The wafflemakers of Anaheim are warming. Dazzling glitter finishes are being applied to awe-inspiring shred machines. Tubes are being toasted. Pedals chained. Promotional picks packed into tiny jeans pockets and bassists are pickling their slapping thumbs to make them extra hard. Yes: NAMM is back.
After a year that’s seen the trade pulling together in the face of shared challenges and with NAMM taking a leading role in lobbying Congress, our sense is of a stronger sense of unity among firms in 2026, or at least an agreement to split the costs of a laminator. Rest assured though, they’ll still be competing for our eyes and ears at the year’s biggest gear showcase.
Guitar World will be keeping you abreast of all the key guitar, amp, pedal, modeler and bass announcements right here, both in the run-up to the event and across the NAMM show itself (January 20-24, 2026), with our team on the ground in Anaheim.
Bookmark the heck out of this page, and it will be your one-stop shop for all the breaking news throughout NAMM – before, during and after the show – until the close of the month. If it’s not here, it’s not important – or we just haven’t got to it yet because we’re face down in our laptops having a small but mighty power nap.
2025 was a genuine return to form for NAMM, after a few shaky years, in which big firms abandoned ship at an alarming rate. Now they’re mostly back onboard, albeit in reduced footprint, or in a backroom capacity. Fortunately, after many tours of NAMM, we’ve gotten quite good at finding those rooms.
So stick with us, and we’ll take you along for the ride, as we try out the most exciting new guitar gear, step through the big firms’ mystery doors for exclusive peeks at their latest line-ups, and check in with some of the A-list guitar talent that the world’s biggest music-making event attracts.
NAMM 2026: Electric guitars
- The big news at Fender is its new CEO, Edward ‘Bud’ Cole – the man who pioneered the resurgence of Fender Japan and opened the brand’s Tokyo Flagship store. Obviously, it’s a little too soon for him to have made any major changes just yet, but it will be intriguing to see how his new leadership affects the brand’s NAMM plans. Beyond the usual Custom Shop extravaganza, we’re not sure what’s in store. But Mateus Asato’s departure from Suhr sure is interesting timing, eh?
- With 2026 being Megadeth’s grand farewell, we fully expect Gibson to embrace ’Deth. There’s the small matter of that Dave Mustaine Les Paul he’s been teasing for literally years, and that sick custom Explorer that Teemu Mäntysaari has been wielding at recent shows. We also know that a new Michael Schenker Flying V is in the works. And surely, surely, the long-awaited Mark Morton Les Paul will finally show its, erm, face?
- Speaking of Megadeth, Jackson dropped a pair of new Chris Broderick Soloists at the tail end of the year.
- Gibson has also paid tribute to rock 'n' roll royalty by releasing a Collector's Edition replica of Keith Richards' go-to six-string – his 1960 ES-355.
- Gibson is also testing out a brand new concept offset guitar design – the retro-futuristic Atomic Age.
- Gibson also, in its full new-for-2026 lineup, unveiled some ‘50s and ‘60s-inspired reissues and signature models for classic rock gods of the days of old (Mick Ronson, Michael Schenker) and new (Gary Clark Jr.) alike.
- Donner is launching what it’s called “the ultimate headless guitar”, the HLX-500. Certainly looks familiar, eh? Elsewhere, it’s updated its Hush headless guitar models with a quintet of new finishes, while the original HUSH-I – launched at NAMM 2022 – has received an upgrade with the VHUSH I EVO2.
- In terms of bang for buck, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything that can match Harley Benton’s ST-Modern Carlos Asensio signature model. The YouTuber’s Superstrat has rolled fingerboard edges, Luminlay side dots, roasted maple neck and a Vega-Trem VT1 Ultratrem for under $700.
- Ibanez has unveiled its most 'prog rock' guitar to date with the launch of the Alpha Series. It's giving serious Abasi Concepts/Ernie Ball/Strandberg vibes, and we are so here for it. A refreshing entry into the shred and metal guitar specialist's lineup.
