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GALLERY: People of NAMM, Part 3

Colorful personalities caught on candid camera from the showroom floor.

The Winter NAMM show is supposed to be an industry-only event that’s closed to the public. But when it comes to the actual attendees, there seems to be a generous definition to the phrase ā€œindustry-only.ā€ They come in packs and tribes and oftentimes they dress up so that fellow tribe members will know them. The metal heads are well represented, as are the hipsters, the hippies, and the just plain hip. They arrive, show off, and bond. They also seem to laugh a lot. Here they are!

Neil Young announces the love earth world tour, kicking off this summer.

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There’s so much to explore when you decide to dip your toes into altered tunings.

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An imperfectly perfect routing job.

Take a moment to appreciate those quirks in your instruments that reveal their maker’s hands.

Let’s talk about obsessions for a minute. They come in all sizes and shapes; some are benign and harmless, while others can be cruel, crippling, or even life threatening. Members of 12-step and self-help programs remind us of how insidious our own self-delusion can be, which intrigued me enough to take a look at my gear and, ultimately, myself.

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Club- or festival-provided stage amps can be hellish or angelic. Here are some of the devils and angels Premier Guitar’s editorial director has encountered along the road.

I have a slight allergy to backline amps. I shouldn’t, because I’ve played through a lot of them at clubs and festivals over the years, and most of my experiences have been fine, but I think a few bad combos and unfathomable heads put me off to a degree I can’t quite shake.

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