NAMM 2009 Day Two
January 17, 2009|Nikkole Stone
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Hard to imagine, but Day 2 here at the NAMM show was even more exciting than Day 1. The incredible weather continued, and the crowds were even thicker in the Anaheim Convention Centre for the second day of the show. Today, we were lucky enough to get some unprecedented access to some of North America’s most distinctive guitar and amp manufacturers.
The highlight of the morning had to be our impromptu interview with James Kearney of EMG pickups. He sat down with us to discuss the origins of the Santa Rosa-based company that sports a virtual who’s who of celebrity players. Their active pickups give guitarists like Zack Wylde, and Kirk Hammett the tone, versatility and responsiveness that help make their sounds so unique. Found in guitars by ESP, Jackson, Peavey and others, the on-board pre-amp delivers definition and dynamics.
Our next stop was Outlaw guitars, where custom guitar guru Don Sanfrey gave us the low down on his all-custom handmade line of guitars. With beautiful finishes unlike any others we saw today, his guitars are built to spec for each and every player he works with. Continuing in the custom vein, we headed next down to Simple Amps, where I got to test-drive Marc Ford’s amplifier of choice. The tone and range on these amps was just incredible, not to mention the unique, colourful styling that’s a great blend of retro and modern, available in a range of bright, punchy colours. Each Simple Amp is created according to your specifications—you pick the pre-amp, the tubes, the speaker and the casing colours to create an amp that works for your sound.
Other highlights today included a demo of the full range of Danelectro pedals, Diezel’s German hand-made tube amplifiers, G&L’s super-limited edition Centennial guitar, Celestion’s incredible booth showing the influence their speakers have had on the history of rock, and Canada’s own Turner Guitar Works, a father and son team who truly stand out from the pack with their innovative shapes and styling. And my personal favourite today: an incredible artist-edition from New Jersey-based UNK Guitars, undoubtedly the coolest red guitar I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Stay tuned! We’ve got lots more to come from this incredible 6-mile, 4-day music bonanza.
Our next stop was Outlaw guitars, where custom guitar guru Don Sanfrey gave us the low down on his all-custom handmade line of guitars. With beautiful finishes unlike any others we saw today, his guitars are built to spec for each and every player he works with. Continuing in the custom vein, we headed next down to Simple Amps, where I got to test-drive Marc Ford’s amplifier of choice. The tone and range on these amps was just incredible, not to mention the unique, colourful styling that’s a great blend of retro and modern, available in a range of bright, punchy colours. Each Simple Amp is created according to your specifications—you pick the pre-amp, the tubes, the speaker and the casing colours to create an amp that works for your sound.
Other highlights today included a demo of the full range of Danelectro pedals, Diezel’s German hand-made tube amplifiers, G&L’s super-limited edition Centennial guitar, Celestion’s incredible booth showing the influence their speakers have had on the history of rock, and Canada’s own Turner Guitar Works, a father and son team who truly stand out from the pack with their innovative shapes and styling. And my personal favourite today: an incredible artist-edition from New Jersey-based UNK Guitars, undoubtedly the coolest red guitar I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Stay tuned! We’ve got lots more to come from this incredible 6-mile, 4-day music bonanza.
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