- Speaking of Ibanez, NAMM is usually a reliable time to get some new Ibanez artist models. At Guitar Summit, the firm unexpectedly launched its Bernth guitar. Could more surprise signatures be in the offing? After all, Isaiah Sharkey has been teasing a new Ibanez on social media...
- Kiesel is showcasing its all-new Aero range of electric guitars. They kinda look like Sci-Fi, space age S-styles. That grated pickguard looks pretty darn cool, too.
- PRS' early 2026 lineup includes a long-awaited Mojave Brown Satin Silver Sky, a brand-new S2 Vela HHT, a load of new-look models, and some key wholesale SE updates, including new tuning pegs and pickup rings.
-PRS also has launched a surprise new signature guitar for Ed Sheeran, and the SE Cosmic Splash is a tastily specced hollowbody baritone limited to just 1,000 pieces.
- Silvertone is back, and it's back with a bang, reviving the uber-cool 1478 offset, semi-hollow 1446, and the oddball 1449.
- Epiphone and Fatoumata Diawara have made history together, unveiling the brand’s first signature model for a woman of color. The $699 Epiphone Fatoumata Diawara signature SG is loaded with a heap of switching options and just look at that artwork...
- Epiphone also gave us a look at its full new-for-2026 lineup: Futuras, stainless steel frets, and signatures, oh my! In all seriousness, though, the menu of six-strings shows that Gibson's budget-friendly sister company is serious about bringing bigger and better specs to lower price ranges, thereby giving players exactly what they want.
- Yamaha hit the event early, with two big announcements, reviving it’s lesser-spotted T-style Pacifica SC, under its popular Professional and Professional Plus lines, and unveiling a major signature launch, with the arrival of the Chris Buck RevStar RS02CB.
- Revered Japanese brand Tokai is making its return to US shores later this year, with a trio of high-end Fender-inspired builds, in the form of the GoldStar S-style, Breezysound T-style and Hard Puncher P-style bass. There’ll be a new US customer support center, too.
- Ever-innovative Swedish guitar firm Strandberg has turned to Jamstik for its latest collaborative release, and the Strandberg x Jamstik Chameleon puts its electric guitar design on a collision course with full polyphonic MIDI functionality.
- Ciari has bent over backwards forwards to make folding guitars palatable with the Ascender line – now its unveiled the most flexible yet, with the Ascender Trio Plus. No, it's not extra bendy, but it does have three Seymour Duncan pickups available in HSH, HSS, and SSS configurations. It’s available for $2,199.
- A whole host of signature guitars comes by way of Suhr. The brand's 2026 lineup includes signature with Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, Lady Gaga sideman Tim Stewart, Pete Thorn, James Norbert Ivanyi, Ian Thornley, and Andy Wood.
- Reverend Guitars is introducing the Air series for 2026, featuring four new semi-hollow models in the Charger, Kingbolt, and Roundhouse lines. Each one prioritizes “classic tone, modern playability, and standout looks.” The brand is also making over – and introducing updated models to – its Charger, Kingbolt, Descent, Sensei, and Roundhouse lineups.
- John Mayer and PRS have announced the limited edition Blue Wave Silver Sky – inspired by luxury watches – and a certain jeweler’s iconic turquoise. It’s limited to 1000 units, which will roll out across 2026 and is the first to feature a matching headstock.
- Duesenberg has rewarded Taylor Swift's long-serving guitarist Paul Sidoti with a signature model – the Alliance Paul Sidoti. It's based on the Paloma Custom, but has nickel hardware and a gorgeous custom Catalina Blue finish (due in Spring).
- Sterling by Music Man has announced affordable versions of Jason Richardson’s Cutlass signature guitar, arriving in six- and seven-string formats, without overly sacrificing its top-line specs. The brand is also rolling out a budget-friendly version of Cory Wong's StingRay II, plus its first-ever baritone guitar, an HSS version of Steve Lukather's ever-popular Luke signature model, and sweet new finishes for the Cutlass Plus.
- ESP Guitars has unleashed eight new signature guitar models into the world, promising something for everyone, as late greats and artist debutants are celebrated – while its mid-priced LTD Deluxe 1000 Series guitars are touted as “among our best in history.”
