Best of NAMM 2026: Bass Pedals That Defined the Show
Every January, the NAMM Show brings together manufacturers, artists, retailers, and media from around the world for the largest and most influential music industry trade event. For gear companies, NAMM is the ideal stage to unveil new products, gather real-time feedback from players, and set the tone for the year ahead. New releases debuting at NAMM often reflect where technology, design, and player demand are heading, making the show a reliable snapshot of the future of music gear. Our Best of NAMM 2026 series highlights the most noteworthy bass pedals launched at this year’s event—tools that stood out for innovation, tone, and real-world usefulness for working bassists.
Walrus Audio made a strong statement at NAMM 2026 with the Mantle, a premium analog bass preamp and DI designed to deliver studio-quality tone in a pedalboard-friendly format. Developed in collaboration with bassist and educator Ian Martin Allison, the Mantle is built around custom-wound Sapphire transformers that deliver a bold low end, articulate mids, and a refined high end without sacrificing feel or dynamics.
A high-impedance JFET input ensures clarity and touch sensitivity, while an internal high-voltage design provides substantial headroom for active basses and modern signal chains. The Bass and Treble controls feature dual-function behavior, allowing players to move from broad shelving to more focused filtering, making the Mantle equally useful as a subtle tone enhancer or a more deliberate tone-shaping tool.
With a transformer-balanced XLR output and a clean, musical voicing, the Mantle positions itself as a high-end solution for bassists looking for consistency, depth, and polish in both live and studio environments.
