Summer NAMM 1985

Page 2....More photos and analysis!
The Dean guitar booth was very slammin', and they had a bunch of cool guitars. Here is the crew with the Dean poster child for 1985. I am sure we were all giggling like "Beavis and Butthead". However, this was about ten years before that classic made its appearance on MTV! Changed or Stayed the Same? Same. Dean is making some nice guitars again...and they still have hotties at their booth.
Ken getting down on some "Highway to Freebird". This is an interesting shot because this is the only Gibson doubleneck we've ever seen that had a factory Kahler on the six string neck. Where is this guitar now? Changed or Stayed the Same? Gibson has changed...you can make up your own mind on whether it is worse, or really worse.
Talk about star power! Here is Mr. Big. Click on the photo to make it full size. After we left the Gibson booth, there was this huge commotion at the Kramer booth. Yes, Mr. Van Halen made an appearance with Michelob in hand. To find him in the photo, look at the guitar neck in the center of the shot. There is a guy with his back to you in a white shirt to the left, then a guy with a moustache to his left. Mr. Van Halen is to the left of the moustache guy, wearing a black jacket and a stunned look. He didn't play; rather, he just kind of stumbled around. Changed or Stayed the Same? Changed. We saw Van Halen 29 September, 2007 at Greensboro, NC. It was absolutely killer. I think Mr. Van Halen may have really turned over a new leaf this time. Yes -- he can still rock!
Dude! We got to meet Brian May of Queen! On the opposite end of the ego spectrum we find Mr. Brian May of Queen. A complete gentleman while being a bona fide rock star, Mr. May posed for photos and spoke with us for a while. This is clearly an "I'm not worthy" moment. Changed or Stayed the Same? Same. Brian May is still killer, and I am sure he is still a gentleman.
Unlike a lot of the posers at this convention, Mr. May actually did a clinic. Held at the Dimarzio booth, he played and talked about equipment. I remember his scientific discussion of humidity and speaker cones, and why he uses different EQ settings when touring in the southern United States. Changed or Stayed the Same? Changed. Can you imagine a technical discussion with Brian May at Summer NAMM?
Acting crazy at the Fender booth. John finds a paisley Telecaster, which was very killer. Note the pink Tele with the locking trem! On the right, John provides a very lame imitation of Yngwie on a Japanese Squier Strat. You know, those were great guitars, and Yngwie is still pretty killer. Changed or Stayed the Same? Same. John still acts crazy around guitars, and Fender still makes paisley Teles, and cream Strats. Some things will never change!
Ken and David just couldn't get over paying ten bucks for a hot dog and a Coke. Must have been Reaganomics! The photo on the right is Ken hanging out in the hotel trying to devise a new business model. I believe we were just tired from chasing the rock stars around the convention...and trying to do some work! Changed or Stayed the Same? Same. Once you get the guitar business in your blood, you just can't seem to get it out!
Conclusion. We hope you enjoyed these photos and the analysis, and we look forward to your feedback. We look forward to attending many more NAMM shows and comparing the new experiences to our first NAMM show way back in 1985. Good luck!
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