If you know what the acronym NAMM stands for, it’s probably safe to say that, like me, you are a either a musician, educator, music buyer or just a gear head in general. (I’m the latter.) This is the time of year that we all make the trek to Anaheim, California and murder our feet to make sure we don’t miss anything at the yearly NAMM conference.

This year was the second year the conference has been in person, since the pandemic, so some of the heavier hitters finally made their way back to the show. The 2024 show had a few huge vendors that were absent, namely, Fender, Gibson and Marshall. Being a guitar player myself, these brands being MIA was a huge kick to the stomach of what was already a limited list of vendors.

But, have no fear, 2025 definitely has the gear you’re looking for!

There were SO MANY cool things at NAMM this year. Not only was it nice to see some of “usual suspects” at the various booths, it was a great year for new gear. Some new features, some new price points, but overall, so really cool tech. This is a small round up of some of the coolest stuff I saw this year. (In no particular order.)

Yamaha SEQTRAK – $400

By no means is this a new item, this was just the first time I was able to get my hands on one. Now, as I’ve stressed a million times earlier in this article, I’m a guitar player. (I can play a little drums too, but just enough to be dangerous.) The SEQTRAK is a device I shouldn’t like playing. It’s part synth, drum machine and overall, song ideation station. The device is broken down in three sections, Drums, Synth & Sampler and Sound Design & Effects. Essentially, make your beat, lay down a melody and tweak, tweak, tweak.

The SEQTRAK is a portable, all-in-one music making machine! It has two powerful sound engines: an AWM2 for rich, lifelike sounds and a DX7-inspired FM engine for bold leads and dreamy pads. And, it sports built-in effects like reverb, delay, and distortion to let you shape your sound effortlessly.

It’s sleek, intuitive layout divides composition tools, effects, and master controls, with built-in sequencing, sampling, a speaker, and a mic. Two performace modes, “Tracks” and “Patterns,” allow real-time remixing for studio and live use.

With a rechargeable battery and a companion app for editing, sampling, and sharing, this thing goes beyond hardware. And to top it off, it has USB-C and MIDI to ensure easy studio integration into your current rig. Just take my money already!

Marshall JCM800 Modified – $3300

Now, I grew up in the 80s and 90s. Like most people in that era, I loved skate and pop punk, hard rock, metal and aspired to play that kind of music when I started playing in bands. The amp that we ALL dreamt of having was the Marshall JCM 800. (Later, interest might have migrated to a Mesa Triple Rec, but that conversation is for another day.) It seemed like month after month, all of my guitar heroes were playing these amps. I needed to have one of these amps, but they were way out of my price range. (I mean, they still are, but now I have credit.)

Here is what makes this amp so badass! The JCM800 Modified takes the classic Marshall tone and cranks it up with a few, modern, upgrades. A high-gain boost switch pushes it from vintage crunch to full-throttle metal, while a midrange boost cuts through the mix without needing extra pedals.

For low-tuned guitars and high-gain riffs, the tight switch keeps the low end in check, ensuring clarity even at extreme settings. With 100W of tube power, a 3-band EQ, and versatile gain controls, this amp delivers everything from classic rock to modern punk and metal—all wrapped up in the iconic JCM 800 box. Definitely added this to the arsenal!

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