NAMM 2023: It’s back! And for the first time ever, NAMM is taking place in April – Thursday, 13 April to Saturday, 15 April 2023, to be precise. What does this mean for all the guitar news, rumors and predictions from the show? Precisely nada: NAMM 2023 is already heating up with a red-hot gumbo of simmering new gear releases.
Before you ask, no, Fender, Gibson and PRS won’t be there, just like last year. But while NAMM 2022 felt like a very different show, it also worked, as our comprehensive live blog attested. There were some genuine exclusives (Kirk Hammett’s ESP LTD KH-Vs), surprise collaborations (Tosin Abasi and Ernie Ball Music Man’s Kaizen) and some truly bonkers goings-ons (Chibson USA’s Klontar).
Indeed, plenty of heavy-hitters will be making an appearance again this year, and there are some mighty intriguing guitars, amps and pedals heading our way.
We’ll be bringing you all the latest news as it happens, with every release we know about listed below. And you can also look forward to our NAMM 2023 live blog, which will kick off come show time, with all the biggest and weirdest gear our reporter on the ground can snap.
But for now, here’s the full list of what’s coming down the NAMM 2023 gear pipeline…
NAMM 2023 guitar news, rumors and predictions: everything we know so far
NAMM 2023 electric guitar news
- Danelectro's classic '59 outline just got an extra pickup, with the new Triple Divine.
- Reverend has treated Rick Vito and Pete Anderton to two new tonally diverse, well-spec'd workhorse signature models – and there are more guitars on the way for the show…
- Vox is taking its Giulietta model to sleek new heights with the stylishly streamlined VGA-5TPS hollowbody.
- Magneto's all-new Starlux is likely to be the coolest-looking semi-hollow design of the show – and perhaps 2023 as a whole.
- The Surfliner HH is Guild's latest offset design, boasting eight pickup combinations.
- They were there last year, but ESP's long-awaited Kirk Hammett LTD KH-V signature models will be on show, and we'll wager there will be a few more surprises in store, too…
- Chapman has been teasing a Peter Honoré Tele-inspired signature model – we'd wager it will make an appearance at this year's show.
- Ibanez reliably drops a wealth of new signature models at each and every NAMM – we're pinning our hopes on a more affordable Steve Vai PIA, and there's also the small matter of that white-finished Lari Basilio LB1…
NAMM 2023 guitar amp news
- Positive Grid has downsized the Spark into the Spark Go, a 5-watt modeling amp that fits in your pocket.
- Blackstar has unveiled its most powerful entry-level amp yet, the Debut 50R – and there's more to come…
NAMM 2023 guitar pedal news
- Walrus Audio has been busy: its new, slider-equipped Fundamental series is set to receive its debut at the show, having been leaked early, while the Fable Granular Soundscape Generator will also be on display.
- Laney has unveiled the Ironheart Loudpedal, a surprisingly affordable, two-channel 60W amp in a stompbox.
- Darkglass is looking to to shake up the noise gate market with its “cutting-edge” new NSG pedal – but we don't know a whole lot about it.
- We should be bracing ourselves for the holy grail of saturated tones, according to Crazy Tube Circuits, whose Motherload combines Big Muff and Rat sounds in one pedal.
NAMM 2023 acoustic guitar news
- Martin has announced the StreetLegend series, which recreates historic models from the brand's museum, not to mention a wealth of D-18s and D-28s in new Satin, Amberburst and Authentic finishes.
- Taylor's 400 series just got a new dreadnought model and a raft of cosmetic updates for 2023.
- Last year, Tosin Abasi's Abasi Concepts teased its game-changing nylon-string prototype – could we see a finished version this time around?
NAMM 2023 bass news
- Ampeg intends to provide bassists with “an entire rig in a single stompbox” as it launches the SGT-DI preamp and DI pedal.
NAMM 2023 guitar accessory news
- Polyphia’s Tim Henson and Scott LePage have secured themselves signature Fishman Fluence pickups – complete with an onboard nylon-string substitute setting. Intrigued? You bet you are.
- The most versatile HSS pickup set on the market? Seymour Duncan and Lari Basilio might have achieved just that with the virtuoso's new signature set.
- EMG is seeking to revolutionize offset guitar tones with the launch of its active JMaster pickups for Fender Jazzmasters.
- If you're worried about switching to wireless, Shure might have released the most reliable system on the market with the GLX-D+ Dual Band.
- Want the Master of Puppets sound in a plugin? Neural DSP has you covered with its comprehensive Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ plugin suite.