- In addition to its other, high-profile releases, Yamaha celebrated the Revstar's 60th birthday with a beautifully-spec'd, limited-edition model.
NAMM 2026: Effects pedals
- DigiTech/DOD will be showcasing its Badder Monkey overdrive. But will there be any more surprises?
- The JHS Pedals x Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi 2, sourced from a long-lost circuit schematic, was one of 2025’s coolest pedal launches, and will be out in the wild at the show.
- Electro-Harmonix has also just unveiled the potentially game-changing Effects Interface Hardware Plugin, which turns pedals into plugins and vice versa without the need for converters, re-amp boxes and complex cable setups.
- Neural DSP might have already won the NAMM game this year, taking another quantum leap in modeling by launching the Quad Cortex mini – packing the full processing power of the Quad Cortex, plus a touchscreen into 8.9” x 4.5” footprint.
- This might be the moment where we figure out what Gamechanger Audio’s Recoder actually is. Because the company sure as heck don’t know what to call it.
- Strymon is the king of digital pedals. But the Fairfax marked its first foray into fully analog stompboxes – a Class A output stage drive pedal that’s “a complete miniature amplifier in 100% analog form”.
- Death By Audio’s Destroyer Series looks so, so awesome. Reverb, delay, phaser and fuzz effects are on tap – the company is calling them the “family of beautifully chaotic stereo tone machines”.
- Forget digital emulations of analog circuits. Dirty Boy’s Silver Boy is an analog version of a popular digital amp sim.
- The Nocturne is Keeley’s latest collab with Andy Timmons – a reverb pedal the virtuoso hails as “the most inspiring reverb I’ve ever heard”.
- J. Rockett’s Aqueous Chorus has distinct CE-1 vibes courtesy of a preamp and its BBD-style textures, but it can turn its hands to more modern tones, too.
- Crazy Tube Circuits will be channeling classic Orange fuzz and grind with the Orama twin-footswitch drive pedal.
- EarthQuaker Devices and Dr. Z have put their heads together for the ZEQD-Pre – a tube-loaded preamp pedal that might just be the tonal tool your digital rig has been crying out for. With a pristine EF86 tube, it promises to inject genuine valve warmth to any signal chain.
- Collision Devices is looking to satisfy our hunger for tasty pedal drops with the Snack Series, which comprises bite-sized fuzz, pitch and delay 'boxes that sound as good as they look.
- Nuclear Audio has perhaps pioneered an industry-first with its Fission Drive. True to the name, it splits your signal in two and injects adjustable levels of gain to the two separate frequency bands. Very gnarly.
- DSM & Humboldt have followed its fan-favorite (and widely acclaimed) Simplifier analog amp modeling pedal with the Dumblifier. It does exactly what it says on the tin: offers authentic, non-digital tube amp tones inspired by the mythical Dumble Overdrive Special.
- Boss has moved to take control of the beginner amp modeler market with the $229 GX-1 – and it looks a total breeze to operate.
- Ibanez is hoping to reassert its presence in the world of high-end effects pedal with the Layer Delayer – a wild echo machine that serves as its most ambitious stompbox to date.
- Poly Effects and Josh Smith have released their latest boundary-pushing effects pedal, the Kanso.
- Vox has ramped up its pedal arsenal with the VFZ-1 and VTB-1. The first is inspired by the the Maestro Fuzz-Face, while the latter takes cues from Rory Gallagher and Brian May's favored Treble Booster.
- Walrus has expanded its Canvas range of utility pedals with the impressively feature-packed volume pedal. The firm has also introduced a "first of its kind" Mantle analog bass preamp and DI box.
- Beloved YouTuber guitarist and producer Ryan “Fluff” Bruce is expanding his signature gear empire with a new overdrive pedal from Warm Audio: the Warm Audio Fluff Drive.
- Billy Corgan has condensed the tone of his $100,000+ Smashing Pumpkins rig into the new $629 Laney Black Country Customs Supergrace pedal amp – and he tells GW he’s even tested it in front of 60,000 My Chemical Romance fans...
- British metal heavyweights Iron Maiden are the latest to be honored with a signature Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah, with a special Killers edition of the iconic pedal paying homage to the band’s earliest days.
