Did Anything Interesting Happen at NAMM 2025?

[@lanceholland]

The ToneKing Preamp looks killer

[@lyricbread]

My top 2025 NAMM guitar gear pick!

[@Mike_the_Barbarian]

yea the Andertons quick look video made it sound amazing. Pete can really play but the tones.. juicy. Probably buy that the moment its released.

[@henrykc3]

$599 in May, I cannot wait. All this type tube preamps with IRs don't have power amp sections so at the end they don't sound good. This one for the first time I can hear what I have been dreaming about.

[@lyricbread]

@@henrykc3 that’s actually less than what I thought it’d sell for. Very attractive at that price!

[@henrykc3]

@@lyricbreadSame here!

[@89digits59]

Yes, now we have a Fender by Squier at $599 😂😂

[@gusblacksmith9]

Lol yeah. But truth be told, Indonesia have been making some absolutely incredible guitars. Many are far better and cheaper than the Mexican Fenders I've owned

[@89digits59]

@@gusblacksmith9 I have no issues with guitars coming from Mexico or Indonesia, but I have an issue with how Fender is going about things, plus I have always felt 21 frets is incomplete guitar it needs to be 22 frets, we need that D note on the 1st string on the 22nd fret 🙂

[@gusblacksmith9]

@@89digits59 interesting how each player has their own canon of what a good guitar should have. To me 22 frets is just for 24.75" scale length. For strats and other 25.5" scale length i need 21 feets ;)

[@ramencurry6672]

I could be wrong but the advantage of having a Fender over a Squire is that replacing bridge blocks may be easier due to being the identical spec size

[@ramencurry6672]

@@gusblacksmith9I agree. 22 frets is unnecessary BS. Even Yngvie’s Strat is 21 frets. For the majority of players, the 22nd fret is not useful

[@watariboshi]

Just want to comment to say the vibe of the intro was immaculate. The lighting while you were playing + the color of your guitar fit really well with the sunlight.

[@misterknightowlandco]

I’d say one interesting thing happened. Peavey is FINALLY hopping on the reissue train and re-releasing their 80’s amps in various forms. Been waiting a long time for that.

[@cinnamonoa]

The Marshall drive pedals are super cool, about time they did their own version of that, the digitech HammerOn is also really exciting and the Digitech MonoNeon Whammy V that can go up 3 octaves is just really funny

[@samseitz9937]

Sire was a big surprise for me especially with the headless models

[@JediMasterRick2]

Sire looks great. I’m probably going to get that I5T or the blue sparkle L7.

[@materedai4158]

You both have very great taste, these three + the Y series are the coolest for me too

[@jaysmoreymusic]

Biggeet things I noticed were (1) Suhr had a ton of new and awesome stuff, including short scale guitars, 15w SL amp, and killer new limited run AW models. And (2) Fluff with Marshall. IMO, that was as big and exciting as any of the Marshall launches. Honorable mention is the Petrucci Picasso painted Abasi guitar.

[@jamesbennettmusic2154]

Rob Chapman and KDH had a UFC fight at the Andertons booth. KDH was winning via rear-naked choke, then Rabea jumped in and body slammed him.

[@DrSmith-b1s]

Would love to see someone whoop Chapman

[@ZdenekJonas]

I have a feeling that companies constantly refuse to admit that the world is simply changing, and what once was is now irrelevant for the upcoming generation.

[@Sea_Jay]

I'm stoked about the new Sire next Gen guitars. I love my L7 and the new ones will have stainless steel frets and split coil tapping. I'll be adding one

[@JediMasterRick2]

Yeah. I’m in the market for a Les Paul this year. That blue sparkle looks great. All of them really. They really knock it out of the park this year.

[@JCleggy]

It just occurred to me… John Cordy’s tone using a Helix is just as good as John Petrucci’s or John Mayer’s. Considering the simplicity and low cost of the Helix when compared to the rigs of the other virtuosos, John Cordy is actually the more impressive musician. Congrats John, you’re truly The People’s Guitar Hero.

[@handheldheartbeats]

The only thing that really caught my attention was the Tone King Preamp. Looks very promising 🎸

[@Smart-Alex]

Rockman for the win!

[@alasdairmunro1953]

Thanks for a different viewpoint on NAMM John.😀

[@brooklynboy1000]

Modern Player Strat. Made in China. Got it ten years ago. $325. New. Great guitar amazing neck. Similar perhaps to a classic vibe squier. I don’t know. But it’s a great guitar. These new ones will be good if you want to try a cheaper tele without spending $2200

[@shellsjoint]

The Tone King

[@rokket2005]

The James Tyler Chinese JTG line looks promising, and it'd be nice to see demos of them whenever they release.

