NAMM 2026: First Look [Advance Guitars]

From January 22 to 24, 2026, I attended the “NAMM Show 2026,” one of the world’s largest music instrument trade shows, held in Anaheim, California!

This was my second time attending, following my visit in 2024. Once again, I’m here to bring you the excitement and energy of the event faster than anyone else!

I left Japan at midnight on Friday, the 23rd.

After a flight of about 10 hours, I arrived in Anaheim,

it was already 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, the 22nd, local time—as if I’d traveled back in time. That feeling of “returning to the previous evening” is quite strange.

Actually, this time, we forgot to request a “late check-in” when booking the hotel,

and I couldn’t even get in touch with them through the travel agency…

I briefly worried, “Worst-case scenario—will I be without a place to stay on the very first day?” but just before I arrived, I received an “OK” email from the hotel!

I was able to check in without a hitch.

I decided to keep dinner light and ordered a hamburger set at “Famous Star.”

The price was $10.69, about 1,650 yen.

I immediately got a taste of the weak yen and high prices.

Before I even had time to worry about jet lag, I fell into a deep sleep on the first night.

I was looking for an Instagrammable spot to capture the feeling of being in Nam when

I found a massive monument in the Gibson exhibition space on the second-floor lobby that I just had to take a picture of.

So I took a commemorative photo! Amazing!

And, as expected, I’m drawn to acoustic guitars! Off to the Martin booth!

Molly Tuttle’s signature model was unveiled at this year’s NAMM!

A commemorative photo with the D-28 Billy Strings!

Martin D-18 Molly Tuttle
A brand-new model just unveiled at this year’s NAMM.
The inlays featuring the phases of the moon are beautiful.
It has a soft, bright sound typical of mahogany, feels light in the hand, and
I could really feel that classic 1940s D-18 vibe!

Martin D-28 Billy Strings
It’s based on a 1940 herringbone D-28!
I’m thrilled that they’ve reissued the Grover G-111, which was actually used back then!
Isn’t that reason enough to buy it??

And the one I introduced in my video and was most excited about is Project 91!

Just as I was wondering if there was any new information, two new models were on display!

D-45 1937 Project 91-5 (left in the image)

This is the first model in the series to feature a double pickguard.

It might not be very common nowadays, but it seems there was a demand for double pickguards even back then.

While they’re strongly associated with Country Stars, many people probably also picture Bob Dylan playing an SJ-200 with a double pickguard in the 1960s, don’t they?

D-45 1937 Project 91-6 (right in the image)

This model is also based on a D-45 built in 1937.

It features a 12th-fret joint, and the headstock is solid with a vertical logo.

It’s said to be the last of only three pre-war D-45s with a 12th-fret joint.

We mustn’t forget Gibson Acoustic, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the flat-top guitar this year.

A reissue model of the “L-1”—which switched from an archtop to a flat-top design in 1926—was on display.

Known as Robert Johnson’s favorite guitar, this model’s status remains unshaken to this day.

Gibson 1926 L-1

I also took a commemorative photo with the anniversary SJ-200.

Yamaha, one of Japan’s leading instrument manufacturers, is still going strong!
The FG anniversary model was on display.
The position marks are so stylish!!
Believe it or not, the FG is also celebrating its 60th anniversary! Congratulations!
It’s wonderful to have a model loved around the world!

I also tried out the newly announced Elixir ATTUNE!
It sounded very bright, with a strong presence of high-mid harmonics.
It might actually suit an Electric Acoustic sound—which sounds even better than the acoustic tone—better than the natural acoustic sound!
Opinions on this one are likely to be quite divided! Be sure to give it a try when it arrives in Japan!

A Canadian acoustic brand called Boucher was fantastic!
It perfectly balances a vintage-like vibe with a responsive, high-quality sound,

and I’d love to test it out more thoroughly in my usual setup!

Simply stylish!
Taylor x MLB™ GS Mini - Los Angeles Dodgers

The commemorative model from Lyon & Healy—the company that laid the foundation for acoustic guitars in the 19th century—was incredible!
We’ve also written a feature article on parlor guitars for true enthusiasts here at our store, so please check it out!
https://tcgakki.com/pages/the-charm-of-the-19th-century-parlor-guitar

Vintage guitar expert George Green
I’ve learned so much from him, and I was able to express my gratitude!
Thank you so much!

I also got to say hello to Abhi and Pooja from Gard Bags, which is carried at Okubo Gakki!
Believe it or not, we’ve decided to make guitar cases, so stay tuned for more updates!

And once again, I got to meet everyone from Ren Ferguson Co.!
They’re a family I absolutely love!
We had a wonderful time over dinner as well!
Thank you so much, as always!!

We also held a birthday party to celebrate Ren Ferguson’s 80th birthday!

At the booth, I was introduced to singer-songwriter Antonio Grifoni
The Gibson he plays is a special-edition square-shoulder model made in 1994!
The inlays on the fingerboard and pickguard are absolutely stunning.
I was given the special opportunity to play it, and the aged tone from over 30 years of playing was simply breathtaking!

Antonio Grifoni

And Chris Martin and Bob Taylor even came to Ren’s birthday party to celebrate!
They were kind enough to pose for a commemorative photo with us!
Thank you so much!!

There was another surprise on the flight home!

Believe it or not, I happened to be on the same flight as Ko-jun and Kent Nishimura!
Even though it was after a long flight, they were kind enough to pose for photos with me!
Thank you so much!
Please be sure to stop by the store sometime!

Ko-jun

Kent Nishimura

Of course, I didn’t go to Nam just for sightseeing!

I was there for work as well, so please stay tuned for more details on that!