NAMM 2015 Gear Recap –Photo Gallery

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The NAMM Show is always an overwhelming week of music, parties, old friends, new friends, performances …oh, and GEAR!

So much gear.

With that said, there are always highlights. The diamonds in the rough. The groundbreaking, beautifully designed and amazing-sounding products that you’re unable to forget.

Some might assume that in 2015, after decades of guitar-making, that we’ve capped out on innovation. That there is no more ground to cover. But that’s simply not the case.

The industry is led by those who can combine technology and tradition to create something timeless, expressive and, of course, musical. After attending NAMM, I’m happy to say there are many such leaders forging new ground, and the future of acoustic guitar is looking good.

Below is a photo gallery of some my favorite gear found at the 2015 NAMM Show.

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Tom Gilbert
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“I liked that they were the underdogs. It was not the mainstream guitar. It was something that was hard to find”: Vox guitars deserve a second look – just ask L.A. Witch’s Sade Sanchez, who’s teaming hers with ugly pedals for nouveau garage rock thrills
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Sade Sanchez
“I liked that they were the underdogs. It was not the mainstream guitar. It was something that was hard to find”: Vox guitars deserve a second look – just ask L.A. Witch’s Sade Sanchez, who’s teaming hers with ugly pedals for nouveau garage rock thrills
Eric Clapton performs onstage with the Yardbirds in Brighton, England on June 11, 1964
“I suppose I felt that I deserved it for the amount of seriousness that I’d put into it. My head was huge!” “Clapton is God” graffiti made him a guitar legend when he was barely 20 – he says he was far from uncomfortable with the adulation at the time
John Sykes performs onstage with Whitesnake at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois on November 10, 1984
“I was in a frenzy about it being trapped and burnt up. I knew I'd never be able to replace it”: After being pulled from the wreckage of a car crash, John Sykes ran back to his burning vehicle to save his beloved '76 Les Paul
Steve Stevens' Ciari Ascender
“It holds its own purely as a playable guitar. It’s really cool for the traveling musician – you can bring it on a flight and it fits beneath the seat”: Why Steve Stevens put his name to a foldable guitar
Andy Fairweather Low poses with his Gibson guitars
“I wanted to play more, and it was inappropriate with Eric or Roger. I was not the lead guitarist, and I wanted to be”: Clapton, Waters, Satriani and me – Andy Fairweather Low on his greatest collaborations and finally taking center stage
Margo Price Gibson J-45
“It’s one of the most beautiful, living, breathing pieces of art – all the grime has just aged into the wood”: Margo Price on playing Willie Nelson’s Trigger, growing up with Gibson and bringing her signature J-45 to life
Johnny Marr sits against a brick wall and plays his new Martin M7 seven-string acoustic guitar
“I’ve got a friend in a well-known band, and he says Martins have unnecessary bottom-end. My retort was always: ‘Well, you need to learn to play properly’”: Johnny Marr on the magic of his 7-string signature Martin – and his fight with capo addiction
Danny Gatton performs onstage at The Ritz in New York City on June 4, 1981
“It's like the guitar is built for 10 fingers and two hands and he's got three hands and 17 fingers”: He was called “The Humbler” and regarded as one of the world's greatest under-the-radar guitarists – and he would solo with a beer bottle and a towel
Harley Flanagan
“I got that bass for $50 off this coke dealer. I don’t know what Jaco did to it, but he totally messed up the insides!” How Cro-Mags’ Harley Flanagan went from buying a Jaco Pastorius bass on the street to fronting one of hardcore’s most influential bands
John Sykes solos on his Gibson Les Paul Custom and it looks like he might even be two-hand tapping – this was the '80s, and this black-and-white image captures him in action on Whitesnake's 1984 tour in Chicago.
“He didn’t sound like any other previous Whitesnake guitarist. His thumbprint is an indelible part of that record”: Remembering John Sykes, the journeyman virtuoso who made his mark on both Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake