I’m already tired of seeing the #NAMMSHOW sculpture photo, so I chose a different photo here (I hope you like it too). Despite the absences, NAMM 2024 was awesome. The numbers show 62,000 attendees, 33% more than in 2023, but still far from the record 115,000 attendees in 2020. The number of 2024 exhibitors also increased: 33% more than in 2023.
Recently, Gruene Guitars shipped Guitar International one of its newer dreadnaughts for review, a prototype D-18 model named a “Saratoga”. Upon arrival I let it acclimate to its new surroundings, after its flight from San Antonio, Texas, the headquarters of the guitar company.
JOI Guitars only produces a handful of instruments a year with some of the most unique, rare and unorthodox materials in the world. Each has a one-of-a-kind story to match. He’s crafted acoustic guitars using a legendary mahogany called “The Tree”, hempwood, and even wooden boards handpicked from Jimi Hendrix’s dismantled childhood home.
PRS Guitars is reopening for factory tours in January 2024 for the first time since 2019. The PRS factory tour starts in Rough Cut with raw wood blanks and goes through every step of the electric guitar build process in Maryland. The tour also covers PRS SE Series inspection and the PRS amplifier department.
PRS Guitars has announced the “Dead Spec” Silver Sky Limited Edition. Designed for John Mayer’s prominent work on Dead & Company’s most recent tour, the PRS “Dead Spec” Silver Sky is a significantly modded PRS Silver Sky that pays homage to Jerry Garcia’s iconic “Alligator” guitar tones. Only 1,000 “Dead Spec” Silver Sky Limited Edition instruments will be sold worldwide.
Paul Reed Smith is an internationally-known guitar maker, musician and guitar player. Those facts are brilliantly evidenced on the debut album from his Eightlock band, Lions Roaring in Quicksand, which releases December 1st on Steele Records, distributed by Amplified Distribution. The first single, “Breathe,” will be released digitally on Friday, November 10th.
Today Gretsch is expanding the Professional Collection with two Limited Edition models. This collection sets the bar with modern, professional-grade features designed to power classic Gretsch tones and bold, dynamic sound. The Gretsch Limited Edition models elevate the brand’s most celebrated designs with striking finishes and upgraded features and appointments.
The Les Paul Foundation presented the “Early Days of Multi-Tracking” with presentations by Grammy winning record producer and sound engineer Steve Rosenthal and curator Perry Margouleff. Rosenthal spent time discussing the work on Les Paul’s collection of recordings at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center
Today’s guitar review is of the Limited Edition G5622T-140 Electromatic®, a mid-range guitar that should be a welcome addition to any guitar player’s gathering of stage ready guitars. The guitar draws design features, functional electronic and hardware components, and inspiration from such masterful Gretsch guitars as those cool Country Gentleman and White Falcon instruments, that we’ve seen in the hands of George Harrison, Gene Vincent, Brian Setzer, Michael Nesmith, Neil Young and many more legendary play
The Gruene OG-30 is very similar to an orchestra style Martin with a sound that matches and craftsmanship that’s on par. The Gruene has more bling in the form of natural abalone snowflakes, up and down the fretboard and two that accentuate the bridge. The Gruene name up top at the headstock is also real abalone, no fake stuff here…
