NAMM 2009: My thoughts

Well another NAMM is in the can. The Convention Center is dark, crews are tearing down booths, vendors are tallying the orders, and the retailers are planning their next sales strategy with the new gear to arrive sometime this spring. I don't have complete coverage here since I'm only one man and I was only there one day. For more extensive coverage go to Harmony Central. I do however have some observations and thoughts on this year's show.

The scope of the show seemed a little more subdued. It was still a sight to see but some of the booths seemed toned down a little. There were even a few empty spots on the main floor. Not the landmark middle of the room spots, but a few small spots on the sides were empty as of Saturday. The Ernie Ball booth, which typically is a must see because of their yearly theme was a little less impressive than the Pirate Ship of years past. They were all dressed as '80's TV characters so the theme wasn't completely abandoned. The Roland/Boss area was smaller than previous years as well. Lastly, Hall E, the downstairs portion which typically has smaller vendors seemed a little empty. There were also some vendors down in Hall E which in prior years had been up on the main floor.

The booth babes were a little fewer this year. This is a staple of trade shows as sexist as it may seem. There were still a few the Coffin Case, Dean Guitars, and Fernandes Guitars booths, as well as a few others that are escaping me at the moment. The caliber of these ladies seemed to be a little lacking as well. I'm not a shallow guy and I don't traditionally make any judgment based on appearance I'm just saying that these girls were more on the average side of things.

Some vendors appeared to be taking a new direction with some of their gear. Mesa Boogie showed off the new Electra Dyne. A simple six knob amplifier from the home of tone. This is quite a departure for Randall Smith and the crew in Petaluma. Ernie Ball showed off the Sterling series of guitars which are import versions of many of their popular models. Marshall was pushing the MG series this year. They had a great deal of focus on the more affordable amps instead of the high end all tube stacks. There are also a few previously high end only manufacturers who have introduced import models. Egnater and Bogner have both gone this route while still building the USA made amplifiers. VHT amplification is also now a more affordable line than before. The VHT name was sold and the models are all completely new. (the Pitbull,sig-x, and other classic VHT designs are still being made by Fryette Amplification)

There was no shortage of artists doing demos and signings however after a few years of attending NAMM you start recognizing the usual suspects. George Lynch, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert all doing their duty at the respective booths. I am a fan of all of these guys but there really aren't any new guitar players making a name for themselves. I know the art of playing guitar suffered through the '90's but we gotta have a new crop soon.

There was the typical sea of literature, handouts, catalogs, etc.. however there did seem to be a few vendors going digital. I picked up a few demo DVDs which can be far more useful than a picture and a description. Some vendors were giving USB key's to their buyers. These thumbdrives had the catalog, order forms, sales training, contact info, as well as some artist demo's and testimonials.

While still an impressive show, NAMM 2009 seemed a little more back to basics and down to business. I'm sure it was a successful show for all and everyone is looking forward to Summer NAMM and hopefully a better economy for winter NAMM 2010.

Scott