This year's British Music Fair was everything we'd hoped for - and more! IN TUNE rounds up the new items from the show

A success? The 1985 BMF drew nearly 5,000 music shop visitors during its 'trade only' days, and a staggering number of musicians (over 13,500!) during the three jam-packed public days. From the vantage point of IN TUNE's first floor stand, it looked to us as if the maximum capacity of London's Olympia 2 was near its limit at times, especially on the Sunday when you could look down at stands jammed scores of players deep. What floored us wasn't just all the new musical equipment, nor even the number of new readers who joined us, but also the hundreds of you we were able to meet personally. To everyone who searched us out to say hello - thanks, it was great meeting you!

Trying to cover every stand to give those of you who couldn't make it to this year's B.M.F. a run-down on what was there would take more space than we have in the whole mag, but here, in words and pics., is our look at the major newcomers. One moral from the 1985 BMF? It has to be - don't miss it next year!

To MIDI or not to MIDI? The question is rapidly passing the point where it makes any sense, as an ever-increasing number of MIDI-related products come onto the market. But just in case you thought we were talking about keyboards alone, we're not! Guitarists, a whole new universe approaches, and at last you can move up to tackle what only your keyboard player has been able to do so far.

The first example of the trend was on the ROSETTI stand, where a revolutionary Canadian-made device, the 'Pitch-Rider' from IVL was to be found. A guitar to MIDI version wasn't quite ready for the show, but a flute to MIDI was, and Rosetti's Doug Ellis told IT that a guitar to MIDI version was on the way within a matter of weeks. The Pitch Rider will input any instrument signal and pump out a MIDI compatible feed. In a few weeks' time (when the guitar model arrives) the potential should begin to explode - need we say more?

No BMF would be complete without GIBSON who gave UK players the chance to see and try their ROLAND interfaced guitar synth system, fitted to new Explorer and Les Paul models. It was also the first chance to try the unique Gibson SORS pickup system (see last month's news), which was fitted to a handsome J45 acoustic. Also new was a fabulous Explorer complete with Kahler, a new pickup system and black hardware, finished in a shade called Pewter. This model certainly seemed to satisfy the craving of so many players for a metal-suited Gibson.

MOSCRAFT and VALVECRAFT are two new amps also from Rosetti. Moscraft (all MOSFET) combos come in 100, 75,45 and 15 watt versions, while the new Valvecraft models come in 100 watt and 60 watt types, both with valve output stages. Also new is a Moscraft 45 watt bass combo which Rosetti assured us is 'really something'. We'll hope to try samples of this new series in the future.

PEAVEY, meanwhile had possibly the greatest number of new products at the show, and they too are on the MIDI trail - with an innovatory MIDI-programmable guitar amp! Before we got round to examining that, however, we kicked off with some of Peavey's other new amps and enclosures, notably the 210 HP which enables owners of amps with variable crossovers to bi-amp into this powered cab fitted with two 10" Scorpion speakers plus a horn to give keyboard and bass players extra highs. Two new Chorus amps are in the range; the stereo Classic Chorus (effectively two 65 watt Bandits), the other a dinky little stereo, the Studio Chorus, virtually two Backstages (2x35 watt) with 2x10" speakers and a full stereo chorus effect. Jazz players looking for warmth should find the Jazz Classic attractive. It delivers 210 watts RMS into a 15" Black Widow speaker.

Electronic percussionists (at last!) have their own combos in the Peavey ED100 and 300 models. Careful engineering (a 56Hz roll-off) eliminates the low frequency 'rubbish' which some of the electronic drum systems produce, so it should work well.

The new Peavey PA gear alone would take a couple of pages to cover, but a quick resume shows several cabs suited to multipurpose keyboard/monitor/PA roles, new mixers, monitors, power amps and (importantly) the first Peavey mixer/amps. Following the current SHOWCO/CLAIR BROS, trend, some massive full-range pro-PA speakers were on show, and these should certainly be checked out by larger bands and hire companies, likewise anyone looking for mikes, where they will find an expanded range, including new electret models.

