NAMM 2026: rumors, predictions and breaking news from the world's biggest guitar gear show
All the latest and greatest gear drops coming out of the largest music trade show in the world – with new launches from Ibanez, Taylor, EVH, Marshall and more
![The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Jimmie Vaughan [left] and Kim Wilson do their thing at Rockefellers in Houston circa 1984...](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QNeXPUasV8vjS8djbycRLe-1200-80.jpg.webp)
Latest News
NAMM 2026: rumors, predictions and breaking news from the world's biggest guitar gear show
All the latest and greatest gear drops coming out of the largest music trade show in the world – with new launches from Ibanez, Taylor, EVH, Marshall and more
ESP remembers Alexi Liaho and Jeff Hanneman as Slaughter to Prevail’s Jack Simmons gets his first signature in new 2026 lineup
There are also new signatures for Mick Thomson, Stephen Carpenter, and George Lynch, while LTD celebrates its 30th anniversary
Sterling by Music Man offers scaled-back versions of Jason Richardson’s signature Cutlass
Some minor tonewood and pickup tweaks help reduce the cost, but there’s still shredability aplenty, alongside push-push controls for coil splits and volume boosting
Polyend releases the Endless, an open-source pedal that lets users create effects from prompts
It's ChatGPT in an aluminium stompbox format, with a growing pool of user-made effects, and coding and coding-free creating on offer
Cult Japanese brand Tokai Guitars returns to the US following distribution deal
The one-time 'lawsuit era' brand has become a cult favorite on the used market – now its new builds are coming back to the US shores
“You gave him the world, and he gave you his music in return”: Former Scorpions bassist Francis Buchholz dies, aged 71
Buchholz played on all the classic Scorpions records and later joined forces with his old bandmate Michael Schenker in his Temple of Rock project
Gibson gives us a sneak preview of its 2026 guitars – including long-awaited signature models for two guitar legends
From ‘50s and ‘60s-inspired reissues to signature models for Mick Ronson, Michael Schenker, and Gary Clark Jr., it promises to be a big year for the historic firm
![Butch Walker plays an EVH Striped Series superstrat [left]. On the right, his new signature Divided By 13 tube amp and matching cabinet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QdVcgiz4RoY9j7NngyDBJh-840-80.jpg.webp)
Artists
Josh Menashe of Frankie and the Witch Fingers has some advice on riff writing – just up your step count and let them come to you
Trash Classic is an album that does not hang around. Riffs come at at you fast – get in, get out is FATWF's credo, says Menashe
How three session aces and an inspired intervention from a “wunderkind” Steve Lukather saved a ‘70s soft-rock classic
England Dan and John Ford Coley's Love Is the Answer might not sound like the guitar track of nightmares but it took a lot of guitar talent to get it onto tape
Reb Beach on the story of his ’90s Ibanez signature guitar – and the mystery behind its sequel
The year is 1990 and Reb Beach is on the cover of Guitar World with his Ibanez WRB-3, a super-cool weird shape electric. But what happened to the WRB-1?
Kool & The Gang’s Robert Bell on how he laid down three top 10s in a single session – and became one of the most sampled artists in history
The funk masters’ only surviving original member explains the humble beginnings of most of their hits, how they put them together and why he isn’t going back to big rigs even if everyone else is
How the Velveteers' Demi Demitro learned to speak through baritone fuzz riffs
With Dan Auerbach at the helm once more, the Velveteers' A Million Knives holds the brute force of low-end guitar and melody in equilibrium while two drummers pummel their way through the mix
Keith Urban tells the tale of the Dumble that got away – and why he let down the buyer of his ’Burst
The country superstar shares his love for holy grail amps, writing riffs on cheap guitars, and the Nocaster once owned by Cinderella’s Tom Keifer that’s “worth every cent”
Randy Holden’s 1970 album pioneered doom metal. But he was never told it had been released
Two decades after he’d been sickened enough to quit playing, Holden discovered he was a guitar hero. He picked up the guitar again straight away, but he’ll never return to the industry that burned him
Kevin Jonas on his love for the Dove, and why you’ll almost always find the Jonas Brothers in DADGAD
It turns out Kevin Jonas – yes, the Kevin Jonas of pop superstars the Jonas Brothers – lives and breathes guitar, and it all started with a ‘teach yourself guitar’ book and a cheapo red electric
Gear
Best pedalboard power supplies 2026: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power for every budget and size of 'board, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were my standouts
Best impulse responses: the secret sauce of great recorded guitar tone
Take your recordings to another level with these high-quality cab IRs from York Audio, GGD, Ownhammer, ML Soundlabs, and more
Best delay pedals: our pick of the coolest delay pedals for your pedalboard
Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar
Best reverb pedals: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
Take a deep dive into the cavernous world of 'verb and explore the best reverb pedals for every budget
Best amps for metal 2026: my top picks for high-gain heroes
These powerhouse metal amps from PRS, Orange, Friedman, EVH, and more will have you primed to seek and destroy
