Update: Anyone Going to NAMM this Week - Now with Report

[Anderton]

I'll be there, because I live in Nashville (no hotel, no flight, and I'm doing a presentation), and want to support NAMM...but I'm not quite sure what to expect. I know it's downsized compared to previous years, but that might be an advantage...more quality time with more companies, instead of running around.

 

Any of you going?

[Dave Bryce]

Not this year.

 

dB

[Anderton]

Not this year.

 

Not surprised, unless you just added a guitar line to your repertoire of products

[Marzzz]

No, but he sure likes to buy guitars...!

 

One is never enough!

[Dave Bryce]

No, but he sure likes to buy guitars...!

 

One is never enough!

Geez - I'm slacking. That thread is missing my Strat, Gretsch and the Dan Electro!

 

dB

[Mike Rivers]

I rather enjoyed the Summer NAMM shows because the booths I wanted to visit were usually less crowded than at the Winter show or AES. I stopped going, though, because hotels got too expensive. But they are everywhere now.

[GovernorSilver]

No, but he sure likes to buy guitars...!

 

One is never enough!

Geez - I'm slacking. That thread is missing my Strat, Gretsch and the Dan Electro!

 

dB

 

I had a brief thought that maybe you'd go there just to check out the Nashville guitar shops.

 

I'd at least want to check out Novo Guitars if I were to go to Nashville. I like their spins on classic Fender designs, which tend to favor the offset side of the house. It helps that I have little sense of shame - not going to scurry to a dark corner and hide if I saw some Nashville young gun on guitar waltz in to try a guitar.

 

https://www.novoguitars.com/

[Anderton]

I'm getting nervous about this. 400,000 people descended on Nashville for the downtown July 4th celebration, yelling and packed in like sardines, with no one wearing a mask, from what I saw on TV. TN has a fully vaccinated rate of 38%, and most of the neighboring states have even lower rates. All these people were staying at hotels and eating in restaurants that NAMM attendees will frequent. We won't know if July 4 was a super-spreader event until the end of the month, but the other worrisome element is that Delta is hitting a much younger demographic...the kind of people who went to the July 4th celebration.

 

Also, preliminary stats show more breakthrough cases for vaccinated people due to Delta than with Covid 1.0, although fortunately, those numbers are still very low. And I keep being reminded that the vaccine isn't 100% effective anyway. I don't blame NAMM; they decided to go ahead when the vaccine became available, under the assumption that the vast majority of people would take advantage of it, and so it would be safe to congregate, albeit cautiously. People can make all the anti-vaccine arguments they want, but almost 100% of the people ending up in hospitals now were not vaccinated. Of course, anything has plusses and minuses, but winding up on a ventilator in a hospital is a pretty huge minus.

 

I'm still going, but it will be in and out, wear a mask, and avoid people as much as possible. I'm pretty sure I'll be okay, but if there are a lot of unvaccinated people, they could be in trouble. If only 80% of the people had gotten the vaccine when it first became available, we wouldn't even have to be thinking about this, and everything would be re-opened...but we'll just have to roll with the punches.

[Chip McDonald]

40% of hospitalizations are now 18-49. Half the cases (or more) are probably delta. 30,000+ new cases a day now.

 

And new information about what covid does to you, whether you end up in the hospital or not. It's a crime the CDC/Fauci/et al are doing nothing to educate people to how it damages you invisibly; our government, and the UK, must have decided to go for an "Unwitting Herd Immunity" strategy. Kids dying in covid wards, and they're going to send them back to school? Psychopathic.

 

Conventions are the worst!

How many people standing at booths, talking to everybody?

Walking behind how many people, breathing their exhalation?

Passing by how many people yelling in conversation?

... and who isn't actually yelling at a NAMM show?

 

Delta needs 5-15 seconds exposure. 4x contagious than the original strain.

 

Consider everybody knows about "convention flu", whether it's NAMM, or whatever convention - there are technical reasons for that, papers have been written on it. With delta dominating you're really taking your chances.

[Anderton]

FWIW NAMM has cut the number of attendees from 15,000 to about 4,000, widened the aisles, limited the number of booths, is doing only 2 days instead of 3, provides complimentary masks at the door, the establishing rules about handling instruments, using lots of no-touch stuff, etc. When the plans were being formulated, and NAMM naively thought people wouldn't be idiots, that seemed like an excessive abundance of caution. Now it seems like a bare minimum.