And so to the MIDI amp, Peavey's Programax 10. This offers 10 programmable pre-sets with all the parameters (gain, Eq, boosts, loops, etc) programmable. 210 watts RMS are delivered to a pair of Scorpion 12" speakers. Full MIDI compatibility plus MIDI-through opens up the ultimate flexibility from a guitar amp. The Programax 10 has a MIDI footswitchable controller; alternatively any MIDI compatible device (sequencers etc) can control the Programax. We have our review model on order, but deliveries are some way off just yet - maybe not till the end of '85.

On the signal processing front, Peavey had two new units including slim rack mounting Eqs - one a 15 band, the other a 31 band graphic, both cosmetically improved. The 1300 Digital FX processor has now been updated to the 1310 version, and there is also a smaller 800 model. Completely new is the Peavey 4000, a programmable digital FX unit with full programming facilities and a continuously variable delay from 0.1ms-4.095ms. MIDI controllable, it has that ruggedness which characterises all Peavey's gear.

Finally, Peavey now have some fabulous-looking guitars. A new colour brochure illustrates these perfectly, and we were particularly impressed by a beautiful 'metallic charcoal' finish on the Hydra twin neck. Other new guitars (including a Vortex model with an outrageous fluorescent pink finish!) included the Vortex 1 and 2, with Kahler trems. Note, too, the Impacts and Milestones (including a lovely 12 string model). Bassists should see the fine new active Dyna bass (available in narrow and wide necked versions) which you can also get with a Kahler bass trem system.

On the recording side it seems we were premature in our hint about new FOSTEX gear. Nonetheless, the display on the ATLANTEX stand was permanently occupied. We've a review of their new ACCESSIT Aphex in this issue, and the other unit to catch our eye was the Aphex Compellor, a completely transparent compressor which retains vocal nuances, etc. Dispensing with the 'squashing' effect of normal compressors, the Compellor is becoming widely used for processing whole mixes - including BBC Radio's new Dr. Who series, which has been processed via the Compellor.

In our BMF preview we predicted that the JHS stand would be one of the ones to watch, and, boy, were we proved right! It's hard to say which of this Leeds-based company's products stole their show, but for us the new five frequency Trantec low-cost legal FM radio guitar system shone. The Trantec was demo'd by a player walking to one end of the first floor and playing, the receiver picking up every note. On the market soon, the Trantec is likely to have a selling price of around £299!

HONDO, meanwhile, continue to flourish, with some really great copies, all perfectly set-up and with excellent sounds. Hondos are now divided into 'Brand-F' style models, (the Fame Series), 'Brand Gs' (the Revivals) and new own-design models in the Hondo range. JHS's prices for basic copies, meanwhile, get sillier and sillier, many with new 'authentic' neck profiles and better pickups in both left and right hand versions, including an excellent value 'LP' selling for £99.99!

Still with JHS, the new US-made KAHLER Flyer was blowing minds at a new RRP of £89 - at this price, who needs copies?! According to IT's guitar specialist CHRIS MAY (of OVERWATER) the fully upgradeable Kahler Flyer is even better designed than the original. We agree, and at this price it's bound to succeed. JHS now have 24 different Kahler models available, and particular emphasis was given to the new bass model, which was being stunningly demo'd during the Show.

Finally, JHS have some nice and meaty new combos, low cost FX pedals (£22 for an overdrive) and very much more.

TOA's display not only comprised their radio mike/guitar system (see last month's IT review for details), but also some excellent-sounding PA cabs. Especially impressive were a pair of 4ATSEs with 18" drivers, mid-range horns and HF bullets which seemed especially efficient, possessing great bass reproduction, punchy mid and screech-free tops. In our view they'd make particularly good keyboard or electronic drum monitors. New from Toa were the 380-SE 360 watt keyboard enclosure with a 15" woofer, constant directivity horn and exponential horn tweeter along with jacks for full range, bi and tri-amp use. It also features mid/high frequency controls on the side - luvverly! For studio and home recording users, Toa showed their ME range including the 3-way 312-ME and 280-ME monitors, which IT intends to try as soon as we can. More on the home side is Toa's new RS-21M 7" cube reference monitor, handling 100 watts in its compact enclosure. Finally, on TOA's PA side watch out for their 30-SD bass reflex unit with a 15" speaker, small radial horn, compression driver and two tweeters, and the two-way SL Series cabs (notably the SL-22 with its 10 and 12" woofers, constant directivity horn and Piezo driver).

