2012 NAMM Review In Pictures

Correspondent and photographer Angela Huckaby was on the scene at NAMM to bring us an inside look at the best the industry has to offer for 2012!

John 5 and Photographer Angela Huckeby at NAMM 2012

The 2012 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show, in Anaheim, California was a sweet cacophony of sales pitches, musical demonstrations, celebrity appearances, and show attendees as they packed the Anaheim Convention Center in hopes of learning about new products and trends in the music industry. The four day show is the largest musical instrument and product trade show in North America with over 95,000 attendees and more than 1,400 exhibitors from across the world. An additional Media Preview Day was held to offer first access to some of the newest products that are revealed at NAMM. During this year’s Media Preview Day, Singer-Songwriter and producer, Brian Wilson, received the Music For Life Award, for his 50 plus year contribution to the music industry. Performances were given by John Mayer, Michelle Phillips, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. NAMM supporter and former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, gave his view of the importance and impact of music.

One of the hottest gear grabs at NAMM this year was the Peavey AT-200 guitar, featuring Auto-Tune for Guitar Technology. After simply pushing a button on this guitar, real time adjustments are made so that you play in perfect pitch, eliminating the need to stop and re-tune! Even though this guitar looks like your normal guitar, built in software can be updated and features such as effects pedals and iPhone apps can be downloaded.

With Van Halen‘s recent tour announcement, the new Signature Series EVH booth was a popular for NAMM attendees. The booth displayed a collection of the Wolfgang Guitars and the EVH 5150 III Heads and Cabinets that resulted from the solid partnership formed between Eddie Van Halen and Fender Musical Instruments. After witnessing numerous tests of the new signature series Wolfgang guitars through these amps, it was evident that the EVH 5150 III delivers the tone that Eddie Van Halen would expect to play through. The amps are surprisingly light and are perfectly suited for the extra wide cabinets.

Aurora Strings made their presence known by displaying their multi-colored guitar strings. The newest addition is the RockPack by Aurora. The RockPack contains color coordinated guitar strings designed specifically to enhance gameplay with Ubisoft’s Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 game, Rocksmith.

For the more ‘techy’ musician, the DigiTech iPB-10 Programmable Pedalboard was available. The iPB-10 uses the same programming as an iPad to create an all in one amp and pedalboard combination that can plug right into a multi-fx pedalboard shell. The actual pedalboard is solid, with metal switches. Your iPad is then connected and set into the pedalboard and with installation of the iPB-Nexus app (which is free), the unit is transformed into a simple, touch screen away from 54 amps, 26 cabs, and 87 pedals. Definitely a lighter load on the road!

A few highlights in the percussion area were the Molecules drum kits (bubble shaped, custom drums, providing a more full bodied sound), and the custom painted drum kits provided by Rockett Drum Works (Rikki Rockett/Poison). Both kits were a sight to be seen!

All in all, the NAMM Show of 2012 was a large success, combining those in all aspects of the music industry to promote success in music education and performance. Cheers to making music in 2012!

Angela Huckeby is a photographer and rock and roll correspondent in the Tulsa, OK area. All photos included in this gallery are Angela’s protected works. Please do not use without consent.

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