This year’s NAMM show was a monstrous affair, to be sure. Over four days in mid-January, more than 88,000 people found their way to the Anaheim Convention Center in
This year’s NAMM show was a monstrous affair, to be sure.
Over four days in mid-January, more than 88,000 people found their way to the Anaheim Convention Center in California to check out the newest products from the industry’s biggest players. Despite an air of economic uncertainty, the event was packed with a record number of exhibitors (1,560 to be exact) and it seemed that every company in attendance – from Fender and Taylor to the smallest boutique shops – had something to get excited over. It validated our belief that it is great time to be a gearhead.
If you weren’t able to make the trip, PG’s got you covered. Just scroll down to see some of the coolest guitars, amps and accessories we stumbled across, and check out our exclusive interviews with David Grissom, Pete Anderson, Ladd Smith and Rusty Cooley from Saturday evening’s All Star Guitar Night. We also have loads of exclusive videos from NAMM plus a wrap-up podcast to complete the coverage.
Here’s to four days of gear-induced madness. You’re welcome.
HiWatt Custom 7 Head The new Custom 7 head and combo caught our eye, promising Townshend-approved tones at reasonable household volumes. Pumping 7 watts through one EL84 tube in a single-ended output design, it is hand-built in the U.K. HiWatt’s heavy-duty standards are thankfully present and accounted for, meaning you could lug this to a low-powered gig without worries. price TBA hiwatt.com |
DigiTech HardWire Pedals Featuring true bypass, unique high-voltage operation that keeps your 9V power supply at a consistent level – meaning more consistent tone – and a bomb-proof chassis, this new line from DigiTech promises to have something for every pedalboard. As an added bonus, precision pots let you dial in the exact same tone every time. Starting at $119 digitech.com |
Henman-Bevilacqua S2 Henman-Bevilacqua brings a fresh approach to the age-old problem of adjusting the truss rod: they’ve eliminated it. Instead, a load-bearing beam with a floating fingerboard design does the work, while maintaining a traditional feel. The bodies have a familiar-yet-contemporary shape and each piece of hardware has been manufactured to close harmonic tolerances. They also feature WCR pickups with true vintage nickel covers. list $5900 henbev.com |
TV Jones Model 10 With a body made of solid Obeche and an attractive single cutaway, the Model 10 from TV Jones promises to be a fun guitar. It includes an ebony fretboard, 22 medium frets and TV Jones Power’Tron pickups in both the neck and bridge. Pictured is the company’s attractive Nicotine finish (and that’s not just because we’re smokers). Starting at $1400 tvjones.com |
65Amps Monterey Basically a SoHo front-end with a 6V6 power section, this amp delivers classic American amp tones. With a tight low-end and rich, harmonic overdrive, this amp is available in two configurations: the Monterey features two 6V6s and puts out 22 watts, while the Monterey HP features four power tubes and pushes the rating to 38 watts. Starting at $2395 65amps.com |
fOXX Pedals fOXX announced six new pedals at NAMM: the Clean Machine (shown), a clean or dirty sustainer; the Down Machine, a wah for bass and organ; the Loud Machine, a fuzzed-out volume pedal; the O.D. Machine, an overdrive; the Wah Machine; and the Wah Volume, which is pretty self-explanatory. All of these pedals feature fOXX’s trademark felt covering, in your choice of colors. Starting at $199 foxxpedals.com |
Diamond Spitfire Voiced with a cleaner, vintage vibe, these amps come dressed in an attractive British tan tolex, and seem poised to draw in a new audience to Diamond. Featuring four “Winged C” EL34s, two channels, a low-focus control and a half-power switch on the rear, this amp delivered some amazing country/blues tones. It’s also available as a custom- ordered combo. $2299 diamondamplification.com |
Martin D28-M Elvis Presley Commemorative Limited Edition A tribute to both the King and Martin’s 175th anniversary, only 175 of these acoustics will be produced. A copy of Elvis’ 1955 D-28, including his trademark leather cover, the D28-M will feature a polished black ebony headstock with a silhouette of Elvis playing his Martin inlaid in Mother of Pearl, star position markers, and a heelcap with the TCB lightning bolt logo. Also includes a special, oversized case to accommodate the leather cover. $11,499 mguitar.com |