Drummers looking for the absolute, ultimate, positively brain-destroying acoustic kit need look no further than SONOR who, in addition to smaller and more affordable kits, had what must be the final word in acoustic percussion with a matt black finished setup displayed on their stand. Sharing with Sonor were SABIAN. Well known session drummer Geoff Dunn has just joined the ranks of Sabian users, we understand, and he joins the many players who seem to be catching on to this fine brand. See this month's NEWSXTRA for details of a great new Sabian competition, by the way!

MTR chose the BMF to unveil a ton of new gear, only the briefest details of which we have space for. Starting on the 4-track cassette side, the new CUTEC answer to the TASCAM Portastudio made its debut. Running 3 3/4 ips, using mains power, having full Eq., with dbx noise reduction, excellent facilities and tremendous ease of operation, it has an RRP of £481. MTR also launched the Cutec 1242 mixer, the latest upgrade of this bargain-price product which began with the excellent 1210.

Also from MTR, were several new VESTA-FIRE units, including a replacement for the 410, the 411, selling at £213. This beats the advanced signal processing delay market quite comfortably, as does their latest Sampler/Delay with 1 sec. sampling, enabling you to dump into 8 separate segments which can be looped together with overdub facilities. Triggered all round, it offers useful varispeed effects, but unfortunately isn't MIDI capable - mind you, at £338 it's great value. Also with MTR, we discovered a new dual noise gate prototype with good performance specs, at £224 - again, it looks like a bargain.

The MTR 642 mixer now comes as an uprated model - the MTR 642 Series 2, which looks much better, has improved noise performance, centre clicks on the 3-band Eq stage, monitor volumes and pans, improved LEDs and a generally more usable and better sounding all-round performance. This will retail for £270 - another winner? Yes! According to MTR's Tony Reeves, the MTR 12-8 will receive the same uprating and there's a stage-suitable 12-2 on the way, too.

Also from MTR, the TAM mixer range is now to be called ARIES. No 'horns of a dilemma' here - we still reckon that they're the toughest mixers we've seen in a long while, with superb performance and great prices.

On the amp front, MTR had several new models from McGREGOR, including the new Vocal 8 PA (a new 8 channel, 200 watt mixer amp with reverb at £345). A new powered monitor wedge from McGregor had a clever 'auto anti-feedback' device which is bound to prove a boon for bands haunted by monitor feedback problems: expect a price of £198. McGregor also showed a new bi-amped bass combo with compressor, crossover etc., matching with a powered 100 watt slave combo with a 15" speaker in the main unit plus a 12" and a 5" in the powered cab for the highs. They also have a 100 watt keyboard combo, complete with a stereo pre-amp, reverb and a 1x15" speaker plus a bullet. It can also feed out to a separate powered cab with 100 watts power delivered to identical speakers, to handle the other side of your stereo keyboard feed.

Back with percussion, PEARL showed not only several new kits in new finishes, but also their latest stands and a fine-looking rack system with redesigned legs. Brand new from Pearl were a complete new range of cymbals, tom tom arms (with improved angle adjustment) and a revised look to the well-known Pearl electronic drums. But pride of place went to Pearl's new cymbal range, the new Wild 500 series cymbals. In the shops for less than £35 a pair(!), the new Pearl cymbals look like a hot prospect.

Still on drums and percussion, C-TAPE were wowing visitors with their new APT system (see IT's NEWSXTRA last month). On price alone (£245 for the twin channel system, £389 for the 5-channel type) the new C-Tape APT looks to be the ideal answer for the drummer who wants to keep his acoustic kit and yet still trigger electronic drum sounds. The C-Tapes stay inside your shells, link through to almost any electronic system, and enable drummers to mix between electronic and acoustic sounds at will.

