NAMMticipation!
By: Mike Spreier

There are no words that can adequately describe NAMM, the music industry’s premier gathering. The numbers alone are staggering: over 100,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, 1600 exhibitors, five stages, an endless parade of rock’n’roll movers and shakers, and enough guitar amplifiers to shatter a small- to medium-sized planet. Entering one of the main halls is like entering God’s Own Guitar Center, except that the guy in the corner pounding out the riff to “Smoke on the Water” could very well be the bass player from Deep Purple (Roger Glover…yeah, I had to look that up). It’s no small coincidence that NAMM takes place right next to Disneyland; one could easily be forgiven for thinking the “Happiest Place on Earth” sign on Harbor Boulevard might be temporarily referring to the NAMM show instead of that place with the oversized mouse.

Attendance at NAMM trade shows is limited to industry professionals, mainly those who represent the manufacturers of musical instruments and accessories. Mixed in with the professionals who create and represent the world’s most iconic musical instruments is a liberal heaping of musicians, ranging from some of the rock’s most famous deities down to some of the lesser (but well-connected) archangels. And inhabiting perhaps the lowest tier of the NAMM hierarchy are the media outlets and journalists who are fortunate enough to find themselves cover this gathering of the music world’s elites.

Obtaining the badge that allows one passage into this rock and roll Valhalla is a bit like finding the golden ticket in a Wonka bar. Last year, I was fortunate enough to find myself with a media pass hanging around my neck, and feeling like Charlie Bucket entering the chocolate factory for the first time. And much like Charlie, I found myself gazing at some magnificent wonders, and allowed a glance at many of the upcoming products still unseen by mortal man. But foolishly, I had only allowed myself one afternoon to take in all the sights and sounds. So much time and so little to see!

Wait a minute. Strike that, reverse it.

Knowing that I wouldn’t possibly make it to all the exhibitors that I wanted to see, I started off with the monsters of the guitar world: Fender and Gibson. Despite being more of a Gibson fan, I was immediately blown away by the 2015 Fender acoustics, particularly a Vince Ray model with the incredible “Guitar Monster from Another Planet” retro graphics, and a Tele-headstock resonator which shined beautifully under the bright convention center lights. Next, I made my way to the Gibson custom shop which did not fail to deliver, with a truly rockin’ Ron Wood signature L5S and Brian Ray’s signature SG being a couple of my favorites.

After a brief stop to check out the new Roland MX1 mixer and some general wide-eyed wandering around, I headed downstairs, deep into the bowels of NAMM. Away from the big name manufacturers with their multi-thousand square foot displays, this is the realm of the lesser known boutique guys. It was here that I came across Paul Barker (from Ministry and the Revolting Cocks), who was displaying the latest offerings from his company, Malekko Heavy Industry. In addition to being partially responsible for a good portion of my chronic tinnitus, he also provides guitar effects and synthesizer modules to all sorts of incredible artists and bands, including Flea, Marilyn Manson, Soundgarden, Motorhead, the Cure, ZZ Top…the list just keeps going on. He’s also just an all-around cool guy who was kind enough to give me a walkthrough of his gear lineup.

By this time it was getting close to the end of the day, my energy was dwindling and the crowds were starting to thin. I found my way back to my car (parked miles away, somewhere in the heart of Garden Grove), and made the long drive home, with visions of electric guitars, stompboxes, amplifiers, keyboards and mixers all dancing through my head.

It’s nearly a year later, and this intrepid reporter has once again managed to unwrap one of those golden tickets to NAMM (with many thanks to The New American Media). Drawing on my experiences from last year, I’m sharpening up my game plan to get the most out of my 2016 return.
One afternoon just isn’t going to cut it. I’m scheduling two full days, which will hopefully be enough time to see all the big exhibitors, a good chunk of the smaller ones, and maybe catch one or two live acts. Also, I’m going to try to get there early enough to nab a parking spot at GardenWalk…I spent well over an hour last year trying to find parking and still ended up at least a mile away from the Convention Center. I’ll get enough exercise walking around the NAMM exhibits, thank you.

NAMM has a pretty good app that includes a map of the exhibits, but last year I still ended up not really knowing where I wanted to go. And once I got inside, pulling out my cell phone and launching the app was kind of a pain. This year, I’m printing out paper maps and studying them like Napoleon studied maps of Russia. I’m also doing more research online to determine my precise line of attack. There are a lot of cool little companies that are creating some amazingly innovative new products, and I want to make sure I get some of them into my video report. Of course, I’ll still be looking for the 2016 line from some of my favorite big names like Gibson, Fender, Roland, ESP, Korg, Yamaha, etc. as well as lesser known treasures like Malekko Heavy Industries. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll drop by Avid and settle a long-standing score. (You know what you did, Avid. You know what you did.)

No matter what, it’s going to be awesome, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you!

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