Guitarist Xander Demos may not be a household name, but his playing is causing an increasing number of new fans and equipment manufacturers to take notice. Demos' combination of Shrapnel-era shred and melodic phrasing makes for a combination that appeals equally to guitarists and non-guitarists.

Look around you. There seems to be a seven-string renaissance happening at the moment. Actually, eight-string guitars seem to be going pretty strong, too. But there's something particularly satisfying about plugging in a seven and riffing out in between the traditional ranges of the guitar and bass.

Here's a fun video demo of several new Orange amps filmed at this week's 2012 Winter NAMM show. The amps in the video include the OR-50, the OR-15, the #4 Jim Root Signature model and the Micro Terror.

Guitar World visited Rico Loop at the Boss booth at NAMM so we could witness his awesome product demo of the Boss RC-300 Loop Station, AKA "The Triple-Stereo Mega Looper."