PAISTE, meanwhile, showed several new additions to their Coloursound range - including 15" Hi-Hats, 20" Chinas plus new 20" Power Crash types. The range of Paiste Coloursound cymbals is now pretty complete, and (as viewers of the recent Live Aid extravaganza can't fail to have noticed) they show up beautifully under stage lights and on TV.

From the same ARBITER stable as Paiste comes FENDER. The latest standard Strat now features a redesigned locking trem with fine tuners and a locking system. The jack socket is now back on the body (where it always belonged), and numerous variations of pickup configurations are being offered with humbuckers, coil taps, one humbucker types, twin single coil models with an extra humbucker at the bridge, the new De Luxe trem system and possibly the best idea for guitarist with wham-bar dreams at the whole show - a locking nut system which doesn't need an Allen key to unfasten it. Instead, you just un-snap the lock, thus overcoming the hopeless delay in string changes forced on you by having to fiddle around with keys on the rest of the new generation nut lock systems. See this issue's exclusive review for details. All the new Fenders now feature nut locks of one kind or another, by the way.

New styles and shapes were also on show from Fender, including a Telecaster with twin humbuckers, coil tap, locking trem system and so on. A new Fender brochure is (at last) available, showing all the new models and their improvements, copies of which can be obtained either direct from the importers, or by adding Fender to the 'any other info' section of IN TUNE's free product info request form.

Back with amps, DESIGN AMPLIFICATION (Elvic Electronics) broke new ground with two new bass combos, the Design Bass 60 and integrally bi-amped Super Bass 250 both of which have unusually large bottom portings, revealing extensively developed reflex loading. The 250 uses a 15" with two 8" speakers, and produces a superb sound on slap bass by feeding the 15" speaker with one amp's 150 watt output and the 800 cycles crossed-over feed from the other running 100 watts into the fully isolated twin 8" drivers. Even the 60 watt single 12" FANE loaded Design bass will reproduce a clean 35 cycles - quite something! New 60 and 100 watt guitar combos were also on show, and confirmed the general impression that this maker is in line for big things.

Design were sharing a stand with noted French luthiers VIGIER, whose basses, in particular, were hardly ever left to sit on their display stands during the public days. A new carbon graphite straight through necked guitar with wooden body and advanced trem won much attention, as did a new 'Heavy Metal' guitar with a superbly curvaceous body called, suitably, 'Marilyn'! Again, a graphite neck, advanced trem and nut lock keeps up the Vigier reputation for advanced designs and what remain among the world's highest finishing standards. CAPELLE (who handle Vigier over here) also had their superb programmable EUROPA FX boards, not to mention the luxurious Capelle drums.

TOKAI also joined the high-tech brigade, and continue to prove themselves as much more than mere copyists with a 100% carbon fibre guitar using active buffer circuitry, high-spec trem etc, and a price of around £1,400 - Hmm! More affordable was a fine looking 'Super-Strat' class model with a walnut body, carbon fibre neck and buffer circuitry in the rather EMG-like pickups - possibly due to go out for around £7-800. Crazy artwork adorned a 'Tele' type model, a bizarre multicoloured Japanese face design - yours for about an extra £80 over the basic price. Even more over the top was a copper-plated Tokai with an all fibreglass body and carbon fibre neck.

On the BLUE SUEDE MUSIC stand along with Tokai was their newly acquired FERNANDES line, including the long awaited Alembic copy which, some would have it, rivals the real thing. It's not cheap (possibly around £1,400), but it is good! Fernandes generally are looking like becoming the prestige copy range from Blue Suede. Still with the same crew, watch for the 'original BILL LAWRENCE' pickup range, now being made in West Germany and in the shops very soon, likewise the re-emergence of the legendary HIWATT range - all valve powered and undergoing a lot of development from the Hiwatt/Blue Suede team. The bass amps (always among the world's finest valve bass types) remain the same, but the pre-amp stage of the Hiwatt lead amps is being changed to allow a 'looser' feel with better distortion/overload 'breathing', especially at lower volumes. Good to see Hiwatt back, isn't it? With luck, new models should be on the market within a couple of months.

