NAMM 2026. I survived.
I came down with the flu a week before the show. I cocooned, rested, and managed to recover enough to hit the ground running in Anaheim. Not ideal timing, but then again, timing is rarely perfect in this business.
This year marked NAMM’s 125th anniversary. I served on the NAMM board and eventually on the executive committee, which meant that at the end of that journey, I became NAMM Chairman. My time as chair coincided with COVID. Not exactly a calm period in history.
Joe Lamond was NAMM’s CEO when I stepped into that role. When I reminded him that Martin Guitar had survived multiple pandemics over our nearly two centuries in business, he said, “You are the right NAMM chair for these challenging times.” We got through it. NAMM got through it. My family’s business got through it. And here we are at 125 years.
A Different Show
The NAMM Show today is different than it was before Covid. Travel is expensive. Booth space is expensive. Attending a trade show is not cheap. Companies have to evaluate value carefully, but trade shows remain one of the most efficient and effective ways to see your customers in one place: dealers, distributors, artists, media, influencers, and passionate musicians all under one roof. And Southern California is full of people who are passionate about making music.
Our booth was busy from 10 a.m. on Thursday through the end of the show on Saturday night. The show floor was loud and exciting, filled with people who share the same passion for making and listening to music that you and I have. And they demonstrate it on every instrument imaginable at the same time.
The Beauty of Discovery
One of my favorite things about NAMM is wandering. I’ll stop at a small booth to check out what someone is building, and start a conversation about what they are up to. What I appreciate most is when they engage me before they realize who I am. Sometimes the coolest thing I see at NAMM comes from a company I’ve never heard of. Maybe it’s their first show; maybe they scraped together every dollar they had to be there.
I always show enthusiasm and wish them luck. Sometimes they come back the next year with a bigger booth. Sometimes they never return. Either way, I appreciate that they tried, and I want them all to succeed.
Old Friends and New Ideas
NAMM is the perfect venue to both introduce new products and reinforce the enduring value of tried-and-true models like our D-28. We had some new things to show this year. My personal favorite was being able to share a couple of our Project 91 guitars. Innovation remains essential in a company that has been building instruments for nearly two centuries.
After any NAMM show, I always encourage people to check our website and then check our competitors’ websites. See what’s new and cool—our industry never stands still.
On a personal note, NAMM is also a reunion. I get to see old friends and make new ones. This year I participated in a panel discussion about acoustic-electric guitars and pickups with my friends Larry Fishman, Lloyd Baggs, and Craig Thatcher. We all agreed on one thing: Amplifying an acoustic guitar is challenging, no matter how you approach it.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to spend time with Greg Mackie from Mackie Sound. If anyone understands amplification, it’s Greg. I asked him his thoughts on the best way to amplify the sound of an acoustic guitar. I was bracing for a technical dissertation that I might struggle to follow, but he just paused for a moment and said, “Chris, acoustic guitars sound best unamplified.” And that’s the challenge.
The Bigger Picture
NAMM is not just about products. It is about community. It is about advocacy. It is about keeping music alive and accessible for future generations. During the show, I had lunch with several past NAMM chairs, all dedicated to promoting the value of music education. That mission remains central to NAMM’s purpose. The current NAMM Chair, Chris White, and the new CEO, John Mlynczak, are doing a good job of keeping up the enthusiasm for this focus of ours.
One hundred twenty-five years is a long time. I am grateful to have been a small part of that story. Come to the NAMM Show next year so you can be a part of it, too.