- British amp builders Blackstar has followed in the footsteps of Fender in transitioning into the amp modeler market with a series of “advanced DSP” pedals under the ID:X Digital Floorboard banner.
- The MXR EVH Modern High Gain was originally developed directly with Eddie Van Halen in 2015 and takes the ultra-high gain third channel of the EVH 5150III and tries to contain it in a pedal.
- Polyend has unveiled the Endless: a fully customizable, open-source effects pedal that allows players to continually create new effects – no coding required.
- Old Blood Noise Endeavors is launching its own experimental glitch delay/reverb machine – Parting – in collaboration with musician, social media influencer and YouTuber Emily Hopkins (Emily the Harpist), which promises to “enhance the granularity and ambience of most pedalboard soundscapes.”
- Surfy Industries is rolling out a limited edition Beach Boys Pet Sounds finish on its final run of Compact Reverb pedals. It's an official partnership and will arrive in Spring, ready for the 60th anniversary of said masterpiece.
- Laney has just launched the DB-EAST-PRE – a preamp crafted in collaboration with Nathan East, the most recorded bass player in history.
NAMM 2026: Guitar amps
- Marshall has celebrated the Lunar New Year with a striking collaboration with Beijing artist FCCK, who has helped craft some visually distinctive combo amps.
- EVH will be showing its first-ever digital amp, the Hypersonic, which was announced late last year.
- One big surprise that will be showcased at this year’s show is EHX’s ABRAMS100 (EHX) – a 100-watt solid-state head for under $300. Designed, obviously, for pedal users.
- Orange has rolled out the OR60 – an all-valve guitar amp head that it says is the “most versatile it has ever built.” It may look simple, but it promises versatility and a plethora of tone shaping goodness...
- Vox has added new Greenback combos to its premium Hand-Wired amp family (Vox).
- And, speaking of Vox, the firm is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Valvetronix series of hybrid amp modelers by releasing its most advanced iterations yet: the VT20X and VT40X.
- Audio giant JBL has entered the ever-expanding AI guitar tech fray, and the company's first swing is a big one. The company's newest creation, BandBox, is an AI-powered smart practice amp and portable speaker. Most intriguingly, that AI tech, JBL says, can provide real-time vocal and instrument separation. This could really change the way guitarists practice...
- Synergy Amps, which has long looked at the amplifier world in alternative ways, has debuted its new machine-learning power amp technology for “a no-compromise amplifier solution” – showcased via two new offerings with Wampler and Friedman.
- Slash has added the Lil’ Viper – a lightweight amp with a size-defying sound – to his collection of signature Magnatone gear.
- Divided by 13 and guitarist/producer Butch Walker have unveiled the BW 1969 head – a stunning British flavored all-tube build that enables you to hop between EL84 and 6L6 power tubes at the flick of a switch.
- Roland has introduced its latest battery-powered PA solution – the Cube Street Mini –with “class-leading tools” designed for gigging musicians and street performers alike.
- On the heels of the introduction of its ID:X Digital Floorboard series, Blackstar unveiled the Artist FR series of FRFR speakers, designed to give users of the ID:X – or, obviously, the Quad Cortex, Tone Master Pro, etc. – a realistic, tube amp-like response.
- There’s a tasty new head from Two-Rock, the Studio Overdrive. It’s a two-channel 35-watt tube amp build, with a 6L6 power stage, tube-buffered effects loop, a straight forward control layout and one of its gainiest designs yet. Expect a price tag of $3,799.
- Blackstar’s busy year continues, with the announcement of the TV-10A and TV-10B mini heads and cabs – offering American and British style tones, respectively – alongside built-in reverb, effects loops and emulated line-outs. The heads will be priced at $749.99 and the cabs will cost $499.99. More info at Blackstar.
NAMM 2026: Acoustic guitars
- Funnily enough, when Tosin Abasi last gave us an update on his long-in-the-works Abasi Concepts nylon-string model, it was NAMM 2025. Now, it finally lives. The Abasi Stage 7 is a joint build with nylon-string and Spanish guitar mainstay Córdoba. It's a 7-string model tuned from B to E, and features 24 fanned frets and Córdoba's Stage Pickup System. Not your grandpa's classical guitar, that's for sure.