 

I think anyone who goes needs to be vaccinated, masked, and get in and out as quickly as possible. At this point, I regret making commitments that I can't really blow off.

[Mike Rivers]

You're making it sound really scary. I hope that AES and NAB shows in October won't sound so risky.

 

Keep your mask on and hold your breath.

[Anderton]

Well, it's a big unknown. It really depends on the fallout from the 4th of July celebration in Nashville, and we won't know whether it was a super-spreader event for another week or so. If it had been in the northeast, my assumption would be no. But with so many neighboring states having low vaccine rates, anything's possible.

 

Of course, the stats are currently nowhere near as bad as the pre-vaccine days in January. I think infections are running about 10% of what they were back then. The uncertainty comes from 1) the way Delta tore through India, 2) areas of vaccine resistance where hospital ICUs are running out of space, 3) more transmissable, and 4) hitting a younger demographic (the one that goes to things like 4th of July celebrations). If there's a problem, it won't be due to a lack of effort by NAMM and the City Center, it will be due to the tourists that came to Nashville en masse.

 

I'm heading over to NAMM in about an hour, and will report back later today. I'm not panicked, just cautious. I've been vaccinated, so the odds are in my favor.

[Greg Mein]

We stayed overnight at the downtown Hilton on our way home from a recent vacation near Pigeon Forge. It just happened to be the Friday at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend and man, was that town ever cooking. The streets, bars and restaurants were all full!

[Mike Rivers]

Oh, no! It's been more than 24 hours since Craig's workshop and we still haven't heard from him. Either he was having too much fun or someone should check the list of new Covid patients. I'm hoping for the former, and that his presentation was, as usual, well received.

 

I was hoping that there would be a "virtual NAMM" to watch his talk, but I couldn't find one. Maybe later on YouTube?

[techristian]

I'm in the police state called CanadDUH. they won't let me go !!

 

Dan

[techristian]

I'm getting nervous about this. 400,000 people descended on Nashville for the downtown July 4th celebration, yelling and packed in like sardines, with no one wearing a mask, from what I saw on TV.

[Anderton]

Hey! I survived. I posted a bunch of pictures on my Instagram account and was asked by Sweetwater to write up a show report.

 

So...the show was smaller, thinner, with more space between aisles, no rugs (to allow regular disinfecting), etc. Due to the wide aisles and small crowds, it was possible to move around and not even feel close to packed in. If I moved in closer to talk to someone, I said something like "glad I'm vaccinated" to see if the other person said "I am too." This picture is the show at its most crowded, which oddly enough, was Thursday instead of Friday.

 

 

Davidson county (where Nashville is) has an over 50% vaccination rate, much higher than most of Tennessee. I checked with people I know at Vanderbilt, and they said about 1% of the people in hospitals were breakthrough cases for people who had been vaccinated. The other 99% were unvaccinated, which follows the trend nationwide. So far absolute numbers are relatively small, but they're nervous about next week, when the incubation period from July 4 hits .My overall impression is that people didn't go to NAMM unless they'd been vaccinated, because everyone I talked to had been. So...I don't expect any negative side effects, but then again, I live here so I just got in and got out. Didn't party in town or hang out with crowds on Broadway, that's for sure.

 

There weren't really significant gear announcements, so IK got a lot of attention for the X-Gear pedals. As Mike Rivers mentioned, they adapt IK's AmpliTube code to floor boxes. They look really good (you know how those Italian design people are), and they sound like, well, AmpliTube. Their pitch is that now you can get the same sound on stage as you get in the studio.

 

 

The event schedule was pretty full, but tables were spread way apart, and even chairs at the (quite big) tables were spread apart, so it was basically set up for social distancing.

 

 

And of course, there were some crazy booths.

 

 

And...the Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! Amazingly, there was a Russian pavilion at Summer NAMM. I guess they came to avoid the heat wave in Siberia.

 

 

Stompboxparts.com was probably my favorite booth. They sell pots, footswitches, boxes, battery connectors...take that, Radio Shack!

 

 

Acoustic bass, anyone?

 

 

And we'll close out with the retro sci-fi booth from Gamechanger / Third Man Hardware (affiliated with Jack White).