YAMAHA weren't featuring much new gear at the show, but hidden away were two 'secret weapons' - a five string bass (the bottom string tuning down to a low B) currently being tested for Yamaha by Pino Palladino, plus a new headless bass - Yamaha's first move into this field. No availability dates as yet, but watch this space for details as we receive them. One definitely new Yamaha event was the first sighting in the U.K. of their range of tuned percussion gear, which is now to be made available in this market.

Sharing the JAMES HOW (ROTOSOUND/SUPERWOUND) stand were several British guitar makers - tragically, the only ones at the show; a missing link which was commented on by many visitors to the IN TUNE display. Among the new models shown was the very first STACCATO fixed neck bass, which is now all but ready for production (as predicted in our Issue 4 review). Also new were the OVERWATER guitar (to be reviewed exclusively in IN TUNE) plus their latest bass, developed in conjunction with Andrew Bodner from the Thompson Twins. Andrew found (as have many bassists working in keyboard orientated outfits) that keyboard music tends to frequently run down to a low C, below the range of a traditional bass. Neither wanting a 5 string nor liking de-tuning with heavier strings, Andrew went to Overwater's Chris May for the answer. The result is a bass tuned from low C to D Sharp with a 36" (fretless) scale. To overcome the inevitable string difficulty. Superwound have devised a novel nickel-wound string in 55,75,100 and 130 gauge, the lower two being multi-cored. It sounds fabulous!

OHM amplification were also well in line with new gear, including a MOSFET mixer amp with 300 watts from seven channels, a 5-band graphic and a low retail price of just £436. A new PA cab from Ohm to match this features 1x15", 1x10" and two tweeters, fully separated inside, handling 250 watts. Also new are a 1x15" + 1x10" bass cab with a bi-amp facility, a 75 watt combo with switchable channels at £258, a 75 watt keyboard combo and a brand new mini PA 'Bose basher' speaker on a stand which handles 300 watts for just £265. Ohm have also tied-up with West German makers BELL, who are offering various mixer amps including a 6 channel stereo PA with built in analogue echo, through mixer-style 400 and 600 models, all with built-in echo and progressively higher specs. Bell also have a nice line in rack effects (parametric, crossover, bass preamp plus a stereo comp/noise gate, all at £258 each). There are some nice looking bi-polar power amps, too.

FCN had, as ever, a wide range of new products, but our personal star from them was the fibreglass backed British-made PILGRIM acoustic guitar range. These finely made instruments start at around £399. Available in acoustic and pickupped versions, look out particularly for the custom models bearing some truly excellent inlay work. Still on acoustics, FCN were showing some new Spanish-made classicals in the MASYMAS range. You can get a solid topped MasyMas from around £85 (which seems very reasonable) and go up to the top model for around £465.

FCN also have some new ANGEL guitar and general instrument 'bug' pickups (made by Robbie Gladwell of Angel Guitars fame). These Piezo wafers can be fitted to violins, banjos, double basses and even in drums, where they can be used to trigger electronic drum systems.

ARION have a new pedal board on offer (at around £100), which takes 5 pedaLs and has an extra 9v output. It comes in a neat flight case and represents very good value, we reckon. Also from Arion is a vastly useful stage tuner. This will cut the sound from your amp while you use it, and could be a great help on stage - not bad for £45! Finally, Arion have a new advanced Compressor pedal with a tone control and adjustable attack.

ZILDJIAN have come up with an unusual answer to Paiste's coloured cymbals with a range finished in platinum. These pick up the stage lighting very clearly, and so, in effect, appear to change colour with your lights - nice! Zildjian also have a new two-pack cymbal cleaner on the way.

Staying with percussion orientated products, SENNHEISER have re-introduced the MB409 mike, a square shaped mike well suited to drum use.

