NAMM 2026 Recap

It wasn’t that long ago that people in the industry were writing NAMM’s obituary. “No one needs it. Everything is online. It’s too expensive.” Well, all those things may be true in a sense (especially that last point).

But when you get right down to it, music — and particularly guitar — is a tactile, real-world, in-person experience. NAMM 2026 seemed to bear that out, with big, boisterous crowds, exciting new gear, and—as hard as it may be to believe—hope for the future.

Some reasons for that optimism include:

Gibson, PRS, and Fender were all back at the show in some capacity. They didn’t have their massive booths/compounds from the days of yore, but they all showed exciting new models and enthusiasm about moving forward. This is great news. As go the Big 3, so goes the industry.

There was a time where the show floor would be clogged by non-players who only wanted to get Paul Stanley’s autograph. That day is done. The stars of the show now are influencers like Ola Englund and Rick Beato.

Yes, people still clamor for their photo op with them, but here’s the thing: they only follow these influencers because they play — and players are what keep the industry healthy and vibrant. Bring it on.

Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer talks about life with EverTune inventor Cosmos Lyles.

EverTune was on full and glorious display in a lot of booths, including Ibanez, Aristides, Mayones, ESP, and many more.

And we were thrilled to welcome Tagima into the EverGrowing EverTune Family. They had two new models, both of which sold almost immediately. Bravo!

Tagima joined the EverTune fam with two models at the show, including this Lace Alumitone-loaded model.

The folks at Ruf guitars had several EverTune models, like this one about to do damage through that Driftwood amp.

Aristides never disappoints. Multiscale EverTune, anyone?

Our vote for coolest guitar at the show has to be Mayones, who unveiled this stunning multiscale 6-string. The photo does not do that finish justice. It is breathtaking.

There were lots of great performances by killer players like Paul Gilbert, Matteo Mancuso, Steve Morse, Phil X, Nuno Bettencourt, Mateus Asato, Alex Skolnick, Keyan Houshmand, and many more. Again: less about the old-fashioned NAMM glam, and more about real players playing real music. And that can only bode well for the health of our industry. Thanks, NAMM 2026 — it’s a wrap!

Keyan Houshmand was holding court at the Bare Knuckle booth, consitently cranking out cool content like he does, here with a Jackson Josh Smith Soloist SL7.