 

 

All in all, my presentation went over well, it was very cool to see humans in 3D instead of 2D, and the bottom line is I'm glad I went. But I have to say, it was obvious the past 18 months had taken its toll. Some people who had gotten Covid before they could get vaccinated were definitely the worse for wear, they looked like they'd aged considerably beyond what you'd expect just from being 18 months older. Their description of what they went through was, frankly, terrifying. Others had a not-as-bad case, but lingering symptoms lasted for months. Some people who caught it mid last year said they still weren't back to normal, but they were getting better. Others experienced something like a flu for a week or two, and it was gone. A few people didn't know they had it. So how people were affected by Covid was all over the map.

 

However, there were also the people who looked better than ever. Working at home had been good to them - they got more exercise, their companies were doing well, they were more productive, didn't get Covid, got the jab, etc. For many of them, this was their first outing into something with significant numbers of people, and they loved it. They weren't concerned about the health ramifications, because they figured that based on the vaccine stats, they'd be okay.

 

So it was a novel show to go along with a novel coronavirus. As I've often said, it's not called the "been there, done that" coronavirus for a reason, and this was not a "been there, done that" NAMM show. Now it's a waiting game until the end of the month to see if everyone escaped unscathed.

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks for that report, Craig. As a veteran of so many trade shows, it must have been quite a contrast to what you"re used to! I"m glad, but not surprised, to hear that your presentation went over well.

 

I hope you manage to stay well, and that goes for everyone else too.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Mike Rivers]

Thanks for the quick rundown and, as usual, excellent photos and summaries of the important facts. We've known Oktava mics for quite some time but those other names at the Russia booth were unfamilar.

 

Will there be a re-run of your talk? You had the most interesting topic there.

[RABid]

...

 

Stompboxparts.com was probably my favorite booth. They sell pots, footswitches, boxes, battery connectors...take that, Radio Shack!

 

 

....

 

All those colorful knobs make the modular geek in me go "Ohhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh."

[KenElevenShadows]

That photo did look reasonably spread out, and I'm glad you went and survived.

 

I am not sure that I am going to Winter NAMM. I don't want to make any grand proclamations. Just in wait and see mode. But y'know, NAMMthrax is a thing. Who knows. They will probably limit attendees and take numerous precautions, and hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

[Geoff Grace]

hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

 

...and hopefully not in favor of Epsilon.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Anderton]

I am not sure that I am going to Winter NAMM. I don't want to make any grand proclamations. Just in wait and see mode. But y'know, NAMMthrax is a thing. Who knows. They will probably limit attendees and take numerous precautions, and hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

 

It's really hard to say. Remember, Winter NAMM is a much more international show. So even if the US gets it together, there's the rest of world. Covid is going on a rampage in South America and Africa, and no one knows how many waves will happen in places where it's just getting serious.

 

My understanding is that Music China is happening, but at the moment, is limited to those who have had the Chinese vaccine. Maybe Winter NAMM will be US only - assuming that the situation is stable here, because enough people have gotten vaccinated, and unvaccinated people have either died so they're out of the picture, or survived and have antibodies.

 

Another consideration - traditionally, flus get worse in the Winter. When the Spanish flu hit, the real damage happened after everything thought the first wave was over, but then it came back in the Fall with a vengeance. That was when the greatest number of casualties happened. Anything's possible.

[KenElevenShadows]

hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

 

...and hopefully not in favor of Epsilon.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

Hey Geoff, I hope you're doing well!

 

I've heard a little about Epsilon, and some of my friends who are more scientifically inclined are deeply concerned about it. I haven't read up on it yet because I've been traveling for night photography. Not up on my current events right now.

[KenElevenShadows]

I am not sure that I am going to Winter NAMM. I don't want to make any grand proclamations. Just in wait and see mode. But y'know, NAMMthrax is a thing. Who knows. They will probably limit attendees and take numerous precautions, and hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

 

It's really hard to say. Remember, Winter NAMM is a much more international show. So even if the US gets it together, there's the rest of world. Covid is going on a rampage in South America and Africa, and no one knows how many waves will happen in places where it's just getting serious.

 

My understanding is that Music China is happening, but at the moment, is limited to those who have had the Chinese vaccine. Maybe Winter NAMM will be US only - assuming that the situation is stable here, because enough people have gotten vaccinated, and unvaccinated people have either died so they're out of the picture, or survived and have antibodies.

