Tour Diary: Eastwood at NAMM 2018
Wham bam thank you NAMM! Mike & the Eastwood team visited NAMM 2018 in Anaheim, California, to check out some of the hottest new gear. Here's our tour diary.
Before you ask, we didn't showcase at the NAMM Show this year. However, Mike & the rest of the Eastwood team were there - after all, the event is a true gathering of the music industry, and a haven for those who love guitars, amps, synths and all other kinds of musical gear.
The NAMM Show (which took place between 25-28 January this year) is the perfect opportunity to meet dealers, close new deals, meet old and new friends and other like-minded people who, like us, also love guitars, amps and effects. So, even though we were not showcasing, we simply had to be there!
Our trip started a few days earlier, in fact, and while visiting Santa Monica we decided to check Truetone Music, for sure one of the best guitar shops in the area.
But, on to Anaheim. Here's some of our highlights from NAMM 2018:
The FX Pedals at NAMM 2018
Of course, like most guitar players, we are also effects pedals aficionados, so we had a great time trying out all the different brands showcasing, including Fuzzrocious, Electro-Harmonix, Chase Bliss, JAM Pedals, Strymon and many others. We were particularly surprised by the variety, beauty and quality of many brands from Athens, Greece!
Some of favourite pedals included:
Beetronix Royal Jelly
Creepy Fingers Fuzz Nugget
Earthquaker Westwood
Guitar Amps at NAMM 2018
To be honest, not a lot of amps blew our minds this year, but of course it was great to check the Orange and the Marshall booths. Marshall actually launched a new 20W Valve head that looks very promising, but we didn't have the opportunity to try one. Cool booth, though:
But the one booth we simply had to visit was the Magnatone Amps booth. They make Mike's favourite amp right now, so we had to check them out. And yeah, Mike was right - Magnatone amps look and sound awesome!
Guitars at NAMM Show 2018:
Of course, guitars are what really get us excited about NAMM, and we had the opportunity to try a few very good ones. Brands such as Pure Salem and Reverend are not so much competitors but like-minded brands that show that many guitarists out there are really eager to try out different guitars, and not the "same old, same old" of before.
Godin also impressed us with some beautiful models, but our favourite booth was Zemaitis - they make some truly unique and exquisite guitars, which top guitarists such as Ronnie Wood play. True works of art:
Even though we were not showcasing this year, you could still find a couple of our guitars at the Fuzzrocious booth - the Surfcaster bass and the Airline 59 2PT. Both of which really impressed those who tried them, we were told - including guitaristSade from up-and-coming Los Angeles band, L.A. Witch:
But the highlight of the show, for us, was seeing RJ Ronquillo coming to the Fuzzrocious booth to play some mean fuzz with the 2PT:
Overall, NAMM 2018 was a great experience, and you can see more of our videos on the NAMM 2018 Playlist we put on YouTube, and see more pictures on our Instagram.
And no, U2 didn't play at NAMM...
We're already looking forward to next year - after all, we're already missing California, its great people, sunshine, sea and, of course, all those guitars, amps and effects we saw at NAMM! Will we be showcasing in 2019? Wait and see... but one thing is certain, we'll be there!
See you next year, NAMM!