ROSE-MORRIS had one of the show's busiest stands; hardly surprising with all they had to display. Starting with VOX, both new amps and guitars made the grade. The Vox 501 all valve twin channel guitar combo led the parade, but the AC30 also made its mark in a new/old version, which apparently returns the beast to its time-honoured state. Staying with Vox, new 50 watt Venue models are soon to be available in bass and lead versions, and there's also a transistor equivalent of the switchable, all valve 501 in the Venue series, called the Dual 100, at only £289. PROFILE copies, also from Rose-Morris, look good at £125, as do the new Vox M Series, including a bass which several pundits reckoned was the best low cost (£211) bass at the Show. Vox also have some great looking new guitars, both with and without locking trems, even the most costly of which is only £238. But nostalgia fans will be relieved to see that at last Vox have re-introduced the beloved old Phantom models, both in the original coffin shapes and the later rounded types. Now Japanese made (the originals were Italian), the Phantoms come with trems, humbuckers and/or single coils, and are bound to appeal.

Drummers weren't being ignored by Rose-Morris, either, with a new Taiwanese ultra-low-cost kit being offered under the LINKO name. Retailing at £299 inc. stands but without cymbals, they look like being ideal for new players. Add R-M's new cymbals (which start at only £11!) and you have the ideal entry-point for would-be Cozy Powells, a fully equipped kit now being possible for about £350!

BEYER have a new mike (due out in the New Year) called the M380 which has a low frequency response but will handle extremely high sound pressure levels. It's got a large diaphragm and looks really funky in a lovely old Rock 'n Roll way. Beyer reckon that they'll sell quite a few as vocal mikes to revival bands, and that wouldn't surprise us either. On the studio-class mike front, Beyer have the new M740 48v condenser, offering five different (variable) polar response patterns which can be manually or remotely changed. It's a direct challenge to NEUMANN and could do well for this renowned maker at around £500. Also coming from Beyer is a stage version of their studio-class 734. All black (with a black leather handle grip) it will take higher SPLs and looks good for an ultra-high quality vocal mike.

IBANEZ continue to attack the effects and guitar markets with ferocity. On the former side, new rack mounted units included the EPP400, offering up to 128 programmes with a MIDI in and the DUE400 with four effects with a blank channel, 228 programmes available in any combination, all of which can be called in via a footswitch unit. Also new from Ibanez was a headless bass, plus the RB960 bass (low impedance pickups with a preamp) for about £400, and a new series of MC basses which now dispense with the previous 3-band Eq, in favour of low impedance pickups and a pre-amp. Ibanez also have a new 'Pro-Line' series with oiled necks (very tasty!).

ULTIMATE PERCUSSION have come up with a useful idea for players wanting electronic drums - a system with the controls mounted on the rims of the pads themselves. The electronics come from their KX2 models, and a low price plus the ability to mix and match (they fit onto any cymbal stand) enables the mainly acoustic percussionist to fit just the one electronic drum (or many if he prefers). Not on show, but shortly forthcoming from UP is a fully computerised kit with a built-in computer, at a price comparable with conventional electronic kits. Watch for news within the next few weeks.

Apologies are due to our friends from SHURE, for having described their super new miniature SM98 (covered in last month's APRS Show report) as a dynamic mike when it is, of course, a condenser type. Either way, it's still ideal for clipping direct to drums, instruments and speakers cabs! Shure had one exceptionally welcome newcomer at the BMF, the long-awaited re-introduction of their 520D 'Green Bullet' mike, the self-same creature used by all the great U.S. Blues harp players. Not only does it have the ultimate response for the bass end (particularly) of harmonicas, but it's also ideal for cupping in your hands against a harp. Thanks, Shure - we've been waiting a long while for this one.

HOHNER had one of the biggest stands at the show, and used their space well to display a multitude of new gear from both themselves and BRITISH MUSIC STRINGS. We've one of Hohner's new Pro-Series guitars on test this month, but the sheer volume of new guitars and basses (including those licensed by STEINBERGER) had us in a cold sweat at the thought of trying to cover them all. In the briefest possible way, let's just say that Hohner's new models include really excellent quality Steinberger licensed headless guitars and basses, ranging from the early to mid £200 region, 11 Professional Standard Series 'copies' selling from £135 to a superb-looking 'Tele' at £225. New combos, digital reverbs (with MIDI), KAY and MARLIN guitars and basses (starting at below £100) Kay and Black Mamba Congas - the list of gear from Hohner and British Music Strings was mind-boggling!

