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NAMM 2026: Welcome to our roundup of the best guitar gear to hit the hallowed halls of the Anaheim Convention Centre, featuring the likes of Neural DSP, Gibson, Taylor Guitars, Yamaha, and many more.
All the big-hitters return for the annual North American Music Merchants Show, which feels like it’s getting back to its best, with plenty of new gear for us all to salivate over.
We deployed our very own guitar-nut, Rob Laing, to scour the halls and floors for all the latest finery the guitar industry has to offer. In our best efforts to try and distil his thoughts and experiences into one easy-to-read format, we bring you our best guitar gear of NAMM 2026.
For more NAMM news, insights and oddities, head over to our rolling live blog.
NAMM 2026 guitar gear highlights
Neural DSP Quad Cortex Mini
Neural DSP has taken its smash-hit Quad Cortex amp modeller and shrunk it by more than 50 per cent, and despite all this the unit is for all intents and purposes unchanged.
None of the processing power of the original unit has been lost in this downsizing project. The 7” touchscreen remains in place, dominating the enclosure a little like a smartphone, and you still have the four stainless steel rotary footswitches, plus a heap of connections around the back.
In so many ways, it really is the same MusicRadar-approved Quad Cortex, using the same Neural Capture tech (V1 and V2), the same access to the ridiculous number of guitar amp and guitar effects pedal captures in the library, compatibility with the same Archetype guitar plugin suites, it is just that it is really small. How small? It weighs in at 1.5kg. It measures 8.9” x 4.6” x 2.5”.
You can check out more on the Quad Cortex Mini in our first look video over on YouTube
Blackstar ID: X floor modellers
Is any amp brand as busy as the Brits at Blackstar? Turning up to this year’s show with the mighty little Beam Mini practice amp, its first FRFR cabs with the Artist FRs, TV-10 tube amps and… modelling pedals?
Yes indeed – three affordable options with sleek metal chassis that really impressed us. The new ID: X Floor One, Two and Three range are lean into physical controls rather than screen real estate and we like that being reflected on the value front with prices starting at under $200.
There are six models of tried and true Blackstar amps, like the St James, alongside six of the Ampton classic-influenced choices. There are also three bass amps, two acoustic voices, and an acoustic simulator to widen your horizons. Players can also select virtual valve responses between EL84, EL34, or 6L6 with the IR side covered by the company’s excellent CabRig editing.
Oh, there are effects too, of course, with 35, and an expression pedal for the Floor Two and Three. Blackstar continues to impress us with its willingness to confidently enter new spaces.
Mentha Works Monk Echo
Monk Echo by Mentha Works was spotted on day one of the show, and we already had an inkling that this was going to be a very strong candidate for our favourite new pedal of NAMM 2026.
The company is formed by some of the key people behind Gamechanger Audio and has all the hallmarks of that esoteric vibe brought into the industry from the Lativan firm.
Monk Echo is a delay and reverb pedal that features unique vowel voicing, called the Monk Voice, which enables you sculpt your reverbs with the character of the human voice. You’ll also find responsive modulation, granular pitch-shifting, and distortion via a special degradation effect.
The effects unit is already sold out with all preorders from the initial backers being honoured, so we hope that we get to see this time machine in full production very soon.
Gibson Atomic Age concept
In the corner of Gibon’s invitation-only room of Custom Shop delights at NAMM, sat something very different – a brand new guitar design. The offset Atomic Age.
For now it’s a concept guitar, and not a production model, but we’re told the reaction from dealers has been so enthusiastic, it’s making the prospect of a production model more likely. We like the shape and would be really interested to see it with different finish options one day. Big fans of the single G logo on the headstock, too, while there’s an unexpected raised Gibson logo on the pickguard.
From the design mind of Custom Shop Product Engineer Darron Dubose, the Atomic Age features a solid Korina body with unusual contouring. The pickups (the neck humbucker is a split coil) are accented with a bowtie-style surround. The Atomic Age has string-through construction too, and it’s great to see Gibson trying new things here with a surprising preview. Let’s hope it’s not the last we see of the Atomic Age.
Epiphone Futura
Even without a full stand that’s open to the public at the NAMM Show, Gibson and Epiphone have still made a massive splash here with a host of new models the public can see.
Value and specs are levelling up for core models, and the Futura Epiphones enter new territory with stainless steel frets. But on the Gibson acoustic side, we were also blown away by the super light and super resonant Century Collection, celebrating 100 years of its flat-tops.
There are also stunning signatures for Michael Schenker, late legend Mick Ronson and a new version of the Alex Lifeson Epiphone ES-355 that’s creating a lot of excitement.
JBL BandBox
JBL has dropped its BandBox Solo and Trio speakers which feature modelling as well a stem separation feature.
At the heart of JBL’s BandBox is Stem AI: an intelligent vocal and instrument separation technology that lets you isolate or remove vocals, guitar, or drums from any track in real-time.
This technology makes it easy to turn any track into a custom backing mix, whether you’re trying to learn a solo, jam with friends or improvise over songs.
The stem separation works really well, with only a short delay to compensate for the processing. It was demoed on the JBL booth running Spotify via Bluetooth, with the stems dropped out of the mix with relative ease.
We didn’t have much time to check out the modelling side of the BandBox range, so we can’t give our opinions on that side of things just yet, but stem separation feels like it could be the next must-have feature in guitar gear of this ilk.
Also worth checking out…
Eastman Guitar
We need to give a shout-out to Eastman Guitars with its new Fullertone shape – the Offset ’62. The best Fullertone so far, aesthetically? We think so. Typically for Eastman, this £899 model felt premium in our hands, with satin Gold and Dakota Red finishes – though we’re interested to see what more colours may follow in the future.
Spec includes Tonerider soapbar humbuckers, roasted black limba body and the Fullertone’s two-bolt long tenon design that you can really feel helps the guitar resonate, even acoustically. The tremolo is a Goldo DG and we’re loving the anodised backplates and pickguard. There’s only one thing for it – we need to get one in for review and investigate further!
Chris Buck signature Yamaha Revstar
It’s been in the works for a while, but Chris Buck finally has a Yamaha Guitars signature Revstar to demo for us on a very busy NAMM Show stand.
The RS02CB Honey Gold is based on his trusted custom shop model. Chris worked with Yamaha to voice the P-90s here with a lower output for a more detailed response at lower volumes.
A chambered body helps lighten the load and the neck is carbon-reinforced to provide stability in changing environments, which is just as well, because Chris’s band Cardinal Black are touring far and wide, including playing two gigs at the gear show.
Taylor Guitars
Resetting an acoustic guitar neck to help lower or raise its string action and improve playability is a tricky job for experts only – until now. We met Taylor Guitars CEO and design mastermind Andy Powers to see how you can do it in a few seconds on the company’s new Next Generation models. It’s another showcase of Andy’s vision for constantly evolving the company’s designs to help players play better.
The new Action Control Neck for the Next Generation 300, 400 and 800 series Grand Auditorium guitars features a long tenon and this shimless adjustability, alongside scalloped V-class bracing for enhanced resonance as well as warmth. There’s also the new Claria pickup system. Next generation indeed!
