molds may be fitted to the model by special order — and deliver performances similar to those of Future Sonics' pricier models. They come with standard-size ⅛-inch gold stereo connectors, making them compatible with any IEM system (they ship with Sennheiser's Evolution 300 wireless systems).

The EM3s feature Future Sonics' proprietary FSI F/R drivers, and with a frequency response of 40 Hz to 20 kHz, they offer crystalline highs and plenty of bottom end. Future Sonics; tel. (877) 374-3277; e-mail info@futuresonics.com; Web www.futuresonics.com.