Back nearer the IN TUNE stand on the first floor were fast-rising speaker system makers FRAZER WYATT, who gave us the chance we've been waiting for to try their new lower cost enclosures. We have to own up and admit that we've never heard a bass response like the sound we heard from these relatively small enclosures, and both keyboard writer Nick Graham and the Ed. have bagged samples for early reviews from keyboard and bass angles. Also new from Frazer Wyatt was their new EHD (Expanded Headroom Dynamics) amp, which we foretold in last month's show preview. It was hard to assess this during the sonic chaos at the show, but from what we could discern, the idea is right. More details will follow, naturally.

Hot news on the FX front was found on the RHINO stand, where we spotted the brand new DOD DIGITECH PDS 1000 and 2000 (reviewed exclusively this month). Also brand new was a double footswitched Dod distortion pedal with two different kinds of distortion, one on each - looks pretty handy to us for overdrive fans. Also new was Dod's analogue SFX15 auto swell/volume pedal, which allows users to programme input gain, attack and release times. Price? Just £69.95. All the Dod pedals were tough as tanks, with sturdy metal cases, and a quick test (alas, on headphones only) suggested fine performance and value. Rhino are also busily doing well with EMG pickups and DEAN MARKLEY strings. EMG showed a new 'RPC' (Resonant Peak Control) pickup which splits and selects one of two resonant frequencies inherent in all EMG pickups. Rhino also showed their PROLINK cables which, we heard, will soon be available to customers in metre lengths from the reel.

RICKENBACKER showed their lower priced 200 series (alongside one of the most attractive - certainly the most distinctive - displays of their famous range) which are now available in a much wider range of colours, including Midnight Blue, Silver and Red. Re-introduced at the BMF was Rickenbacker's 'Accent' vibrato tailpiece, first developed back in the 1960s. Now called the RIC-VB, it's available as an option on all 6 string Rickys except the 230 and 250 models. Finally, great news for Southpaws - Rickenbacker are now offering virtually every instrument they make in true 'reversed' left hand versions. Rickenbacker customers can even specify left or right hand stringing. We love 'em!

Back on the IN TUNE stand, we had the good fortune to be sharing space with newcomers STUDIO EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTION. Apart from the state of the art SOUNDTRACS mixers and the ultra-sturdy RAUCH power amps, SED were majoring on their STAGE ACCOMPANY programmable parametric equaliser, the SAPPE-2400. At around £1,500 (and having heard it in action) it looks even better to us now than it did last month! If we'd had a quid for every visitor who asked us about the Soundtracs M Series mixers though..!

O.K., we may have missed a few items which were on show, and if we have, we apologise for that - but, as you can see, what we have covered represents a fabulous array, all of which was there to see, listen to and try. One final thought. If this was 1985's show, what will next year's be like? See you there!

RENEGADES ROUND-UP

Not every manufacturer or distributor was showing their wares at the Olympia venue, and, without delving too far into the murky politics behind why, suffice it to say that two in particular - DIXIE'S MUSIC and MUSIMEX - were to be found, open to Trade visitors only, at a hotel not so far up the road from Olympia.

Dixie Kidd of Dixie's Music had a great number of new products on show to delight the eye and ear, and it's a great shame that his gear wasn't available for the public to see and try. Perhaps the most notable line Dixie handles is that of WILKES GUITARS (one of our favourite British guitar and bass makers). New from Wilkes was a straight-through necked luxury bass, which we hope to be able to review at a later date.

On a cheaper level, Dixie also had news of his latest coup - a range of 'copies' called NADINE (thanks, Chuck!) which look like combining exceptional quality with great value. More news from Dixie is that he is now sole importer of the near-legendary E-BOW, supplies of which should be with us soon!

Musimex, meanwhile, were majoring on their STEINBERGER and SESSION ranges. Musimex has such a fast-growing product line these days that trying to cover it in depth is almost impossible. We scarfed the latest Session amp (the stereo head) for an exclusive review in this issue, so we'll say no more about that for the time being. Suffice it to say that with MANSON, T.C. EFFECTS, STEINBERGER, SESSION and a host of others, Musimex have got a great deal to offer. Maybe next year they'll be able to circumvent the politics and take part in the main British Music Fair? We hope so.