 

Another consideration - traditionally, flus get worse in the Winter. When the Spanish flu hit, the real damage happened after everything thought the first wave was over, but then it came back in the Fall with a vengeance. That was when the greatest number of casualties happened. Anything's possible.

 

I completely agree with everything you said. If I had to guess right now, I'd say Winter NAMM is off for me, but again, I don't wish to make grand proclamations or come off as overly paranoid or what-have-you. But yeah, I'm concerned.

 

I remember when a few of us were at dinner for Winter NAMM in January 2020 and we were all saying that there's no way there would be an in-person NAMM in 2021. And now, here we are just after Summer NAMM 2021, and we are wondering about Winter NAMM 2022 already.

[Anderton]

Now I'm getting nervous about Summer NAMM, and I wasn't so much originally. Nashville has been pretty open for some time, cases/deaths have stayed low, Davidson county has an over 50% vaccination rate, and the folks I know at hospitals were relieved that things seem to have finally played out, and they could just deal with car accidents, broken arms, etc. However, it has become clear in the past week or so that Delta is more tenacious and transmissible than even the pessimists had thought. Apparently, breakthrough infections are increasing, although to be fair, no one claimed that the vaccine was 100% effective - just that it would keep you from being hospitalized and dying. That seems to be the case, for now. But if you're infected, even if it doesn't hassle you, it could infect unvaccinated people, and they would not be protected...and they would pass it along to other unvaccinated people.

 

Jeez, what a mess. I really felt worst case was that NAMM would fall in the trough between the last wave and the next one, and best case, there wouldn't be a next one. Now it's clear we're in the beginning of the next one. The figures out of the UK are super-scary.

 

One item of interest, though...Nashville didn't get as hammered as a lot of other places last Summer. There is some thought that the virus is not a fan of heat and humidity. If so, the week with NAMM in the middle was one of the hottest, and most humid, weeks we've had all year. Maybe that will make a difference.

 

As to Winter NAMM, a lot of organizations (Synthplex, AES, etc.) scheduled events for October on the assumption that for sure, after the vaccine happened and everyone got the shot, the virus would be tamped down. I don't think people expected vaccine resistance to harden after it had been out, and shown that people who got it didn't die. Not dying seems like a reasonable tradeoff for the admittedly rare chance for side effects, but not everyone sees it that way.

 

I've already talked to one organization that had scheduled an event for October, and decided to instead do it as a virtual event.

 

But what do I know ?

[Geoff Grace]

hopefully the spike in Delta variants will have receded by then.

 

...and hopefully not in favor of Epsilon.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

Hey Geoff, I hope you're doing well!

 

Thanks, Ken. I hope you are too!

 

I've heard a little about Epsilon, and some of my friends who are more scientifically inclined are deeply concerned about it. I haven't read up on it yet because I've been traveling for night photography. Not up on my current events right now.

 

Actually, I didn't know that there was an Epsilon variant yet, only that the next one would be named Epsilon.

 

I hope that your night photography is going well. I always enjoy seeing your photographs.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Anderton]

Actually, I didn't know that there was an Epsilon variant yet, only that the next one would be named Epsilon.

 

Is this getting into hurricane-naming territory?

 

I hope that your [Ken's] night photography is going well. I always enjoy seeing [his] photographs.

 

Ken's night photography is incredible. Every now and then one of his pictures shows up as TV background. It cheers me up to know that's he's probably making tens of thousands of dollars in licensing fees

 

Or at least enough to buy a few sets of strings.

[Doerfler]

 

Agree about Ken's art. I am a happy customer.

[Chip McDonald]

"Lessons learned for the next pandemic"

 

"Get Ready for a Post Covid World"

 

Lots of sinisterly dystopian topics on the event board there, and obviously unaware. We're still in a pandemic, and we're not in a post-covid world.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a time, pre-80s, when there were various businesses that were ancillary to a main retail business who worked out of a "travelling" model. Snap-On Tools sort of still does this. Now that Radio Shack is gone, if "somebody" could arrange a slick-branding travelling version that had agreements with music stores to show up once a week to sell what amounts to "Radio Shack Basic Menu Plus", maybe that could be viable for say the top-4,5 tier big cities in each state? Maybe one of the small jobbers could expand what they do from a "drop by the music store and take an order" to pulling up in a large van with a sales counter attached, hang out at locations for a schedule few hours? I would suggest "those WalMart kiosks", but that's so... horrible.