OohLaLa Pedals A relatively new company on the boutique scene (although the company’s founders have played an integral part in the industry for the past several years), OohLaLa showed off four new pedals slated for a spring release: the Synth Mangler, Torn’s Peaker, X-Ray and the Soda Meiser. The Soda Meiser (pictured) has been described as “fuzz bliss” by OohLaLa’s Queen Bee, Amada Marquez. If you dig boutique, you’ll dig these. $180-$475 oohlalamanufacturing.com |
Gretsch G5135 G. Love Corvette If you haven’t heard of G. Love & the Special Sauce, do yourself a favor. The newest signature model in Gretsch’s Electromatic collection pays tribute to Garrett “G. Love” Dutton, packing in a pair of TV Jones Power’Tron pickups, deluxe mini precision tuners and a sweet “Philly- Green” color scheme. $1450 gretsch.com |
Collings City Limits Jazz Archtop If you’ve got a jazz itch that needs scratching, look no further. The City Limits Jazz Archtop features a premium carved European spruce top, a fully hollow mahogany body, Kent Armstrong floating pickup, ebony tailpiece, Schaller tuners and a deluxe hardshell case. This gorgeous guitar is available in Cremona or Amber Sunburst. $8500 collingsguitars.com |
R. Taylor Style 2 Acoustic This gorgeous custom-made acoustic is the newest addition to the R. Taylor family, offering up a smaller size than the Style 1. Featuring a 15” lower bout, a maximum body depth of 4 1/16” and a modified-X bracing pattern (all hand-shaped), this guitar responds well to both finger and flatpicking. You can choose from a variety of woods and a solid or slotted peghead. starting at $4,480 rtaylorguitars.com |
Victoria Amp Co. Electro King Based on the Gibson GA40 and packing 5879 preamp tubes, this new offering from Victoria Amp Co. promises to reward adventurous guitarists with a fresh take on vintage and a rich tremolo circuit. The cabinet is built with solid pine, houses a Jensen P12J speaker and is covered in attractive two-tone tolex. $2295 victoriaamp.com |
Red Witch Pedals Red Witch pedals are now being distributed by Dana B. Goods, meaning these New Zealand-made pedals should be easier to find stateside. The Empress Chorus has already found its way onto Andy Summers’ pedalboard for the Police tour. The Deluxe Moon Phaser was capable of convincing rotating speaker sounds, as well as any kind of phase you could imagine. The Pentavocal Tremolo and the Fuzz God II were also on display for tone tweakers. Starting at $309.95 redwitchanalogpedals.com |
Saint Guitar Company Messenger Builder Adam Hernandez has been at it for ten years, but this was Saint Guitar Company’s debut NAMM show. On display was an eye-catching double cutaway called the Messenger. Made completely by hand, the 25 1/4” scale guitar features a luthier grade maple top and a mahogany body and neck for a rich, full sound. Gotoh tuners, wide/pyramid fretwire and Seymour Duncan pickups round out the package, although it can be completely customized for your tastes. Starting at $3500 stguitars.com |
Jaguar Amplification Twin Combo A 45-watt Class A/B amp featuring two EL34s, the Jaguar Twin also has a Class A half-power switch which not only lowers the volume but ups the harmonic content in the process. The combo is available in 1x12, 2x12 or headonly configurations – the combos come standard with customized Celestion Greenbacks. 2x12 combo $2999 jaguaramplification.com |
Budda Superdrive V-40 Budda announced their latest additions to the Superdrive Series, featuring 6V6 power tubes for 40 watts of roots rock power. The use of 6V6s give it a more organic sound, while still retaining that tradmark Budda bite. New cream paneling with purple lettering also give this a different vibe than its predecesors. $2195 budda.com |
MayFly Le Habanero Review
Great versatility in combined EQ controls. Tasty low-gain boost voice. Muscular Fuzz Face-like fuzz voice.
Can be noisy without a lot of treble attenuation. Boost and fuzz order can only be reversed with the internal DIP switch.
$171
May Fly Le Habanero
A fuzz/boost combo that’s as hot as the name suggests, but which offers plenty of smoky, subdued gain shades, too.
Generally speaking, I avoid combo effects. If I fall out of love with one thing, I don’t want to have to ditch another that’s working fine. But recent fixations with spatial economy find me rethinking that relationship. MayFly’s Le Habanero (yes, the Franco/Spanish article/noun mash-up is deliberate) consolidates boost and fuzz in a single pedal. That’s far from an original concept. But the characteristics of both effects make it a particularly effective one here, and the relative flexibility and utility of each gives this combination a lot more potential staying power for the fickle.
“Le Habanero’s fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof.”