“Making digital modeling a more viable option for those who miss the sound and feel of a real amp”: Line 6 Powercab CL 112 review
Missing on-stage sound? Find FRFR cabs unnatural? Line 6's latest Powercab offers a traditional speaker, primed for digital modelers
Best acoustic guitar strings: our top-rated strings for your acoustic
We pick the best guitar strings for acoustic guitar from Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Martin, and more
Lessons
Best online guitar lessons 2026: I'm a professional guitar product reviewer and these are my top picks
Online lessons are the ideal platform for developing guitar skills at home or on the go – myself and our in-house experts have tested options for all playing levels, styles and budgets, including a free option
“Sometimes simplicity wins the day”: Joe Bonamassa on the art of writing a heavy guitar riff
In his latest GW video lesson, the blues-rock superstar recalls how some of his heaviest riffs came together, and to your shock – and maybe even horror – they were written in standard tuning
Demystifying chord names, starting with a Hendrix and SRV favorite, the maj9
A little knowledge with naming conventions goes a long way to understanding complex chords and how they might sound
Bob Weir's 6 principles of rhythm guitar
Often overlooked in guitar circles when compared to Grateful Dead bandmate Jerry Garcia, Weir was a brilliant rhythm player who blended jazz, folk, country, blues, and rockabilly influences into a style that any guitarist would do well to study
Jared James Nichols on why playing in a trio opens up your soloing approaches
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, Mountain, Rush... Jared James Nichols argues that three is the magic number, allowing guitar players to stretch out and the band to feed off each other
Cory Wong on how you can use double-stops in a melody or solo
Using the Fearless Flyers jam Anaheim, the funkmaster unpacks an essential technique for all guitar players, and shows us how it can be rhythm, lead, and both when you need it to be
“Albert King once advised Gary Moore to ‘play every other note’”: Why keeping it simple can improve your blues solos
Peter Green, George Harrison, Gary Moore, David Gilmour... These are just some of the players inspiring this lesson in stylistic restraint, all in the pursuit of the blues
Reviews
“Making digital modeling a more viable option for those who miss the sound and feel of a real amp”: Line 6 Powercab CL 112 review
Missing on-stage sound? Find FRFR cabs unnatural? Line 6's latest Powercab offers a traditional speaker, primed for digital modelers
“A variety of tonal options for not much outlay”: Vintage Distortion, Chorus, Delay and Reverb pedals review
The UK-based Vintage brand enters the pedal market with a baker’s dozen of budget-friendly models
“Boss has packed some serious muscle into a small box... For its price, it’s going to be very tough to beat”: Boss GX-1B review
Boss's GX range of multi-effects gets a bass-specific baby brother...
"The build quality is outstanding, and the number of features gives younger and new players plenty to grow into": Boss GX-1 review
Boss' new entry-level multi-effects delivers pro-level features on a bedroom budget
“There’s more ‘Fender’ to Fiore and more ‘Gibson’ to the SE DGT”: PRS Fiore HH and SE DGT Standard review
PRS has ignored its existing signature artists during its 40th Anniversary, but finally we get two new models that illustrate huge diversity, proving PRS does indeed make guitars for us players
“A wide range of everyday fuzz needs from thick and smooth to raspy and raucous”: Electro-Harmonix Bender Royale review
Electro-Harmonix revives the classic three-transistor Tone Bender and evolves it for more sonic variety
“You may feel that the whole TransAcoustic thing is a novelty… we’d urge you to put aside your preconceptions”: Yamaha TAS3 C review
Reading a manual to find out how to connect your acoustic guitar to Bluetooth might deter some traditionalists, but there is treasure to be found for the adventurous
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Buying Guides
Best pedalboard power supplies 2026: juice your ‘board with my pick of pro-grade power for every budget and size of 'board, fully tested
I put budget-spanning pedal power supplies from Fender, Cioks, Walrus Audio and more through their paces – these were my standouts
Best online guitar lessons 2026: I'm a professional guitar product reviewer and these are my top picks
Online lessons are the ideal platform for developing guitar skills at home or on the go – myself and our in-house experts have tested options for all playing levels, styles and budgets, including a free option
Best impulse responses: the secret sauce of great recorded guitar tone
Take your recordings to another level with these high-quality cab IRs from York Audio, GGD, Ownhammer, ML Soundlabs, and more
Best delay pedals: our pick of the coolest delay pedals for your pedalboard
Whether you prefer digital or analog delay pedals, the options in this round-up will help boost your creativity on the guitar
Best reverb pedals: from spring to shimmer, these are our top picks for your pedalboard
Take a deep dive into the cavernous world of 'verb and explore the best reverb pedals for every budget
Best amps for metal 2026: my top picks for high-gain heroes
These powerhouse metal amps from PRS, Orange, Friedman, EVH, and more will have you primed to seek and destroy
Best acoustic guitar strings: our top-rated strings for your acoustic
We pick the best guitar strings for acoustic guitar from Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Martin, and more