[@RockOnGibbo]

EVH bringing out hardtail Wolfgang’s again 🤘🏼

[@Johnherold121]

Sire Q series, will be interesting to see how they compare to the PRS SE guitars

[@ThePlanarchist]

I remember playing the original Rockman walkman style amp at a Wembley music fair in the early 80's, loved it but sadly couldn't afford at the time. Thus nostalgia and a long love of Boston makes me want the MXR Rockman...... pretty sure it should be possible to get the same sound in a more easily switchable form from the HX or Fractal devices though?

[@ivorytelecaster]

I’m pretty happy about the waza tae core as a more affordable option

[@Place_to_keep_videos]

The Boss VG-88 looks promising.

[@iresentdoingthis1550]

Happy Early Birthday to yer kid!

[@Chris_Nouvelli]

I’ve really enjoyed the various outlets covering NAMM this year. For me, Rabea’s Sterling Sabre is something I’ve been waiting for. Really happy to hear its release is imminent and it looks killer. On the flip side, disappointed at the covert nature of other companies - Schecter had a white room that people weren’t allowed to enter, and they had no booth showing off products. Super weird. And Fender seemed to think just because they were there for the first time in a while that people would care. Doesn’t look like they did 😅

[@jameymccollum7383]

Company building Dumble amps from original specs to honor his creations. Anderton's had the update. Enjoy your videos!

[@hartlee1160]

Peavey coming out with the new musician amp that has a tube power section, the decade too amp and the preamp pedals was the biggest thing in my opinion

[@JediMasterRick2]

Yeah. I wanted more coverage on that. The retro amps and the preamp pedals got my attention.

[@pepeowen]

PositiveGrid have released some practice headphones (a true competitor to the Waza Airs?). What about Suhr’s short-scale guitars? A whole new body shape for them! Although the limited-edition modern antiques are the ones I’m gassing for! I personally think this Namm has been more eventful than 2024’s.

[@tymanngruter1808]

That Fender guitars made in Indonesia, i think that are coming from the same factories as Jet, Faisley and Our beloved Harley Benton guitars..... as this is true you can safe a lot of money! 🤔

[@cortmiller]

The Marshall modified look really cool but in the us they seem priced really high. Especially compared to the regular handwired 1959 in particular

[@christophervincent8420]

The New Peavy DA-10. it sounds amazing! Also the Orange 0 amp. Great peddle platform amp.

[@PBRGuitar]

Mesa Mark IIC++ Limited Run

[@jimmcdougall9973]

Yeah, not much innovation this year, but I want the MXR x100 Rockman pedal and will look at Digitech’s new releases.

[@materedai4158]

Haven't watched a second yet, just want to answer the title: yes, for me it's the 7 string headless Sire with 24 fanned stainless steel frets, tremolo bridge, double humbuckers and a 5 way switch for under 700 GBP. Anything else, don't really know yet.

[@JediMasterRick2]

Sire came hard this year.

[@andersg9451]

Sire releases PRS-ish and Strandberg-ish models. Looked quite interesting to me.

[@Double_0_7_Strings]

Nothing earth shattering that I’ve seen, but it’s nice to see Marshall attempting to try. Aristides has a baritone 6 and a jazzmaster body style now. Love their stuff. But yeah, no new helix, which was my big hope.

[@Dodgyguitarist]

Probably a tonex cab for me but I’d probably buy the fender FR

[@DaveDurango]

opening track is dope

[@wizdeas6064]

Have you ever tried a PRS SE NF3 John? It would be good to hear your thoughts as they're on at a great price with Anderson's right now.

[@m4ssi86]

The Tone King preamp and the 3rd power Aurora seems really interesting

[@slinky641]

The Rockman pedal seems to be a pretty big deal with the 80's crowd. A friend bought one from Sweetwater at like 4:00 AM, after it was released. He said they had 600 in stock on release and had 200 on backorder by 9:00 AM. The demos seem legit. I'm curious to see what he thinks.

[@ToastandJam52]

Correct. I haven't seen anything to get exited about yet. I think if there was anything spectacular it would have been announced at the very beginning

[@joony4614]

Please try the sonicake pocket master ❤❤

[@raimondwamelink5208]

Changing ownership of a brand isn't always a good thing. Usually it's not...

[@RobertFisher1969]

Back when KZbinrs first started covering NAMM, I feel like the most interesting things were spontaneous jams that would happen. If those are still happening, it doesn't seem like I'm seeing videos of them. It feels like it's all just filming the brands doing their practiced pitch and vlogs these days. For me the most interesting things this year have been the MXR Rockman (an easy buy for me) and synth stuff: The Behringer BX1 and the Melbourne Roto-Control.

[@jhonfelo]

The Friedman tribute to Jose Arrendondo

[@peterhall4852]

I think the Indonesian Fenders are a big risk for them. Especially if they are much more expensive than Sire or Jet. It will be interesting to see how the American market takes to them.

[@Varone26]

Suhr SL15 looks very cool.

[@Mr_Ashley]

Yes, Gibson is releasing a Les Paul

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

I was just hoping for more footage of jams but there hasn’t been much I’ve seen. A little from the PRS 40th anniversary concert. But otherwise not really.