The fuzz section has a familiar Fuzz Face-like tone profile—a little bit boomy and very present in that buzzy mid-’60s, midrangey kind of way. But Le Habanero’s fuzz circuit has a deep switch that adds a little extra desert-rock woof (especially with humbuckers) and an effective filter switch that enhances the fuzz’s flexibility—especially when used with the boost. The boost is a fairly low-gain affair. Even at maximum settings, it really seems to excite desirable high-mid harmonics more than it churns out dirt. That’s a good thing, particularly when you introduce hotter settings from the boost’s treble and bass controls, which extend the boost’s voice from thick and smoky to lacerating. Together, the boost and fuzz can be pushed to screaming extremes. But the interactivity between the tone and filter controls means you can cook up many nuanced fuzz shades spanning Jimi scorch and Sabbath chug with tons of cool overtone and feedback colors.
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce the release of new premium content for all TONEX users, available today through the IK Product Manager.
The latest TONEX Factory Content v2 expands the creative arsenal with a brand-new collection of Tone Models captured at the highest quality and presets optimized for live performance. TONEX Tone Models are unique captures of rigs dialed into a specific sweet spot. TONEX presets are used for performance and recording, combining Tone Models with added TONEX FX, EQ, and compression.
Who Gets What:
TONEX Pedal
- 150 crafted presets matched to 150 Premium Tone Models
- A/B/C layout for instant access to clean, drive, and lead tones
- 30 Banks: Amp & cab presets from classic cleans to crushing high-gain
- 5 Banks: FX-driven presets featuring the 8 new TONEX FX
- 5 Banks: Amp-only presets for integrating external IRs, VIR™, or amps
- 5 Banks: Stompbox presets of new overdrive/distortion pedals
- 5 Banks: Bass amp & pedal presets to cover and bass style
TONEX Mac/PC
- 106 new Premium Tone Models + 9 refined classics for TONEX MAX
- 20 new Premium Tone Models for TONEX and TONEX SE
TONEX ONE
- A selection of 20 expertly crafted presets from the list above
- Easy to explore and customize with the new TONEX Editor
Gig-ready Tones
For the TONEX Pedal, the first 30 banks deliver an expansive range of amp & cab tones, covering everything from dynamic cleans to brutal high-gain distortion. Each bank features legendary amplifiers paired with cabs such as a Marshall 1960, ENGL E412V, EVH 412ST and MESA Boogie 4x12 4FB, ensuring a diverse tonal palette. For some extremely high-gain tones, these amps have been boosted with classic pedals like the Ibanez TS9, MXR Timmy, ProCo RAT, and more, pushing them into new sonic territories.
Combined with New FX
The following 5 banks of 15 presets explore the depth of TONEX's latest effects. There's everything from the rich tremolo on a tweed amp to the surf tones of the new Spring 4 reverb. Users can also enjoy warm tape slapback with dotted 8th delays or push boundaries with LCR delay configurations for immersive, stereo-spanning echoes. Further, presets include iconic flanger sweeps, dynamic modulation, expansive chorus, stereo panning, and ambient reverbs to create cinematic soundscapes.
Versatile Control
The TONEX Pedal's A, B, and C footswitches make navigating these presets easy. Slot A delivers clean, smooth tones, Slot B adds crunch and drive, and Slot C pushes into high-gain or lead territory. Five dedicated amp-only banks provide a rich foundation of tones for players looking to integrate external IRs or run directly into a power amp. These amp-only captures span clean, drive, and high-gain categories, offering flexibility to sculpt the sound further with IRs or a real cab.
Must-have Stompboxes
TONEX Pedals are ideal for adding classic effects to any pedalboard. The next 5 banks focus on stompbox captures, showcasing 15 legendary overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals. This collection includes iconic models based on the Fulltone Full-Drive 2, Marshall DriveMaster, Maxon OD808, Klon Centaur, ProCo RAT, and more.
For Bass Players, Too
The last 5 banks are reserved for bass players, including a selection of amp & cab Tone Models alongside a few iconic pedals. Specifically, there are Tone Models based on the Ampeg SVT-2 PRO, Gallien-Krueger 800RB, and Aguilar DB750, alongside essential bass pedals based on the Tech21 SansAmp, Darkglass B7K and EHX Big Muff. Whether it's warm vintage thump, modern punch, or extreme grit, these presets ensure that bassists have the depth, clarity and power they need for any playing style.For more information and instructions on how to get the new Factory
Content v2 for TONEX, please visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tonex
Darkglass Electronics unveils ANAGRAM, a flagship bass platform designed to redefine tone, flexibility, and performance. The pedal’s extraordinarily deep feature set includes multiple effects and modeling, an on-board looper and tuner.
Best of all, ANAGRAM brings together these creative tools in a streamlined, rugged format that’s designed for ease of use. Onstage and in the studio, bassists can quickly access and fine-tune their sound via the ANAGRAM interface:
- 7-inch high-brightness touchscreen for clear and intuitive control.
