GALLERY: People of NAMM, Part 2

We put faces to the names of all those gear personalities you’ve heard about.

Seymour Duncan of Seymour Duncan Pickups

If someone mentions the names Leo Fender or Les Paul, there’s a good chance that an image of them will pop into your head. But there are many other “names” in the guitar world that you know but you probably couldn’t pick the individuals out in a crowd. These are people whose guitars, amps, or pedals you might use on a regular basis or, at least, plan to buy as soon as that big lottery win comes your way.

Who? People like Reinhold Bogner, Andy Fuchs, or Dave Friedman (amps). Joe Knaggs, Dennis Fano, or Tom Anderson (guitars). Brian Wampler, Robert Keeley, or Harri Koski of Mad Professor (effects pedals). How about Seymour Duncan? Floyd Rose? Jim Dunlop? Did you know that there is a Rick Shubb behind all of those Shubb capos you see on the wall of your local guitar shop?

These personalities, and more, were at Winter NAMM in January and were nice enough to allow their pictures to be taken.

Switching It up with an Effects Loop Box

Want to play different pedal sequences in a flash? These handy boxes provide more tone solutions than you might realize.

There is no right or wrong way to wire a pedalboard. It’s really a matter of personal taste and what our ears find pleasing. Every musician has their own thing, and our pedalboards are certainly an extension of that. For some, reconfiguring the pedalboard is a lifelong process, and adding a new device often means something has got to go, because real estate is crucial!

Hello, Hollowbody. F#ck You, Feedback.

My years-long search for the “right” Bigsby-outfitted box finally paid off. Now how do I make this sumbitch work in my band?

Considering the amount of time I’ve spent (here and elsewhere) talking about and lusting after Gretsch hollowbody guitars, it’s taken me a remarkably long time to end up with a big Bigsby-outfitted box I truly love. High-end Gretsches are pricey enough that, for a long time, I just couldn’t swing it. Years ago I had an Electromatic for a while, and it looked and played lovely, but didn’t have the open, blooming acoustic resonance I hoped for. A while later, I reviewed the stellar Players Edition Broadkaster semi-hollow, and it was so great in so many ways that I set my sights on it, eventually got one, and adore it to this day. Yet the full-hollowbody lust remained.

We put faces to the names of all those gear personalities you’ve heard about.

Want to play different pedal sequences in a flash? These handy boxes provide more tone solutions than you might realize.

See a sampling of picks used by famous guitarists over the years.

My years-long search for the “right” Bigsby-outfitted box finally paid off. Now how do I make this sumbitch work in my band?