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Winter 2018 NAMM Show
Winter NAMM 2018 is finally in the books and we wanted to give a recap of the awesome things we saw at the show. For anyone who has never been to the show, NAMM is quite an experience and it can be overwhelming with the number of sounds and items on display but we have managed to make it through another show and secure some awesome products for 2018. For us at Adirondack Guitar, it's an opportunity to see what left handed guitars, basses and other instruments will be available (and to try and remind each brand that lefties love their gear).
D'Angelico Guitars
We started the show at D’Angelico and they had tons of new products, many of which are very left handed friendly. The new Deluxe series of hollow body and semi hollow body models features a wide array of colors and styles, most of which are available lefty, and they looked fantastic. The new solid body models consist of the Atlantic, Ludlow, and Bedford look amazing as well and the Grateful Dead Bedford model features the Iconic Grateful Dead Dancing Bear logo and even dancing bear inlays on the neck. We had the privilege of attending a small show where Bob Weir played and amazing show for a small crowd with not only his Signature Premier SS model but also with a Premier Series acoustic, that’s how great the Premier series is from D’Angelico.
Washburn Guitars
Washburn Guitars was the next stop on our way through NAMM and they have some interesting new models, which included the Timeless Collection, which is made from 140 year old wood that Washburn sourced and makes this line of mandolins with. They also had the new N4 Nuno Bettencourt models on display ( we just received a custom ordered LH Vintage N4 Nuno model while we were at the show) and they look amazing. We were lucky enough to be invited to the Extreme Concert and it was an amazing show.
ESP/LTD
ESP/ LTD never disappoints and this year was no exception. They had so many amazing models on hand, including a hand built one of a kind V with amazing details. ESP continues to make awesome new USA models in the USA custom shop in California and the LTD import models deliver a high quality instrument at an affordable price. As always there are many Left handed ESP/LTD models this year and we are currently working on putting together a couple of custom ordered Lefty electric guitar models now. Keep an eye out for updates coming soon.
Schecter Guitars
Schecter Guitars had a bit of a different set up this year with a smaller, dealer only type of booth but they brought plenty of great new products including the DJ Ashba Acoustic, new Synyster Gates models, and a New C-1 SLS Elite model (Lefty friendly in both colors) that looks and sounds awesome. While we were there checking out the new Schecter models Keith Merrow just happened to be in the booth and it was awesome of him to take the time to stop for a photo. We are excited about 2018 and the new models Schecter has to offer.
C.F. Martin Guitars
Our next stop took us to the Martin Guitar booth. There has been a lot changing with the redesign of many of the standard series models and many new models on display as well. We had the pleasure of meeting Chris Martin himself and we got a photo with the new Martin John Mayer Signature model as well, which is a beautiful instrument. They also released the popular Martin DX420, commemorating the recent passing of Prop 64 in California and it really is a nice sounding acoustic electric. There were many stunning Martins all throughout the booth and we placed many of the new Standard series models on order, such as a Left handed GPC-18E and a Left handed GPC-28E just to name a few.
Ernie Ball Music Man
Ernie Ball Music Man is yet another brand who had an awesome booth and some great new products. Many of the signature models saw some new colors and changes, such as the St Vincent, Albert Lee, and James Valentine Models. James Valentine himself was hanging around the booth talking to patrons and looking like he was having a great time. We are excited to announce that this year we will be carrying some of the BFR(Ball Family Reserve) models being released later this year. Look for more info soon regarding the custom orders we placed and incoming models from Ernie Ball Music Man. We managed to secure the last run of Left handed Stingrays before they redesigned the body and there will be no Stingray Basses available in 2018 as of now so you may want to consider reserving a left hand Stingray bass before they are all gone!
Sterling by Music Man
Following in the footsteps of the USA counterpart, Sterling by Music Man also had some awesome models that look and feel like the awesome models you know and love from the USA Ernie Ball Music Man models. The imported licensed Sterling by Music Man line allows for a much more affordable price point and they have really stepped up the quality and the look of the models they carry. We are happy to add the Sterling by Music brand to our offerings at Adirondack Guitar and we have many of the models on the way now, one of which is a left handed Sterling by Music Man Stingray in black and natural. Lots of new models arriving in the store very soon.
Reverend Guitars
Reverend Guitars had some awesome new models on display which included the Wattplower short scale bass and the new Signature models like the Billy Corgan Terz electric as well. Reverend also has a new model called the Super Rev, which features colors reminiscent of old muscle cars and a rumble B style graphic, giving it an awesome classic car look. We attended the Reverend NAMM party at the Slide Bar in Fullerton California and it was an awesome show headlined by the Koffin Kats and they put on a killer show. We also had the pleasure of meeting the founder of Reverend guitars, Joe Naylor who was gracious enough to grab a pic with us. We are looking into doing some custom ordering with Reverend this year so stay tuned for more info and if you have any suggestions of what you may want to see as a custom build feel free to drop us an email.
Guild and Cordoba Guitars
Guild guitars and Cordoba guitars had a very nice private room display upstairs at the show and they had some great artists doing demos all day long. The new instruments sound as good as they look and the USA model Guilds are returning to the quality they were once known for. We were very impressed with the new StarFire II model, as well as the new solid body models like the JetStar as well. We will have new Guild and Cordoba models arriving in Early March and we are very excited about the new models we have recently received in the store such as the M-240e and the M240e Troubadour, both of which are great small body acoustics. We also bumped into RJ Ronquillo, who happens to do Demo Videos for both Guild and Eastwood guitars.
G&L Guitars
G&L Guitars had an awesome showing at the NAMM show this year, they haven’t displayed much in the past few years and they really had some great new things for 2018. They have a limited run of woods that they can produce some awesome finishes with, each one is totally different than the other and if you have any interest we would recommend acting fast as this will last as long as the wood does. G&L also has some new colors, shell pink being the easiest to spot, and they have now announced a Doheny Tribute and a Semi Hollow Doheny as well, both of which are awesome additions to the line. G&L also announced the arrival of the G&L Custom shop, which will allow one builder, start to finish, to work on every part of the instrument. Contact us for more information on the awesome new G&L models coming in 2018.
Chapman Guitars
Chapman Guitars of the UK was one of the most interesting brands we spotted at the show. Chapman models are very lefty friendly and they made several different shapes and styles that are not available in other brands. They looked beautiful and the buzz from our customers has been constant so we are strongly considering adding the Chapman brand to the Adirondack Guitar line up. Hopefully, we will have some information soon regarding some custom order models we are working to order. The Chapman line up sounded even better than it looked and the colors were stunning in person.
Guitar Grip Wall hangers
One of the more interesting finds we had at the NAMM show was Guitar Grip wall hangers. These stylish, unique wall hangers allow you to display your awesome instruments with some other than a block of wood and a rubber hanger. These awesome wall hangers add a stylish look to any instrument and they are available in both left and right handed models. Reverend guitars was awesome enough to loan the Guitar Grip and instrument to see just how great they look with a guitar on display. We are excited about carrying this awesome accessory in our store soon.
Coming back to the store after NAMM is always exciting as we've gotten a chance to see what's coming in for the next year. This year was great for our left handed guitar and bass players. We're really excited for some of the new instruments and gear coming in and we hope you will be too.
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