- Three footswitches for live performance control.
- Six high-resolution endless rotary knobs for precise parameter adjustments.
- Flexible input and output configuration.
With ultra-low latency, extensive customization, and seamless integration into the Darkglass ecosystem, it supports both studio precision and stage performance. Combining 15 years of innovation with cutting-edge processing power, ANAGRAM offers a purpose-built solution for bassists seeking unparalleled sound-shaping capabilities.
Anagram
Powered by a state-of-the-art hexacore processor and 32-bit/48kHz audio processing,ANAGRAM delivers ultra-low latency, pristine clarity, and studio-grade sound. Its intuitive blocks-based architecture lets players create signal chains in series (12 blocks) or parallel (24blocks) using a high-resolution touch display. ANAGRAM features three control modes—Preset,Scene, and Stomp—for instant switching, parameter adjustments, and traditional pedalboard-style operation. With a curated collection of distinct preamps, 50+ customizable effects, a looper, tuner, and user-generated IR support, ANAGRAM delivers unmatched creative flexibility.Seamless integration with the Darkglass Suite allows for expanded control and functionality. Additionally, Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) integration provides access to thousands
of high-quality amp and effect models, expanding tonal possibilities from analog warmth to futuristic textures.
"Anagram represents the culmination of years of research and development," says Marcos Barilatti, Managing Director of Darkglass Electronics. "We set out to create a product that not only pushes the boundaries of bass tone but also inspires musicians to explore new sonic territories."
Housed in a rugged anodized aluminum chassis, ANAGRAM is road-ready, compact, and powered via 9V or USB-C (PD). With flagship features at a compelling price, ANAGRAM represents the new standard for bassists seeking a modern platform for their performance.
Street $1199.99 USD
Alongside Nicolas Jaar’s electronics, Harrington creates epic sagas of sound with a team of fine-tuned pedalboards.
Guitarist Dave Harrington concedes that while there are a few mile markers in the music that he and musician Nicolas Jaar create as Darkside, improvisation has been the rule from day one. The experimental electronic trio’s latest record, Nothing, which released in February on Matador, was the first to feature new percussionist Tlacael Esparza.
Taking the record on tour this year, Darkside stopped in at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Harrington broke down his complex signal chains for PG’s Chris Kies.
Brought to you by D’Addario.
Express Yourself
Harrington bought this mid-2000s Gibson SG at 30th Street Guitars in New York, a shop he used to visit as a kid. The headstock had already been broken and repaired, and Harrington switched the neck pickup to a Seymour Duncan model used by Derek Trucks. Harrington runs it with D’Addario NYXL .010s, which he prefers for their stretch and stability.
The standout feature is a round knob installed by his tech behind the bridge, which operates like an expression pedal for the Line 6 DL4. Harrington has extras on hand in case one breaks.
Triple Threat
Harrington’s backline setup in Nashville included two Fender Twin Reverbs and one Fender Hot Rod DeVille. He likes the reissue Fender amps for their reliability and clean headroom. Each amp handles an individual signal, including loops that Harrington creates and plays over; with each amp handling just one signal rather than one handling all loops and live playing, there’s less loss of definition and competition for frequency space.
Dave Harrington’s Pedalboards
Harrington says he never gives up on a pedal, which could explain why he’s got so many. You’re going to have to tune in to the full Rundown to get the proper scoop on how Harrington conducts his three-section orchestra of stomps, but at his feet, he runs a board with a Chase Bliss Habit, Mu-Tron Micro-Tron IV, Eventide PitchFactor, Eventide H90, Hologram Microcosm, Hologram Chroma Console, Walrus Monument, Chase Bliss Thermae, Chase Bliss Brothers AM, JHS NOTAKLÖN, two HexeFX reVOLVERs, and an Amped Innovations JJJ Special Harmonics Extender. A Strymon Ojai provides power.
At hip-level sits a board with a ZVEX Mastotron, Electro-Harmonix Cathedral, EHX Pitch Fork, Xotic EP Booster, two EHX 45000 multi-track looping recorders, Walrus Slöer, Expedition Electronics 60 Second Deluxe, and another Hologram Microcosm. A Live Wire Solutions ABY Box and MXR DC Brick are among the utility tools on deck.
Under that board rest Harrington’s beloved Line 6 DL4—his desert-island, must-have pedal—along with a controller for the EHX 45000, Boss FV-50H volume pedal, Dunlop expression pedal, Boss RT-20, a Radial ProD2, and another MXR DC Brick.