NAMM 2025 Yamaha Guitars Recap
Three days of music, friendship and gear.
It’s no surprise that some folks wonder if NAMM is still viable. Competition from other trade events, the high cost to exhibit and book hotels, and the fact that some major manufacturers no longer appear at the show have all contributed to concerns that the storied National Association of Music Merchants shindig, now in its 123rd year, is no longer relevant. This year, poor air quality caused by fierce Los Angeles wildfires, which continued to burn during the show, also gave would-be travelers pause.
But those who took the plunge and came to Anaheim, California for the three-day show last month were rewarded with enthusiastic crowds and plenty to experience. While attendance hasn’t fully bounced back to the pre-pandemic high of 115,000, organizers noted that more than 63,000 people attended the show — up 16 percent from 2024 — including 11,000 visitors from 125 countries, 1,850 exhibitors representing 4,400 brands, and 8,700 artists demonstrating and endorsing products. For me personally, it was a thrill to discover that walking into the Anaheim Convention Center and onto the show floor still inspired a familiar tingle of anticipation, even after attending a dozen NAMM shows.
TWO EXHIBIT AREAS
A huge part of that excitement was inspired by Yamaha’s massive space on the third floor of the convention center, which included a giant room with guitars, keyboards, drums and percussion, wind and string instruments, pro audio gear and a large main stage.
Directly across from the big room was a smaller Yamaha Guitar Group room with its own stage, as well as Ampeg, Line 6 products, along with those from the newer members of the Yamaha family, Cordoba and Guild.
PRODUCTS
Yamaha showed off a few new finishes in the BB and TRBX lines, but even with no new bass launches this year, there was still plenty of fun to be had. It was especially awesome to get quality time with the Billy Sheehan Attitude Limited 3, Nathan East BBNE2 and John Patitucci TRBJP2 signature basses!
A few feet away, attendees tried out a wide range of guitars, from the TAG3 C TransAcoustic and the recently unveiled FG9 X and FS9 X acoustic-electrics to the full line of the new generation of Pacificas.
Across the room, young musicians created a symphony of sound on Yamaha acoustic and electronic drums — including the new DTX6K5-M — while others test-drove Steinberg software products like Cubase and Dorico, checked out the SEQTRAK Mobile Music Ideastation and played YEV Pro Electric Violins. The Clavinova line of digital pianos on display — especially the CSP-295 and the new CLP-845, which were a joy to play. (Fans of Yamaha’s CP88 Stage Piano, take note: The CPOS 2.0 update is now available.)
The numerous BB, TRBX and signature-model basses in the main room were all plugged into Ampeg amps, but the smaller Yamaha Guitar Group room was home to gems like the Ampeg SGT-DI, which brings old-school SVT and B-15 tone to a road-ready preamp/DI box with overdrive, EQ, compression and the ability to load virtual cabs with the Ampeg IR Loader app. The main attraction in the Ampeg area was the Venture Series of bass heads and cabinets, comprised of the 1200-watt Venture V12, the 700-watt V7 and 300-watt V3 heads, paired with Venture VB-112, VB-115, VB-210, VB-212 and VB-410 cabs. The largest Venture cab, the VB-88, features eight 8-inch speakers, but it’s only 67 pounds, less than half the weight of an old-school 140 lb. SVT-810E. As someone whose heavy-amp days are behind him, I was intrigued by the Rocket Bass Series — a 500-watt 2×10 with classic looks, a DI and an extension speaker output that only weighs 39 lbs. Yes, please! Oh, and happy 75th birthday, Ampeg!
The small room was also the place to dig into Line 6’s impressive POD Express Bass effects processor, which boasts seven amps, seven cabs and 17 effects, including a looper. But it was hard to flip through presets while standing near Guild’s gorgeous Starfire 4-string electric basses, their acoustic bass guitar cousins and Cordoba’s cute Mini II Bass MH-E. Although few would consider the hustle and bustle of NAMM an ideal place to audition acoustic instruments, that didn’t stop plenty of would-be soloists from trying!
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