[@acemodean]

Why are there no videos of the eastman booth?

[@frankmchale2877]

Thomas Blug nearly released his Amp x, erm, again.. 🤔🙄😆

[@vitaliistep]

It sounds great though! Hopefully he will manage to finish it some day.

[@Wild_D]

I was thinking the same thing

[@sandrews7760]

Normally something that threatens the wallet. But not this year. Can’t think of one thing I looked twice at. Still today’s videos from those that went. Maybe the zutta stuff

[@dpoultski2499]

My wallet is happy that nothing I was hoping for was released! 😆 Did Schecter really have their booth enclosed?? What was that all about? The Sire stuff did look good. It occurred to me that someone much younger might not see a brand like Fender as something desirable. If you first guitar was a Sire, that might be good enough. Amp prices are getting ridiculous. The new Synergy stuff really interests me and I might pick up one of their chassis and if I'm interested in a new map, just get a module for $399.

[@ValiRossi]

My invite to NAMM never showed up.

[@Mr_Ashley]

They don’t want us peasants there

[@josed2828]

Yes

[@aoctavio]

MXR Rockman x100

[@EliasThury]

The standard acoustisonic is the only thing that's really piqued my interest at all, which is pretty sad....

[@JamTagg]

I can tell you what DIDN’T happen. A Jack Gardiner signature AZ was not released, which is a CRIME!!!

[@Old-Skull.]

John Sykes was a legend ,✝

[@Draguitar]

Maybe affordable acoustasonic? 😆

[@archiewiles5512]

Anything line 6?

[@markusw9286]

what brand is that les paul style guitar you are playing? looks sick

[@stratmagic6893]

It is a K line

[@kaekayyy2554]

the big names really didnt bring much for the customers tho....all of them had a seminar and gibson pulled out at the last moment i think. Only thing of note was that fender series and it too is just a rebranded squier.

[@aakashjindal7330]

Both Ibanez and Sire has launched Stainless Steel Fret Models this year for less than the Fender Standard series price point. Yamaha Already has Revstars with stainless steel frets at that range. Apparently no point to buy a Fender Standard now.

[@davidlee2790]

I thought the Vintage guitars VRS100 Sessionman (LP Recording ‘copy’) was interesting…

[@guitarguru1758]

Get You Back, Shawn Lane.

[@jeffwood2956]

Is Line 6 EVER gonna give us a new Helix? I feel like the Helix's DSP power is lacking compared to QC and Fractal

[@JediMasterRick2]

You’re right. Nothing much from NAMM. Sire Guitars lineup looks great this year. Peavey has some interesting preamp pedals and a couple new retro amps. Other that that and the MXR and Marshall stuff you mentioned, yeah pretty boring. Happy birthday to your kid. Enjoy.

[@Twominutedevotions]

The tone king amp in a pedal imperial is the most interesting thing I’ve seen. It looks like they made it really feel like an amp would respond. I am all about silent solutions.

[@Tabor-City-100]

Friedman Jose amp. No Chinese Marshalls for me.

[@JesseShookman]

Collings 71!

[@ZdenekJonas]

Orange Amplifier Dual Baby etc.

[@ricklandis447]

That helix tone is siick.. heritage guitar??

[@jaymax3201]

New HELIX should be released before NAMM 2026.

[@BOSSenjoyer]

I can justify the Rockman if I call it a preamp

[@Old-Skull.]

It would be a shame if Marshall ends up in Chinese hands, one thing is to make some of your low end production abroad but another different is to let ppl destroy an iconic brand bc if those rumours become reality I have no doubt that will be the case . Tone King tube pedal , looks promising.

[@reverb.deluxe]

The Tone King Imperial Tube Preamp looks like a winner. It's a stereo tube amp pedal running three 12AX7s, with convolution reverb and balanced stereo XLR outs. It works as a practice box with aux audio in and headphone output. I'll be watching for the price announcement, especially if you can use your own reverb IR. I don't know if this is possible yet.

[@HalJikaKick]

Ellen stole the show!

[@TheBbtlegit]

Didn't see anything earth shattering.

[@TheHalrobot]

Still waiting for something new and relevant from Vox amps 😞

[@zz-.-]

I was surprised by nothing. Motivated to buy nothing. Pretty lame NAMM honestly.

[@DrSmith-b1s]

Agreed.

[@Mike-fc5vp]

great news! lots of usual farts in the wind...... notthing new under sun ... in fact it gets worse.

[@RyanMcQuen]

Godin.

[@willhaylock3769]

Looks like Marshall are being bought by a Chinese company - so I will take Marshall of my future shopping list - :(

[@micktheman6]

Nothing interesting happened I went. Dumble amps you couldn’t even play

[@zThisPlay]

yes but its all so... unattainable

[@ey870]

Nope - so over it, doesn't seem like much new or innovative at all... yawn

[@guitartoneSA]

Just more rubbish for guitarists to waste their money on.

[@darthsensei3838]

Nope. It’s all a scam