Column: My NAMM Guitar Shopping List Is Going To Hurt My Wallet

Richard Beech lists everything from NAMM he now wants to add to his rig   28-Feb-14

Other stuff:

Yeah, you read that right... 'other stuff'. By that, I mean everything that isn't guitars, amps or effects pedals.

Seymour Duncan HumBeckers:

I'd love to try the Jason Becker Humbuckers by Seymour Duncan... the HumBeckers! Put them in a Super Strat and plug into a 65Amps Whiskey, I bet you would have just about the most tasteful shredding tone of all time.

Touchmark:

Another product I'd at least like to test out from the show is the Touchmark system for guitars, which basically swaps your volume, tone and pickup controls for trackpads.

We saw a prototype at NAMM, and while the product could be more pleasing on the eye, it's a great idea and has some really practical applications. It was certainly divisive, but this is my shopping list, and I liked it!

Temple Audio pedal boards:

These things were genius, no need for velcro, no messy cables or power supplies. It's lightweight, incredibly tough, and they also look pleasing on the eye.

Your pedals sit on a sheet of aluminium in which a number of various size holes have been drilled, and via an adhesive pad stuck on the underside of your pedals, you can lock your pedals into the holes with screws. They will not move, one inch (unless you want to move them).

Artist Works:

And last, but certainly not least, is the Artist Works online tuition program with Paul Gilbert. The idea of learning guitar from Paul Gilbert and having him give you advice on how to improve is just a great idea.

The fact that you can do this for $30 per month makes it even better. I have signed up, and hopefully Paul won't be too harsh about my playing.