Although Summer NAMM has definitely scaled back compared with a few years ago, it‘s still quite fun and interesting. I am amazed at the number of companies that have no new product introductions or only a handful. Most say that they‘re holding off until October‘s AES show in New York, which will be a much larger event than this show is Austin.

That isn‘t to say I haven‘t seen some exciting products. I think the one I‘m most pumped up about is the GSP1101 from Digitech. It‘s a single-rackspace guitar preamp and processor that takes a unique approach to amp modeling and effects. It‘s designed to be used with your existing guitar amp, but its USB port can handle audio, which means you can use it as an audio interface for your guitar. I don‘t have time to give you a lot of details now, but you can check it out here.

I don‘t normally get excited about headphones, but another product I feel enthusiastic about is a new pair from Audio-Technica. The ATH-M50 headphones are the most comfortable, best-sounding phones I‘ve ever wrapped around my ears. They‘re beautiful and reasonably priced ($199 retail), too.

Okay, it‘s time for me to hit the show floor for Summer NAMM‘s final day. You‘ll hear from me again when I get back home to Charlotte. Happy travels!