We’ve attended a lot of NAMM shows, but, this year—frightening. Booth numbers in the five-digit range, a completely new hall, the incorporation of AES (pro-recording products) into the mix, and heightened security (bag checks and metal detectors) made for a harrowing—and time-consuming—journey.
But amidst the surging masses of humanity and the noise and bother, there was, as always, the GEAR. Multitudes of awesome products debuted at NAMM 2018, and we’ve previewed many of them on guitarplayer.com, our social-media pages, and on our YouTube channel, and we’ll publish comprehensive reviews on as much of the new gear as we can in future print issues and online.
Being blissfully overwhelmed by so much gear is daunting, both for the editors and our readers. So we decided to do a “first cut” for you, and select 25 products that caught our eye, or intrigued us, or simply ignited our own personal gear lust. We aren’t proposing that this list encompasses the “best” gear released at NAMM, or even the most important or anticipated. It’s just the subjective mission brief of two GP editors, who walked the miles of aisles at the Anaheim Convention Center during the 2018 NAMM extravaganza, and came across 25 products they dug and wanted to share with other players.
ACCESSORIES
DUNLOP
FLOW JUMBO PICKS
Featuring beveled edges for fast string release and a wide profile to make them easy to grip, these picks feel great and deliver a clear, meaty sound. ($3.99 street for a 3-pack).
jimdunlop.com
FISHMAN
OPEN CORE HUMBUCKERS
These new models in the Fluence series ($TBA) have exposed coils for a classic “zebra” look and sound. In Voice 1 the neck and bridge pickups are set to a vintage PAF-style tone. Voice 2 makes the bridge hotter and