Who's going to NAMM?? The time has come once again for Winter NAMM 2013, the music product industry's equivalent to Comic-Con. Taking place this year from January 24th-27th at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, the National Association of Music Merchants annual industry convention will once again bring together seemingly every company in the music product industry. From the top musical instrument manufacturers to the leaders in music technology, NAMM will undoubtedly offer its fair share of fine products this year.
UG is sending its representative,
Zach Pino, to the NAMM show to give you all full coverage of the event. He'll be taking pictures, Tweeting snarky comments, and sending frequent updates throughout the event, reporting on all the happenings, must-have items, and likely embarrassing himself in front of
Guthrie Govan.
Some of the guitar-related gear you can expect to see unveiled at NAMM this year includes:
A "top secret," "world first" unveiling from Orange Amplification via a keynote speech; 69 updated and newly released electric guitars from Gibson; Fender's release of a new Richie Blackmore Tribute Stratocaster and American Vintage Bass series; a 130th Anniversary hollowbody guitar model from Gretsch Guitars; new instrument releases from Paul Reed Smith, including a Neal Schon Signature Model, Brent Mason Signature Model, and a new Core Bass line; and an Ionizer 8-string DiMarzio pickups designed for Animals As Leader's Tosin Abasi. This is just a miniscule sampling of what'll be on display, so keep your eyes open for updates on the newest musical instruments, effects and amps.
NAMM's appeal not only revolves around shiny new instruments though. Some of the world's finest musicians come to NAMM yearly to demonstrate their endorsed gear, sign autographs, and party at the Anaheim Hilton after the show.
Appearances this year are set to include (and certainly not limited to), Animals As Leaders, Periphery, Frank Gambale, Mike Inez (Alice In Chains), Fieldy (Korn), Alex Skolnick, Billy Sheehan, Frank Bello (Anthrax), Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power), Neal Schon (Journey), Willie Adler (Lamb Of God), Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), Rusty Cooley, Victor Wooten, Brent Mason, Brendon Small (Dethklok), and Chris Squire (Yes).
There will also be ongoing live performances throughout the 4-day event, such as sets from Tower Of Power, the Alex Skolnick Trio, and a "Living Legends" jam, which includes members from The Motels, Three Dog Night, Blue Oyster Cult, Iron Maiden, Asia, Yes, Bad Company, BB King, Quiet Riot & more. We're pretty stoked for that.
So stay tuned over the next days as UG delivers the goods. Be sure to keep checking the UG homepage for updates and reports. Cheers!
