Last month, She Shreds headed to Anaheim, California for the NAMM, the music industry’s largest conference and trade show for new instruments, sound, and event technology. Check out some of our favorite guitars—and bass—among this year’s selection.

Guitars:

courtesy of Spalt Instruments

Fisherman and His Soul Guitar — Spalt Instruments
From afar, the “Fisherman and His Soul,” guitar by Vienna’s Spalt Instruments, looks glowy and inviting. But inside the instrument—positioned in a block of clear resin—there is a tiny baby doll surrounded by seashells and sporting a discontented look. The doll stared out at me from its frozen home as I walked by, and I knew we had to become better acquainted. Though I was aware of the risk of dropping this bizarre piece of modern art, I found it played quite nicely. The Fisherman and His Soul guitar is a great example of how art and practicality can (sort of) intersect to create something both magical and manageable. —LW

The Ruby Slippers Raven Classic — Tom Anderson
After playing Tom Anderson’s Raven Superbird at NAMM last year, I became obsessed; I ultimately contacted the company to obtain that exact guitar. The Ruby Slippers Raven Classic guitar presented at NAMM this year is very similar, but it has an updated tremolo system that allows you to bend both up and down, while holding its tuning like a champ. Like the Superbird, the Ruby Slippers has an offset body similar to a Jazzmaster, but it’s quite light, and it has a short scale neck tons of tone options. It’s like a tiny, well-behaved beast in your hands; a beautiful and inspiring guitar to play.  —LW

courtesy Koll Guitars

The Super Cub — Koll Guitars
I had to stop in my tracks as I was walking past the Koll Guitars booth—these guitars are breathtakingly gorgeous. One of Portland’s many gems, Saul Koll has been making guitars for the last 30 years. His headstocks and bodies all have a signature shape, and they can accommodate many different designs. One of my favorite models was the Super Cub. There were three prototypes at NAMM of varying body woods and pickup/bridge combos—and a wild looking headstock. It’s lightweight, fun, and easy to play! —EP

SuperTone — Revelator Guitars
I hadn’t had a chance to play a SuperTone by Revelator Guitars until this year at the JHS booth, so I was really happy to finally pick one up. I really loved the classic look of this guitar, as well as its size, its ease of playability, and its Jazzmaster-style tremolo. I was also impressed by how lightweight it was. The body is more Strat size than Jazzmaster size, so you get the cool retro shape without additional weight. That’s my kind of guitar—Revelator nailed it! —EP

Bass:

courtesy Fodera

Emperor 6 Standard bass— Fodera
If you happen to be looking for six string bass…the Emperor 6 Standard by Fodera is a great pick. This creature is made out of beautiful pale ash wood, and I’m low-key obsessed with Fodera’s butterfly logo—which is displayed here as a mother-of-pearl inlay on the headstock. Fodera intentionally made the neck on the thinner side so it’s less tricky to navigate than most six string basses. It has a three-band EQ, so tone options are plentiful. Aesthetically this wild thing is on point and is surprisingly playable. —LW