- Taylor has lifted the curtain on what it's calling perhaps its most advanced acoustic date as part of a comprehensive unveiling of its class-of-2026 guitars. The Next Generation Grand Auditorium models are particularly intriguing, with new bracing, an all-new Claria pickup system, and that nifty Action Control Neck. A new benchmark in tone, playability and performance? Taylor thinks so.
- Two-time Grammy winner and bluegrass magician Molly Tuttle has finally gotten a Martin signature guitar, and it’s proven worth the wait, with two models arriving at once: the Martin D-18 and D-X2E.
- Ibanez and Polyphia virtuoso Tim Henson have reprised their successful partnership with two new versions of his immensely popular electric-nylon signature guitars: the TOD100N and TOD100FMN.
- Back in camp Martin, there’s a serious refresh for the Road Series, which has now been split into Retro and Modern lines, with 18/20 models being new or overhauled. The newly revamped line starts from $899.99.
- Nashville-based Kepma unveiled, among other models, the Elite Grand Auditorium F2S Lamplight. What really stands out about the model is its one-of-one inlays. Its fretboard is meant to represent the floors of a high-rise apartment building, with the inlays being the various lighting scenarios within that high-rise. Bringing cyberpunk to an otherwise classically-styled acoustic – you gotta love that.
- Yamaha celebrated the 60th anniversary of its classic FG9 acoustic with a celebratory, luxuriously-spec'd model.
NAMM 2026: Bass guitars
- Ibanez has brought back the Iceman bass guitar for the first time in almost 20 years. Hallelujah. It's not everyone's favorite Ibanez by any means, but it is beloved by Paul Stanley and Daron Malakian, so there's a lot of pedigree there. Now, bassists can get in on the fun. Everyone say, 'Thank you, Ibanez.'
- Aria Guitars has announced a commemorative signature bass for the late Cliff Burton to mark 40 years since his passing.
- Ernie Ball Music Man made quite a splash a few years ago with its announcement of the DarkRay bass – a StingRay with onboard fuzz and distortion effects from Darkglass Electronics. Set to come out in a few months' time, the DarkRay II builds on its older sibling's template with new, fully integrated octave up and octave down effects. Oh, and the octave knob? It has an LED ring around it that glows different colors depending on how you deploy it. How cool is that?
NAMM 2026: Pickups and accessories
- Seymour Duncan has released its third set of signature Slash pickups. They're the same humbuckers that were fitted into Slash's Back to the Beginning Gibson SG.
- Seymour Duncan is also taking a leaf out of Fishman’s book with its brand-new MortalCoil humbuckers, which pack three distinctive voices for catch-all tonality.
- Seymour Duncan is also celebrating a big milestone with its 50th Anniversary Limited Edition JB / Jazz Humbucker Set, which nods to the company's roots via period-correct parts such as butyrate bobbins and rough-cast magnets.
- D'Addario has, er, expanded its XPND family of pedalboards and accessories with the Pedal Pry Tool. We all know that trying to wrestle your prized pedals from the vice-like grip of a well-secured hook and loop fastening is the opposite of fun. The Pedal Pry Tool makes light work of removing pedals. Even more reason to buy some more stompboxes...
- Casio is unlocking a new world of expressive guitar playing with the Dimension Shifter, a device that clips onto guitar straps and allows users to wirelessly control effects, pedals, and move with their movements.
- Cleartone Strings introduces the all-new Power Series, engineered for “players who demand more power, clarity, and endurance from every note.” They’re built on a reformulated Nickel-Iron Blend and guarantee “a natural clean boost directly from your guitar – no pedals required.” They’re now available in gauges 9-42, 9-46, 10-46, 10-52, and 11-48.
- Vertex and Gator have teamed-up to offer players a dependable one-stop “unified pedalboard system” – complete with ’boards, bags and fasteners – and some clever design tweaks. No more scouring endless Amazon listings? We’re in.
